Canadian actor Les Lye, who played many characters on the TV show You Can't Do That on Television, has passed away.
July 23, 2009 9:00 AM Subscribe
Canadian actor Les Lye, who played many characters on the TV show You Can't Do That on Television, among other roles, has passed away.
Perhaps Mr. Lye's most famous character was Barth, the cafeteria chef on the show.
Someone pour out a bottle of green slime for the man.
D'Iiii heard that!
posted by lumensimus at 9:03 AM on July 23, 2009 [18 favorites]
posted by lumensimus at 9:03 AM on July 23, 2009 [18 favorites]
Is this show still on? Someone please tell me, because I don't know.
gets slimed
posted by spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints at 9:03 AM on July 23, 2009
gets slimed
posted by spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints at 9:03 AM on July 23, 2009
Nooo! My childhood!
I will have to pour some green slime libations in his memory.
posted by Neofelis at 9:04 AM on July 23, 2009
I will have to pour some green slime libations in his memory.
posted by Neofelis at 9:04 AM on July 23, 2009
Aww. I remember arguing with my younger brother over whether or not that guy played all those characters. He didn't believe me that it was all the same guy.
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posted by jquinby at 9:05 AM on July 23, 2009 [1 favorite]
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posted by jquinby at 9:05 AM on July 23, 2009 [1 favorite]
Aww, Barth. Thanks for posting this, elder18.
posted by pseudostrabismus at 9:06 AM on July 23, 2009
posted by pseudostrabismus at 9:06 AM on July 23, 2009
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Classic Les, doing his announcer bits with an unlit cigar in his mouth, and deely boppers on his head.
posted by ColdChef at 9:07 AM on July 23, 2009 [1 favorite]
Classic Les, doing his announcer bits with an unlit cigar in his mouth, and deely boppers on his head.
posted by ColdChef at 9:07 AM on July 23, 2009 [1 favorite]
He was actually a pretty handsome guy under the scary Barth makeup. ♥
posted by Neofelis at 9:08 AM on July 23, 2009
posted by Neofelis at 9:08 AM on July 23, 2009
The typical but funny Barth sketch. Yep, that's Alanis Morissette of course. Why would the kids keep coming back?
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posted by ALongDecember at 9:08 AM on July 23, 2009
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posted by ALongDecember at 9:08 AM on July 23, 2009
Barth's Burgery is a great tribute site to the show.
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posted by Confess, Fletch at 9:09 AM on July 23, 2009
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posted by Confess, Fletch at 9:09 AM on July 23, 2009
Aww. I loved this show as a kid, and kept hoping Nick would bring it back so that I could DVR the episodes.
posted by klangklangston at 9:09 AM on July 23, 2009
posted by klangklangston at 9:09 AM on July 23, 2009
This show is one of my earliest TV memories, so Barth will always have a place in my heart.
posted by elder18 at 9:10 AM on July 23, 2009
posted by elder18 at 9:10 AM on July 23, 2009
While playing Every Single Adult Male Role on YCDTOTV, Les Lye also starred in a long-running kids' show based out of Ottawa called Uncle Willy and Floyd.
I met him once when I was about 10. He had the most incredible bass announcer voice I'd ever heard, and was incredibly kind and funny to the kids who'd crowded around him asking what were probably the same questions he always got, about green slime and the food at Barth's. He didn't speak down to the kids and was just plain awesome.
Good comic character actors don't come along all the time. It's always a shame to lose one.
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posted by Spatch at 9:11 AM on July 23, 2009 [5 favorites]
I met him once when I was about 10. He had the most incredible bass announcer voice I'd ever heard, and was incredibly kind and funny to the kids who'd crowded around him asking what were probably the same questions he always got, about green slime and the food at Barth's. He didn't speak down to the kids and was just plain awesome.
Good comic character actors don't come along all the time. It's always a shame to lose one.
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posted by Spatch at 9:11 AM on July 23, 2009 [5 favorites]
I never watched YCDTOT, but I've always felt sorry for adult foils on kid shows.
