gg references: questions and answers
have you ever been watching the girls and wondered where that random allusion to squeaky fromme came from? come here and you will find answers! just e-mail me with any questions you have, and i'll post them on up! don't worry if you have a question and you don't know the name of the episode--i can probably help you with that. also, feel free to e-mail me with additions or corrections to the explanations. oh--and by the way, can you please put "gg references" in the subject of your e-mail? thanks a bunch! ~zoe
pilot
the lorelai's first day at chilton
kill me now
the deer hunters
Q:
Drella: (harpist) Back off, Chevalie (talking to Michel) - submitted by alexandra
A: MAURICE CHEVALIER - famous French actor in the 30's through 50's - submitted by sandra b.
Q:
Lo: I guess this goes on my boy was I wrong list, right above Gouchos and just below the flash dance phase. - submitted by alexandra
A: Goucho's are a type of clothes. they look like a frilly skirt (knee length)
but are really shorts. eeeww! ~dd
cinnamons wake
rory's birthday parties
Q:
Emily: Everything's a joke, everything's a punchline.
Lorelai: Sorry.
Emily: My daughter, Henny Youngman.
- submitted by Laura Tourney
A: Henny Youngman was a very popular comedian in the 50's.... - submitted by sandra b.
Q:
Emily: Please be serious. We're shopping for Rory.
Lorelai: No, mom. I'm shopping for Rory. You're shopping for your imaginary granddaughter Barbara Hutton. - submitted by Laura Tourney
A: I think, but I'm not sure, that Barbara Hutton is referred to as a
"Dive of Society," if that helps. - submitted by sarah
Q:
(Lorelai tells Rory about her labor experience)
Rory: I wonder if the Waltons do this. - submitted by Kendra
A: The Waltons was a TV series on many years ago about a family who lived on a mountain who were very close to each other and they shared everything. - submitted by sarah
kiss and tell
Q:
L: Dab on some lip gloss, clear but fruity, maybe a little bit of mascara, wear your hair down and your attitude high.
R: You're like a crazy Elsa Clench. - submitted by joanna
A: Elsa Clench is a fashion reporter on CNN who is known for her very staunch
adherence to fashion of a very classic, sleek, elegant, and refined look. - submitted by Aislinn
Q:
Rory: (telling Lorelai what not to do when meeting dean) ....no Nancy Walker impressions.... - submitted by sarah r.
A: NANCY WALKER
An actress who played Rhoda's mother, Ida, on the Mary Tyler Moore show and its spinoff, Rhoda, in the 1970s. Ida constantly meddled in Rhoda's life which caused many mother-daughter fights. - submitted by summer
love and war and snow
Q:
Luke: Your parents never explained the concept of weather to you?
Lorelai: I'm making a point, Mouthy Magee. - submitted by Kendra
A: please e-mail me if you know it!
Q:
Max: A match made in heaven.
Lorelai: Or in Bellvue. - submitted by Tricia
A: Bellvue - it's a hospital for the insane/mentally-disturbed in NYC... - submitted by Sandra
Q:
(rory is at emily's house; lorelai has just finished talking to rory on the phone and is now talking to emily)
lorelai: rory arrived not a part of the junior league, i expect her to leave the same. - submitted by joanna
A: i don't know a whole lot about it, but the junior league is some kind of exclusive club where you have to pay a lot of money to join, hope that helps! - submitted by tara k.
rory's dance
Q:
(when rory is about to leave and dean comes inside)
Lorelai: dean, meet my mother, emily post. - submitted by missy t.
A: Emily Post was an authority on etiquette, like a "Miss Manners." She wrote
books and articles and stuff, I believe. - submitted by sara
A: emily post was a very famous woman circa....60's.....let's just say that she laid the rules for how women should behave. she was also really down with polite-ness. think martha stewart, but less cooking, more life and politeness advice - submitted by "rory"
forgiveness and stuff
Q:
what does lane mean by "okay, blanch?"
(at the very beginning of the episode-rory and lane are walking outside)
lane: (i don't know the exact quote--she says something about dean as rory's "boyfriend.")
rory: he's not my boyfriend.
lane: then what is he?
rory: he's my....gentleman caller.
lane: okay, blanch. - submitted by missy t.
A: Blanche, I think, refers to Blanche Dubois, the proper southern belle who gets
her comeuppance in "A Streetcar Named Desire." - submitted by sara
Q:
Luke: We just have to folow the blue line, round the corner and then we should...
