# Utterly dopey characters who are actually very good at their job **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 22, 2022, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utterly-dopey-characters-who-are-actually-very-good-at-their-job/963255 "2022-04-22T13:34:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2022, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utterly-dopey-characters-who-are-actually-very-good-at-their-job/963255/61 "2022-04-23T17:46:43Z")
> [@psychonaut](#): > > Yes, but he wasn’t utterly dopey. He was pretty clumsy — tripped a lot over everything. His character was well named. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2022, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utterly-dopey-characters-who-are-actually-very-good-at-their-job/963255/62 "2022-04-23T17:50:02Z")
Anyone who has 30-50 incidents per year of listening at a door, hearing people moving furniture or talking about their favorite shoes and assumes it’s about fucking can’t have TOO much going on upstairs. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2022, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utterly-dopey-characters-who-are-actually-very-good-at-their-job/963255/63 "2022-04-23T18:24:26Z")
How about Gilligan, and to a lesser extent the Skipper? There haven’t been too many bumbling fools who are more bumbly and foolish than Gilligan. The Skipper is a slightly less bumbling older fool with anger issues. And yet, in the theme ballad, Gilligan is described as a “mighty sailing man” and the Skipper “brave and sure”. And of course, if not for the courage of the fearless crew, the Minnow would have been lost. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2022, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utterly-dopey-characters-who-are-actually-very-good-at-their-job/963255/64 "2022-04-23T18:33:55Z")
> [@solost](#): > > I noticed in one of the very early episodes he did that ‘patting down every pocket, “I know it’s here somewhere” thing’, looking for a pen, and it was after the perp was walked off, when he no longer needed to put on an act. So apparently in the Columbo canon it’s not 100% phony. That could just be Columbo method acting the role that he plays in front of criminals though… ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2022, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utterly-dopey-characters-who-are-actually-very-good-at-their-job/963255/65 "2022-04-23T18:46:51Z")
And for all that everyone talks about the Professor making a radio out of coconuts, it was actually the Skipper who rewired the radio to work as a transmitter, based on his Navy training. Though admittedly, that was while under the effects of blunt-force mnesia, so might not reflect his usual competence level. ---
**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:** [April 23, 2022, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utterly-dopey-characters-who-are-actually-very-good-at-their-job/963255/66 "2022-04-23T20:03:26Z")
> [@flurb](#): > > Cliff was a _terrible_ mailman. I remember an episode where he’s delivering mail in an apartment complex, and as soon as he leaves all the neighbors come out and start exchanging mail to whom it was actually addressed. That was [the episode](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0539712/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1) where they were making a home movie showing the various Cheers regulars. I got the impression that Cliff and the others deliberately staged it. As for Columbo, he’s not faking. He shows the same annoying quirks and absent-mindedness all the time, including: buying lunch, dealing with dog obedience school, working with other police staff, talking to witnesses that aren’t suspects, and even on holiday. Not exactly a goofy character, but I think it’s related. Bilko’s questionable activities are all done while off-duty. On duty, he is a highly skilled auto mechanic and team manager. He keeps the motor pool running smoothly. He will not allow a car to be improperly serviced. He expects hard work done well from his men. Even Doberman, who is usually the first one to fall for a scam, seems to be competent at his actual job. ---
**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:** [April 23, 2022, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utterly-dopey-characters-who-are-actually-very-good-at-their-job/963255/67 "2022-04-23T20:19:50Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > Pretty much the whole premise of _Forrest Gump_ is a dim bulb who is surprisingly good at whatever job (or sport) he finds himself in. The thing about Gump is that he’s basically Captain America. He has what the comics call “peak human condition” - he’s an amazing short-distance and long-distance runner, with speed, strength and unlimited stamina, as well as having incredible manual dexterity and hand-eye coordination - as well as being brave, dedicated, loyal to a fault, hard-working, pure of heart and beloved by everyone he meets. He’s a man blessed with every advantage except one; and with his talents, who needs brains? ---
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2022, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utterly-dopey-characters-who-are-actually-very-good-at-their-job/963255/68 "2022-04-24T03:37:23Z")
Lowell on _Wings_ was dopey and eccentric but generally acknowledged to be a pretty good mechanic. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2022, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utterly-dopey-characters-who-are-actually-very-good-at-their-job/963255/69 "2022-04-24T12:08:43Z")
As was Wildcat on _Talespin_. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2022, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utterly-dopey-characters-who-are-actually-very-good-at-their-job/963255/70 "2022-04-24T18:58:14Z")