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posted by DU at 9:11 AM on July 23, 2009
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posted by DU at 9:11 AM on July 23, 2009
I want to make a joke here about Les being tricked into shouting "FIRE!" It's not in good taste, but then, that'd make it a fitting memoriam.
posted by hifiparasol at 9:12 AM on July 23, 2009
posted by hifiparasol at 9:12 AM on July 23, 2009
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I'm not sure what it says about me that I'm more broken up about this than I was Michael Jackson. Getting older sucks.
posted by khaibit at 9:19 AM on July 23, 2009 [5 favorites]
I'm not sure what it says about me that I'm more broken up about this than I was Michael Jackson. Getting older sucks.
posted by khaibit at 9:19 AM on July 23, 2009 [5 favorites]
I started reading the obit, wondering why on Earth a YCDTOT actor would merit an obit, but then you got to Barth and I ...
Aw, man.
posted by Bookhouse at 9:20 AM on July 23, 2009
Aw, man.
posted by Bookhouse at 9:20 AM on July 23, 2009
What a great show. So glad for my early introduction to Canadian humor.
One strange thing -- it seems like a lot of my friends' parents wouldn't let them watch it. Any idea why?
posted by Afroblanco at 9:24 AM on July 23, 2009
One strange thing -- it seems like a lot of my friends' parents wouldn't let them watch it. Any idea why?
posted by Afroblanco at 9:24 AM on July 23, 2009
Watching that Barth clip suddenly brought back a flood of childhood memories. So sad.
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posted by Rhomboid at 9:27 AM on July 23, 2009
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posted by Rhomboid at 9:27 AM on July 23, 2009
oh yes, and....
Metafilter : Where do they come from, and why do they always send them here?
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posted by Afroblanco at 9:28 AM on July 23, 2009 [9 favorites]
Metafilter : Where do they come from, and why do they always send them here?
.
posted by Afroblanco at 9:28 AM on July 23, 2009 [9 favorites]
When I was six or seven, I was morbidly afraid of You Can't Do That On Television. Les Lye's visage as seen in the opening credits was beyond terrifying to me. My fear progressed from not being able to be in the room if the show was on due to the risk that face would pop up, to not being able to be around if Nickelodeon was on at all, to being terrified if I went to someone else's house and even saw a cable box.
I don't celebrate the man's death, but I do feel as if a certain weight has been lifted.
posted by anazgnos at 9:32 AM on July 23, 2009 [7 favorites]
I don't celebrate the man's death, but I do feel as if a certain weight has been lifted.
posted by anazgnos at 9:32 AM on July 23, 2009 [7 favorites]
He was the reason I wasn't allowed to watch TCDTOTV, and also the reason I snuck into the basement to do so.
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posted by sciurus at 9:34 AM on July 23, 2009
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posted by sciurus at 9:34 AM on July 23, 2009
One strange thing -- it seems like a lot of my friends' parents wouldn't let them watch it. Any idea why?
Probably all the gross-out humor? There was quite a bit of it. As a parent, I can sort of understand that, I guess, though I adored the show as a child.
This makes me very sad. He was one of the signpost memories of my childhood. RIP, Les.
posted by middleclasstool at 9:39 AM on July 23, 2009 [1 favorite]
Probably all the gross-out humor? There was quite a bit of it. As a parent, I can sort of understand that, I guess, though I adored the show as a child.
This makes me very sad. He was one of the signpost memories of my childhood. RIP, Les.
posted by middleclasstool at 9:39 AM on July 23, 2009 [1 favorite]
Here's hoping heaven is full of Blue Skies, Barthy Burgers and Giiiirls!
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posted by Ufez Jones at 9:42 AM on July 23, 2009 [3 favorites]
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posted by Ufez Jones at 9:42 AM on July 23, 2009 [3 favorites]
Starting back in 1979 and running for 10 seasons, it seems the show is no longer in syndication (at least in the US, as IMDB will list US TV schedules, where available, right above the Cast listing).
I didn't realize the Nickelodian versions were filtered for Canadian sympathies (there were re-writes or re-shoots of already-filmed sketches to filter out Ottawa-centric or Canada-centric content).
posted by filthy light thief at 9:46 AM on July 23, 2009 [1 favorite]
I didn't realize the Nickelodian versions were filtered for Canadian sympathies (there were re-writes or re-shoots of already-filmed sketches to filter out Ottawa-centric or Canada-centric content).
posted by filthy light thief at 9:46 AM on July 23, 2009 [1 favorite]
I don't celebrate the man's death, but I do feel as if a certain weight has been lifted.
HA! This made me literally laugh out loud.
posted by ColdChef at 9:46 AM on July 23, 2009
HA! This made me literally laugh out loud.
posted by ColdChef at 9:46 AM on July 23, 2009
Aw, man. I'm only 28, pieces of my childhood can't be dying off already.
