# "You Are Tracking The Footsteps Of Two Young Hobbits" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 10, 2003, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-tracking-the-footsteps-of-two-young-hobbits/200827 "2003-09-10T19:39:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2003, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-tracking-the-footsteps-of-two-young-hobbits/200827/1 "2003-09-10T19:39:05Z")
Remember that scene in **The Two Towers**? Did any of you get the idea that the above phrase was spoken by **Saruman** (Christopher Lee) and _not_ **Gandalf** (Ian McKellen). Maybe I’m really late catching on, but I thought it was a device to make us _think_ that was gonna be Saruman they were going to encounter, because that was what **Pippin** and **Merry** thought when **Treebeard** toook them to see “the White Wizard”. Like I said, I’m a little “slow on the uptake” sometimes, but I really thought it _was_ Saruman until the voice softened. Thanks Q ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2003, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-tracking-the-footsteps-of-two-young-hobbits/200827/2 "2003-09-10T19:48:20Z")
I noticed that to, **Quasimodem**. I’m positive that the voice started out as Christopher Lee’s and morphed into Ian McKellen’s, and that this was an intentional device by the director to help us think at first that it might indeed be Saruman - just like the three hunters were thinking. ---
**Author:** ![BuckleberryFerry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5f9b8f/32.png) [@BuckleberryFerry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BuckleberryFerry)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2003, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-tracking-the-footsteps-of-two-young-hobbits/200827/3 "2003-09-10T19:49:58Z")
::taps nose:: You got it. Fooling us into thinking they were gonna be taken to Saruman. ---
**Author:** ![Flutterby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Flutterby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flutterby)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2003, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-tracking-the-footsteps-of-two-young-hobbits/200827/4 "2003-09-10T20:02:59Z")
Reading the title of this thread made me think of a nature show where someone is following animals with a camera and whispering to it so as they don’t notice they are being followed… ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2003, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-tracking-the-footsteps-of-two-young-hobbits/200827/5 "2003-09-10T20:09:38Z")
Man, y’all answered **fast**. Oh well, I sometimes have this talent of pointing out the obvious. 😃 It goes with my naivete, I suppose. Thanks 'Q ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2003, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-tracking-the-footsteps-of-two-young-hobbits/200827/6 "2003-09-10T20:18:14Z")
And what I obviously forgot to mention is that three three hunters **attacked** as if it _were_ Saruman! Jeez Quasi! Way to pay attention to details! 😉 Q ---
**Author:** ![TigoleBitties](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cab0a1/32.png) [@TigoleBitties](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TigoleBitties)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2003, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-tracking-the-footsteps-of-two-young-hobbits/200827/7 "2003-09-10T20:24:16Z")
“You Are Tracking The Footsteps Of Two Young Hobbits” … You are in an open field west of a big white house with a boarded front door. There is a small mailbox here. \> Sorry couldnt resist… ---
**Author:** ![Monstre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@Monstre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monstre)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2003, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-tracking-the-footsteps-of-two-young-hobbits/200827/8 "2003-09-10T20:30:00Z")
I think you’re right **puglvr** , and I noticed that too. I think Jackson did this well, because it does mirror the place in the book, where he is identified as “the white wizard” first, and the three (Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli) do begin to attack, thinking it is Saruman. In fact, when they camped by the remains of the orcs (coming to it after the Riders of Rohan had attacked and destroyed the orc group), one of them did spot an old man in white outside their camp – which they presumed was Saruman spying on them. (And I think in the book later it is insinuated that this was indeed Saruman, outside their camp). ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2003, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-tracking-the-footsteps-of-two-young-hobbits/200827/9 "2003-09-10T20:30:14Z")
