[BC] Phineas T. Bluster (old programming)

[Jeff Johnson]

Clarabell = Bob Keeshin  Ding, ding, ding!

Yes, terms that were 'innocent' in one era may not be in another - earlier 
or later - era. A friend of mine who managed a movie theatre told me the 
meaning of 'peanut gallery'. Yes they were the 'cheap seats' but the term 
also carried baggage as a pejorative racial reference.

Language used in broadcast today may have been verboten in earlier decades. 
'Pregnant' was not allowed when Lucy was pregnant. I recall they used the 
Spanish term 'embarazada'. Of course Ricky was Cuban, so that was a 
work-around.

A 'fag' was a cigarette in the 'I Love Lucy' days, but could not be used 
today. The term faggot has meant 'a bundle of sticks' and 'fagot' is French 
for bassoon. The long thin form and its associated noun was adopted as a 
slang term for cigarette.

We must be very careful. "Bloody" in England can be as impolite as the 
dreaded 'F' word.

So - watch it with the slang terms and common usage, or better yet perhaps 
we should all lighten up.

Jeff.Johnson at rfproof.com

>An interesting, and brave explanation. My folks were in show business early
>in their lives, and the explanation I recall was that "peanut gallery" and
>"cheap seats" were synonymous and were not defined by race. I've spent a lot
>of my time in the "cheap seats" in the balcony.
>
>--
>Douglas B. Pritchett
>radiofool at gmail.com