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posted by marginaliana at 9:52 AM on July 23, 2009 [3 favorites]
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posted by marginaliana at 9:52 AM on July 23, 2009 [3 favorites]
I don't know Lye's religious affiliation, if any, but upon leaving the cemetery after a Jewish funeral, it is customary for the mourners to wash their hands with water.
::is drenched::
posted by Faint of Butt at 9:54 AM on July 23, 2009 [1 favorite]
::is drenched::
posted by Faint of Butt at 9:54 AM on July 23, 2009 [1 favorite]
Aw. :(
Normally, somebody passing doesn't make me want to revisit their material but this really, really does.
I think a good bit of YCDTOT is actually built into my subconscious. I forget and then I wonder how I could possibly forget.
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posted by Durn Bronzefist at 9:55 AM on July 23, 2009
Normally, somebody passing doesn't make me want to revisit their material but this really, really does.
I think a good bit of YCDTOT is actually built into my subconscious. I forget and then I wonder how I could possibly forget.
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posted by Durn Bronzefist at 9:55 AM on July 23, 2009
Wow. This guy... he played basically every male adult on YCDTOTV, and they were all the same character. They weren't evil, really. Just... assholes. He was the greedy manager of the arcade, the disgusting cook, the uncaring manager, the drunk dad.
I think that in a subtle way, he became a symbol of adulthood in my generation's consciousness. He became the thing that no one wanted to be become, that no one believed they'd ever become.
posted by roll truck roll at 9:57 AM on July 23, 2009 [11 favorites]
I think that in a subtle way, he became a symbol of adulthood in my generation's consciousness. He became the thing that no one wanted to be become, that no one believed they'd ever become.
posted by roll truck roll at 9:57 AM on July 23, 2009 [11 favorites]
I guess this isn't an the Opposite Sketch right?
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posted by Constant Reader at 10:01 AM on July 23, 2009 [1 favorite]
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posted by Constant Reader at 10:01 AM on July 23, 2009 [1 favorite]
Wow. This guy... he played basically every male adult on YCDTOTV, and they were all the same character. They weren't evil, really. Just... assholes. He was the greedy manager of the arcade, the disgusting cook, the uncaring manager, the drunk dad.
I think that in a subtle way, he became a symbol of adulthood in my generation's consciousness. He became the thing that no one wanted to be become, that no one believed they'd ever become.
Weird. I grew up watching him, and I just thought he was playing over-the-top goofball characters on a harmlessly silly show.
posted by scrowdid at 10:01 AM on July 23, 2009
I think that in a subtle way, he became a symbol of adulthood in my generation's consciousness. He became the thing that no one wanted to be become, that no one believed they'd ever become.
Weird. I grew up watching him, and I just thought he was playing over-the-top goofball characters on a harmlessly silly show.
posted by scrowdid at 10:01 AM on July 23, 2009
:(
Oh, this makes me so sad. My favorite sketch was the one where the kids would be chained up in his dungeon, and he would whip them (man just reading that now makes me wonder how that ever made it onto TV and why did I think it was funny?). But he was also a really good crappy bus driver, and his gross cook literally made me gag.
I recently tried to watch some episodes of YCDTOT, and I have to say, they didn't really hold up for me. I think there was just something about that time in my life that made me thing farty, drunk fathers were entertaining.
posted by bluefly at 10:02 AM on July 23, 2009
Oh, this makes me so sad. My favorite sketch was the one where the kids would be chained up in his dungeon, and he would whip them (man just reading that now makes me wonder how that ever made it onto TV and why did I think it was funny?). But he was also a really good crappy bus driver, and his gross cook literally made me gag.
I recently tried to watch some episodes of YCDTOT, and I have to say, they didn't really hold up for me. I think there was just something about that time in my life that made me thing farty, drunk fathers were entertaining.
posted by bluefly at 10:02 AM on July 23, 2009
No way!!!!! What a character. wow.
posted by Liquidwolf at 10:02 AM on July 23, 2009
posted by Liquidwolf at 10:02 AM on July 23, 2009
For some reason, I never thought the 'dad' character was supposed to be drunk. Then again, I haven't seen the show since I was 12, so maybe it wouldn't have occurred to me.
