One of the
iconic scenes in Raiders of the Lost Ark is the bring-a-gun-to-a-swordfight
scene.
You know what
I mean. Indy is running through Cairo
trying to find Marion Ravenwood. In a town
square, he’s confronted by a big guy with a big scimitar. After the “Arab Swordsman” waves his blade a
few times in challenge, Indy heaves a sigh at the antics, pulls his gun, and
just shoots the guy.
While it’s a
hilarious and inspired bit of storytelling, it’s not ... quite ...
original. In fact, this same idea
provided the inspiration for a whole series of riffs for Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In,
nearly fifteen years previously.
It was Episode
3, from February 5, 1968.
At the
25-minute mark of this episode, a brief skit opens with a mustachioed guy
waving a fencing foil, while stopping several times to blow insulting clouds of
cigarette smoke into Dan Rowan’s face.
Rowan takes this with an expression of boredom. Then the fellow backs up and points the foil
at Rowan while yelling “En garde!” Whereupon Rowan draws a flintlock pistol and
shoots the guy, who drops dead.
At the
36-minute mark, the gag is repeated with Rowan pulling a knife that fires a
bullet into the other guy.
At 48
minutes, it’s another variation. This
time the challenger’s got an oversized sword.
But he’s nevertheless outgunned by Rowan’s mini-cannon.
And it
wouldn’t be surprising at all to learn of other versions of the idea. Do you know any?
That’s it for this year’s
APRIL FOOLISHNESS!
See you next Monday! It’s a
biggie, because May, 2018 is gonna be
“The
Musical
Month
of Compilations”!
