Terms Which Have Disappeared

[2jakes]

Some of Johnny Carson's best nights were his worst nights. When the material just wasn't working his self-deprecating charm came to the fore. The version of himself he brought to the TV screen was so likable that his audience never strayed from his side.

As to the above referenced clip ... Yeah, it's a classic. I always thought that their breaking character was spontaneous.

I had heard that there was a time when Jim Nabors as Gomer Pyle had to leave the set during scenes when his character was being dressed down by Barney Fife, played by Don Knotts, because he couldn't make himself not bust out laughing. Don Knotts was a great comedic talent, which I didn't really appreciate until recently.

Carson was a tennis fan.
I saw him sitting at a Jimmy Connors match in California.
He was seated with us peasants in the middle and not up front.

When he arrived before the start of the match, nobody made a fuss
or bothered him with autographs. This was at a time when he was
very well known.

I believe it was the manner in which he behaved. He was very serious
looking and made no big deal about making his entrance. If someone yelled
or said something he would act as if nothing had occurred. The crowd left
him alone.

I once told Jane Fonda when she was buying an item at a shop in
Hollywood where I worked part-time, that I didn’t recognize her
until I saw her driver’s license (Jane S. Fonda).
She was paying with a check that required a photo I.D.

I believe this was around the time that her movie “Cat Ballou” was out.

She told me if she were to put on all that “goop”, to look like
Jane Fonda, she couldn’t have done much shopping without
attracting a crowd.

I told her that even without make-up she still looked good for a
“plain-Jane”.
I thought that was very witty on my part.

She just gave me that Fonda stare without saying a word.

And it was weird in a way.
When I looked into her eyes up close...
I had to concentrate real hard, otherwise
Henry Fonda came to mind.
Bummer!

 

[belfastboy]

Watched the movie "Fences" last night. Denzel's character said "they don't have a pot to piss in or a window to throw it out of"....it brought back memories of my Mom saying it often about somebody.

 

[Zombie_61]

View attachment 82850
I enjoyed Tim Conway. But I was naive not to understand at first why they would step out of character and laugh at their antics. It was explained that it was part of the routine...

Well, it wasn't part of the scripted routine, but it was routine for Conway and Korman to try to make each other break character and laugh when they weren't supposed to. I often found their antics more entertaining than the scripted dialogue in whichever skit they were performing and I often wondered how the show's writers felt about it, especially when Conway and Korman had clearly gone wildly off-script.

 

[2jakes]

Well, it wasn't part of the scripted routine, but it was routine for Conway and Korman to try to make each other break character and laugh when they weren't supposed to. I often found their antics more entertaining than the scripted dialogue in whichever skit they were performing and I often wondered how the show's writers felt about, especially when Conway and Korman had clearly gone wildly off-script.

One of the comedians who broke the rule of the
“Fourth Wall”.

Mr. Hardy was an avid golfer.
The look of exasperation directed towards the camera was
at times sincere especially in the afternoons when he would
much rather be on the golf course.
He used this “look" on a routine basis.

Chaplin did too but he had a variety of emotions
that worked for him when he looked at the camera.

It always gets to me each time I watch the scenes and listen to his music
where he struggles with authorities who have taken the kid from him.

 

[tonyb]

Watched the movie "Fences" last night. Denzel's character said "they don't have a pot to piss in or a window to throw it out of"....it brought back memories of my Mom saying it often about somebody.

The late stepfather used the first part of that expression with some regularity. Much to his and my mom's credit, my siblings and I remained mostly unaware of just how close we were to a pot-less condition ourselves during our early years (although there were a couple of notable exceptions). We were often a short step ahead of destitution, but we stayed ahead of it.

 

[LizzieMaine]

We always referred to a person in that position as being "pisspot poor." No further elaboration was needed.

 

[2jakes]

Ron Kittle.

 

[2jakes]

 

[Zombie_61]

View attachment 82901

She was a pistol.

 

[ChiTownScion]

We always referred to a person in that position as being "pisspot poor." No further elaboration was needed.

".... so poor that I [or he, or she, or they] can't afford a pot to piss in, a window to throw it through, or a friend to catch it.."

 

[Zombie_61]

We always referred to a person in that position as being "pisspot poor." No further elaboration was needed.

Growing up here in southern California I recall the phrase "piss poor" being used; even the pot had been eliminated. By the context I knew it was a reference to someone who was seriously destitute, but otherwise never gave it much thought until I was older and learned of it's actual etymology.

 

[Upgrade]

With disposable bags being phased out of grocery stores, it makes me wonder whether "Paper or plastic?" will fall by the wayside as it is stopped being asked as a routine question like "How may I connect your call?"

Or will it stick around like "tinfoil" and "roll down your windows" long after the original purpose was superceded?

 

[Zombie_61]

With disposable bags being phased out of grocery stores...

Phased out? Pffff. Around here they just replaced them with "reusable" plastic bags that are thicker, will last at least 10 times longer in the local landfills, and that we now get to pay 10¢ apiece for.

 

[Fading Fast]

⇧ Despite herculean efforts by some activist groups and against its uber-liberal instincts, NYC (for now) has voted down charging for plastic bags at grocery stores (etc.). Hence, the term isn't going away in the Big Apple. Our fee was going to be 5 cents (what a bargain!).

If it did pass, then I'd need to buy plastic bags to replace my used grocery bags that serve as our (and most of NYC's residents) garbage bags. Can't see that being a net reduction in plastic, but can absolutely see it costing the average New Yorker more money.

 

[Zombie_61]

⇧ Despite herculean efforts by some activist groups and against its uber-liberal instincts, NYC (for now) has voted down charging for plastic bags at grocery stores (etc.). Hence, the term isn't going away in the Big Apple. Our fee was going to be 5 cents (what a bargain!).

If it did pass, then I'd need to buy plastic bags to replace my used grocery bags that serve as our (and most of NYC's residents) garbage bags. Can't see that being a net reduction in plastic, but can absolutely see it costing the average New Yorker more money.

Well, y'know, most Californians are morons. They vote on something like the plastic bags issue thinking things are going to change--"Oh good, now we'll keep the plastic bags from killing the fish and destroying the landscape!"--but don't take into account that the companies who manufacture those plastic bags don't want to go out of business and had put "Plan B" into effect long before anyone entered a voting booth. So we vote, it passes (whatever issue "it" is), and we always end up paying more for an even bigger problem.

 

[LizzieMaine]

The plastic grocery bag companies would do just fine, selling plastic bags to people like me who find them the only thing that works for bagging up the used cat litter.

 

[2jakes]

Hogwash!
That’s a Bunch of Malarky!

 

[HudsonHawk]

Watched the movie "Fences" last night. Denzel's character said "they don't have a pot to piss in or a window to throw it out of"....it brought back memories of my Mom saying it often about somebody.

My grandmother used that phrase often. She also would describe some not too bright fellow as so dumb "he couldn't poor piss out of a boot, with directions on the heel."

 

[Fading Fast]

I'm sure this one has come up in this thread before, but you don't hear the wonderful expression "hanky-panky" much any more.

 

[2jakes]

"The Natural”, 1984