# Why no movies featuring xxxxx as a character? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 23, 2007, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-movies-featuring-xxxxx-as-a-character/412863 "2007-07-23T17:51:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Garfield226](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Garfield226](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Garfield226)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2007, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-movies-featuring-xxxxx-as-a-character/412863/41 "2007-07-23T20:22:07Z")
[QUOTE=The New and Improved Superman] Magazine copy editor. Not reporter, or publisher, or photographer – copy editor. [/QUOTE] Newspaper (or magazine, I guess) page designer. Or agate-person (the person who collects and formats all of that tiny type the sports scores and states are displayed in). ---
**Author:** ![I\_m\_Ron\_Burgundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9fc29f/32.png) [@I\_m\_Ron\_Burgundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_m_Ron_Burgundy)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2007, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-movies-featuring-xxxxx-as-a-character/412863/42 "2007-07-23T20:26:12Z")
Ok if you have to explain the job there’s probably not a movie about them. 1408 was about a myth buster… I thought a lot of horror/ghost movies had them. ---
**Author:** ![Satchmo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/satchmo/32/4223_2.png) [@Satchmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Satchmo)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2007, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-movies-featuring-xxxxx-as-a-character/412863/43 "2007-07-23T20:27:25Z")
**Optometrists** Slaughterhouse Five, both the lead, Billy Pilgrim, and his father-in-law are Optometrists. ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2007, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-movies-featuring-xxxxx-as-a-character/412863/44 "2007-07-23T20:30:15Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally Posted by **Aholibah** > How about a historian? Alan Alda’s character in _Sweet Liberty_, I think. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2007, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-movies-featuring-xxxxx-as-a-character/412863/45 "2007-07-23T20:35:02Z")
[QUOTE=cher3] I don’t know what he did specifically, but Art Carney’s character Ed Norton on the _The Honeymooners_ was a sewer worker of some sort. [/QUOTE] Was there a Honeymooners movie? Ed was, IIRC, a sewer pipe maintenance worker. At least that was what I gathered. He never talked about treatment, only about being ‘in the sewer’. Sewer pipes and porta-potties are interesting, but a tertiary treatment WTP is more complex, covers a fair bit of acreage, and often has fairly sceninc ponds. As a bit of trivia, LA’s Hyperion plant was featured in many movies and TV shows. The pipes and tanks stood in for a lot of oil refineries and other industrial locations. The dunes surrounding it were used, among other things, for the opening credits of the original Monkees. And the underground tunnels were draped with cobwebs for Elvira to slither through for her opening credits. (Forgive me if I’ve mentioned this before.) ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2007, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-movies-featuring-xxxxx-as-a-character/412863/46 "2007-07-23T20:44:50Z")
[QUOTE=Zoggie] I also found a 1993 imdb film called The Waiter starring David Schwimmer. And there’s the recent Waitress. [/QUOTE] Ironically, Jennifer Aniston played a waitress. What was the narrator’s profession in Fight Club? Medical researcher Accountant Dog catcher Mime ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2007, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-movies-featuring-xxxxx-as-a-character/412863/47 "2007-07-23T20:48:32Z")
[QUOTE=tdn] What was the narrator’s profession in Fight Club? [/quote] He worked at that car company. He went around the country and figured out sums…if the cost of settling out of court with all the people who got into accidents was lower than the cost of a recall, then they didn’t do one. And he worked for a major company. > [@](#): > > Medical researcher > Accountant > Dog catcher > Mime This is a stretch for accountant, but didn’t Robin Williams’s character in “Hook” mention missing the sixties because he was an accountant? (I know, he’s meant to be a lawyer–evil corporate lawyer at that–when the movie takes place, but maybe he was an accountant earlier in life?) ---
