LOL-November 23
Cidu Bill on Nov 23rd 2009
Nicole: Like pulling teeth…
JP:
Filed in Argyle Sweater, Arlo and Janis, Bill Bickel, Cat in the Hat, Jimmy Johnson, Mark Parisi, Off the Mark, Rina Piccolo, Scott Hilburn, Tina's Groove, cats, comic strips, comics, comics that made us laugh out loud, humor, lol | 20 responses so far
mkilby Nov 23rd 2009 at 01:17 am 1
Arlo’s reaction is understandable and funny, but I don’t understand Janis’s behavior at all. Why in the world does she need to wake Arlo up? Misery loves company?
Although “beep beep” is the canonical Road Runner spelling, it would have been nice to see a transliteration of the actual sound (mieep mieep).
Elyrest Nov 23rd 2009 at 01:48 am 2
mkilby - since Janis is at scary part of her book I think she wants Arlo to protect her from imagined danger. I know when I’ve been reading something scary it seems to be even scarier when I’m in the bathroom. Alone. At night. Psycho effect?
Singapore Bill Nov 23rd 2009 at 01:58 am 3
Beware of bathrooms.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xIS8RIiaUI
furrykef Nov 23rd 2009 at 06:21 am 4
The Pearls Before Swine made me LOL, too. Nice how it seems he planned it all out from the start.
By the way, Bill, you forgot the Pearls Before Swine and Stephan Pastis tags.
Ben Carlsen Nov 23rd 2009 at 12:31 pm 5
Shouldn’t the first one count as an Ewww? I mean… ewww.
John DiFool Nov 23rd 2009 at 01:05 pm 6
Bugs is next on the menu I’d bet, followed by Porky…
padraig Nov 23rd 2009 at 01:06 pm 7
Regarding the Arlo & Janis thing, my then-girlfriend-now-wife once made me stay on the phone with her the whole time she watched the movie “Alien” on TV in her apartment. My right ear is still ringing. I made sure I was physically present for any horror movies after that.
turquoise cow Nov 23rd 2009 at 08:08 pm 8
i agree with mkilby. i always imagined the Road Runner made more of a “meep meep” noise, although to be honest i don’t think i’ve ever seen it written down. in any case, it took me an extra few seconds to get the joke because of that: i thought, what else would it be? the “beep” noise is coming from the oven!
Dave in Boston Nov 24th 2009 at 01:55 am 9
…why is Sylvester licking his lips over a sponge mop?
Kat Nov 24th 2009 at 03:00 am 10
Dave- the sponge mop is supposed to be Marvin the Martian I would imagine.
mkilby Nov 24th 2009 at 10:17 am 11
@ Turquoise Cow (8) - I’ll have to check my DVD boxed sets of Warner Bros. cartoons for the exact disk, but I know that somewhere in the commentary there was a clip of someone (Chuck Jones?) explaining that they captured the characteristic sound from one of the other studio employees (NOT Mel Blanc!). It was specifically mentioned that the sound was more like “meep meep” than “beep beep”, but I’m not sure whether a spelling was given.
Dave in Boston Nov 24th 2009 at 10:40 am 12
oh! of course.
Jeff S. Nov 24th 2009 at 11:26 am 13
Here is an old Viewmaster slide. At least here the Road Runner says Beep Beep — http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2078/2125100158_c61e4a28b3.jpg
And according to the song, he ‘goes’ Beep Beep too…
If you’re on the highway and Road Runner goes beep beep.
Just step aside or might end up in a heap.
Road Runner, Road Runner runs on the road all day.
Even the coyote can’t make him change his ways.
Road Runner, the coyote’s after you.
Road Runner, if he catches you you’re through.
Road Runner, the coyote’s after you.
Road Runner, if he catches you you’re through.
That coyote is really a crazy clown,
When will he learn he can never mow him down?
Poor little Road Runner never bothers anyone,
Just runnin’ down the road’s his idea of having fun.
mkilby Nov 24th 2009 at 12:35 pm 14
@ Jeff - That’s what I meant when I mentioned the “canonical” spelling. The Warner animation department always used “beep” whenever the sound was transliterated, but that does not change the fact that the clip as captured (and as remembered by the principle figures involved) always sounds as “mieep mieep”.
Elyrest Nov 24th 2009 at 01:20 pm 15
I agree with mkilby and turquoise cow that the sound was always meep/mieep rather than beep. When I have imitated the road-runner I always said “meep meep”. If someone said “beep beep” to me I’d think they were a car. I did understand the cartoon though - too many Warner Bros. characters and that sh*t-eating grin on the coyote’s face made it obvious (to me).
Todd Nov 24th 2009 at 05:54 pm 16
My brother or sister had a Road Runner comic book, and, in that comic, the Road Runner’s real name is Beep Beep.
I really can’t imagine Bugs being stupid enough to accept an invitation to dinner at the Coyote’s; there’s almost as many cartoons with While E trying to capture Bugs, as Road Runner. That was my first thought seeing Bugs sitting down to dinner with the coyote, before I read the text.
And Elmer Fudd should be sitting where Yosemite Sam is; Sam never tried to eat Bugs, although he did try to serve him to a king.
CIDU Bill Nov 24th 2009 at 06:12 pm 17
One thing I was wondering about: If the book is so scary that Janis was afraid to walk to the bathroom by herself, is that really something she should be reading before going to sleep?
Elyrest Nov 24th 2009 at 07:40 pm 18
CIDU Bill - Some people like to be scared - that’s why horror movies and Stephan King have been so popular. Janis is “safe” reading something scary because Arlo is there to protect her. Her reading choice might reflect banishing her boogie monsters before she sleeps.
Molly J Nov 25th 2009 at 11:15 am 19
I roared at the Pearls Before Swine. Genius!
Chuck Nov 29th 2009 at 06:26 pm 20
Bill, Also, she might have started the book earlier in the day and she hasn’t been able to put it down.