Mac and Tosh

LORELAI: We certainly are entertaining, Mac.

RORY: Indubitably, Tosh.

Mac and Tosh are the names of the two Goofy Gophers in the Warner Bros cartoons, created by Bob Clampett, and originally appearing in the 1947 short film The Goofy Gophers. The cartoon features the two gophers making frequent raids on a vegetable garden while tormenting the guard dog. They both speak in high-pitched stereotypical upper-class British accents.

They may have been intended as a spoof on the Disney chipmunk characters, Chip ‘n’ Dale, and their mannerisms and speech were patterned after the 1900s comic strip characters Alphonse and Gaston, drawn by pioneering cartoonist Frederick Burr Opper, where the jokes came from the ridiculous over-politeness of the French characters as they got on with each task. Another suggestion is that they were influenced by the British film Great Expectations, based on the Dickens novel, which was released in 1946, the year before the Goofy Gophers were created.

The pair’s dialogue is peppered with such over-politeness as “Indubitably!”, “You first, my dear,” and, “But, no, no, no. It must be you who goes first!”. They also tend to quote Shakespeare and use humorously long words.

The gophers only received names in a 1961 episode of the TV show, The Bugs Bunny Show – an obvious pun on the word mackintosh, meaning a raincoat.

Corky’s Country Cavalcade

RORY: What are you doing here anyhow? This is a town meeting for people who participate in and care about the town.

JESS: Well, Corky’s Country Cavalcade on public access was pre-empted, so I thought I’d check out the next best thing.

Corky’s Country Cavalcade, a fictional rural television program Jess has sarcastically invented to suggest that the town meeting is the closest real world parallel. Coming to a town meeting might mean that Jess does feel more connected to Stars Hollow since Rory has nagged him into helping out at the diner more at a time of family crisis, or that he wants to lend Luke some support. Or he might just want another chance to see Rory … his expression says he does. (Remember when Dean turned up to a town meeting just to see Rory?).

In North America, pre-empted is used in broadcasting to mean that a regular scheduled program has been interrupted or replaced.

Harry’s House of Twinkle Lights

TAYLOR: Harry’s House of Twinkle Lights has been an integral part of this town for twenty years, so it’s only right that we honor his retirement. So I hereby designate next Tuesday, Harry the Twinkle Light Man from Harry’s House of Twinkle Lights Day.

One of the barely-plausible niche businesses in Stars Hollow, about to close due to the owner’s retirement. Apparently there are so many festivals in Stars Hollow requiring twinkle lights that a store can remain in business for twenty years (since 1982) just providing for the town’s twinkle light needs. It’s not quite believable, but this is a town that has a store just for cat-related gifts, and a dozen that only sells porcelain unicorns!

It seems as if nobody is willing to buy the business or take it over, perhaps suggesting that in these decadent times, more and more townspeople are simply buying their twinkle lights from discount chain stores. The end of an era, with a tiny bit of magic leaving Stars Hollow with Harry’s retirement. But he will be sent off in style, with a festival on the following Tuesday entirely in his honour.

This is the second person named Harry we have heard of in Stars Hollow, the rarely-seen mysterious mayor being the first one.

Town Meeting

A town meeting takes place in this episode, with the order of business being the retirement of Harry from Harry’s House of Twinkle Lights, and the issue of whether the Second Troubadour has the correct permit to run a farmer’s market in the park across the road from Doose’s Market.

Town meetings are held on the second Thursday of the month, so it must be 11^th April.

Patricia Hearst and the SLA

LORELAI: She’s brainwashed. She’s Patricia Hearst and my mother is the SLA.

Patricia Hearst (born 1954), author and actress, the granddaughter of publishing magnate William Randolph Hearst, previously mentioned. She is best known for being kidnapped from her Berkeley apartment in February 1974, when she was 19, by an urban guerilla left-wing group called the Symbionese Liberation Army. The kidnapping was partly opportunistic, as Hearst lived near the SLA hideout.

According to Hearst’s testimony, she was kept locked in a closet for weeks, given SLA literature to read by flashlight. Offered the choice between joining the SLA or being killed by them, she joined them, and was given daily weapon drills. Over the next 18 months, she took part in high-profile robberies and kidnappings as a member of the SLA.

Patricia Hearst was arrested in September 1975, her defence arguing that she had been brainwashed and was acting under duress. She was convicted in March 1976 and sentenced to seven years in prison. Her sentence was commuted by President Jimmy Carter, and she was released in February 1979. After release, she married a policeman who had been part of her security while on bail, brought out a memoir in 1981, and appeared in several films by John Waters.

Neiman Marcus

JACKSON: Your mother got her [tape measure] at Neiman Marcus.