Lorelai: Where's the scarecrow when you need him? - submitted by missy t.
A: she is referring to the "Wizard of Oz" where the scarecrow points the way that Dorothy should go. - submitted by kregg h.
Q:
L: Rory, there are two things I trust more than anything in the world: the fact that I will never be able to tell what Charo is saying no matter how long she lives in this country, and you. - submitted by kelli
A: Charo is a Latin pop singer/dancer/actress etc. who speaks very broken and
not very understandable english - submitted by sarah
paris is burning
double date
concert interruptus
Q:
LORELAI: well, i think you're actually making some friends, here.
RORY: let's not get too far ahead of ourselves. They've basically just moved off the plan to dump the pig's blood on me at prom, that's all. - submitted by kelli
A: This reference is from the horror movie "Carrie" based on Stephen King's
book. Carrie is a telekenetic misfit. She goes to the prom, but all the
other kids hate her, and so they throw pigs blood on her. Creepy
kids. - submitted by sara s.
that damn donna reed
christopher returns
star-crossed lovers & other strangers
Q:
(lorelai is about to call emily about rory's date with dean to see if she can get out of dinner.)
Rory: forget it
Lorelai: Oh, no wait. She's telling my dad now. Why, I think they're cabbage patching. - submitted by andrea g.
A:
CABBAGE PATCHING:
a dance craze back in the 80's, where one would move one's arms around in a circle (by way of pulling the arms to your chest, then way out in front of
you, in a circular motion), at the same time moving your head in a similar
circular motion, generally opposite of the arms. - submitted by lee beth (yeah fan forum!!)
Q:
when lorelai first arrives at her parents' house,and she is talking about the figurines, she says something about her mom going a little overboard and kathy bates. who is kathy bates? - submitted by kelli
A: KATHY BATES...
actress. starred in movies such as "Misery", "Fried Green Tomatoes",
"Delores Claiborne", and "Angus". Actually the reference in GILMORE GIRLS
that you mentioned - shortly after that line, lorelai says, "oh... but, i
guess you never saw Misery, huh dad." (or something to that effect. i'm
writing this off the top of my head.) "Misery" is a stephen king novel,
made into a movie starring Kathy Bates, and in the movie she's just CRAZY
obsessed with this writer guy and holds him hostage. the character she
plays is basically MENTAL. which is what lorelai meant when she said "gone
a little 'kathy bates'." also, delores claiborne was also a little whacked
out. - submitted by Lee Beth
Q:
Lorelai: All he asked in return was for his daughter to wear white dresses and go to coutillion and want the same life that he had. - submitted by alexandra
A: A coutillion is a coming out party, which is what Rory had in "Presenting Lorelai Gilmore" - submitted by Jenni
Q:
Emily: Well, are we having a nice chat?
Lorelai: Yeah, we are, me and Morrie. - submitted by Laura Tourney
A: Morrie is from the book Tuesdays With Morrie about an old man and a young man
who sit down and "chat". - submitted by Sarah Davis
breakup, part 2
the third lorelai
Q:
Rory: Grandpa says I remind him of her.
Lorelai: And that is the biggest compliment that can be wrenched out of grumpy McFarlin. Believe me. - submitted by Kendra
A: please e-mail me if you know it!
Q:
Rory: First thought, lose the word "Manifesto."
Paris: Too cabin in the woods?
Rory: Don't open your mail.
A: it's a reference to the
Unibomber, who lived in a cabin in the woods, and claimed to have a
'manifesto' to kill corporate executives. - submitted by sandra b.
Q:
(the great-grandma arrives at the restaurant where emily and lorelai are waiting for her.)
great grandma: honestly! raising your voices at high tea! it's like fergi all over again! - submitted by lauren
A: 'Fergi' is in reference to Sarah Ferguson, Duchess
of York. She has been known to not comply with the standard etiquette
expected of someone of her royal rank (the weight watchers commercials, her
going broke, etc.). - submitted by Aislinn
Q:
madeline: hi paris, louise hates you.
paris: you'll thank me when you get into sara lawrence. - submitted by lauren
A:
A: SARAH LAWRENCE is a college in NY...i think it's an arts and
communications school...there's also a refrence to Sarah Larwrence in 10
Things I Hate About You. - submitted by deena (and jenna, too)
Q:
lorelai: (declining an invitation) no, thanks, i have to change and go to tea with gran and the cast of gaslight. - submitted by Joey
A:
GASLIGHT...
originally a play by patrick hamilton, but also turned into a movie directed
by george cukor, and starring ingrid bergman. here's a synopsis, that's
more brief than i could write:
"Paula's aunt Alice Alquist, a famous entertainer, is murdered in her home.