I remember reading somewhere that the 'dad' was supposed to be a Canadian Senator, which was meant as a critique because Canadian Senators had a reputation for not doing anything. I can't really vouch for the veracity of this, so hopefully somebody will jump in and clarify or correct me.
posted by Afroblanco at 10:12 AM on July 23, 2009
I remember reading somewhere that the 'dad' was supposed to be a Canadian Senator, which was meant as a critique because Canadian Senators had a reputation for not doing anything. I can't really vouch for the veracity of this, so hopefully somebody will jump in and clarify or correct me.
posted by Afroblanco at 10:12 AM on July 23, 2009
Yeah, I never knew that before, Afroblanco, but Wikipedia confirms it:
Senator Lance Prevert, the drunken, ne'er-do-well husband and father, whose character was conceived based on the stereotypical view of a Canadian Senator
posted by roll truck roll at 10:15 AM on July 23, 2009
Senator Lance Prevert, the drunken, ne'er-do-well husband and father, whose character was conceived based on the stereotypical view of a Canadian Senator
posted by roll truck roll at 10:15 AM on July 23, 2009
When I was six or seven, I was morbidly afraid of You Can't Do That On Television. Les Lye's visage as seen in the opening credits was beyond terrifying to me. My fear progressed from not being able to be in the room if the show was on due to the risk that face would pop up, to not being able to be around if Nickelodeon was on at all, to being terrified if I went to someone else's house and even saw a cable box.
I don't celebrate the man's death, but I do feel as if a certain weight has been lifted.
anazgnos, I had that same fear!!!
So my older sister became the look-out for me, the second I would hear the siren I would run into the kitchen and wait for the it's ok to come back in call and almost every time she would turn down the tv and call me back right when his face was cracking and I would run to my mother in tears.
posted by hissing sissing at 10:15 AM on July 23, 2009
I don't celebrate the man's death, but I do feel as if a certain weight has been lifted.
anazgnos, I had that same fear!!!
So my older sister became the look-out for me, the second I would hear the siren I would run into the kitchen and wait for the it's ok to come back in call and almost every time she would turn down the tv and call me back right when his face was cracking and I would run to my mother in tears.
posted by hissing sissing at 10:15 AM on July 23, 2009
What does it say about me that this death saddens me more than any of the others we've seen in the last few weeks?
I still pull out my episodes of YCDTOTV a couple times a year, even though they're utterly unwatchable... having obviously been ripped for first-generation realplayer video or something similar. Even hearing it all again is still enough to make me laugh, and Les was always the funniest. Sigh.
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posted by Pufferish at 10:18 AM on July 23, 2009
I still pull out my episodes of YCDTOTV a couple times a year, even though they're utterly unwatchable... having obviously been ripped for first-generation realplayer video or something similar. Even hearing it all again is still enough to make me laugh, and Les was always the funniest. Sigh.
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posted by Pufferish at 10:18 AM on July 23, 2009
When I learned that the slime was edible (I think it was a green-tinted vanilla pudding) it changed my whole opinion of the sliming process. What kid wouldn't want to be smothered in all-you-can-eat thick, sweet goop for free just by saying a key phrase? I yearned for that to be my life.
Also, I was quite fat.
posted by robstercraw at 10:22 AM on July 23, 2009 [3 favorites]
Also, I was quite fat.
posted by robstercraw at 10:22 AM on July 23, 2009 [3 favorites]
That guy was nearly as versatile as Billy Van in 'House of Frightenstein.' Both must have been workaholics with the amount of screen time their characters had. They must have logged quite a few hours in the makeup chair as well.
Memorable performances. He will be missed.
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posted by Hardcore Poser at 10:28 AM on July 23, 2009 [1 favorite]
Memorable performances. He will be missed.
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posted by Hardcore Poser at 10:28 AM on July 23, 2009 [1 favorite]
Was this the guy that did Ivan Tellalie? I hardly ever watched the show as I was a bit old when it was out, but I've heard nothing but good things about it and the people who were on it.
posted by crapmatic at 10:28 AM on July 23, 2009
posted by crapmatic at 10:28 AM on July 23, 2009
Oh god, this... I feel like my childhood jut got punched in the guts.
posted by Dormant Gorilla at 10:32 AM on July 23, 2009
posted by Dormant Gorilla at 10:32 AM on July 23, 2009
When I was six or seven, I was morbidly afraid of You Can't Do That On Television.
