Lucas used these type of characters frequently in Star Wars starting with C3PO translating for R2D2 and Han Solo translating for Chewbacca.
Both R2D2 and Chewbacca understood english just fine, they just couldn’t speak it and for the audiences sake had a translator often repeating what they just said.
What other movies used this before Star Wars?
Star Trek had both the universal translator and Spock’s Vulcan mind meld.
Marx Brothers films?
What about Gabby Johnson and his “authentic frontier gibberish”? Blazing Saddles came out three years before Star Wars.
TV Tropes lists an earlier example: Herbie the Love Bug. Herbie could apparently understand what the other characters were saying but he could only communicate to them by honking his horn. The meaning of these honks would then be translated by one of the human characters - mechanic Tennessee Steinmetz (Buddy Hackett) in the first film of the series.
Isn’t “Lassie” famous for this? (E.g. “Bark bark bark” = “Timmy fell down the well again.”)
I think that was Skippy the kangaroo. IIRC, Lassie just barked to get attention. What about Flipper, were his vocalisations translated?
Huey, Dewey, and Louie, the “drones” from Silent Running?
[tangential]One of my favourite Far Sides.
I’ve never seen that one (or I’ve forgotten it) - that’s funny!
I remember a cartoon back from the sixties. The characters were gophers or something. Or maybe they were Indians? My memory is fuzzy, I was a kid. Anyway, one of the main characters would always speak in gibberish, and the other one would have to translate. Go Go Gophers, maybe?
Found it! Go Go Gophers in Cuckoo Combat - YouTube
I remember scenes in Run Silent, Run Deep of the Japanese sub crew, speaking in Japanese that was not subtitled or translated or (as I would have thought more likely) just the actors speaking English with some attempt at a Japanese accent.
Of course, their intent was pretty obvious, just being variations on “kill the Americans!”
Cousin Itt from the Addams Family.
I was just thinking about this. I know Lassie would ‘summon’ her owners when Timmy was in trouble and they would say things like “What is is it girl, what’s wrong?” and we often hear people jokingly say “What is it? Timmy fell down the well again?” But did Paul and Ruth (or anyone else for that matter) ever actually translate anything Lassie said beyond “You want me to follow you?”
Lassie’s great linguistic talent was being able to translate human speak for other animals. Something like,
Paul has a big branch fall on his leg. Lassie tries to help, but can’t move the branch.
“Lassie, get help.”
Lassie runs off, finds a horse and barks at him. The horse follows Lassie back. Lassie barks a few more times and the horse shoves the branch off Paul’s leg.
I remember an interview where June Lockhart talked about Lassie’s most improbable heroics. Ruth had gotten caught in a bear trap. She figured she could pry the trap open with a clamp, and told Lassie to go home and get the clamp.
Lassie returns with something else – maybe a knife.
“No, Lassie, the clamp.” She makes a C shape with her hand and Lassie runs off and returns with the clamp.
Or the other miscommunication where Timmy is surrounded by bad guys and he sends Lassie for a posse.
Or was that the Lone Ranger? Still, the consequences were hilarious.
“Lassie, go get a clamp”
Lassie runs off, and returns with a stamp.
“No, I said a clamp”
Lassie runs off and returns with a plank, which she inclines at an angle.
“No, that’s ramp. I need a clamp.”
Lassie runs off and returns with a lantern.
“No, I don’t want a lamp. I need a clamp”
Lassie runs off and returns with an umberella.
“Not a gamp, you idiot, I need a clamp”
Lassie runs off and returns with a hobo.
“you’re doing this deliberately, aren’t you.”
Maybe Lassie had decided amputation was the only option.
Muh-wah-wi-wah-wah.
Charlie Brown: What’s that, ma’am? Why yes, of course, all the unseen adult characters in the “Peanuts” cartoon fit this topic.
Mwaaaaah!
Charlie Brown: Oh, you’re right, and Snoopy too.