Neiman Marcus, a chain of luxury department stores founded in 1907 by department store workers Herbert Marcus, his sister Carrie Marcus Neiman, and her husband, A.L. Neiman. Its headquarters are in Dallas, Texas. There is a Neiman Marcus department store in West Hartford where Emily could have bought her luxury tape measure.

Ancient History

JACKSON: Remember that sweet, simple, affordable little wedding Sookie and I agreed on with minimal disagreement … Gone. Ancient history. It’s the Library of Alexandria, it’s the Colossus of Rhodes, it’s Pop Rocks, it’s over.

Library of Alexandria

The Great Library of Alexandria in Alexandria, Egypt was one of the largest and most significant libraries of the ancient world, part of a larger institution called The Musaeum, dedicated to the nine Muses, and the source of the modern word “museum”.

It is said to have been founded by Ptolemy II Philadelphus around 285 BC, in an attempt to bring together the best minds of the Hellenistic world and collect all books known at the time – at its height, it may have had as many as 400 000 scrolls. Due mostly to the Great Library, Alexandria became known as the capital of knowledge and learning.

Although there is a popular modern belief that the Library was destroyed in a cataclysmic fire, in fact it gradually declined over the course of several centuries. It was accidentally burned by Julius Caesar in 48 BC, but it is not known how much damage was done. Under the Romans, the Library dwindled from lack of funding, and an invasion by Palmyra in 270 AD probably destroyed what little was left of it.

Colossus of Rhodes

The Colossus of Rhodes was a statue of the Greek sun god Helios, erected in the city of Rhodes on the island of the same name by Chares of Lindos in 280 BC. One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, it was constructed to celebrate a military victory against Macedon. According to descriptions at the time, the statue was 108 feet high – about the same size as the Statue of Liberty – making it the tallest statue in the ancient world. The statue was destroyed in 653 AD by Arab forces. Since 2008, discussions have been underway about building a new Colossus in Rhodes Harbour, so it may not be ancient history for much longer.

Pop Rocks

A candy with bubbles in it, causing a small popping sensation when it dissolves. First offered to the public in 1976 by General Foods, sales were withdrawn in 1983, citing its lack of success and short shelf life. After that, Kraft licensed the product to a Spanish company called Zeta Espacial S.A., who distributes it in the US through Pop Rocks Inc., in Atlanta, Georgia. Jackson seems to think Pop Rocks are gone, but they aren’t.

Luke’s Family

LUKE: Randy and Barbara don’t wanna miss their brat kid’s rugby semifinal … My sister never even called back. My cousins Paul and Jim, who my dad helped put through college, said they were too exhausted from a fishing trip. And slightly disturbed cousin Franny said she can’t leave because her Petey’s sick.

Randy and Barbara, a married couple with at least one child, who plays rugby, not sure whether Randy or Barbara is Luke’s cousin.

Liz, Luke’s sister

Paul and Jim, cousins, presumably brothers

Franny, cousin, possibly a sister to Paul and Jim? (and yet another Fran/Francine/Franny!)

Uncle Louie didn’t have any children, but Luke seems to have several cousins, although he doesn’t mention any other uncles or aunts. Perhaps they are already dead. It’s possible all the cousins mentioned are siblings, and only one uncle/aunt died before Louie.

Luke booked nine rooms at the Independence Inn for his family to attend Louie’s funeral. He only seems to have needed five rooms for the named family members, suggesting that the other four were for the unnamed relatives who said they couldn’t get out of work for the funeral.

Rugby

LUKE: Randy and Barbara don’t wanna miss their brat kid’s rugby semifinal.

Rugby union, commonly known as rugby, and one of the two codes of rugby football, a close-contact team sport. It originated in England in the 19^th century with the game’s first rules written by students at Rugby School in 1845. The game spread from Britain, with early exponents of the sport including Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and France.

The first North American club was formed in Montreal in 1868, they introduced the sport to the US when McGill University played against a team from Harvard in 1874. Rugby union is the fastest growing college sport, and the fastest growing sport overall in the US.

FYI Van Halen Hair

TAYLOR: Well, FYI Van Halen hair, I’m plenty busy.

Van Halen, rock band formed in Pasadena, California in 1973, with a classic line-up of brothers Eddie and Alex Van Halen and lead singer David Lee Roth. Credited with restoring hard rock to the forefront of the contemporary music scene, they were known for their energetic live shows, and the virtuoso lead guitar of Eddie Van Halen. Their 1978 self-titled debut album went straight into the Top 20 and sold over 10 million copies in the US. By the early 1980s they were one of the most successful rock acts of their day, although only one of their singles, “Jump”, went to #1, in 1983.

The band members of Van Halen had long hair during the 1980s, with David Lee Roth’s golden mane to the forefront.

FYI, standing for “for your information”.