It wasn't the whole show that did it to me. It was Barth. Could NOT deal with Barth sketches. Anything else-- kids jammed in lockers, the dungeon sequence, Ross, all of that was fine.
Just. Not. Barth. No loogies in food. No boogers on burgers.
OCD might run in my family, just sayin'.
posted by fairytale of los angeles at 10:37 AM on July 23, 2009
It wasn't the whole show that did it to me. It was Barth. Could NOT deal with Barth sketches. Anything else-- kids jammed in lockers, the dungeon sequence, Ross, all of that was fine.
Just. Not. Barth. No loogies in food. No boogers on burgers.
OCD might run in my family, just sayin'.
posted by fairytale of los angeles at 10:37 AM on July 23, 2009
I spent A LOT of time with that show. RIP Les.
posted by Liquidwolf at 10:44 AM on July 23, 2009
posted by Liquidwolf at 10:44 AM on July 23, 2009
Right around this time is when Christine McGlade reveals that she's been a long time lurking MeFite, or ponys up the $5 just to contribute to this thread, and then comes forth with a wonderful story to tell us all about the Real Les.
That's going to happen, isn't it? (looking at watch) She's late.
Christine and Lisa, who had a rivalry on the show in the early episodes, were awesome. I had a crush on both of 'em. Its kind of amazing that this show, unaired in well over a decade yet still in many ways Nick's signature show and the source of the network's fascination with green slime, wasn't made or even produced by them.
Other awesome old-school Nick shows were Out Of Control (can you believe that, once, Dave Coulier was cool???) and The Adventures of Pete & Pete (in many ways the prototype for Malcom in the Middle).
posted by JHarris at 11:02 AM on July 23, 2009 [4 favorites]
That's going to happen, isn't it? (looking at watch) She's late.
Christine and Lisa, who had a rivalry on the show in the early episodes, were awesome. I had a crush on both of 'em. Its kind of amazing that this show, unaired in well over a decade yet still in many ways Nick's signature show and the source of the network's fascination with green slime, wasn't made or even produced by them.
Other awesome old-school Nick shows were Out Of Control (can you believe that, once, Dave Coulier was cool???) and The Adventures of Pete & Pete (in many ways the prototype for Malcom in the Middle).
posted by JHarris at 11:02 AM on July 23, 2009 [4 favorites]
Man, this bums me out. One of the best parts of the day was getting home from school and watching the double-shot of YCDTOT and Dangermouse on Nickelodeon.
Well, enjoy being in the burger, Les...
posted by Leth at 11:15 AM on July 23, 2009
Well, enjoy being in the burger, Les...
posted by Leth at 11:15 AM on July 23, 2009
As two young boys growing up in the suburbs of Columbus, OH in the eighties, my brother and I watched Nickelodeon every chance we got. It was quite a luxury to have cable in the early eighties... and boy did we abuse the heck out of our TV privileges.
You Can't Do That On Television kept us glued to the TV. Les really brought a lot to the show and his roles really had an impact on my budding sense of humor. It was my introduction to Canadian comedy... a love that still sticks with me.
This hits kinda hard. More than I would have thought.
Thanks for all the memories, Les. If you get a chance, cook up a couple of Barth Burgers for my brother.
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posted by PROD_TPSL at 11:15 AM on July 23, 2009 [2 favorites]
You Can't Do That On Television kept us glued to the TV. Les really brought a lot to the show and his roles really had an impact on my budding sense of humor. It was my introduction to Canadian comedy... a love that still sticks with me.
This hits kinda hard. More than I would have thought.
Thanks for all the memories, Les. If you get a chance, cook up a couple of Barth Burgers for my brother.
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posted by PROD_TPSL at 11:15 AM on July 23, 2009 [2 favorites]
When I learned that the slime was edible (I think it was a green-tinted vanilla pudding) it changed my whole opinion of the sliming process. What kid wouldn't want to be smothered in all-you-can-eat thick, sweet goop for free just by saying a key phrase? I yearned for that to be my life.
