# Unanswerable questions and eternal mysteries of pop culture (SPOILERS). **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 13, 2005, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unanswerable-questions-and-eternal-mysteries-of-pop-culture-spoilers/335453 "2005-12-13T19:04:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2005, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unanswerable-questions-and-eternal-mysteries-of-pop-culture-spoilers/335453/21 "2005-12-13T21:17:30Z")
What is McArthur Park? Why is it melting in the rain? And why won’t he have that reciepe again? ---
**Author:** ![davenportavenger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f8ce5/32.png) [@davenportavenger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davenportavenger)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2005, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unanswerable-questions-and-eternal-mysteries-of-pop-culture-spoilers/335453/22 "2005-12-13T21:19:05Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > What did Billy Murray whisper to Scarlett Johansson in the last scene of **Lost in Translation**? “I’m HIV-positive.” ---
**Author:** ![Ghanima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Ghanima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ghanima)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2005, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unanswerable-questions-and-eternal-mysteries-of-pop-culture-spoilers/335453/23 "2005-12-13T21:24:20Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > What did Billy Murray whisper to Scarlett Johansson in the last scene of Lost in Translation? “It’s Marcellus Wallace’s soul.” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![some\_white\_dude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b487fb/32.png) [@some\_white\_dude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/some_white_dude)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2005, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unanswerable-questions-and-eternal-mysteries-of-pop-culture-spoilers/335453/24 "2005-12-13T21:36:42Z")
What did Jack whisper to Nina in season 2 of 24? ---
**Author:** ![Interrobang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/interrobang/32/17463_2.png) [@Interrobang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Interrobang)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2005, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unanswerable-questions-and-eternal-mysteries-of-pop-culture-spoilers/335453/25 "2005-12-13T21:46:59Z")
> [@Ghanima](#): > > My cousin worked in Hollywood around when this movie was made, and he had it on good authority that the suitcase contained Marsellus Wallace’s soul. It makes perfect sense in the context of the movie. I actually haven’t heard any other theories. I’ve never bought the soul theory, frankly. I mean, it’s fun to read the explanation, but I was always surprised anyone took it seriously. Kind of like believing Paul was dead and the Beatles put a bunch of clues on their albums – fun game, but people took it seriously? Okey-doke… Another theory I’ve heard and like (though of course it’s just a theory) is that the briefcase contains the jewels stolen in _Reservoir Dogs_. **RealityChuck** , I thought of the _Lost in Translation_ question while I was at lunch, and was going to post it if no one had gotten around to it in the meantime. Good one. ---
**Author:** ![Stonebow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Stonebow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stonebow)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2005, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unanswerable-questions-and-eternal-mysteries-of-pop-culture-spoilers/335453/26 "2005-12-13T21:49:47Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > And the all-time classic: Who was the third murderer in **Macbeth**? I had always figured that it was Macbeth himself. Are there competing theories? ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2005, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unanswerable-questions-and-eternal-mysteries-of-pop-culture-spoilers/335453/27 "2005-12-13T21:50:12Z")
> [@Ghanima](#): > > My cousin worked in Hollywood around when this movie was made, and he had it on good authority that the suitcase contained Marsellus Wallace’s soul. It makes perfect sense in the context of the movie. No . . . to make sense in context, it has to be something everybody **wants.** Like the briefcase in _Ronin._ ---
**Author:** ![Nonsuch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonsuch/32/2922_2.png) [@Nonsuch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nonsuch)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2005, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unanswerable-questions-and-eternal-mysteries-of-pop-culture-spoilers/335453/28 "2005-12-13T22:17:56Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > No . . . to make sense in context, it has to be something everybody **wants.** Not to mention something Pumpkin (at least) would recognize (“Is that what I think it is?”). ---
**Author:** ![Nonsuch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonsuch/32/2922_2.png) [@Nonsuch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nonsuch)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2005, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unanswerable-questions-and-eternal-mysteries-of-pop-culture-spoilers/335453/29 "2005-12-13T22:19:24Z")
Might a Mod step in and fix my coding above? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2005, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unanswerable-questions-and-eternal-mysteries-of-pop-culture-spoilers/335453/30 "2005-12-13T22:21:41Z")
