# Where is this TV Trope from (painting a face accidentally)? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 8, 2014, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-this-tv-trope-from-painting-a-face-accidentally/704070 "2014-11-08T16:23:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2014, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-this-tv-trope-from-painting-a-face-accidentally/704070/1 "2014-11-08T16:23:59Z")
Saw this brought up somewhere else and now it’s bothering me. There is a clip from either the beginning or ending credits of a show where someone is painting a room and another person opens a door (might be a window) and peaks in only to have their face painted too. I am sure I saw this and can’t remember where. For some reason I keep thinking Three’s Company but I’m not sure. Anyone else remember? ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2014, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-this-tv-trope-from-painting-a-face-accidentally/704070/2 "2014-11-08T16:36:24Z")
I would imagine that it predates Three’s Company. I’d bet Lucy did the bit with either Ethel (I Love Lucy) or Viv (The Lucy Show). And it could even date back to Vaudeville or possibly the Three Stooges ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2014, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-this-tv-trope-from-painting-a-face-accidentally/704070/3 "2014-11-08T16:53:29Z")
I’ve definitely seen that on the Three Stooges. And it’s probably much older than that. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/22080_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2014, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-this-tv-trope-from-painting-a-face-accidentally/704070/4 "2014-11-08T16:55:20Z")
When the first caveman decided to paint the cave wall and his smart-ass buddy came over and started to criticize… Prove me wrong!!! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2014, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-this-tv-trope-from-painting-a-face-accidentally/704070/5 "2014-11-08T17:00:16Z")
But was there a show that specifically had it in their credits? ---
**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:** [November 8, 2014, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-this-tv-trope-from-painting-a-face-accidentally/704070/6 "2014-11-08T20:02:00Z")
Probably Vaudeville, but for sure silent movies- if it wasn’t paint, then it was wallpaper paste. ---
**Author:** ![minlokwat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minlokwat/32/2844_2.png) [@minlokwat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minlokwat)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2014, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-this-tv-trope-from-painting-a-face-accidentally/704070/7 "2014-11-08T20:43:21Z")
It definitely happens on the **Brady Bunch**. The gang is painting one of the rooms upstairs, Alice opens the door and takes a brush stroke to the face. ---
**Author:** ![Nuveena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a587f6/32.png) [@Nuveena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nuveena)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2014, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-this-tv-trope-from-painting-a-face-accidentally/704070/8 "2014-11-11T00:21:55Z")
While a lot of people (myself included - I thought it was Three’s Company as well) have a vague memory of this being in the intro to an 80’s sitcom, no one on the Internet can find it. I think it’s one of those false memories. I blame parallel universes. I think I’m originally from a universe where “dilemma” is spelled “dilemna” and “cummerbund” is spelled and pronounced “cumberbund.” ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2014, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-this-tv-trope-from-painting-a-face-accidentally/704070/9 "2014-11-11T00:57:53Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > But was there a show that specifically had it in their credits? The Facts of Life. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2014, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-this-tv-trope-from-painting-a-face-accidentally/704070/10 "2014-11-11T02:55:46Z")
> [@Poysyn](#): > > The Facts of Life. After a check of YouTube and listening to the Fact of Life Theme more times than a doctor recommends, they do have a scene with them throwing paint at each other but not what I described. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2014, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-this-tv-trope-from-painting-a-face-accidentally/704070/11 "2014-11-12T14:52:12Z")
Lucy & Ethel definitely did a scene like that - although IIRC it was wallpaper paste. In the credits for _Everybody Loves Raymond_ they show the clip where the mother sticks her head out the back door and gets a face full of yellow paint.