# Today's Pearls Before Swine--Is That Apocalypse Now? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 17, 2006, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/todays-pearls-before-swine-is-that-apocalypse-now/361056 "2006-06-17T14:26:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2006, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/todays-pearls-before-swine-is-that-apocalypse-now/361056/1 "2006-06-17T14:26:24Z")
In [today’s comic](http://www.comics.com/comics/pearls/archive/pearls-20060617.html), Rat goes to bring the Guard Duck inside. Eventually, the duck says “You’re neither…You’re an errand boy, sent by grocery clerks, to collect a bill.” Now it’s been a long time since I saw _Apocalypse Now_, but is that a quote? I know that the last panel is definitely a quote from _Heart of Darkness_ (is it said in _Apocalypse Now_?) which what makes me wonder if Pastis is actually quoting _Apocalypse Now_ or if it’s just in the style. Especially the Netflix reference by Rat. Funny in any case. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2006, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/todays-pearls-before-swine-is-that-apocalypse-now/361056/2 "2006-06-17T14:50:29Z")
The dialogue is from Apocalypse Now, the joke being that he has watched it too man times on Netflix. I can’t remember if it also mirrors Heart of Darkness, but I do remember that Mr. Kurtz’s (Col. Kurtz in AN) last words are “the horror.” ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2006, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/todays-pearls-before-swine-is-that-apocalypse-now/361056/3 "2006-06-17T15:18:31Z")
It’s from the scene where Martin Sheen first meets Marlon Brando. Brando asks something like, “Are you as assassin?” Sheen replies, “I’m a soldier.” Brando snaps back, “You’re neither- you’re an errand boy.” ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2006, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/todays-pearls-before-swine-is-that-apocalypse-now/361056/4 "2006-06-17T15:52:29Z")
_The horror! The horror!_ are the last words of both Mr. (Georges-Antoine) Kurtz in \*Heart of Darkness, \* and of Col. (Walter E.) Kurtz in _Apocalyse Now!_ ---
**Author:** ![DooWahDiddy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9bcb4/32.png) [@DooWahDiddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DooWahDiddy)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2006, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/todays-pearls-before-swine-is-that-apocalypse-now/361056/5 "2006-06-17T16:27:45Z")
And of course all this dialogue was parodied on _Seinfeld_ when J. Peterman lived in a cave in Burma. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2006, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/todays-pearls-before-swine-is-that-apocalypse-now/361056/6 "2006-06-17T16:33:48Z")
The duck also used the “I love the smell of napalm in the morning” line a couple of days ago. ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2006, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/todays-pearls-before-swine-is-that-apocalypse-now/361056/7 "2006-06-17T19:45:14Z")
IIRC Apocalypse Now’s story line is basically lifted from Heart of Darkness ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2006, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/todays-pearls-before-swine-is-that-apocalypse-now/361056/8 "2006-06-17T19:48:07Z")
He’s a cool duck, though. I bit Rat’s neighbors don’t play loud music.