For my tenth birthday in 1991 my parents and I went to Universal Studios in Orlando and as part of the day we took the Nickolodeon studio tour. In the slime kitchen (where they mix and make the stuff) I answered a trivia question correctly and was given the chance to taste the slime (just a spoonful, not a whole bucket's worth dumped on me). I remember that it tasted like a fruit pudding. It wasn't that bad, but I can't imagine ordering a bowl for dessert.
posted by Servo5678 at 11:19 AM on July 23, 2009
For my tenth birthday in 1991 my parents and I went to Universal Studios in Orlando and as part of the day we took the Nickolodeon studio tour. In the slime kitchen (where they mix and make the stuff) I answered a trivia question correctly and was given the chance to taste the slime (just a spoonful, not a whole bucket's worth dumped on me). I remember that it tasted like a fruit pudding. It wasn't that bad, but I can't imagine ordering a bowl for dessert.
posted by Servo5678 at 11:19 AM on July 23, 2009
my older sister became the look-out for me, the second I would hear the siren I would run into the kitchen and wait for the it's ok to come back in call and almost every time she would turn down the tv and call me back right when his face was cracking and I would run to my mother in tears.
Disturbing level of similarity to my experience here. God, that siren in the intro...trombone, actually...that was the klaxon of death.
I've come to appreciate the show's casual cynicism, the obvious Terry Gilliam tribute in the animation...but there's still just a tiny little kernel of fight-or-flight when I hear that sound.
posted by anazgnos at 11:30 AM on July 23, 2009 [1 favorite]
Disturbing level of similarity to my experience here. God, that siren in the intro...trombone, actually...that was the klaxon of death.
I've come to appreciate the show's casual cynicism, the obvious Terry Gilliam tribute in the animation...but there's still just a tiny little kernel of fight-or-flight when I hear that sound.
posted by anazgnos at 11:30 AM on July 23, 2009 [1 favorite]
I actually developed a Canadian accent (while living in Florida) from watching so much YKDTOTV (and other Canadian shows on Nick). Kevin Kubusheskie was my first major crush. For a seventies kid, he was hot. He's not so bad now either.
posted by cereselle at 11:39 AM on July 23, 2009
posted by cereselle at 11:39 AM on July 23, 2009
the obvious Terry Gilliam tribute in the animation
OMG. That's obviously why Gilliam's stuff has always seemed so disturbingly familiar but I could never place the feeling.
Sign me up as another one who has the entire YCDTOTV opus memorized somewhere at the back of my brain, but who barely remembered it until this post.
posted by threeturtles at 11:54 AM on July 23, 2009
OMG. That's obviously why Gilliam's stuff has always seemed so disturbingly familiar but I could never place the feeling.
Sign me up as another one who has the entire YCDTOTV opus memorized somewhere at the back of my brain, but who barely remembered it until this post.
posted by threeturtles at 11:54 AM on July 23, 2009
I was nearly eaten alive by childhood nostalgia after reading this story a few days ago. Catching a later glimpse of a gray-haired Marc Summers on the Food Network didn't help. Double Dare and You Can't Do That on Television were staples of my childhood.
Admittedly, Les Lye was probably my least favorite part of the show. His characters were always brusque and rather creepy, but thinking back, they were critical. I liked watching YCDTOT because of its super-rigid rules; no one, grown up or kid, was safe from slime. Adults couldn't get away with things just because they were adults. Les Lye wasn't there to be liked; he was there to be a punching bag for righteous kids raging against the rampant ageism of society. Every time Les Lye was slimed, I was bathed in the catharic shower of justice.
I don't think I even knew his name until today, but I have never been able to imagine the show without him.
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posted by Diagonalize at 12:11 PM on July 23, 2009 [1 favorite]
Admittedly, Les Lye was probably my least favorite part of the show. His characters were always brusque and rather creepy, but thinking back, they were critical. I liked watching YCDTOT because of its super-rigid rules; no one, grown up or kid, was safe from slime. Adults couldn't get away with things just because they were adults. Les Lye wasn't there to be liked; he was there to be a punching bag for righteous kids raging against the rampant ageism of society. Every time Les Lye was slimed, I was bathed in the catharic shower of justice.
I don't think I even knew his name until today, but I have never been able to imagine the show without him.
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posted by Diagonalize at 12:11 PM on July 23, 2009 [1 favorite]
I cannot overstate how big of a fan of YCDTOT I was in junior high. I wonder if this is where my love for gross out humor developed, as it always killed me when the kids at Barth's Burgers would throw up and he'd rush to get a bucket so he could include it in his special sauce.
