# Tired Sight Gags (Possible Spoilers) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 17, 2002, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-sight-gags-possible-spoilers/109611 "2002-05-17T20:26:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![nineiron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e56c9b/32.png) [@nineiron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nineiron)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2002, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-sight-gags-possible-spoilers/109611/21 "2002-05-18T17:00:58Z")
[person on phone, let’s say to a business of some sort] OK, well, I’d like to ask a question. Do you sell \_\_\_\_? [click.] Hello? Hello? Hello? They hung up!" The desperate trio of “hello’s” is standard. Another telephone one: The person having a conversation has to repeat everything the other person is saying, for our benefit? [person on phone]: “What’s that? You say you can’t make it tonight? You say the baby is sick?..And so is your husband? Why, that’s terrible!” A third phone one: [person on phone]: “Wow! You don’t say! You don’t say! You don’t say!”…[person asks, “Who was that?”] “He didn’t say.” Alternate ending: “Wrong number” (works best after a long, friendly-sounding conversation.) OK, I realize these aren’t quite the classic definition of sight gags, but I’m sick of them anyway. And if one more pregnant woman giving birth in a sitcom either says to the father angrily, “YOU did this to me!/This is YOUR fault/You are NEVER having sex with me again” or says to the doctor, “I want drugs! Now!” I will scream. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2002, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-sight-gags-possible-spoilers/109611/22 "2002-05-18T18:09:07Z")
Another one I happened to think of (speaking of _Meet the Parents_) is the popping of the champagne cork that wreaks more havoc than Genghis Khan. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2002, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-sight-gags-possible-spoilers/109611/23 "2002-05-18T18:20:01Z")
A pair of handcuffs, once introduced, will inevitably be used to lock two characters together. The key will be immediately lost and/or swallowed. Actually, the worst example of telephone abuse is on _Law & Order_, an otherwise excellent show. In the final minutes, as the lawyers relax in the D.A.'s office, the phone will ring, the D.A. will pick it up and say “Hello”, five seconds will pass and the D.A. will hang up and say: > [@](#): > > You won’t have to worry about an appeal. Mendez was just killed in a prison riot and his mother is already filing a wrongful death suit. She’s claiming prosecutorial interference. Wow, you got all that in five seconds? Your secretary must be on crank! ---
**Author:** ![Gilligan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Gilligan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gilligan)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2002, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-sight-gags-possible-spoilers/109611/24 "2002-05-18T18:40:57Z")
I’ve seen a few too many pyramids of canned vegetables come crashing down in sitcoms & movies. Also, minor car accidents having the airbags deploy like little helium balloons. ---
**Author:** ![Eternal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecb155/32.png) [@Eternal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eternal)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2002, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-sight-gags-possible-spoilers/109611/25 "2002-05-18T18:48:58Z")
“Watch out! There’s marbles on the floor! Oh no, we can’t walk without slipping on these marbles!” \ > [@](#): > > If I never see the “accidental knee/ball/random object-to-the-groin (usually followed by an “ooooh!” face, slowly falling over, then lying quietly until asked if they’re ok, to which they reply something in a WACKY falsetto voice.)” again it’ll be too soon for me. That’s what **I** do when I get hit in the groin with something, maybe without the falsetto voice (actually the voice is more like trying to speak while someones choking you). But the slowly falling over and laying quitely is spot on. ---
**Author:** ![ianzin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ed655f/32.png) [@ianzin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ianzin)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2002, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-sight-gags-possible-spoilers/109611/26 "2002-05-19T02:05:21Z")
1. Person driving car, forced to contend with some irritation or interference, continues to drive car at pace through busy places with _hilarious_ consequences. No, just stop the car already. 2. Person carrying long ladder or plank of wood over shoulder turns back and forth so as to knock over people and things, often without being aware of the _hilarious_ mayhem thus caused. 3. Person in hurry chooses wrong door which leads to closet, and rather _hilariously_ walks straight into it at pace, before realising the error. 4. Middle-aged male office worker. Enter sexy younger female, allegedly a secretary, dressed like a call girl. Male starts to drool and drivel and ends up in some precarious position with his eyes very close to her breasts. Enter man’s frumpy wife who immediately assumes a posture of vindictive disgust. Man scrambles to proclaim innocence and in so doing, _hilariously_ executes a prat fall. 5. A character called Jar-Jar Binks enters. May writers everywhere consign these scenes to oblivion. Not funny, not wanted any more, _thank you so much._ ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2002, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-sight-gags-possible-spoilers/109611/27 "2002-05-19T03:17:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Telemark \* > \*\* > It actually worked fairly well in _What’s Up Doc_ pretty well, but it only worked because it was a send up of the usually gag. \*\* I’d just like to point out that I don’t usually make more than two errors in a single sentence. It reads like badly translated instructions for a VCR. ---
