Frau Blucher from Young Frankenstein

[Elphaba43]

Posted: 2/17/10 at 10:27pm

Why do the horses whinny everytime her name is said? What does Blucher mean in German? Is it something like "horse killer" or "glue factory"? Please, serious answers only.....

[darquegk]

Posted: 2/17/10 at 10:37pm

THat legend has grown up in response to this question.

In truth, it's just because they wanted a scary sound effect on her name, and chose horses.

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 2/17/10 at 10:45pm

Right, what the last post said. To sound scary.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 2/17/10 at 10:45pm

If you have to ask it doesn't matter anymore.

[Elphaba43]

Posted: 2/17/10 at 10:53pm

Yeah doesn't help any

[mormonophobic]

Posted: 2/18/10 at 1:06am

It's pretty much what darquegk said and definitely not that Blucher means something interesting in German.
Hope this helps.

[Scarywarhol]

Posted: 2/18/10 at 1:18am

I have to agree with CATS. It's the kind of joke where, if you don't immediately understand it/find it funny, there is no joke.

[Mildred Plotka]

Posted: 2/18/10 at 1:43am

I find Mel Brooks jokes/premises are best if you don't think too much about them.

[ghostlight2]

Posted: 2/18/10 at 1:53am

"In truth, it's just because they wanted a scary sound effect on her name, and chose horses"

Horses sound scary?

I think it's more that the sound of her name scared the horses, but otherwise, what Mildred said.

[allofmylife]

Posted: 2/18/10 at 2:32am

Obviously - and especially knowing it's Mel Brooks - it's a play on Catherine The Great, the Russian empress who was rumored to have died in a crude and hilarious way. The rumor circulated(even during her lifetime) was that The Empress mated with animals and that she was killed when the harness which was lifting a horse above her, broke, sending half a ton of breeding stock down on top of her (didn't any of you guys go to Sunday school?)

Mel is trying to say that the very mention of her name scares the horses, but he's obviously going for his form of a subtle reference to this joke.

[ghostlight2]

Posted: 2/18/10 at 3:35am

"Mel is trying to say that the very mention of her name scares the horses, but he's obviously going for his form of a subtle reference to this joke."

"Mel" and "subtle" in the same sentence....hmmmm....nah, not buying it. Why would the horses be scared that the Empress had been killed?

Following your logic, perhaps we've been misinterpreting all along. The whinnies aren't borne of fear, but instead of excitement.

[allofmylife]

Posted: 2/18/10 at 3:51am

The horses are (a) either whinnying in delight or (2) whinnying in abject terror because she is such a strident...

I can't believe we're talking about this.

I hate "Wicked."

[ghostlight2]

Posted: 2/18/10 at 3:56am

"I can't believe we're talking about this."

You started it.

I'm not a big Wicked fan either. [/end non sequitor]

[allofmylife]

Posted: 2/18/10 at 4:23am

I can't believe that you don't get it. (The horses are scared she's going to "ride" them to death and... oh, forget it.)

And I still hate "Wicked."

[ghostlight2]

Posted: 2/18/10 at 4:37am

You don't know much about horses, do you?

And I'm still trying to figure out how a horse's whinny is a scary sound effect.

Now, "Popular" - that's scary.

[Jon]

Posted: 2/18/10 at 11:15am

I think it was just a clever alternative to the "dramatic musical sting" - as heard on such YouTube classics as "Dramatic Prairie Dog".

[Unknown User]

Posted: 2/18/10 at 11:30am

Even as young as I was when I first saw Young Frankenstein, I knew Frau Blucher did unspeakable (and probably) sexual things with those horses, so horrifying that the mention of her name causes them to panic.

Who was it that said when it comes to sex, you can do whatever you like, but please, don't do it in the streets and frighten the horses. Frau Blucher obviously did not follow that advice.

[allofmylife]

Posted: 2/18/10 at 2:33pm

THANK YOU JOEKV99!!!!!

You get it. It's so obvious, how could they not understand? It's such an old vaudeville routine.

On the other hand, not everyone, like you and I have know the love of a good stall....

Well, that's for a thread on a different board.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 2/18/10 at 2:44pm

Occasionally, one is glad of the wisdom that comes with age....

[ghostlight2]

Posted: 2/18/10 at 2:50pm

It may have been used in vaudeville - and sorry, allmylife, I wasn't around for that , but the quote seems to have originated from an actress known mostly as Mrs Patrick Campbell. She had been approached by a younger actress who was appalled at the amorous behavior of two of the actors in the show. Mrs Campbell's response?

"It doesn't really matter what these affectionate people do as so long as they don't do it in the streets and frighten the horses".

Of course it's also attributed to Victor Hugo, but he was referring to Congress - and I don't mean sexual.

"On the other hand, not everyone, like you and I have know the love of a good stall...."

Don't go making assumptions, my friend.

I'll pull your other leg too if it has bells on it. And hey, what happened to that new thread of yours? I was looking forward to that!

eta: speaking of Victors (or Whictors, in Frau Blucher's case - since "he was [her] boyfriend!"), maybe it was THEIR sex life that scared the horses. Obviously they, too, had a love that dared not speak its name.
Updated On: 2/18/10 at 02:50 PM

[Patash]

Posted: 2/18/10 at 5:45pm

"didn't any of you guys go to Sunday school?"

Gee, I was familiar with the Catherine the Great legend, but I sure never learned THAT in Sunday School. Could you provide the address of YOUR Sunday School? I may start going again. Sounds like things have picked up there since my day.

[allofmylife]

Posted: 2/18/10 at 8:11pm

Patash, I attended the Sunday school run by the Sisters of the Undulating Contortion. They're a small and somewhat secretive sect who believe a combination of sound fiscal policy and flagellation should be ingrained in children at an early age. I owe my entire success to the firm but loving hand that Sister Camphoria placed on my shoulder all those years ago.

Now to Ghostlight2. I suppose you know the rich career of Mrs. Patrick Campbell, the original Eliza Dolittle in Shaw's Pygmalion and the most famous and successful actress of her time (who literally and sadly ended her life out here in Hollywood, doing extra and day player roles in silent films.)

I heard a great anecdote about Mrs PC. Apparently, she was given to secretly moving the onstage furniture an inch at a time during rehearsals so that eventually, there was noting between her and the audience except her massive ego. GB Shaw finally noticed what she was doing and called the cast onstage. Then he called out the stage manager and told the man "Mrs. Patrick Campbell has been moving the furniture again. I want it all screwed down to the floor. All save for the grand piano, which Mrs. Campbell is free to move as she likes during the performance."

And I am slowly working on the new thread on The Follies Girls. I am currently writing a new script and it is consuming most of my time, but the ladies of the Follies are coming.

And once again, can somebody tell me how you get multiple photos in one posting? I can only seem to get one at a time.

[miss pennywise]

Posted: 2/19/10 at 2:00am

allofmylife, just post the links to the photos in the "message box" rather than the "optional link" or "optional image" box.

[allofmylife]

Posted: 2/19/10 at 2:57am

Seriously? It's that simple?

Damn, all those pages after pages I used to put together my megathreads.

Oi.

[Fanb]

Posted: 2/20/10 at 12:03am

Frau Blucher was the best part of the show. I just thought the horses agreed (and evidently they did!)