I remember having a huge crush on "Alanis" when she was briefly in the cast (ironically, in the episode of her's I remember best, some of the guys in the cast we're starting a band and she was more or less a groupie), and how hard it was years later to wrap my mind around the idea that that same cute girl was the one behind the frank and explicit "You Oughtta Know"
posted by The Gooch at 12:39 PM on July 23, 2009
I remember having a huge crush on "Alanis" when she was briefly in the cast (ironically, in the episode of her's I remember best, some of the guys in the cast we're starting a band and she was more or less a groupie), and how hard it was years later to wrap my mind around the idea that that same cute girl was the one behind the frank and explicit "You Oughtta Know"
posted by The Gooch at 12:39 PM on July 23, 2009
In heaven, Barth's patrons will be well-behaved young ladies and gentlemen who slurp back their excretion-laded burgers with grateful smiles.
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posted by benzenedream at 1:25 PM on July 23, 2009 [1 favorite]
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posted by benzenedream at 1:25 PM on July 23, 2009 [1 favorite]
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posted by mikelieman at 1:51 PM on July 23, 2009
posted by mikelieman at 1:51 PM on July 23, 2009
Honestly, I don't think Barth was his most famous character on the show. It was Ross. You can take away almost any of his other characters (the Principal character and Mr. Schidler the teacher were a bit redundant...especially because the Princpal existed just to hold kids in a detention dungeon just like Snake)...but you wouldn't have a show without Ross.
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posted by inturnaround at 3:23 PM on July 23, 2009 [2 favorites]
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posted by inturnaround at 3:23 PM on July 23, 2009 [2 favorites]
"The Dukes of Hazzard Dress Up In Drag" will not be seen today, so we may bring you the following...
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posted by evilcolonel at 4:21 PM on July 23, 2009 [2 favorites]
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posted by evilcolonel at 4:21 PM on July 23, 2009 [2 favorites]
"but you wouldn't have a show without Ross"
Ross's Egg-o-Rama
Route 12
King Side Road
God, that was buried deep.
posted by Servo5678 at 4:23 PM on July 23, 2009
Ross's Egg-o-Rama
Route 12
King Side Road
God, that was buried deep.
posted by Servo5678 at 4:23 PM on July 23, 2009
Les is no more.
posted by lfhnsn at 4:54 PM on July 23, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by lfhnsn at 4:54 PM on July 23, 2009 [1 favorite]
I'll just copy what I tweeted about when I first heard the news last night:
Damn. Barth has served his last "burger." Detention is closed forever. Senator Prevert is out of office. Les Lye, RIP.
My favorite line from YCDTOT doesn't apply here, but I'll say it anyway: "Sometimes it's so easy, I'm ashamed of myself!"
(And count me as yet another one of Christine McGlade's pre-teen crushers. It wasn't until much later when I discovered that she was significantly older than she appeared; she'll be 46 on August 29.)
posted by stannate at 5:12 PM on July 23, 2009
Damn. Barth has served his last "burger." Detention is closed forever. Senator Prevert is out of office. Les Lye, RIP.
My favorite line from YCDTOT doesn't apply here, but I'll say it anyway: "Sometimes it's so easy, I'm ashamed of myself!"
(And count me as yet another one of Christine McGlade's pre-teen crushers. It wasn't until much later when I discovered that she was significantly older than she appeared; she'll be 46 on August 29.)
posted by stannate at 5:12 PM on July 23, 2009
I totally had a crush on Christine, and I never understood why they called her 'Moose.'
posted by Afroblanco at 5:15 PM on July 23, 2009
posted by Afroblanco at 5:15 PM on July 23, 2009
One strange thing -- it seems like a lot of my friends' parents wouldn't let them watch it. Any idea why?
Probably all the gross-out humor?
In my social set, such as it was, we understood it was because the show was "disrespectful." The grownups were always ridiculous and incompetent, and sometimes they even tried to kill children! And the kids all sassed back, all the time!
That, of course, is why it was perfect children's entertainment, and my favorite show. I salute you, Les Lye.
.
posted by Countess Elena at 5:41 PM on July 23, 2009 [1 favorite]
Probably all the gross-out humor?
In my social set, such as it was, we understood it was because the show was "disrespectful." The grownups were always ridiculous and incompetent, and sometimes they even tried to kill children! And the kids all sassed back, all the time!
That, of course, is why it was perfect children's entertainment, and my favorite show. I salute you, Les Lye.
.
posted by Countess Elena at 5:41 PM on July 23, 2009 [1 favorite]
I watched that show religiously as a kid. Why?
I don't know.
