The Floating 'S'

I've never seen this mentioned in any write-ups on "Broadcast News," and I've kept and "understood" what I think is a private joke by Albert Brooks in the beginning of the film.

A couple of years before Broadcast News came out, Albert Brooks was on some talk show...maybe Merv Griffin. As part of his set, he was making fun of Arnold Schwarzenegger (sp?) in the Jayne Mansfield story as the husband. About how Arnold uses, "the floating S" where, because of his accent and his command of English, he'll incorrectly make something plural when it should be singular. For example he will call Jayne as "Jaynes" at times in the movie. He gives other examples, but it was so long ago I really don't remember. I thought it was pretty funny, and very observant of Brooks.

Anyway, at the beginning of the movie, when he's talking to Holly Hunter about Arnold and doing his Arnold impression, he says something like, "See you in the lobbies." This to me, was an "inside" joke Brooks was making in the movie, and I "got" that based on a previous talk show appearance that I mentioned above.