Small moment I just saw on "Frazier" that says a lot about the rich.

[Brigid]

OK, so Frazier wasn't a multimillionaire. But I think this subtle dig at the rich is pretty funny.

Frazier and Niles were talking to their dad, who had just come back from a friend's funeral. He was complaining that his friend's family had not honored the deceased's wishes at all.

"Don't worry, Dad, when your time comes -- many years from now -- we will follow your wishes to the letter," said Frazier.

"By the way, Dad, what are your wishes?" Asked Niles.

"I don't want to talk about it," said Martin. "You don't pull the cord until you're ready to get off the bus."

Frazier and Niles just stared at each other. They didn't get the joke. Do you?

[defendandprotect]

1. Nope -- don't get it --

[Ken Burch]

5. You pull the cord above the seat when you reach your stop.

(It's a public transit reference).

[defendandprotect]

9. . . . and what does that say about the rich?

Here's how I'm thinking about it --

While it's a statement any parent couldn't make --

Maybe the way it relates to the "rich" is that they are wary even of

their own family/sons? Distrustful?


And in NYC, everyone used to ride the subway and buses because it was the

faster way to get around -- barring taxis which were also very convenient

and cheap!

[Ken Burch]

12. I think the idea is, they would never have ridden a bus

And, therefore, wouldn't know how you make it stop to let you out.

[defendandprotect]

30. Yes -- but he did know! ..... and I give up on this one ---!! :)

[Ken Burch]

33. I know he knew.

So the joke didn't really work in the way the OP thought it did.

[defendandprotect]

34. Ohhhh... funny -- !! What joke ???????????????

the replies are funnier than the OP!

:evilgrin:

[BlueJazz]

2. You don't stop living until you're ready to die.

[The Straight Story]

3. golden parachute? (nt)

[Ken Burch]

4. I do. And, since Frasier and Niles were raised by Martin, in a working-class household

it's actually weird that they wouldn't get the reference(since they were probably riding the Metro all over Seattle as kids). It's not as if they'd forget that they'd ever been on a city bus.

Maybe it tells us more about the writer and/or director of the episode(or, perhaps about Kelsey Grammer himself) as well.

Interesting point, though.

[Horse with no Name]

6. He meant that there wasn't any reason to worry about it until it was time to die.

In other words, ask him when it got closer to the time.

[Zax2me]

7. Ah, the integrity/honor for those of us who pull bus cords.

I get it.
But don't think people who have made it past the point of riding a bus consider it a 'dig'.
Not like riding the bus is something you aspire to do.

[Fumesucker]

22. That depends entirely on how far you've walked..

After about ten miles or so the bus starts looking much better.

[a la izquierda]

24. My uncle road the bus and the train.

He retired at 55, is a liberal and a millionaire (one who will gladly pay more taxes).
I don't get your comment. But I'm extremely exhausted from having read a bunch of 19th century SPanish handwritten documents. I'm not trying to be a pest, I just don't compute.

[Iggo]

28. Aspire to do? Maybe not.

But knowing how to ride the bus, whether one still rides it or not, might still be seen as kind of a badge of honor.

[ChandlerJr]

8. Don't get the joke at all

Most truly rich have complex and detailed estate plans in place in order to keep their ill gotten fortunes out of the hands of government.

I'm not sure what you saw at all.

[xxqqqzme]

10. Yes,I do.

Nearly every day I 'pull the cord' when I see my stop approaching.

[lonestarnot]

11. I watched part of that show maybe once. Hated it then, and that Gramar (sp) (who cares) dude

makes me gag. :puke:

[Ilsa]

13. I've ridden public transportation, but our buses didn't have pull cords,

just designated stops.

[defendandprotect]

31. Think the idea of the cord also was that .... if no one rang and if there was no one waiting at the

stop, the bus would just keep going?

And might make a difference to the driver in waiting time whether one

person was getting off -- or 4 or more?

[TwilightGardener]

14. Never rode a bus. I get it.

Edit to add: it was a pretty funny, well-written show--so disappointed Grammer is a teabagger.

[FarLeftFist]

15. Where were you the day you found out Kelsey Grammer was a staunch conservative?

[snagglepuss]

16. I don't remember where I was but I remember that I was truly shocked and

disappointed.

[Ken Burch]

19. I think it was a 9/11 thing with him(like with Ron Silver)

If he'd always been right-wing, he'd never have done "J. Edgar: The Musical" on NPR(a great show that was written by Harry Shearer).

[Brigid]

17. This is the first I'd heard of it.

I barely even followed that Charlie Sheen thing.

[beac]

20. I think "staunch" is putting it mildly. Grammer is one giant hair bow away from

being Victoria Jackson.

[RebelOne]

23. That is why I never wanted to watch that show. n/t

[Duer 157099]

18. If I had been in that situation, as Frazier or Miles, I also would have look dumbfounded

and I know perfectly well what pulling the cord on the bus means.

I would have reacted that way because of the implication that people always know in advance when they're going to die, which is obviously not the case.

That's what I would have interpreted the look as, a WTF, how does he know when to pull the cord? look

[BlueIris]

21. Got it. (But I don't think Frasier was anti-rich.)

Sadly, I think that series only rarely threw any kind of barbs at either the upper class, or the hangers-on of the upper classes (which is what the Cranes were.) The writers couldn't afford to do that considering the viewing demographic (and considering the fact it would have wrecked the concept, which was an obvious comedy of manners surrounding three gay characters, not a diatribe about class differences.)

[idiotgardener]

25. Which "Frasier" TV show did you watch?

That type of barb was a constant on the show. A lot of the humor derived from the fact that despite growing up in a middle-class family, both Frasier and Niles were completely out of touch with how normal people live, had very "high-class" tastes, and could never understand why others thought them odd. There was probably a reference to this in every single episode, always at the expense of the two brothers.

Not sure what "demographic" you refer to, as it was a tremendously popular show for all the years it was on.

And it was most certainly not a "comedy of manners surrounding three gay characters". It was two brothers and their father, and none of the three was a gay character. Many episodes revolved around Frasier and his current girlfriend, and Niles was in love with Daphne for the entire series.

[Iggo]

26. Frasier and Niles have never ridden the bus. (n/t)

[Pisces]

27. Of course, I rode the bus with my grandmothers everywhere. Neither one could drive.

[SpiralHawk]

29. What if you are a bike rider, and don't got no cord?

FatCat RepubliBubbas never thot of that...and I bets there be lots of other stuff and shit they never thot not of neither.

[pinboy3niner]

32. Silly wabbit--bike riders use their Panic Button :)