"Take it off, take it all off" - The seductive order of
spokes-model Gunilla Knutson who coaxed the males of America to "take it
off" with Noxzema Shave Cream on a series of sexy 1960s commercials.
"Ten-four, ten-four" - Trademark radio call sign uttered by Chief
Dan Matthews (Broderick Crawford), a portly law enforcement officer often
seen leaning against his patrol car with microphone cupped in hand on the
police drama HIGHWAY PATROL/SYN/1955-59.
"Thank you very much" - The phrase spoken by Latka Gravas (Andy
Kaufman), a befuddled garage mechanic for the Sunshine Taxi Company on the
sitcom TAXI/ABC/NBC/1978-83. Speaking in broken English, with an
undetermined Slavic accent, Latka often didn't understand what was said to
him. His usual comeback to many situations was "Thank you very much."
"That's Punky Power!" - Favorite catchphrase of Penelope "Punky"
Brewster (Soleil Moon Frye), an adopted youngster on the sitcom PUNKY
BREWSTER/NBC/SYN/1984-88. "Punky Power" was summed up with a
Pollyanna-like philosophy that said "No matter how bad things look,
everything will be all right." Punky Brewster's name was modeled after a
little girl named Peyton B. Rutledge known in her childhood as "Punky
Brewster." She was the childhood girlfriend of then NBC President Brandon
Tartikoff (Punky's father was the headmaster of the prep school attended
by Tartifoff). After securing the rights to use her name, the real Punky
Brewster (now grown and married to a lawyer) received a royalty every time
the show aired. She made a cameo appearance as a teacher at Punky's school
on the episode "The Search" (11/1/85).
"That's the name of that tune" - Catchphrase frequently used by
detective Tony Baretta (Robert Blake), a streetwise undercover police
officer of Italian descent working the rough side of town on the police
drama BARETTA/ABC/1975-78. Baretta was also fond of saying "You can take
that to the bank!"
"That's Wild Bill Hickok, Mister!" - Praise heaped on Wild Bill
Hickok (Guy Madison) by his sidekick Jingles B. Jones (Andy Devine) on the
western THE ADVENTURES OF WILD BILL HICKOK/SYN/1951-58. Jingles also said
Hickok was "the bravest strongest fightin'ist US Marshal in the whole
West!"
"There I was with Davy Crockett..." - Fraudulent statement of
Cavalry trooper Duffy (Bob Steele), an elderly blowhard of a soldier
stationed at Fort Courage on the military comedy F TROOP/ABC/1965-67.
Duffy frequently bragged to his fellow troopers that he was a survivor of
the Alamo.
"There ya go" - Comeback of Deputy Marshal Sam McCloud (Dennis
Weaver), an easygoing Taos, New Mexico police officer with a western drawl
on loan to learn "Big City" law enforcement techniques in New York City on
the police drama MCCLOUD/NBC/1970-77. When someone said something he
agreed with, he answered "There ya go!" McCloud wore a sheepskin-lined
jacket, cowboy hat and often chewed on a match stick.
"There's an old Polish saying..."See -
WORDS OF WISDOM:
"Banacek's Polish Proverbs"
"There's only one person in the whole world like you, and I like you
just the way you are" - The reassuring commentary from Mister Rogers
(Fred Rogers), the popular children's show host seen on MISTER ROGER'S
NEIGHBORHOOD/PBS/1967-2001. He was fond of saying "Won't you be my
neighbor?"
"This is the big one! Elizabeth, I'm coming to join you honey!" -
With one hand grasp across his heart and the other one reaching for
heaven, Fred Sanford (Redd Foxx), a 65-year-old black junk dealer from
Watts, staggered about his living room and faked a heart attack on almost
every episode of SANFORD AND SON/NBC/1972-77. His heart condition was
sheer subterfuge to get his son, Lamont (Demond Wilson) and others to do
things his way. Elizabeth was Fred's dearly departed wife. Calling people
a "big dummy!" was Fred's favorite pastime. TRIVIA NOTE: Redd Foxx died of
a real heart attack on 10/12/91. He had just begun his new sitcom THE
ROYAL FAMILY/CBS/1991-92, about a retired Postal Carrier from Atlanta. On
the 11/27/91 episode of the series, the show's writers gave Foxx's TV
character, Al Royal a heart attack while he bowled at the Postman's
Bowling Tournament.