Paula, who lives with her aunt finds the body. Police fail to find the
killer and Paula is sent away to school. Ten years later, Paula returns to
London with her new husband. They take up residence in her aunt's house,
which she has inherited. Paula is increasingly isolated by her husband but
does come to the attention of an admirerer of her aunt, Mr. Brian Cameron. "
i think you can see where the reference fits now, in the context of what was
going on in that GG episode. - submitted by Lee Beth Kilgore
Q:
Lorelai: Whoa, Stupid naked angel butts? What, did David Mamet just stop by? - submitted by Laura Tourney
A: David Mamet - poet and author
"In this collection the poet appears as a narrator of the fantastic in the
ordinary -- of the supremely strange in the apparent normalcy of life in our
world... One cannot read these words without apprehending them as genuine ;
nor can one understand the thoughts and messages framed by those words as
being other than personal and unaffected."
-- Mark Rich, The Magazine of Speculative Poetry
- submitted by sandra b.
emily in wonderland
Q:
(lorelai is talking to sookie in the kitchen at the inn)
lorelai: that house has memories, and little..rosebud wallpaper!! i don't want boo radley touching my rosebud wallpaper! - submitted by sarah r.
A: boo radley is a mysterious character who never leaves his house in the book "to kill a mockingbird." the thought of him scares children who live near him.
Q:
(at the end of the show-lorelai and rory are walking down the street together)
Lorelai: i try to talk to my mom, try and make her really...hear me, but all she hears is blah blah blah ginger. -submitted by sarah r.
A: It's from The Far Side cartoon by Gary Larson. The first panel shows a
guy telling his his dog Ginger to stay out of the garbage. The second panel
shows what Ginger hears: "blah blah blah GINGER blah blah blah..." - submitted by Jenna
Q:
RORY: Louis, I think this is the beginning of a wonderful friendship.
TRISTAN: Who’s Louis?
RORY: Just think. [leaves]
I'm with Tristan. Who's Louis?
- submitted by Deena
A: It's the famous last line of the movie "Casablanca." - submitted by sara s.
p.s. i lo...
Q:
(lorelai talking to emily outside rory's room in emily's house)
emily: (blabbering)
lorelai: okay, mr. cosell, i appreciate the play-by-play, now can i please just speak to my daughter? - submitted by tess
A: Howard Cosell was a famous sportscaster. - submitted by sara
love, daisies, and troubadors
Q:
(at the very beginning of the episode, lorelai is startled awake)
Lorelai: good god almighty mr. mirkle! - submitted by alexandra
A: mabye "mr miracle"? -- a dc universe comicbook superhero-type guy...
maybe - submitted by lara
Q:
(lorelai wakes rory up because she is sleeping through the noise outside)
lorelai: you are not sleeping through this!
rory: that's because my insane mother, margot kidder gilmore woke me up. - submitted by banana7LT
A: margot kidder played lois lane in the original superman movie. she eventually became mentally disturbed and was placed in an insane asylum. - submitted by harriet
sadie, sadie, hammers, and veils
Q:
Richard: rory, great news. you've finished in the top 3% of your class.
L: Um, yeah, we know, Dad. J. Edgar Hoover over here was just telling us. - submitted by alexandra
A: J. Edgar Hoover was one of the founders and first head of the FBI. - submitted by Jenni
Q:
Sookie: Who's catering?
L: Um, Bobby Flay? - submitted by brie
A: Bobby Flay is the host of a show on the food network who visits different restaurants and talks to the chefs, asking questions about their famous dishes, etc.
Q:
Dean: I'm not really good in math.
L: But who is, really? I mean, except for mathematicians, and Blackjack dealers, and I guess Steven Hawking doesn't suck. - submitted by alexandra
A: Steven Hawking is a famous mathmatician, genius level...i think he also is big in physics - submitted by Jenni
Q:
Lane: Cards and letters--full of hope and see you soon.
Rory: I'll be tying yellow ribbons around the old oak trees.
A: I believe that was something people did during the war to show their support for those who were fighting. - submitted by sarah
A: Tying yellow ribbons around old oak trees is a reference to
"Tony Orlando and Dawn" a group from the seventies (or earlier). - submitted by kevin
red light on the wedding night
Q:
L: We wore him out.
