Is this to be considered the original, in acronym rant.
I've noticed that many american movies and sit-coms have fun with one of the characters at one point making a massive acronym rant, such as; CEO blah blah BMW blah blah DMW blah blah FBI blah blah 2by4 (... or something :) ).
So when RW does the same thing as AC in GMV, with the VP..VIP..PC etc. could this be the first example of acronym-rant, or are there earlier examples?
I don't know. It's actually the first "acronym rant" I've heard.
Sir, seeing as how the VP is such a VIP, shouldn't we put the PC on the QT? 'Cause if it leaks into the VC, he could end up MIA, then we'd all be put out in KP.
Its the only one I've ever heard of....
maybe the OP can quote some examples?
I don't know about other movies, but the World War II-era Louis Jordan song "G.I. Jive" has the following lyric:
If you're a P.V.T.
You're duty is to salute the L.T.
But if you brush the L.T.
The M.P. makes you K.P. on the Q.T.
This is the G.I. Jive!
Not quite a "rant" per se, but definitely the same kind of joke as in GMVN.
Some 20 years after that, Allan Sherman used acronyms in his parody of Hava Nagila:
*snip*
Harvey's a CPA
He works for IBM
He went to MIT
And got his PHD.
Sheila's a girl I know
At BBDNO
She works the PBX
And makes out the checks.
*snip*
She shopped at A&P
He bought a used MG
They sat and watched TV
On their RCA.
Borrowed from HFC
Bought some AT&T
And on election day
Worked for JFK.
Then they went and got a
Charge-a-plate from R.H. Macy's
Bought a layette
Pink and lacey
Then they had twin baby girls
Both with dimples
Both with curls
One named Bea
One named Kay
Soon they joined the PTA.
Harvey and Sheila
Harvey and Sheila
Harvey and Sheila
Moved to west LA
Harvey and Sheila
Harvey and Sheila
Harvey and Sheila
Flew TWA
They bought a house one day
Financed by HFA
It had a swimming pool
Full of H2O
Traded their used MG
For a new XKE
Switched to the GOP
That's they way things go.
Oh that Harvey he was really smart
He used his noodle
Sheila got a white French Poodle
Went to Europe with a VISA
Harvey's rich they say that he's a
VIP
This could be
Only in the USA.
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Many years ago, John Ritter laid out a very short acronym rant on the TV comedy, "Three's Company".
He said, "You can't write UPS an IOU for a COD. They'll call the FBI !"
There's a song in the musical Hair that goes something like:
LBJ took the IRC down to Main Street, USA
When he got there, what did he see?
The youth of America on LSD
LBJ
IRC
USA
LSD
LSD
LBJ
FBI
CIA
FBICIALSD...
L
B
J
I grew up with Good Morning, Vietnam but didn't see Hair (on stage, not the movie) until very recently so of course I thought of the acronym scene in GMV.
"beccalh...the face of...evil." - Sauron-
[/two cents]
I'm not sure of it's film history but I know from personal experience that acronym rants are common in goverment service. CO's love their acronyms.
shareSex Pistols "Anarchy in the UK" 1976
I use the NME
I use anarchy
Cause I wanna be anarchy
It's the only way to be
Is this the MPLA
Or is this the UDA
Or is it the IRA
I thought it was the UK