Talk:If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium

someone else's comment...which was in the article, and not on the talk page

Your present description of the origins of the film title are not strictly complete.

The title "If it's Tuesday, it must be Belgium was first used - in 'show business' - as a CBS "Tuesday Night Special" in 1965. In June of that year, CBS paid in full for, and put a camera crew on a Caravan Tours' (Chicago) tour bus to film its entire itinerary - from London, via Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, down through Italy to Rome, and back through France to end in Paris. The tour members - who were ALL unaware that their tour was to be filmed prior to their arrival in London - were all asked for, and gave their written agreement to be filmed to CBS on that first day of arrival. It was in fact, a "double group" with approximate 70 members total, and travelled in two separate buses. Eventually, some 57 hours of filmed material were shot - and had to be edited down to fit in the hour's "slot" for the programme - then further edited to fit in the commercial breaks! Finally the *third 'edited version' was aired nationwide that autumn, the estimated viewing audience around 12,000,000. (the *"third" as the first two versions seemed too much like a "glowing testimonial - commercial" for Caravan,(the CBS producer's comment!). The commentator was Robert Trout - who only appeared on the actual itinerary five days before the end in Paris. The main character Caravan Tour Director was G. Kenneth Dyer (who died only recently); the second bus Caravan Tour Director (whose appearances in the tour itinerary mostly ended up on the cutting room floor), and who had also been involved in the entire project from the beginning the previous February in Chicago was the undersigned: Peter Davis

origin of phrase

In the linked reference the claim is made that the phrase was first used in a New Yorker cartoon. I have just finished searching the "Complete New Yorker Cartoons" for keywords belgium, tuesday, and it must be. I found not a sausage from 1925-1964. Either the cartoon was omitted from the archive (due to copyright issues maybe?), or the phrase did not come from a New Yorker cartoon. - Metalello ^talk 03:46, 29 June 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Third possibility: I didn't search properly. The other day I flipped open a print copy of the collection and the first cartoon I looked at was the source of the phrase. It's a cartoon by Leonard Dove that was published in the 6/22/57 issue of the New Yorker. The punchline is "But if it's Tuesday, it _has_ to be Siena." Goog and you'll see it. I'd like to add the image to the article but I don't know what the rights status is. I will add a mention. Also, it's interesting that the original cartoon expresses a mood of control and frustration, while the movie has a feel of devil-may-care liberation. Similar phrases with almost opposite connotations. - Metalello ^talk 06:15, 31 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]