What did Honey die of in the Bobby Goldsboro song? ---
**Author:** ![Manatee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/50afbb/32.png) [@Manatee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manatee)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2005, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unanswerable-questions-and-eternal-mysteries-of-pop-culture-spoilers/335453/31 "2005-12-13T22:51:08Z")
Oh, I wonder, wonder, I wonder who. Who wrote the book of love? ---
**Author:** ![Big\_Norse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/big_norse/32/9954_2.png) [@Big\_Norse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Big_Norse)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2005, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unanswerable-questions-and-eternal-mysteries-of-pop-culture-spoilers/335453/32 "2005-12-13T22:51:27Z")
> [@Mr. Blue Sky](#): > > What did Honey die of in the Bobby Goldsboro song? She didn’t die, “the Angels took her away.” She went to play baseball in California. (At least that’s what my mother told me the song meant.) ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2005, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unanswerable-questions-and-eternal-mysteries-of-pop-culture-spoilers/335453/33 "2005-12-13T22:52:44Z")
> [@Big\_Norse](#): > > She didn’t die, “the Angels took her away.” She went to play baseball in California. (At least that’s what my mother told me the song meant.) That would give her a good reason to cry all the time, at least. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Manatee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/50afbb/32.png) [@Manatee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manatee)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2005, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unanswerable-questions-and-eternal-mysteries-of-pop-culture-spoilers/335453/34 "2005-12-13T22:58:46Z")
Oh yeah, I almost forgot: Hermie and Rudolph want to know… Who decides the test of what is really best? ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2005, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unanswerable-questions-and-eternal-mysteries-of-pop-culture-spoilers/335453/35 "2005-12-13T23:46:08Z")
Who threw the overalls in Mrs. Murphy’s chowder? ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2005, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unanswerable-questions-and-eternal-mysteries-of-pop-culture-spoilers/335453/36 "2005-12-13T23:54:21Z")
And who put the Benzedrine in Mrs. Murphy’s Ovaltine? > [@Stonebow](#): > > I had always figured that it was Macbeth himself. Are there competing theories? Briefly, yes. I’m not an expert, but there are several interpretations involving other characters in the play. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2005, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unanswerable-questions-and-eternal-mysteries-of-pop-culture-spoilers/335453/37 "2005-12-13T23:58:45Z")
> [@Eve](#): > > Who threw the overalls in Mrs. Murphy’s chowder? Mrs. Murphy. She had them in the wash that day and forgot to take them out. I have never seen a reference to this song before. I thought I might be the only living human who knew it. ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2005, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unanswerable-questions-and-eternal-mysteries-of-pop-culture-spoilers/335453/38 "2005-12-14T00:00:02Z")
> [@jrfranchi](#): > > The eternal question among Middle Earth fans and geeks. > Did the Balrog have Wings? > > Jim Also: Is Tom Bombadil a Maia? ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2005, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unanswerable-questions-and-eternal-mysteries-of-pop-culture-spoilers/335453/39 "2005-12-14T00:19:57Z")
What was in the trunk of the car in **Repo Man**? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2005, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unanswerable-questions-and-eternal-mysteries-of-pop-culture-spoilers/335453/40 "2005-12-14T00:23:27Z")
"Who put the bomp In the bomp bah bomp bah bomp? Who put the ram In the rama lama ding dong? Who put the bop In the bop shoo bop shoo bop? Who put the dip In the dip da dip da dip? Who was that man? " [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unanswerable-questions-and-eternal-mysteries-of-pop-culture-spoilers/335453.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unanswerable-questions-and-eternal-mysteries-of-pop-culture-spoilers/335453.md?page=3)