# TV Characters' Initials **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 15, 2004, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-characters-initials/280053 "2004-12-15T23:10:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Sir\_Rhosis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@Sir\_Rhosis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Rhosis)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2004, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-characters-initials/280053/61 "2004-12-18T02:26:13Z")
There’s a misplaced comma in my original much-maligned post, also. 😃 Actually, iirc, the Star Trek fotonovels didn’t have word balloons, rather they had dialogue in a block format with a straight line drawn to the character. I just used word balloons as a bit of short-hand. Anyway, back to initials… please… 😃 Sir Rhosis ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2004, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-characters-initials/280053/62 "2004-12-21T05:03:20Z")
On _One Day at a Time_, Pat Harrington’s character was building superintendent Dwayne F. Schneider. On one episode, he was asked what the “F” stood for, and hesitated before admitting his middle name was “Flo”, a tribute to impresario Florenz “Flo” Ziegfeld of Follies fame. When interviewed, actor [E.G. Marshall](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0550855/bio) gave numerous answers to the question of what his initials stood for. As the linked page says, he was born Everett Eugene Grunz, but suggested at various times that _E.G._ stood for _Edda Gunnar_, _Enigma Gregarius_, or _Everybody’s Guess_. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2004, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-characters-initials/280053/63 "2004-12-21T05:41:54Z")
H.M. Murdoch & B.A. Barracus. (I don’t think the H.M. was ever explained) ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2004, 8:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-characters-initials/280053/64 "2004-12-21T08:56:18Z")
> [@Peter Morris](#): > > H.M. Murdoch & B.A. Barracus. > > (I don’t think the H.M. was ever explained) “Howling Mad”. ---
**Author:** ![Chastain86](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Chastain86](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chastain86)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2004, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-characters-initials/280053/65 "2004-12-21T14:39:06Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > “Howling Mad”. Quite right. And as I understand it, B.A. Barracus was short for “Bad Attitude.” Of course, Howling Mad and Bad Attitude might just be nicknames made up by the rest of the A-Team, too. Guess we’ll never know. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![paulberserker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c4cdca/32.png) [@paulberserker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/paulberserker)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2004, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-characters-initials/280053/66 "2004-12-21T14:46:28Z")
What about I R Baboon? ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2004, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-characters-initials/280053/67 "2004-12-21T14:55:00Z")
> [@Chastain86](#): > > Quite right. And as I understand it, B.A. Barracus was short for “Bad Attitude.” Officially, it was “Bosco Albert Baracas.” In episode “Lease with an Option to Die,” B.A.'s mom, played by Della Reese, calls him by his given names. On Andy Griffith, Barney was given several different middle names/initials. Don’t recall if they ever settled on one in particular. ---
**Author:** ![davmilasav](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9bcb4/32.png) [@davmilasav](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davmilasav)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2004, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-characters-initials/280053/68 "2004-12-21T15:05:06Z")
And still nobody has said what the “P” in Alex P Keaton stood for… ---
**Author:** ![Mystery\_Dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f14d63/32.png) [@Mystery\_Dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mystery_Dog)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2004, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-characters-initials/280053/69 "2004-12-21T16:21:24Z")
Another one that hasn’t been mentioned: On _Cheers_, Woody Boyd’s middle name was Tiberius. Just like Jim Kirk. I don’t think they ever said what the C stood for in Clifford C. Clavin. ---
**Author:** ![quiltguy154](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/ad7895/32.png) [@quiltguy154](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quiltguy154)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2004, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-characters-initials/280053/70 "2004-12-21T21:00:50Z")
What does the T in Mr. T’s name stand for? I never heard it mentioned. How about the fantastic animal on The Howdy Doody Show with the name of Phineas T. Bluster? Any connection with P.T. Barnum? There was a sitcom, starring Burl Ives, entitled O.K. Crackerby. Any guesses? ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Rhosis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@Sir\_Rhosis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Rhosis)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2004, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-characters-initials/280053/71 "2004-12-21T21:23:40Z")
I think Mr. T was born Lawrence Tero. Barney P. Fife and Barney Oliver Fife. I think they used the P. initial (don’t remember what it stood for) more often than the O. Sir Rhosis ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2004, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-characters-initials/280053/72 "2004-12-23T21:11:38Z")
> [@Sir Rhosis](#): > > Barney P. Fife and Barney Oliver Fife. I think they used the P. initial (don’t remember what it stood for) more often than the O. In an episode where his high-school yearbook was visible, the caption by his picture referred to the bumbler as [Bernard Milton Fife.](http://www.slipups.com/items/1773.html) I remember seeing that installment of the series, but not any on which Barney’s middle name was said to be [[www.mix95.com/artieans5.asp+%2B+“Barney+Fife”+%2B+“Milton”&hl=en&ie=UTF-8](http://www.mix95.com/artieans5.asp+%2B+%22Barney+Fife%22+%2B+%22Milton%22&hl=en&ie=UTF-8)]Tibbs]([http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:ZbPVFIa9bZYJ:](http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:ZbPVFIa9bZYJ:)[url). ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2004, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-characters-initials/280053/73 "2004-12-23T21:18:09Z")
> [@Agrippina](#): > > [Donna Jo Tanner](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Full_House). Anyone else find it suspious that her middle name is “Jo.” Particularly since she looks so much like Joey, and not at all like her 'father" Danny. ---
**Author:** ![Odinoneeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/97f17d/32.png) [@Odinoneeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odinoneeye)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2004, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-characters-initials/280053/74 "2004-12-24T01:29:10Z")
Comedy Central used to have a show called Beat the Geeks where contestants would match pop culture wits with various experts (the Geeks) The TV geek once told a story of how he was asked what the D in J. D. Clampett stood for. He couldn’t think of any episode of The Beverly Hillbillies which explained it so he talked to the producer who couldn’t think of it either so he called Buddy Ebsen. Buddy decided it should be David. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-characters-initials/280053.md?page=3)