**Author:** ![erislover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/71e660/32.png) [@erislover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erislover)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2002, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-sight-gags-possible-spoilers/109611/28 "2002-05-19T04:33:30Z")
**ianzin** , I agree 10000% with the ladder. So…darned…_tired_. ---
**Author:** ![nineiron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e56c9b/32.png) [@nineiron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nineiron)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2002, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-sight-gags-possible-spoilers/109611/29 "2002-05-21T11:34:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mr. Blue Sky \* > \*\* > > …or… > > “accidental knee/ball/random object-to-the-groin” had an accidental knee/ball/object to the groin… \*\* For days, I’ve been trying to understand the above, but I can’t. “Accidental knee/ball/random object to the groin” had an accidental knee/ball/object to the groin? I don’t get it. Help! [Note: I do understand what the overused sight gag is, just not why it’s used twice in the above sentence.] ---
**Author:** ![GregAtlanta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/eb9ed0/32.png) [@GregAtlanta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GregAtlanta)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2002, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-sight-gags-possible-spoilers/109611/30 "2002-05-21T13:39:54Z")
I have a very strict rule about movie trailers. We’ll call it Freeman’s Rule of Explosions. If either of these two cliche scenes is in the trailer, I will not see the movie no matter how good the rest of it looks. 1. Characters are running toward the camera and go flying through the air as a huge fireball explodes behind them. 2. Characters are walking calmly, smugly, defiantly toward the camera and looking extremely cool, so cool in fact, that they don’t flinch or show any reaction whatsoever as the huge fireball explodes behind them. I hate #2 so much that I probably should walk out of the theater right then in protest. (Calmly, smugly, defiantly … as the theater blows up behind me.):rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Slacker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@Slacker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slacker)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2002, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-sight-gags-possible-spoilers/109611/31 "2002-05-21T14:03:46Z")
“Anyway I think the boss is the stupidest person ever” (crowd laughs) “He goes like this, ‘Na na na! I’m so big!’” (crowd laughs more) “He’s the biggest jerk in the world!” (crowd stops laughing, frightened looks appear on their faces) “He’s behind me, isn’t he?” ---
**Author:** ![GregAtlanta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/eb9ed0/32.png) [@GregAtlanta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GregAtlanta)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2002, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-sight-gags-possible-spoilers/109611/32 "2002-05-21T14:36:46Z")
Just realized the thread was really about comic sight gags, rather than just bad movie cliches. So sorry the detour. But still… ---
**Author:** ![Velma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/85e7bf/32.png) [@Velma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velma)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2002, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-sight-gags-possible-spoilers/109611/33 "2002-05-21T16:05:50Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by nineiron \* > \*\* > > For days, I’ve been trying to understand the above, but I can’t. “Accidental knee/ball/random object to the groin” had an accidental knee/ball/object to the groin? I don’t get it. Help! > > [Note: I do understand what the overused sight gag is, just not why it’s used twice in the above sentence.] \*\* Not to answer for Mr. Blue Sky, but I read this as a alteration of a Simpsons quote. The film festival episode has been quoted in this thread, referring to the “Football in the Groin” short movie that Homer loved. He is judging the film festival and weighing the merits of “Pukahontas” (Barney’s film) and “Football in the Groin”, which looks like one of those videos you would see on America’s Funniest. Homer: “But “Football in the Groin” had a football in the groin.” Also the “It works on so many levels” quote is from this episode, also referring to “Football in the Groin.” In closing, I would just like to ask, "Are you saying ‘boo’, or ‘Boo-urns?’ ---
**Author:** ![Slacker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@Slacker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slacker)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2002, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-sight-gags-possible-spoilers/109611/34 "2002-05-21T16:12:37Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Velma \* > \*\*In closing, I would just like to ask, "Are you saying ‘boo’, or ‘Boo-urns?’ \*\* Lol - _I_ was saying Boo-urns. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2002, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-sight-gags-possible-spoilers/109611/35 "2002-05-21T16:22:01Z")
A variation on the telephone ones that always gets me: Caller: “Hello, Joe’s Pizza?” Um, don’t they ANSWER the phone down at the pizza place with something like, “Hello, Joe’s Pizza”? Why does the caller have to ASK who he’s called? (Yeah, I know, it’s so the audience knows who he called. It’s still pretty fake-sounding. Nobody says that in real life.) ---
**Author:** ![CaptMurdock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/captmurdock/32/11736_2.png) [@CaptMurdock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptMurdock)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2002, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-sight-gags-possible-spoilers/109611/36 "2002-05-21T16:54:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by dwyr \* > \*\*Spit-take. > > I’ve never seen anyone older than six months spew liquids like a fountain. It’s just messy. \*\* I’ve actually done this, and no, I was not trying to. I was drinking coffee in a restaurant with some friends, when one of them said something extremely funny right at the wrong moment. Let me tell you, a mouthful of coffee doesn’t wait very well. In my own defense, I have to say it was a _beautiful_ spit-take. I couldn’t have done it better if I tried. It was like a brown rainbow. 🙂 Hey, what’s wrong with pie/cake fights? I’m sorry, but that’s one of those things (especially if cute girls are involved) that I can never get tired of. Always entertaining. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![nineiron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e56c9b/32.png) [@nineiron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nineiron)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2002, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-sight-gags-possible-spoilers/109611/37 "2002-05-21T17:00:41Z")
[Homer voice]Oh, I get it! I get jokes…[/homer voice] [in the spirit of the Simpsons thing.] I guess the way the sentence was constructed caused it to just not click with me. Thanks for explaining it. ---
**Author:** ![Riboflavin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f1d935/32.png) [@Riboflavin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riboflavin)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2002, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-sight-gags-possible-spoilers/109611/38 "2002-05-21T21:40:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Bryan Ekers \* > In the final minutes, as the lawyers relax in the D.A.'s office, the phone will ring, the D.A. will pick it up and say “Hello”, five seconds will pass and the D.A. will hang up and say: (Long string of events) Why is this so unbelievable? This is Law and Order we’re talking about, the secretary probably just said ‘Sorry Jack, double D, riot, mother, and misconduct’. While I like the show, they do seem to have rather frequent ‘and then the victim died’ bits; if that happened IRL, I’d expect the secretary to be able to abbreviate those common situations. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2002, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-sight-gags-possible-spoilers/109611/39 "2002-05-21T22:43:55Z")
A water-skiing character who is being dragged around and through numerous hazards will always scream in panic instead of doing the logical thing: drop the rope. ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2002, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-sight-gags-possible-spoilers/109611/40 "2002-05-21T23:45:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Scarlett67 \* > A variation on the telephone ones that always gets me: > > Caller: “Hello, Joe’s Pizza?” > > Um, don’t they ANSWER the phone down at the pizza place with something like, “Hello, Joe’s Pizza”? Why does the caller have to ASK who he’s called? > > (Yeah, I know, it’s so the audience knows who he called. It’s still pretty fake-sounding. Nobody says that in real life.) You would be shocked and amazed, **Scarlett**. I can’t tell you how many times I had conversations like this while working in my family’s TV shop: \ Me: “Hello, Balance Family TV Repair, can I help you?” \ Caller: “Is this the Balance Family TV Repair Shop?” It really does happen.A _lot_ Most of my own peeves have already been covered here, but I want to second **Gilligan** both on the canned-good calamities and the slowly–and worse, belatedly–inflating airbags. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-sight-gags-possible-spoilers/109611.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-sight-gags-possible-spoilers/109611.md?page=3)