How About A Crane Shot, Uncle Gary?

November 6, 2017

How About A Crane Shot, Uncle Gary?

Filed under: Boredom in Milford, Just plain sad, Milford Idiots, Secret Thoughts — nedryerson @ 4:46 am

110617

So this whole plot is mostly an exploration of the depths of Uncle Gary’s delusions. Fun.

Comments (11)

11 Comments »

Since there’s nothing new to say about this endlessly recursive plot, allow me to point out that the back of Rick’s shirt in panel 1 may be a sly homage to former Detroit Tigers second baseman Lou Whitaker. Sweet Lou was a fine ballplayer — he and Alan Trammell should have a joint plaque in the Hall of Fame — but he could be a bit of an airhead off the field. In 1985 he was elected to the All-Star Team, but he showed up for the game without his athletic bag. (Following account from the Detroit Athletic Co., a Detroit sports history website and dealer of Detroit sports gear.)

“I left my bag in the backseat of my Mercedes, isn’t that a shame?” Whitaker announced on the day of the game.

With only hours to go, Whitaker and the clubhouse boys for the Twins were forced to scramble. Lou had packed his socks and uniform pants in his suitcase with his clothes, but he didn’t have a cap, helmet, glove, spikes, or batting gloves.

His All-Star teammates stepped up to help: Cleveland pitcher Bert Blyleven let Whitaker wear his helmet; Baltimore’s Cal Ripken Jr. had an extra glove; Damaso Garcia of the Blue Jays came through with batting gloves. A clubhouse attendant bought an adjustable Tiger cap and a jersey from a souvenir stand at the Metrodome. The problem was that it was a generic Tigers jersey – there was no number or name on the back. A clubhouse attendant took a black marker and wrote in Sweet Lou’s #1 using a stencil.

Comment by John S. Walters — November 6, 2017 @ 7:02 am
The decision is made, and it’s only Monday. Now I guess we wait to see if Nick catches whooping cough before Friday, unless Mfnrd’s “Friday” comes sooner.

Comment by vaganova — November 6, 2017 @ 8:49 am
Another SCTV skit comes to mind looking at Rick. Does he really need those crutches still? ITS FOR RESPECT!!!

Comment by Jive Turkey — November 6, 2017 @ 10:08 am
Is it… Is it tea time at the Soto household? Is that a bowl of potatoes on the coffee table?

Bonus Points: I admit I like the lamp.

Minus Points: I know I’m not the first to suggest it but Uncle Gary is improbably approaching a Holly Dobbs / Alan Mayne level of cartoonish creepiness.

Comment by timbuys — November 6, 2017 @ 10:51 am
timbuys, the Holly Dobbs/Alan Mayne parallel is worth your repeating it.

Comment by vaganova — November 6, 2017 @ 11:36 am
We all have cellphones, so come on let’s get real.

Comment by billytheskink — November 6, 2017 @ 1:18 pm
Is this post title a reference to A Mighty Wind, by chance? “Because I can make a few calls, if we need it.”

Comment by drewfunk — November 6, 2017 @ 3:09 pm
drewfunk, forgive me for sleeping on this question (and for not offering an explanatory note in the post).

“Crane shot” is a reference to an episode of SCTV and refers to schlocky producer Johnny LaRue desire for an expensive crane to get a sweeping, overhead shot into one of his movies. Johnny LarRue gets into riffs with station management who won’t approve his budget and forbid him from renting a crane (which he does anyway…I believe you see it at the end of Polynesiantown). Uncle Gary’s antics and over the top “production design” to capture a would be “viral video” suggested the ridiculous Johnny LaRue and his overinflated vision of himself as an auteur filmmaker. I’ll admit, it’s a bit of a deep dive for a reference, but SCTV seems omnipresent around here. There’s a reference to Guy Cabellero in Jive Turkey’s above comment and Uncle Rick has been frequently compared to SCTV’s video DJ, Gerry Todd.

I was looking for a succinct youtube video that might capture some of the drama about Johnny LaRue’s attempt to get approval for the crane shot, but couldn’t find one that fits the bill.

I can see the A Mighty Wind connection, though. It fits nicely with Uncle Gary’s grandiosity.

Comment by nedryerson — November 7, 2017 @ 7:14 am
I got Polynesiantown – Hey, it was only about 35 years ago!

Comment by Downpuppy (@Downpuppy) — November 7, 2017 @ 11:29 am
[…] 3: How many editors does it take to cut this thing together? Who the hell is paying for any of this and why? Is Uncle Gary going to drink that entire bottle of […]

Pingback by The Impossible Turd And Other Unanswered Questions | This Week in Milford — November 8, 2017 @ 9:07 am
[…] It’s not Rick Soto […]

Pingback by Tiki Can’t Really Dust for Vomit | This Week in Milford — November 24, 2018 @ 6:37 am