[David Attenborough] You’re in the wilds of Fangorn, and you’re tracking the footsteps of two young hobbits . . . through a forest which has never before been traversed by humans, populated by ugly, shaggy trees, blah blah blah . . . [/David Attenborough] ::Attenborough suddenly is squashed flat by a huge ent foot:: ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2003, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-tracking-the-footsteps-of-two-young-hobbits/200827/10 "2003-09-10T21:11:43Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by TigoleBitties \* > Sorry couldnt resist… That was my first thought when I saw the thread title, too. The Zork games never had a “track” command, but I wish they had. ---
**Author:** ![shelbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@shelbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shelbo)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2003, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-tracking-the-footsteps-of-two-young-hobbits/200827/11 "2003-09-10T22:10:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by TigoleBitties \* > \*\*“You Are Tracking The Footsteps Of Two Young Hobbits” … > > You are in an open field west of a big white house with a boarded > front door. > There is a small mailbox here. > > \> > \*\* \>e ---
**Author:** ![Peg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b38774/32.png) [@Peg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peg)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2003, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-tracking-the-footsteps-of-two-young-hobbits/200827/12 "2003-09-10T22:15:29Z")
You see a tree before you. \>climb You are in the tree. ---
**Author:** ![PigArcher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bcef8e/32.png) [@PigArcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PigArcher)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2003, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-tracking-the-footsteps-of-two-young-hobbits/200827/13 "2003-09-10T22:42:17Z")
\> jump out of tree I don’t see a tree here. ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2003, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-tracking-the-footsteps-of-two-young-hobbits/200827/14 "2003-09-10T22:44:45Z")
All right, you little buggers! 😃 Quasi ---
**Author:** ![Doomtrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2003, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-tracking-the-footsteps-of-two-young-hobbits/200827/15 "2003-09-11T00:41:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Max\_Castle \* > \*\*\> jump out of tree > > I don’t see a tree here. \*\* \>F **K YOU YOU F** KING F\*\*K! I don’t see a f **cking f** k here… ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2003, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-tracking-the-footsteps-of-two-young-hobbits/200827/16 "2003-09-11T00:46:58Z")
**Huh?** Where did **that** come from? Is everybody in the thread okay? 😃 Q ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2003, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-tracking-the-footsteps-of-two-young-hobbits/200827/17 "2003-09-11T01:27:15Z")
BTW, I was really disappointed with the Ents; I thought they were too Disney. I think all the forces of normal nice goodness are getting short shrift in the film, Merry, Pippin and the Ents. Of course, who care about normal goodness with those Elves around … But the confusion was deliberate, and fairly well done. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2003, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-tracking-the-footsteps-of-two-young-hobbits/200827/18 "2003-09-11T01:49:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Quasimodem \* > \*\ ***Huh?** > > Where did **that** come from? > > Is everybody in the thread okay? 😃 > > Q \*\* What, never played “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”, Quasi? ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2003, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-tracking-the-footsteps-of-two-young-hobbits/200827/19 "2003-09-11T02:32:04Z")
Guess not, **QtM**. I read the books, but I didn’t remember that particular quote. To quote _Shel Silverstein_ " I was stoned and I missed it!" (Ah reckon!) 😃 My college stuff was Günther Grass, Dostoyevski (or however you spell that) and Poe. Also did Shiller and that “N” guy who wrote about the abyss also looking into **your** ass! I think he may have produced or written a song or two for The Stones! 😉 Sorry if I misread something, but all those **F’s** coming out of “nowhere” in my thread just made me a little tachycardic! Also sorry if I overreacted, Y’all! Maybe I need to get my young friend **yujin** to teach me some modern lit! (Preferably not _really_ **lit** , okay? 😃 Good to see ya again, **QtM**! You too, **yujin**! Q ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2003, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-tracking-the-footsteps-of-two-young-hobbits/200827/20 "2003-09-11T02:41:48Z")
It’s not a quote from the book, it’s just how the seminal computer game of the same name functioned. Quite new and exciting at the time. I remember playing it in 1986… [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-tracking-the-footsteps-of-two-young-hobbits/200827.md?page=2)