[cue the slime]
Thanks Les.
posted by hamsunk at 6:37 PM on July 23, 2009
I don't know.
[cue the slime]
Thanks Les.
posted by hamsunk at 6:37 PM on July 23, 2009
I just made the sad announcement to this bar full of twentysomethings. The nostalgia is out of control.
I don't know what it says about the clientele here that people seem more genuinely reflective on this man's career than, say, some other recent dead famous folk.
oh right, we're total nerds
.
posted by palindromic at 7:19 PM on July 23, 2009
I don't know what it says about the clientele here that people seem more genuinely reflective on this man's career than, say, some other recent dead famous folk.
oh right, we're total nerds
.
posted by palindromic at 7:19 PM on July 23, 2009
And count me as yet another one of Christine McGlade's pre-teen crushers.
Hell yes. I think she's still in tv (production). Blog here. (hey, note the great pic of Les on this page, too)
posted by Durn Bronzefist at 9:07 PM on July 23, 2009 [2 favorites]
Hell yes. I think she's still in tv (production). Blog here. (hey, note the great pic of Les on this page, too)
posted by Durn Bronzefist at 9:07 PM on July 23, 2009 [2 favorites]
Holy crap, Bronzefist! Good find!
posted by Afroblanco at 9:47 PM on July 23, 2009
posted by Afroblanco at 9:47 PM on July 23, 2009
MetaFilter: I'll just copy what I tweeted about
I wouldn't say I had a crush on Ms. McGlade but I was definitely fascinated by her character on the show. I remembered her as bossy but vulnerable, sort of a wanna-be leader who was stymied by her inability to get others to follow. Very complex, that Moose.
Les's work I completely did not appreciate or even think about, kid that I was. I'm sure he'd understand.
.
posted by fleacircus at 3:03 AM on July 24, 2009
I wouldn't say I had a crush on Ms. McGlade but I was definitely fascinated by her character on the show. I remembered her as bossy but vulnerable, sort of a wanna-be leader who was stymied by her inability to get others to follow. Very complex, that Moose.
Les's work I completely did not appreciate or even think about, kid that I was. I'm sure he'd understand.
.
posted by fleacircus at 3:03 AM on July 24, 2009
Thanks to Les, I can never hear someone say "I heard that!" without thinking of Barth.
.
posted by orme at 4:16 AM on July 24, 2009 [2 favorites]
.
posted by orme at 4:16 AM on July 24, 2009 [2 favorites]
Lots of interesting bits on the Wikipedia page. I didn't know about all the Spinoffs to YCDTOTV:
The show also had its own version of YCDTOTV's green slime, called "Yellow Yuck," which was triggered by the phrase "Don't Blame Me!"
They can't all be winners.
posted by roll truck roll at 9:01 AM on July 24, 2009
The show also had its own version of YCDTOTV's green slime, called "Yellow Yuck," which was triggered by the phrase "Don't Blame Me!"
They can't all be winners.
posted by roll truck roll at 9:01 AM on July 24, 2009
YCDToTV is one of the first things I looked up on Wikipedia once I realized it had pop culture articles. I had to know where they are now.
posted by Eideteker at 1:21 PM on July 24, 2009
posted by Eideteker at 1:21 PM on July 24, 2009
Oh, man! I always wanted to watch that show after school!
The kids would come home and I'd be sitting on the couch and they'd say, "But Dad! We wanna watch Point-Counterpoint with Pat Buchanan!"
And I'd say, "No way, eh! I'm not missing You Can't Do That on Television! Go bring me a glass of water!"
posted by Twang at 7:50 PM on July 24, 2009
The kids would come home and I'd be sitting on the couch and they'd say, "But Dad! We wanna watch Point-Counterpoint with Pat Buchanan!"
And I'd say, "No way, eh! I'm not missing You Can't Do That on Television! Go bring me a glass of water!"
posted by Twang at 7:50 PM on July 24, 2009
Blip: Hold it! No food in the arcade.
Alasdair: Blip, this isn't food. It's a Barth Burger.
Blip: No pets either.
Barth: Duh, I heard that.
.
posted by furtive at 8:49 PM on August 4, 2009
Alasdair: Blip, this isn't food. It's a Barth Burger.
Blip: No pets either.
Barth: Duh, I heard that.
.
posted by furtive at 8:49 PM on August 4, 2009
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posted by sandking at 9:00 AM on July 23, 2009 [5 favorites]