She certainly wasn’t “dopey” to any degree, but it took me several viewings of Fargo (original film) to notice that Marge Gunderson was very good at her job. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2022, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utterly-dopey-characters-who-are-actually-very-good-at-their-job/963255/71 "2022-04-25T14:58:42Z")
**King of the Hill** is good for these, all of Hank’s friends are bumbling fools and yet good at what they do. _Dale Gribble_ - sure, he has no idea his wife is cheating on him and he sees government conspiracies where ever he looks. But by all accounts he’s knowledgeable in home pest removal in Se7,ep1 “Night and Diety” where fellow exterminator Sheila Refkin is sweet on him. He also knows his way around law and public ordinances as shown when he fights the system for John Redcorn’s land. _Bill Dauterive_ - steaming pile of sad sack, genetic loser on every front (even if the government chemical testing was part of it), but he can cut hair. Sure cutting hair for the military seems like an easy job but the general routinely goes to him and in Se 8, Ep 11 “My Hair Lady” Bill had a successful job at a ladies hair salon when he pretends to be homosexual. Also, Bill ‘Dozer’ can drive a tank even while drunk, a great Cajun chef and a last surviving member of some old school French nobility. _Boomhauer_ - This one is a bit of a stretch because we can rarely hear what he’s saying, but other than his success with women his only other defining characteristic is being involved with Hank’s friends when they do something foolish or stupid. Final episode it’s shown he’s a Texas Ranger undercover, which no one knows about. ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2022, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utterly-dopey-characters-who-are-actually-very-good-at-their-job/963255/72 "2022-04-25T15:27:33Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > He was kind of a man-child and quite dopey at times. Also fitting those definitions was Shawn Spencer of _Psych_. He’s a brilliant detective (who is pretending to be a psychic detective), but man-child and dopey at times defines him to a T. ---
**Author:** ![Wolf333](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf333/32/3460_2.png) [@Wolf333](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolf333)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2022, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utterly-dopey-characters-who-are-actually-very-good-at-their-job/963255/73 "2022-04-25T15:50:26Z")
Gus is also a man-child, but he KNOWS his pharmaceuticals. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2022, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utterly-dopey-characters-who-are-actually-very-good-at-their-job/963255/74 "2022-04-25T15:52:15Z")
Yeah, although Gus wavers back and forth between joining Shawn in his dopey man-child shenanigans and being the grown-up. ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2022, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utterly-dopey-characters-who-are-actually-very-good-at-their-job/963255/75 "2022-04-25T15:55:47Z")
Gus is definitely also a man-child, but he’s far less dopey (although for Shawn some of that may be an act). ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2022, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utterly-dopey-characters-who-are-actually-very-good-at-their-job/963255/76 "2022-04-25T15:59:20Z")
Except for mooning over the blonde detective wasn’t it all an act? ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2022, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utterly-dopey-characters-who-are-actually-very-good-at-their-job/963255/77 "2022-04-25T16:02:06Z")
No, I think he really does get sidetracked by random distractions. He does it with Gus a ton when they aren’t even working on a case, when he doesn’t really need to. ---
**Author:** ![Lancia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lancia/32/17174_2.png) [@Lancia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lancia)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2022, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utterly-dopey-characters-who-are-actually-very-good-at-their-job/963255/78 "2022-04-25T16:07:50Z")
Tim Taylor (Tim Allen) on _Home Improvement_ was actually a skilled mechanic and builder. He built two hot rods from the rubber up, built or remodeled several homes, and almost always did so successfully. Each episode had him doing something stupid to injure himself or somehow going overboard when building or repairing something (like putting a gas engine on his garbage disposer or or putting so much fuel in a Barbeque that it turned into a rocket) but those were outliers: almost everything he built worked well. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2022, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utterly-dopey-characters-who-are-actually-very-good-at-their-job/963255/79 "2022-04-25T18:37:57Z")
I was not deeply into the show, your knowledge of the character is likely superior to mine. I’ll go with your impression of the character. ---
**Author:** ![Wolf333](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf333/32/3460_2.png) [@Wolf333](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolf333)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2022, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utterly-dopey-characters-who-are-actually-very-good-at-their-job/963255/80 "2022-04-25T19:41:42Z")
They also show it during the flashbacks. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utterly-dopey-characters-who-are-actually-very-good-at-their-job/963255.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utterly-dopey-characters-who-are-actually-very-good-at-their-job/963255.md?page=5)