What’s this from? I think it’s simpsons, but I’m not sure. It does sound like something Homer would say.
Definitely Simpsons. I don’t know which episode, but I clearly recall seeing that gag.
Ah, but did it originate with the Simpsons? It seems to me that that joke was circulating before the Simpsons, or at least before they made it big. Along with the one about the person who couldn’t find the “eleven” button on the phone.
They also had this joke on Titus.
That reminds me of another homer bit.
Computer: Press Any Key.
Homer: Any key? Where’s the Any key? there’s cutarl, pigup…
I saw this in a book of urban legends.
My memory is like swiss cheese, but wasn’t there something to that effect in Down and Out in Beverly Hills?
Tim Allen once used it on Home Improvement.
It was in this thread.
That thread merely reminded me of it.
Scylla said ‘dial 911’ his wife said ‘what’s the number?’.
It was also in the movie Little Rascals.
It was also in Married…with Children:
“Kelly, why didn’t you call 911?”
“I couldn’t remember the number!”
The first time I heard that gag was from The Simpson’s episode where Bart runs away on Thanksgiving, I’m pretty sure from the 1’st season.
I used to think that was funny. Until I went to urgent care with chest pains and the nurse hooked me up to the portable ECG machine. She then spent several minutes looking for the ANY key to press so she could continue. Nothing like having your life even temporarily in the hands of a health care professional of that calibre to drain the humor right out of the joke.
I remember it from Saved by the Bell.
Zack: “Screech, go call 911.”
Screech: starts to run off, turns around “What’s the number?”
Zack: “…911.”
IN the Steoncutters episode, Chief Wiggum hands Homer a piece of paper with the “real” emergency number.
9-1-2.
In a different answer wiggum answers the phone and because he’s busy says… “No this is nine one… two.”
So it seems the caller got the secret number by accident!
a different answer? I meant episode! My, my brain is farting all over the dope today!
I think it’s safe to say that, despite all of the cited occurences, this scene played out in many an unfortunate household in the early eighties (or whenever this number first started picking up in major metropolitan areas).
Maybe you should check out What’S The Number For 911?: America’s Wackiest 911 Calls, by Leland Gregory to see what the earlier is mention is.
My guess: about three seconds after the first 911 number was put into place.