MovieChat Forums > Riptide (1984) Discussion > Constant touching..

Constant touching..

posted 18 years ago by locham2011
8 replies | jump to latest

Someone mentioned it on the www.amazon.com reviews for the season 1 DVD release and I did notice it already way back when I watched the show ages agao - Joe Penny and Perry King are constantly touching each other! I think it's cute and sexy and boy! way hot!! I wonder if it's exceptional (have to watch Starsky and Hutch or Simon & Simon again), but it is very noticeable! It's not just in rough, tough, fight scenes, but when they stand next to each other, they are so close, that some part of their body is touching the other guy. When they are seated somewhere, anywhere (restaurant, on the Riptide, wherever) they usually sit next to each other. Even when they are in the company of other people - even women - Joe and Perry (or should I say Nick and Cody) are most of the time sitting next to each other.

Also, when they look at each other, their eyes bury in deep and long gazes sometimes, it's mesmerizing.. I wonder whethere they were asked to do that by the script or if they were just compelled to do so..

Hot stuff!

j.U.d.E. - they misunderestimated me

[–] benchico 18 years ago

I also noticed that touching as well...they were close Army buddies but not gay..I think they did that since in film production, you have to be abnormally close to each other to fit in the camera lense..

[–] bethmcleary 18 years ago

I don't know, maybe because they were good friends and didn't mind when one invaded the other's personal space? I see Nick and Cody as brothers----along with Murray. I think they were just very comfortable with each other.

[–] 18 years ago

[deleted]

[–] thekyrose 16 years ago

Oh, Let's also remember *when* the show was aired. The 80's spawned notoriously emotion-laden shows. Even kids' shows were that way. The Care Bears were primarily concerned with getting in touch with one's feelings. Miami Vice was also a show with emotional roller coasters. There was always a scene with Sonny anguishing over something standing alongside the rails on his boat. He'd be wrestling with something, gripping the bannister and Tubbs would appear and say something to the effect of "I'm with you on this...." Back in the 80's, a lot of people hugged and touched each other. It's not unusual that the RT boys did the same. Also, the military connection is prominent, too. You know...the brotherhood...camraderie of military service. Guys like that are in constant close contact; eating, sleeping and bathing around each other. All that with the 80's emotion ridden plots would create something that would possibly mean "a completely new ballgame" in today's world.

[–] longvacation 16 years ago

I can totally re-imagine this as original Brokeback.

[–] locham2011 15 years ago

Oh, I had forgotten about my post! I'm watching season 2 now (got the DVDs the other week) and felt compelled to check IMDb again.

Thanks all for your answers. Still love that Joe and Perry seem so comfortable together!

A remake, lol! Why not!

j.U.d.E. - R.I.P. Heath Ledger

[–] Moscoso1967 12 years ago

It definitely wasn't that unusual and back than most people weren't looking for gay undertones everywhere. Some years ago I was involved in a study about girls/boys in movies. We took a look at movies from the 1930 (like "Angels with Dirty Faces") to the 1980s (such as "Stand By Me"). Much to our surprise the male children/adolescents touched each other far more often than the girls. The girls quite often only touched each other during emotional scenes, especially when they tried to comfort or cheer someone up. The boys on the other hand frequently touched each other in a very relaxed/natural way e.g. when they where sitting next to each other, talking/jokin/fooling around, it could also include gestures like a playful punch or a pat on the back (also fighting/physical violence can be seen more often among boys than girls). That playful/childlike attitude seems to be an important part in the male-bonding process. Therefore it isn't surprising that (best) buddies - especially if they are a bit "childish" characters like Nick and Cody - touch each other frequently and very relaxed as they are at ease with eachother.

Did you know that before Oscar Wilde's trial it wasn't unusually for buddies to e.g. walk arm in arm (which was just a gesture of comrade- or friendship) through a park, but afterwards no one did it anymore because they were afraid of being accused of having homosexual tendencies? I'm afraid a similar thing is happening nowadays...

[–] blueyes0112 9 years ago

Some people just do that as an unconscious habit. In season 1 episode 7 @ 6:04 time stamp, Nick and Cody are trying to get Murray to understand why they sent him out for pizza while they set up a dinner for 4. Nicki says that they "want to be alone (then realizing how that sounds) immediately adds, "with girls".

What most people don't understand is that basic training in the military promotes touching and hand signals as a way to communicate. In many situations, verbal communication can get a squad/unit killed. Or isn't a feasible way to do so. There is a unit in the Army that does a lot of butt-slapping because they do a lot of jumping out of planes.