# Were movie/tv catch phrases widely used in schools in the 50s/60s? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 30, 2020, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-movie-tv-catch-phrases-widely-used-in-schools-in-the-50s-60s/919347 "2020-08-30T02:14:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2020, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-movie-tv-catch-phrases-widely-used-in-schools-in-the-50s-60s/919347/21 "2020-08-30T19:03:07Z")
When my grandfather died, I got a stack of old letters-home-from-college. This would have been in the nineteen-twenties. In addition to mentions of adventures, like “Friday, Jimmie and Marv and I walked to Baraboo” (from the Univ. of Wis., google map it), they were full of slang and catchphrases. I asked my dad why “Wowee Zowee” was used so much. He said “From some radio show I don’t remember, but EVERYone was saying it.” Them he paused and very seriously told me “And get it right, it was ‘Wowee WOWee!’” ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2020, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-movie-tv-catch-phrases-widely-used-in-schools-in-the-50s-60s/919347/22 "2020-08-30T20:45:20Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > If I did something bad, my parents would say to me threatingly, “Tain’t funny, McGee!” which I much later found out to be a catchphrase from [Fibber McGee and Molly.] My mom loved “Tain’t funny, McGee!” too! ---
**Author:** ![Pavelb1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/439d5e/32.png) [@Pavelb1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pavelb1)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2020, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-movie-tv-catch-phrases-widely-used-in-schools-in-the-50s-60s/919347/23 "2020-08-30T20:46:50Z")
1. The term ‘petting’ always grossed me out 2. Back ontopic…do you all have any kids? Do you think catch-phrases have dropped off? Inscrutable slang hasn’t…(I still cant grasp ‘based’)…but i have this theory catch-phrases have dropped off because: There are a lot more than three-four channels…kids watch TV/go to movies less. And memes ascatch-phrases certainly exist but haven’t quite filled the void. Thats all IMHO of course based on two admitedly socially-averse boys. I’m certainly not saying kids don’t use TV/movie catch-phrases, just that its less prevelant. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2020, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-movie-tv-catch-phrases-widely-used-in-schools-in-the-50s-60s/919347/24 "2020-08-30T21:07:02Z")
I want to piss on the grave of the guy who wrote “Open the Door, Richard”. ---
**Author:** ![TheCuse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thecuse/32/2854_2.png) [@TheCuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheCuse)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2020, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-movie-tv-catch-phrases-widely-used-in-schools-in-the-50s-60s/919347/25 "2020-08-30T21:25:01Z")
I remember, “Hey there, Boo Boo” and “I’m smarter than the average bear,” from Yogi Bear. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2020, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-movie-tv-catch-phrases-widely-used-in-schools-in-the-50s-60s/919347/26 "2020-08-30T22:28:42Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > ‘Making love’ evolved from foreplay to actually doing it. ‘It’ being a euphemism too I suppose. That’s not the way I understand it. I see it as having gone directly from using words as flirtation to intercourse without a stop at physical foreplay. I checked Google Books and found that change happened after WWII. Nothing before it hints at a foreplay usage, though there are a few uses as actual sex. ---
**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:** [August 30, 2020, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-movie-tv-catch-phrases-widely-used-in-schools-in-the-50s-60s/919347/27 "2020-08-30T23:09:52Z")
That’s probably right, I can’t think of a state in between in the movies. And in the movies there was a point where referring to sex that directly was suddenly allowed. I don’t know when but in my mind it’s already Lauren Bacall saying it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-movie-tv-catch-phrases-widely-used-in-schools-in-the-50s-60s/919347.md?page=1)