**Author:** ![The\_Controvert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@The\_Controvert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Controvert)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2007, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-movies-featuring-xxxxx-as-a-character/412863/48 "2007-07-23T20:53:49Z")
[QUOTE=I’m Ron Burgundy?] 1408 was about a myth buster.. I thought a lot of horror/ghost movies had them. [/QUOTE] Good one! I suppose _Blair Witch_ also qualifies under that criteria. (although I was originally thinking the scientific Myth Busters on the Discovery channel as the profession) ---
**Author:** ![jharvey963](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/54ee81/32.png) [@jharvey963](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jharvey963)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2007, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-movies-featuring-xxxxx-as-a-character/412863/49 "2007-07-23T20:54:55Z")
[QUOTE=garygnu] I don’t think I’ve seen a movie with an animator as a character. Hell, game testers just got a movie, where’s mine? [/QUOTE] What about Chasing Amy? Wasn’t the lead character a comic book animator? Or do I have that mixed up? J. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2007, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-movies-featuring-xxxxx-as-a-character/412863/50 "2007-07-23T20:59:56Z")
[QUOTE=Zoggie] He worked at that car company. [/QUOTE] D’oh! I thought he was in insurance. ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2007, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-movies-featuring-xxxxx-as-a-character/412863/51 "2007-07-23T21:09:50Z")
Occupations that would probably make great movie roles, but seem underrepresented in film: Taxi Driver, Apostle, Anchorman, Cable Guy, Negotiator, Terminator, Wedding Planner, Constant Gardener, Horse Whisperer, Bone Collector, Ghostbuster, Dragonslayer, and Midnight Cowboy. What? 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2007, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-movies-featuring-xxxxx-as-a-character/412863/52 "2007-07-23T21:14:35Z")
Proctologist. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2007, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-movies-featuring-xxxxx-as-a-character/412863/53 "2007-07-23T21:21:15Z")
I personally think we need way, way more constant gardeners. What about a masseur/masseuse? ---
**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:** [July 23, 2007, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-movies-featuring-xxxxx-as-a-character/412863/54 "2007-07-23T21:30:29Z")
We actuaries used to feel slighted, until _About Schmidt_. ---
**Author:** ![I\_m\_Ron\_Burgundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9fc29f/32.png) [@I\_m\_Ron\_Burgundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_m_Ron_Burgundy)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2007, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-movies-featuring-xxxxx-as-a-character/412863/55 "2007-07-23T21:33:25Z")
[QUOTE=jharvey963] What about Chasing Amy? Wasn’t the lead character a comic book animator? Or do I have that mixed up? J. [/QUOTE] The two leads were an Inker and an Illustrator. ---
**Author:** ![Rocketeer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocketeer/32/4437_2.png) [@Rocketeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rocketeer)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2007, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-movies-featuring-xxxxx-as-a-character/412863/56 "2007-07-23T21:40:15Z")
[QUOTE=Bayard] Maybe auto mechanics? [/QUOTE] In **My Cousin Vinnie** , an auto mechanic saves the day… 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2007, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-movies-featuring-xxxxx-as-a-character/412863/57 "2007-07-23T21:40:51Z")
[QUOTE=Tuckerfan] Proctologist. [/QUOTE] The mercenary doctor in **The Wild Geese** was a proctologist. And Matthew Broderick was an entomologist in **Godzilla** ---
**Author:** ![Baine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Baine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baine)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2007, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-movies-featuring-xxxxx-as-a-character/412863/58 "2007-07-23T21:47:15Z")
Whoever leaves that “inspected by xx” piece of paper in my clothes. I don’t think I’ve seen a movie about that guy. ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2007, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-movies-featuring-xxxxx-as-a-character/412863/59 "2007-07-23T21:58:36Z")
A gynocologist ? ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2007, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-movies-featuring-xxxxx-as-a-character/412863/60 "2007-07-23T22:04:06Z")
[QUOTE=Cartooniverse] A gynocologist ? [/QUOTE] Dr. T and the Women. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-movies-featuring-xxxxx-as-a-character/412863.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-movies-featuring-xxxxx-as-a-character/412863.md?page=4)