Bert and Ernie Gay Rumor: Settled

[CensoredAlso]

One issue is that companies have used characters being gay as merely a punchline, a schtick.

That's how it's always been when TV begins to integrate a particular group. They start out as caricatures and jokes. Then over time various pioneering individuals make attempts to portray them in more serious ways and if successful, it eventually catches on.

But you know, watching classic Looney Tunes today, I'm reminded of something else that's been a source of comedy for eons: cross-dressing. What do people of today have to say about that one?

Oh well as you say drag jokes are a very old form of comedy and I don't see them disapearing any time soon, lol.

 

[D'Snowth]

You know, all this talk of overanalyzing everything has prompted my memory.

Most of you know that I used to be so obsessed with the cartoon series Courage the Cowardly Dog, and as that show progressed, it got just a little bit darker each season, and there's one episode that particularly stands out from the show's final season, called "The Mask".

In this episode, which was a take on old-fashioned noir films, a lady dressed in a large mask and a white cloak, named Kitty, arrives at the Bagge farm, where she tells them her "life story": for starters, she came from "the wrong side of the tracks", but her life had taken an even more depressing turn when her "closest and dearest friend", Bunny, fell in love with a gangster named Mad Dog, who didn't approve of their close friendship, and basically chased Kitty away from her own life, forcing her to leave behind her home, her life, and her friend Bunny. We even see that not only is Kitty depressed without Bunny, Bunny is also depressed without Kitty, which angers Mad Dog, after all he's done for her (supposedly) that she still only thinks about Kitty. Though it wasn't his original intentions, Courage ends up on a mission to rescue Bunny from Mad Dog's control, and bring her and Kitty back together; Courage even learns from an "informant" (basically a mutual friend of Kitty and Bunny who runs a diner) that Mad Dog is "the nastiest piece of jealousy who ever lived", hence why he disapproved of Kitty and Bunny's friendship. After some wild action, with Courage luring Kitty away from Mad Dog's joint on foot, while Mad Dog chases after them in his souped-up cadillac, Mad Dog is injured by an oncoming train, after Courage steers the car onto the tracks (luckily, cartoon violence only results in Mad Dog in a dopey daze on the front end of the train); on the final car of the train happens to be Kitty, no longer in her mask or cloak, calling out to Bunny, who quickly chases afterwards. Kitty pulls Bunny aboard, and the two of them are ecstatic to be reunited, and plan on spending the rest oftheir lives together forever.

Now, like Ernie and Bert, this could be argued that Kitty and Bunny being just friends, and nothing more, however, it really was the creator's intentions that Kitty and Bunny were to be interpreted as more than just good/close/dear/best friends... in fact, as an adult, and knowing a few more things about life and such, one can see that Kitty and Bunny do act more like lovers than friends.

That said, despite the facts that they live together, sleep in the same room, and all that jazz, never once, in over forty years, have Ernie and Bert ever acted like lovers; as many people pointed out, it's more a matter of them being like the typical television Oscar and Felix-esque odd couple, which not surprisingly, is a concept that's been around for eons as well.

 

[beaker]

When was Ernest ever perceived as gay? In the commercials, he's got a wife whose refered to, but never seen (Edna), plus, in just about all of his movies, he's got a thing for the leading lady.

But you know, watching classic Looney Tunes today, I'm reminded of something else that's been a source of comedy for eons: cross-dressing. How many times has Bugs fooled Elmer by dressing up as a lady, that Elmer instantly has the hots for? And for what? Comedy, pure and simple. In fact, a famous comedian of yesteryears tried to get a discharge from the Navy by running around dressed as a WAVE to make people think he was crazy (which inspired the character of Corporal Klinger on M*A*S*H, who ran around in dresses toget out of the Army). What do people of today have to say about that one?

Not gay per se, just not the typical alpha male. I always liked those sort of characters.
Yeah the new Sherlock Holmes seems to have some pivotal drag scenes.

 

[Drtooth]

One issue is that companies have used characters being gay as merely a punchline, a schtick. Smithers on the Simpsons, Roger the alien on American Dad. It's just a sight gag to them.

