Author Topic: OT: Hunting joke, morphed into A&M discussion (Read 4999 times)

kbeartx · « **on:** June 08, 2006, 03:23:28 PM »

Two [Insert preferred 'less-than-sharp' ethnic group name here*] hunters are out in the woods when one of them falls to the ground. He's not breathing, his eyes are rolled back in his head.

The other guy whips out his cell phone and calls 911, "My buddy just fell down dead! What should I do?"

The operator, in a calm soothing voice says, "Just take it easy. I can help. First, let's make sure he's dead."

There is a silence, then a shot is heard.

The guy's voice comes back on the line. He says: "OK, now what?"

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*Growing up in NYC, this was 'Polaks' - now, living in Austin, TX, it's 'Aggies'

sandbox · « **Reply #1 on:** June 09, 2006, 12:56:01 AM »

what's an Aggie? texas A&M basketball team?

iGrew up outside of Boston and everyone had a spin at the wheel.

kbeartx · « **Reply #2 on:** June 09, 2006, 01:09:26 AM »

QUOTE(sandbox @ Jun 9 2006, 12:56 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

what's an Aggie? texas A&M basketball team?

iGrew up outside of Boston and everyone had a spin at the wheel.

In Austin [which is UT Country] anyone from Texas A&M is an Aggie, and is either a hayseed, or stupid, or both.

- KB

Gregg · « **Reply #3 on:** June 09, 2006, 07:34:00 AM »

A&M stands for what? Agriculture and Military? Accupuncture and Mechanics?

If the former, then is Aggie a nickname for "Ag"?

kbeartx · « **Reply #4 on:** June 09, 2006, 03:27:29 PM »

QUOTE(Gregg @ Jun 9 2006, 07:34 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

A&M stands for what? Agriculture and Military? Accupuncture and Mechanics?

Agriculture and Mining

Highmac · « **Reply #5 on:** June 10, 2006, 04:29:33 AM »

kbear: Interesting - yesterday we picked up a copy of the UK national paper The Independent with an article about a psychologist who has spent five years trying to track the origins of "the world's funniest joke" (about two hunters out in the woods....). He has established that the earliest version was written by Spike Milligan, one of The Goons (did their fame ever spread to North America?), and performed by fellow Goons, Peter Sellers and Michael Bentine in 1961 (paper has a typo saying 1951, then goes on to refer to the Sixties script). It goes:

QUOTE

Bentine: I just came in and found him lying on the carpet there.
Sellers: Oh, is he dead?
Bentine: I think so.
Sellers: Hadn't you better make sure?
Bentine: Alright. Just a minute.
Sound of two gun shots.
Bentine: He's dead.

So, 45 years on, variations are still popping up! Sadly Milligan died in 2002 so he'll never know he's getting the credit. He'd said in an interview years back that he wanted his tombstone inscription to read "I told you I was ill". His relatives finally won a battle for it to do so... sort of. Full story here

kbeartx · « **Reply #6 on:** June 10, 2006, 06:17:28 AM »

QUOTE(Highmac @ Jun 10 2006, 04:29 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

...Spike Milligan, one of The Goons (did their fame ever spread to North America?)

I cannot speak for the rest of NA, but the Goons definitely made it to the suburbs of NYC in the early- to mid-sixties. A buddy of mine 'turned me on' to the Goon Shows in high school and I saved about a dozen episodes first onto RtR tapes and later onto cassette tapes [which I still might have, BTW]. More recently, I found and d/l'd a whole bunch of episodes online.

- KB

D76 · « **Reply #7 on:** June 10, 2006, 09:50:00 AM »

QUOTE(Highmac @ Jun 10 2006, 05:29 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

(paper has a typo saying 1951, then goes on to refer to the Sixties script).

1951 is correct. There are show timelines here and here. It started in '51 and ended in 1960, but the cast was reunited a few times in the '60s, so the joke was recycled in the '60s script. There are some very short audio clips at the second link.
The Independent's story says:

QUOTE

A study of rare footage from 1951 showing the Goons in their first television appearance has an early version of the joke performed by Milligan's fellow Goons Michael Bentine and Peter Sellers.

The Independent story also mentions this joke supposedly favoured by scientists:

A man walking down the street sees another man with a very big dog. One man says to the other: "Does your dog bite?" The man replies: " No my dog doesn't." The man pats the dog, which bites his hand: "I thought you said your dog didn't bite," said the injured man. " That's not my dog," replied the other.

Peter Sellars, one of the Goons, used that joke in a Pink Panther movie, making me wonder whether Spike Mulligan wrote it, too.

I'd add more links, but the wick in the engine has gone out.

Highmac · « **Reply #8 on:** June 10, 2006, 10:24:59 AM »

Shame on me!

Should have known better as an avid listener from the age of around 10! The reference to TV fooled me since we didn't have one until the late 50s/early 60s. Does that count as a deprived childhood? No, I didn't think so

D76 · « **Reply #9 on:** June 10, 2006, 11:49:34 AM »

QUOTE(Highmac @ Jun 10 2006, 11:24 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The reference to TV fooled me since we didn't have one until the late 50s/early 60s. Does that count as a deprived childhood? No, I didn't think so

Only if your fondest memory is of Z Cars.

Bbob · « **Reply #10 on:** June 10, 2006, 07:18:50 PM »

Gregg,

In most states, A&M stands for Agricultural and Mechanical. These were "land grant" colleges, and the federal government was involved in their establishment and for many years afterward--may still be involved, as far as I know.

Gregg · « **Reply #11 on:** June 10, 2006, 08:50:35 PM »

I thought I had seen Texas A&M cadets attending football games on the TV. Isn't there a tie in to the military there?

kbeartx · « **Reply #12 on:** June 11, 2006, 12:19:48 AM »

QUOTE(Bbob @ Jun 10 2006, 07:18 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Gregg,

In most states, A&M stands for Agricultural and Mechanical.

IMO, it's Agricultural and Mining ...

And AFAIK, there is no special military connection, other than the usual ROTC that is particularly strong at some universities.

- KB

Gregg · « **Reply #13 on:** June 11, 2006, 08:24:03 PM »

Well, my son, the Mizzou grad, confirmed that military uniformed students are always at Texas A&M home football games. (Missouri is in the same conference.)
So, they do have a strong ROTC or something. I guess if I really want to know, I can go to their web site and look for a history or "about A&M" page.

sandbox · « **Reply #14 on:** June 12, 2006, 09:02:55 PM »

The college opened for classes in 1876 as the "Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas". In 1963 the legislature changed the name to "Texas A&M University"

QUOTE

, often Texas A&M, A&M or TAMU for short, is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. Texas A&M's triple designation as a Land-, Sea-, and Space-Grant institution reflects a broad range of research, with ongoing projects funded by agencies such as NASA, the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation and the Office of Naval Research. Working in partnership with state agencies such as the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station and Texas Cooperative Extension, Texas A&M has a direct presence in every county in the state.18

Texas A&M offers degrees in over 150 courses of study through ten colleges and is home to 18 research institutes. Through its more than 125 years as an institute of higher education, Texas A&M has awarded more than 320,000 degrees, including 70,000 graduate and professional degrees.

8th largest @ 44,647: Texas A&M University - College Station, TX

Land= http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Land_grant_college
Sea= http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_grant_college
Space= http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_grant_college

News:

Author Topic: OT: Hunting joke, morphed into A&M discussion (Read 4999 times)