R: We tend to do that.
L: Well, we are electrowoman and dynagirl. - submitted by alexandra
A: Two cartoon characters from the late 60's - first female superheros - submitted by sandra b.
Q:
Sookie: She's very big in Germany
Lorelai: Ya, ya, ya, with the Lederhosen and such. - submitted by alexandra
A: Lederhosen is a traditional German outfit, it's the short-pants with straps attached..usually worn with knee socks i think - submitted by Jenni
road trip to harvard
Q:
(Lorelai and Rory are trapped in the flowery bedroom and very hungry)
L: We could sing.
R: Sing?
L: Yeah. We could sing Anarchy in the UK at the top of our lungs. - submitted by alexandra
A: "Anarchy In The UK" is a rebellion song by the Sex Pistols. - submitted by Aislinn
Q:
L: Rory, stop it! We are not going to have this fight in a flowery bedroom with dentists singing "Gypsies, Tramps, and Thieves" in the background. It's too David Lynch! - submitted by Liz R.
A: all I know is that David Lynch is a director for some horror movies - submitted by kregg h.
A: The
reference to David Lynch reflects the fact that he has directed some
EXTREMELY surreal and disturbing movies - see "Eraserhead" and the TV
series "Twin Peaks", among others. - submitted by kevin
Q:
LaDawn: Oh, no, Sammy's barely ever on the stairs.
Rory: Forget it, Jake, it's China Town. - submitted by Tara
A: Chinatown is a mystery movie in which Jack Nicholson plays J.J. (Jake)
Gittes, a private investigator, who ends up uncovering more and more
perplexing information beyond what he expected in his original
investigation. - submitted by Aislinn
Q:
L: Am I too close to the curb?
R: Um, you're a little under five feet.
L: Close enough for Jazz.
R: Hm?
L: Hm?
R: Pick it up.
L: You got it. - submitted by *LANEY*
the "close enough for jazz" i believe is a reference to Chick Webb...a famous jazz drumer from the "swing era"
he had spinal problems but was one of the most influential jazz musicians of that time - submitted by someone, don't know the name
Q:
R: How did you get them past customs?
Lane: I strapped them to my body like in Midnight Express - submitted by Liz R.
A: Midnight Express was a movie in which a man is caught smuggling drugs out of
Turkey by taping them to his body. - submitted by Aislinn
nick and nora, sid and nancy
nick and nora/sid and nancy
presenting lorelai gilmore
like mother, like daughter
Q:
Paris: You can't just sit down with the Puffs. You have to be invited.
Rory: Paris, it's not the CostraNostra. - submitted by Jane
A: The CostraNostra is the Italian Mafia. - submitted by Sarah D.
the ins and outs of inns
Q:
Bootsie: He's been on my case since the first grade when he sabotaged my clay handprint.
Lorelai: Ooh, think hard. Was he dressed like Sulu? - submitted by Jane
A: Sulu is a character on Star Trek.....I think. - submitted by Sarah D.
run away, little boy
Q:
Paris: Why don't they just sew our sides together and re-name us Chang and Eng? - submitted by Melissa S.
A: Chang and Eng Bunker were Siamese twins joined at the chest, born in 19th century Siam, hence the term "Siamese Twins". They lived for about 62 years, settling in the mountains of North Carolina as successful businessmen. They married two sisters and raised large families, making the best of their conjoined lives. Hope that helps you some.
- submitted by Amanda
Q:
Luke: Bring plenty of baseball cards to pass out your phone number on.
Lorelai: Enough already! The horse is dead. His ashes have been sprinkled over the land.
A: This is in reference to the saying: "to beat [or flog] a dead horse," which means to argue an issue that has already been settled. - submitted by Aislinn
the bracebridge dinner
secrets and loans
Q:
R: And then she chased me halfway down the street with the hose. It was like a scene from Silkwood. - submitted by Melissa S.
A: Im not really sure if it applies to this but Silkwood is a movie based on
the true story of a young woman, an employee in a nuclear processing plant,
who mysteriously dies in an accident just before she is going to talk to a
reporter about a safety problem. I dunno, maybe im wrong but there it is - submitted by Grace
A: the Silkwood answer is correct. When Karen (the
woman in the movie) tested positive for radiation, a
bunch of people in protective suits scrubbed her body
in the shower. - submitted by crystal
richard in stars hollow
Q:
L: Oh, look at that. We're all fine. Just like the Judds. - submitted by Melissa S.