"This tape will self-destruct in five seconds..." - Warning heard
on a tape recorded message secretly given to agent Daniel Briggs (Steven
Hill) and later James Phelps (Peter Graves) on the espionage adventure
MISSION IMPOSSIBLE/CBS/1966-73/ABC/1988-90. When the series was revived in
1988, the old reel-to-reel and cassette audio-tape recording were replaced
by a more modern laser disc. The voice on the taped message was Bob
Johnson.
"Thsufferin, Thuccotash!" - Sylvester the Cat's, thilly remark when
he was frustrated or astounded. When Friz Freleng, the producer of the
Sylvester cartoons approached voice artist Mel Blanc to come up with a
voice for the cat, Mel Blanc remarked "A big sloppy cat should have a big,
'Shthloppy' voice." Reaching into his arsenal of previously created
voices, Blanc pulled out the phrase "Thsufferin' Thuccotash!" which he
used earlier for a traveling salesman character named Roscoe E. Wortle
heard on THE JUDY CANOVA SHOW radio program.
"Th-uh-th-uh-That's all folks!" - This was the classic trademark
stammering signoff of Porky the Pig who was seen popping out of the
closing credits of the Looney Toon cartoons produced by Warner Brothers.
In 1975 voice impressionist Mel Blanc starred in an American Express Card
commercial where he said: "Do you know me? Would you believe I'm the voice
of Bugs Bunny. But in here (a restaurant) they don't care if I'm Daffy
Duck. Desthpicable" The commercial ended with Blanc saying: "Why without
this, the only way I'd get any attention is by saying, 'Th-uh-th-uh-that's
all, folks!"
"Toodles" - What Francine "Gidget" Lawrence (Sally Field), the
daughter of Professor Russ Lawrence (Don Porter) said when she departed
from her house or friends on the teenage sitcom GIDGET/ABC/1965-66.
"Two All Beef Patties, Special Sauce..." - This tongue-twisting
commercial jingle created by the McDonald's Fast Food Chain for their Big
Mac line of hamburgers read as follows: "Two all beef patties, special
sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions, on a sesame seed bun." Now say
that three times fast! TRIVIA NOTE: The 1/24/97 installment of LATE NIGHT
WITH CONAN O'BRIEN showed scenes from a cable channel called "The Unusual
Birth Channel" that featured a delivery room physician coaxing a pregnant
woman who eventually gave birth to a hamburger on a sesame seed bun. The
doctor then opened his mouth and took a big bite out of the burger that
was still covered with sticky birth juices. And they say TV needs
regulating. Naaaaah!
"Two snaps up!" - On the comedy program IN LIVING
COLOR/FOX/1989-94, two gay characters, Antoine Merriweather (David Alan
Grier) and Blane Edwards (Damon Wayans) critiqued a number of themes
including literature, movies etc.. During a segment entitled "Men on
Books" Antoine and Blane reviewed famous titles in literature. When it
came to the classic novel Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, the two
simultaneously said "Hated it!" However, when they reviewed Herman
Melville's Moby Dick, the two joyfully gave the book "Two Snaps Up!"
(spinning one of their arms in a circle and then snapping their fingers).
"Two Thumbs Up!" - The mark of quality expressed by Chicago
newspaper film critics Gene Siskel (Chicago Tribune) and Robert Ebert
(Chicago Sun-Times) as they reviewed the latest motion pictures on their
weekly film series AT THE MOVIES/SYN/1980-92 and SISKEL & EBERT (AT THE
MOVIES)/SYN/1989-99. Reviewing movies as if judging a Roman gladiatorial
competition, Siskel and Ebert gave a theatrical release a "Thumbs up" or
"Thumbs down." The more thumbs up, the more they like it. TRIVIA NOTE:
Born January 26, 1946 in Chicago, Eugene "Gene" Siskel died on February
20, 1999 of complications from brain surgery. He was buried at Westlawn
Cemetery in Chicago, Illinois.
