This morning, I heard Tony Snow from Fox News on a talk show. He put forth an interesting theory that he said he was going to pursue.
He mentioned Schwarzenegger’s repeated use of “girlie man” and pointed out that is not, technically, an “Arnold” line. It’s from Saturday Night Live’s “Hans Und Franz” bit, where Dana Carvey and Kevin Nealon portrayed Schwarzeneggeresque body builders with heavy Austrian accents.
At that time, one of the leading writers for Saturday Night Live (especially, apparently, for Dana Carvey) was a fellow by the name of Al Franken.
Gee, where have I heard that name before…
J.
I find it hard to believe that the “Stuart Smalley” guy wrote anything remotely funny. More likely a Dana Carvey creation during an improv impersonation riff.
But it would be delicious irony.
Actually, Franken was funny before someone lied to him and told him he knew something about politics. For the record; Hans and Franz were supposed to be Arnold’s cousins. He did a walk-on with them one night when Danny DeVito was guest hosting (they had just released the movie “Twins”). Nealon and Carvey were in full tuant when he waled up behind them and began chewing them out about their “flabby, white buttocks” (on of their favorite taunts). I don’t remember if he called them “girlie-men” or not.
As I recall, he made some comment like “I expected you to be Running Men, and instead you are Girly Men”.
nahhh…wasn’t Franken *chuckle*
http://u.whittierdailynews.com/Stories/0,1413,215%257E24385%257E2290761,00.html
Actually, I found the original author (sort of):
“Weasel words from mollycoddles will never do when the day demands prophetic clarity from greathearts. Manly men must emerge for this hour of trial.” –Theodore Roosevelt
Roland, interesting link but just because Nealon and Carvey originated the characters doesn’t discount the possibility that Franken or another writer came up with the line.
As an aside it’s good to see Nealon stick up for Schwarzenegger – I recall him coming to my college about 10 years ago and giving a speech on veganism and animal rights so I’m going to guess he’s probably not a Republican.
When Arnold first used the line, Dennis Miller discussed it on his CNBC show. He mentioned that he was actually in the room when Dana Carvey came up with it. Dennis brought this up in response to Lawrence Odonnell (sp?) complaining that the line was homophobic. Dennis made a good point that it was bigoted to immediately think of gay men when hearing the phrase “girlie men” and told how the line came about. It’s a reference to things that little girls do, tea parties, dress up, that sort of thing.
Franken was always an asshole politically. He’s just been used to operating in an echo chamber most of his life. This book: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0316735655/qid=1094091163/sr=8-1/ref=pd_ka_1/104-8646357-0263964?v=glance&s=books&n=507846
offers some insight. Franken has a long history of being obnoxious to guests who weren’t his kind of people, even those appearing in other shows elsewhere in the building.
I remember reading a quote from years ago by Kevin Nealon, describing that Dana Carvey was responsible for “creating” Hanz and Franz and the “girlie men” bit. It makes sense that it’d be from Carvey, thematically…I can’t see Al Franken ever, like never, writing anything remotely that funny.
Franken’s “Smalley” routine was approaching funny, but mostly he wrote the bits that fell like lead balloons on SNL. Franken’s someone who has gone a long way on not being funny, much as has Moore on not making documentaries. Unless, of course, the point of their “humor” is that to be politically Left is to “funny.” In which case, they’re “funny.” But not for the reasons they assume that they are, is what I’m saying here.
I can’t imagine Al Franken ever perceiving the “girlie man” hook, and it’s obviously comedy that’s from someone else…in this case, Dana Carvey. Nealon went along with Carvey, from what I recall Nealon writing, in the recurring routine but it was a Carvey creation.