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Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Entertainment/2017 January 17

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January 17[edit]

German comedy skit with Hitler[edit]

I'm looking for a sketch made by a German comedy group, I think during the mid-1990's. It took the form of a talk show, with the guest being Adolf Hitler. He appears in a brown uniform with a smiley face symbol on his armband instead of a swastika. I don't remember much about the skit, except that Hitler talks a lot about dogs and German jokes. Hitler makes a barking sound, and I recall the phrase "kerndeutsche Witz" being used. Does anyone know who created this sketch? LANTZYTALK 03:12, 17 January 2017 (UTC)[reply]

It was part of RTL Samstag Nacht, in particular "Zwei Stühle – Eine Meinung" (Two Chairs – One Opinion). Olli Dittrich played Hitler (interviewed by Wigald Boning). Using these search terms, you'll find it on youtube. ---Sluzzelin talk 16:01, 17 January 2017 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks a lot! LANTZYTALK 18:40, 17 January 2017 (UTC)[reply]
<Lateral irrelevant bit of trivia> Dittrich's show Dittsche is also worth seeing, though, sadly, Franz Jarnach aka Schildkröte passed away two days ago and won't be asking Dittrich to shut the fuck up anymore. And only now, via obituary, did I learn that Jarnach had been keyboarder for Lee Curtis and Tony Sheridan. </irrelevant bit of trivia> ---Sluzzelin talk 11:50, 18 January 2017 (UTC)[reply]

License to kill without remorse?[edit]

To what extent (if at all) was Tom Clancy's novel Without Remorse influenced by Ian Fleming's License to Kill? Because I've read Without Remorse and seen License to Kill, and I noticed a lot of similarities: the nature of the antagonists (in both cases it's the drug cartel); their characterization (in both cases they're not only drug dealers and murderers, but also abusers of women -- in License to Kill, Sanchez horse-whips his girlfriend for cheating on him, whereas in Without Remorse, the bad guys keep a harem of kidnapped women whom they systematically rape, torture and force into prostitution); the main plot (in both these works, an elite agent goes on a rogue mission to kill the drug dealers to avenge a loved one or a close friend); the characterization of the protagonist (in both these works, the protagonist is single-mindedly focused on revenge, willing to give up everything else for it, and at the same time plans it very cleverly and leaves nothing to chance, like in a military operation); one character's name (in License to Kill, the pilot and James Bond's main love interest is named Pam Bouvier, whereas in Without Remorse, John Clark's girlfriend whom the drug dealers murder is also named Pam); and even some plot elements (the presence of an infiltrator in law enforcement who works for the drug cartel; the need to go low-class -- in License to Kill, James Bond needs to meet with Pam Bouvier in a seedy low-class bar, whereas in Without Remorse, John Clark actually needs to impersonate a homeless person; the bad guys' hideout on a ship; the use of aquatic fauna by the drug dealers for disposal of enemies -- in License to Kill, they feed Felix Leiter to the sharks, while in Without Remorse, there's a scene where they feed an informer to the crabs; the use of a decompression chamber as a torture device; and the fact that in both these works, part of the protagonist's plan is to incite infighting within the cartel, which succeeds to some extent in both cases). So was it just a matter of thinking alike (which I don't think it was), or did Fleming serve as Clancy's inspiration? 2601:646:8E01:7E0B:F88D:DE34:7772:8E5B (talk) 05:25, 17 January 2017 (UTC)[reply]

One thing to keep in mind is that while Clancy's 1993 book is a singular novel, Licence to Kill was not a finished work by Fleming (who died in 1964), but a 1989 film which used "elements of two Ian Fleming short stories and a novel, interwoven with aspects from Japanese Rōnin tales" [to quote our article]. Any influence on Clancy would therefore come as much or more from the scriptwriters Michael G. Wilson and Richard Maibaum as from Fleming.
That said, the timeline certainly makes influence by the film on Clancy possible, and your analysis makes it seem plausible, though coincidences abound in literature. Clancy might have been consciously inspired by the movie, in which case only a statement by him could confirm it (and I'm not saying that such a statement doesn't exist – I'm not a Clancy scholar); he might instead have been unconsciously influenced, which would be much harder to establish (consider some of the unacknowledged influences on certain elements in J. K. Rowling's Potterverse, which caused some controversy after the first book appeared).
If the former, it might (here I baldly speculate) have been a deliberate hommage, looking at a similar set of events and actions from a different moral perspective than had Fleming and/or the scriptwriters, a not uncommon literary trope. Perhaps there's a thesis in this question. {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 2.122.62.241 (talk) 10:20, 17 January 2017 (UTC)[reply]
Hommage = license to "borrow" without remorse. Clarityfiend (talk) 00:44, 18 January 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Mortal Kombat: Legacy [Original Question][edit]

Re-instating the original question here for Brandmeister from above:

  • "I think I've seen a subtitle in the Scorpion/Sub-Zero episode from Mortal Kombat: Legacy saying its plot is set in the 13th century (1200s), but after watching can't find such an indication. Am I confusing something or just missed it somewhere?"

Hope someone can help him/her out. Maineartists (talk) 17:43, 17 January 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Wikipedia has an article titled List of Mortal Kombat: Legacy episodes which may lead you places. --Jayron32 18:42, 17 January 2017 (UTC)[reply]

What are some TV dramas centred around a conservative/religious family?[edit]

Like Big Love. 2.102.186.137 (talk) 22:44, 17 January 2017 (UTC)[reply]

I would look at Last Man Standing and 7th Heaven. uhhlive (talk) 23:08, 17 January 2017 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks, but I'm not looking for sitcoms or family-friendly shows. 2.102.186.137 (talk) 23:19, 17 January 2017 (UTC)[reply]
Since you just added the restriction for "no family friendly shows", are there any more guidelines that you would like to add? †dismas†|(talk) 23:34, 17 January 2017 (UTC)[reply]
Well Big Love is an adult drama series centred on a fundamentalist Mormon family. So not sitcoms, family-friendly shows or Conservapedia-approved shows. Like hard-hitting adult dramas just centred on a conservative/religious family? Maybe Big Love is the only one. 2.102.186.137 (talk) 23:47, 17 January 2017 (UTC)[reply]
Depeending on what you mean by "conservative" and "religious", the crime drama Blue Bloods might qualify. --69.159.60.210 (talk) 03:11, 18 January 2017 (UTC)[reply]
? : "Essay:Greatest Conservative TV Shows". www.conservapedia.com. 2606:A000:4C0C:E200:185C:A689:C3A8:9F8 (talk) 23:38, 17 January 2017 (UTC)[reply]
Oranges are not the only fruit. --TammyMoet (talk) 17:31, 18 January 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Many many ones set in days gone by. --Dweller (talk) Become old fashioned! 11:45, 19 January 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Betrayed. StuRat (talk) 15:02, 19 January 2017 (UTC)[reply]
The early seasons of Guiding Light had definitive religious overtones. --Jayron32 13:18, 20 January 2017 (UTC)[reply]
Little House on the Prairie (TV series) and The Waltons were often considered to be family-friendly by conservatives. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 14:35, 20 January 2017 (UTC)[reply]
Highway to Heaven and Touched by an Angel may also qualify as religious-oriented dramas. There was also the Father Dowling Mysteries and Joan of Arcadia. --Jayron32 16:45, 20 January 2017 (UTC)[reply]
The OP ruled out "family-friendly". Clarityfiend (talk) 00:16, 22 January 2017 (UTC)[reply]