A: I think the Judd reference is talking about the Judds....Wynona and Naomi
Judd the singers and Ashley Judd the actress who is part of this mother-daughter trio. - submitted by Sarah Davis
Q:
L: It is going to be a horrible, long Lifetime movie and Nancy Mclean will be playing me. - submitted by Melissa S.
A: Nancy Mclean is the actress who was in The Facts of Life years ago and now
she is on The Division on LifeTime....she is also in many movies on that >station and coincidentally, looks a little like Lauren Graham...just a little - submitted by Sarah Davis
a-tisket, a-tasket
Q:
(talking about the men miss patty has found for lorelai)
So: any of them good?
Lo: no, but two of them have run with the bulls.
A: The running with the bulls is an annual event which happens in Spain in which bulls run through the streets while people watch, chase the bulls, or get chased themselves. Many people throw arrows into the bulls and people often get hurt by the bulls while running with them. Lorelai is simply making a joke that two of the men have run with the bulls. - submitted by mallory
A: This is a reference to the annual event in Pamplona, Spain, where bulls are
released in the streets. Some men consider it a show of virility to run with
the bulls; many are gored or injured. - submitted by steve
A: It is a reference to the running of the bulls in Pamplona Spain. The town
runs angry bulls through the streets and the stupid and suicidal
run with
them. - submitted by ?the flatts?
A: "Running with the bulls" refers to the annual running of the bulls in Pamplona, Spain. It's considered very brave to participate in because of the unpredictable nature of the hundreds of bulls stampeding through the narrow streets. - submitted by Henry
Q:
Lo: i have to call Patty and tell her to stop the force mating process. i feel like ling-ling the panda.
A: One of the two Pandas given to the US as a gift from China after Richard
Nixon's historic visit, Ling-Ling and Tsing-Tsing. Zoo officials attempted
to mate the two many times, without success. - submitted by steve
A: "Ling-Ling" the panda was a panda kept in the San Diego Zoo who was part of an endangered species and was forced into mating to try and continue the species. - submitted by Henry
A: ling-ling was the female half of the
National Zoo's pair of rare giant pandas......they
were trying very hard to get the pandas to breed
together....that's why Lorelai made that comment when
Miss Patty was trying to set her up. - submitted by Heather
Q:
J: excuse me, edgar bergen, i think i'd like charlie mccarthy to answer.
A: Edgar Bergen was an early ventriloquist, back in the '20s and '30s. His
dummy was Charlie McCarthy. Bergen was an awful ventriloquist technically --
his lips moved more than most people's did when speaking normally. His real
claim to fame was the way he developed Charlie McCarthy's personality, a
trait still copied today. - submitted by steve
A: Edgar Bergen was a comedian and ventriloquist and Charlie McCarthy was his
puppet. Very popular in the '30s and '40s. Also appeared as the judges of
the beauty pageant Miss Piggy wins in "The Muppet Movie".
- submitted by ?the flatts?
A: Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy ran a comedy radio variety show in the 1930's. McCarthy would provide a wise crack and Bergen would respond quickly. Kinda like most of the show. - submitted by Henry
it should have been lorelai
Q:
Lo: i'm sure we would have met sometime or another.
Sherry: probably at some function or something.
Lo: yeah, you, me and martin sheen all chained to the same tree.
A: "You, me, and Martin Sheen chained to a tree" is a reference to Martin Sheen, the actor currently seen as President Jed Bartlet on "The West Wing." It is a reference specifically to Sheen's activism throughout the years in opposition to some government policies.
- submitted by Henry
lost and found
Q:
Lo: so, do you eat healthy like luke?
jess: yule gibbons doesn't eat healthy like luke.
A: A famous dietary guru from the '60s who advocated wholesome dietary habits.
He was best known for his commercials for Grape Nuts cereal. He died at a
fairly early age from a gastric ulcer. - submitted by steve
A: "Yule Gibbons" was, apparently, a health food junkie in the 1970s. He was said to only eat organic foods made from trees and such. - submitted by Henry
A: Yule Gibbons was a tv character logger/environmentalist in the 1970's that ate pine needles and tested plants to see if they were edible. He had a pet bear, and they lived in the woods, living off the land.
- submitted by Leah
there's the rub
dead uncles and vegetables
back in the saddle again
teach me tonight
help wanted
lorelai's graduation day
i can't get started
home
have any questions or answers of your own on references from gilmore girls? e-mail me and i'll post them up!
bluebubbles886@lycos.com