On two technicalities...
Smithers slowly became gay, ONLY because they were making jokes about how close to Mr. Burns he was. Much like any other Simpsons character, Smithers went through the Flanderization process where one tiny bit of his characteristics that was hinted at slowly became all what the character was about. Roger, however, is only "gay" because of his Paul Lynde voice. They did reveal that he's a pan-sexual, though. But the character seems more about complete hedonism than just sexuality (he's become addicted to drugs in later seasons).

But you know, watching classic Looney Tunes today, I'm reminded of something else that's been a source of comedy for eons: cross-dressing. How many times has Bugs fooled Elmer by dressing up as a lady, that Elmer instantly has the hots for? And for what? Comedy, pure and simple. In fact, a famous comedian of yesteryears tried to get a discharge from the Navy by running around dressed as a WAVE to make people think he was crazy (which inspired the character of Corporal Klinger on M*A*S*H, who ran around in dresses toget out of the Army). What do people of today have to say about that one?

I hated when people started saying any character who dresses up in woman's clothing is gay. Only a percentage of drag queens actually are gay... plus, that was the typical kind of comedy of the day. The Three Stooges dressed in drag on a few occasions. It, uh, usually works better when the man in a dress is ugly.

 

[Sgt Floyd]

Not to mention a lot of schools have drag beauty pageants. Both my high school and college do. And most who eneter are not gay, but the class goofballs.

 

[D'Snowth]

Not to mention a lot of schools have drag beauty pageants. Both my high school and college do. And most who eneter are not gay, but the class goofballs.

They NEVER would have done ANYTHING like THAT back in the days when I was in school. But then again, back when I was in school, we actually DIDN'T have all those ranks and everything like "Voted Mosted Likely to..."

 

[beaker]

On two technicalities...
Smithers slowly became gay, ONLY because they were making jokes about how close to Mr. Burns he was. Much like any other Simpsons character, Smithers went through the Flanderization process where one tiny bit of his characteristics that was hinted at slowly became all what the character was about. Roger, however, is only "gay" because of his Paul Lynde voice. They did reveal that he's a pan-sexual, though. But the character seems more about complete hedonism than just sexuality (he's become addicted to drugs in later seasons).

Dude, c'mon. Everything about Roger since the beginning was designed to invoke a gay stereotype. Heck, while gay males are usually portrayed as slapstick sight gags in The Simpsons, they've had several notable episodes respectfully dealing with the established gay characters on the Simpsons(The Moe Tavern episode last season, where it was making fun of how a lot of gay clubs act like macho straight clubs toward non pretty guys and how the regular show gay males of Springfield needed their own place. I recall a landmark episode in the late 1990's pointing out Homer's homophobia)

 

[D'Snowth]

And we also have people in the entertainment industry who are straight, BUTthey ACT gay... and for what reason? Laughs? To create an alter-ego personality? To appeal to gay audiences? I don't know.

For years, I was SURE Greg Proops was gay, because he did some of the gayest things on Whose Line (and made plenty of gay jokes), and was shocked to learn that he was married to a woman. Aside from him, a lot of lame YouTube celebrities really are gay, but only one of them only acts gay and really isn't: Shane Dawson.

Here's one thing I've learned about gay celebrities: you can always tell whether they're gay or not by the fact it they do or don't admit it. If a celebrity isn't gay, they admit it, if a celebrity is gay, they WON'T admit it, but dance around the question with things like, "I want you to believe I can play straight, I want you to believe I can play gay, etc" or "I don't need to answer that question, I know who I am", etc. Then years later, they FINALLY admit it, and the public is like "Duh, as if we couldn't come to that conclusion". Clay Aiken, Sean Hayes... possibly Richard Simmons...

 

[frogboy4]

On the topic of who seems gay etc, I'm posting three confirmed out and gay popular actors who don't really fit the stereotype.

 

[D'Snowth]

Ehh... NPH... I'd argue him "not fitting the stereotype", but I won't. I know he plays straight men a lot, but when he's being himself... yeah, it seems pretty obvious, IMO. Especially the way he kept losing his cool when Telly couldn't decide what kind of shoes he wanted,