Cousin Vinny

I think this'll be an interesting topic and I'm sure I'm not feeling alone when it comes to epiphanies that I've experienced in watching TV/movies for the first time in captioning. [This was also posted earlier in another forum.]

A bit of background; I kinda grew up in the Dark Ages, the era of captioning started in 1980 and really didn't take off until a decade later. I saw a lot of TV and movie programming that I really didn't understand fully.

Now, thanks to the magic of cable programming and DVD's, I am able to watch and reclaim my 'lost youth' of sorts. Along the way, I have received a couple of jarring surprises and ever wonder, how did that ever happen?!?

Here's a couple of captioning epiphanies, just to get the ball rolling:
All in the Family: I remember this show starring Archie Bunker and his 'dingbat' wife. I haven't reached ten years old, so I really didn't understand what this show was all about, except that it was a 'family' sitcom.

Fast forward 30 years later and watching a special run of the very first six episodes, I decided to tune into the first episode. After 30 minutes later, my jaw was still open and I couldn't believe what I was reading! A major network (CBS, I think?) actually condoned this kind of programming?!?

Happy Days: For a long time, the words, 'Chachi' bothered me. I saw it scribbled somewhere, 'Joanie loves Chachi' and I'm like, "What kind of a name is 'Chachi'?" The uniqueness of the name is like a bad catchy song that just won't leave your head. Twenty years later, and I'm watching the Happy Days Reunion on TV and like a bolt of lightning, it struck me. Duh. Now, I have been freed from the Chachi curse and can move on with my life, stuck onto the next bad song.

Papa Don't Preach: I remembered this Madonna music video and for some reason, I liked this one out of her music video lineup at the time. She seemed to be serious about some sort of issue and seemed to be a genuine music video rather than a mindless body-gyrating with lace lingerie experience. Duh! 10-15 years later, I find out it's about something entirely different, an issue that is still contentiously debated all across America.

Turning Japanese: I remember watching Beverly Hills Ninja, a low brow movie starring Chris Farley. Then, the song, 'Turning Japanese', popped into as a background music. At first, the music lyrics didn't jump out at me as seemingly odd; It was a ninja movie, after all! The movie was captioned.

Then came 'One Hit Wonders' on VH1, narrated by William Shatner. As it were, 'Turning Japanese' made the list and there was a none too subtle explanation about the true meaning of the song. My eyes popped wide open and now I know all too well that this song fit in perfectly in that Chris Farley movie I've viewed a few years ago!

For those who still didn't get the meaning behind the Turning Japanese song, send me a private message. This is a family forum, after all! Goes to show you that music videos that were aired in the 1980's and became one-hit wonders never really found their way among Deaf people in terms of lingo and lexicon.

So, what's yours? Come on, 'fess up!

Deafness

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IslandGal

Good thread!

I was exactly in the same shoes as you were! I would see my parents roar out with laughters while watching shows such as "All in the Family", "Sanford and Son", and "The Jeffersons". I have never understood why these shows were really so funny because back then these shows were not captioned. But now I finally got to watch these shows after they got to be captioned. Of course I roared out some laugters. Finally I got to understand why my parents thought these shows were so funny

Kudos to whoever invented closed captions

Etoile

I still don't get the name "Chachi"

Mookie

about Turning Japansese song....


Any of you gets an idea? Go to link.

Hey Old Dude,

I did not know about that until you brought up a silly title to my attention. AD, too. Keep it up...

gnulinuxman

What the heck kind of name is "Chachi"?!

Reba

It's a nickname for "Charles Arcola".

Interpretrator

I'm a little frightened that you know that.

gnulinuxman

OK, next question: Where did you find that out??

Reba

p.s.
I grew up with a lot of Italian kids with nicknames like Tucci, Pez, Buto, Telli, Bochi, etc.

Reba

Try this:

http://www.tvland.com/shows/happydays/character1.jhtml