Footnotes to the TV series
DARREN: Putting us out? Today you are the Springsteen family’s raison d’être.
Raison d’être: French expression commonly used in English, meaning “reason for being”. Darren is saying that just for today, his family only exist to get to know Rory and assist her.
Darren Springsteen is portrayed by Granville Van Deusen, who, amongst other roles, played Keith Dennison on soap opera The Young and the Restless from 1997 to 2001.
RORY: Ish Kabibble.
Ish Kabibble, born Merwyn Bogue (1908-1994), comedian and cornet player. He appeared in ten films between 1939 and 1950, and although his stage persona was a gangly goofball, he was also a notable cornet player. He performed with bandleader Kay Kyser, and was the manager for the Kay Kyser Orchestra. After the band broke up in 1950, he worked as a solo act until 1961, when he became a real estate agent. He has become an icon of American comedy, often referenced in popular culture.
His stage name came from the lyrics to one of his comic songs, “Isch ga-bibble.” It’s a mock-Yiddish expression, supposedly meaning, “I should worry?”. In fact, it isn’t Yiddish at all, although there’s a Yiddish phrase nisht gefidlt meaning “it doesn’t matter to me,” from which the term “isch ga-bibble” may have been derived.
I’m not sure if Rory is simply answering one name from Jewish culture with another, or if she is literally saying, “I’m not worried”, or “It doesn’t matter right now”.
LORELAI: So what do we call this guy, alumnus Darren, you know, like you’d say Farmer John or the butcher Lazar Wolf?
Farmer John: a 1959 song about marrying a farmer’s daughter, written and recorded by R&B duo Don and Dewey (Don “Sugarcane” Harris and Dewey Terry). It didn’t get much attention, but was reinvigorated in 1964 by garage rock band The Premiers, whose raw party sound made the song popular, reaching #19 on the charts. It has been covered since several times, including by Neil Young, where it appears on his 1990 album, Ragged Glory.
The Butcher Lazar Wolf: a character from the musical Fiddler on the Roof, previously discussed. The wealthy widower and butcher of the village.
LORELAI: So, alumna is a girl graduate … And alumnus is a man … And plural is alumni.
RORY: Right, and that can be girls and guys.
A quick run-down on the correct usage of the Latin word alumnus – all terms used more commonly in the US than in other countries.
An alumnus is a man who has graduated from a particular institution, such as “a Harvard alumnus”, while a woman in the same position is an alumna. The plural is alumni, which can be either a group of male graduates, or a group of both males and females. The plural of only female graduates is alumnae. There is also alum – which is a gender neutral term that doesn’t get used as much, but may become more common in the future.
The scenes at the Springsteen’s home in Westport were filmed at 427 South Lucerne Boulevard. It’s a private home in the historic Windsor Square neighbourhood, in the Wilshire region of Los Angeles.
LORELAI: And look, if it’s a total bust, we’ll grab a pole and Trixie and Bambi’ll take it on the road. That’s something to put on your application, huh?
Lorelai refers to erotic pole dancing, first introduced in the US in the 1920s as part of circus sideshow acts, later part of burlesque dance performances.
RORY: He’s gonna be expecting Chilton High School senior Trixie McBimbo.
LORELAI: And her mother, Bambi McBimbo.
Trixie and Bambi McBimbo are names Rory and Lorelai invent for their fictional characters of an airheaded teenager and her mother. I have seen these names used a lot, even in published works – but only after this episode aired, so they have gone on to have lives of their own.
LORELAI: My mother will be there, too. She’s terrific . . . All right, I’ll see you this weekend . . . Mm, bye. [hangs up]
RORY: You’re no Danny Gans.
Daniel “Danny” Gans (1956-2009), singer, comedian, and vocal impressionist. He was a performer in Las Vegas since 1996, billed as “The Man of Many Voices”, and was named Las Vegas Entertainer of the Year for ten years in a row until 2008.
LORELAI: [answers phone in high voice] Hello? Hello, um, this is Rory Gilmore. I believe you were expecting my call . . . Um, oh, well, this is such a wonderful opportunity for me . . . Whatever’s good for you will be great for me . . .
Rory couldn’t go to school on her first day without Lorelai, she needed Lorelai to help her study for a test, and to arrange her first date. Once again, Lorelai steps in and arranges the meeting with Darren Springsteen on Rory’s behalf. She even pretends to be Rory in the process, as if they have finally merged together into one person. This is actually pretty odd, considering she could have arranged the meeting as herself – surely it’s not that unusual for a parent to phone up on behalf of their teenaged child?
DAVE: [on machine] Hey, my name’s Dave Rygalski, I’m calling about the ad. I left my number before, so call when you get a chance.
This is our introduction to Dave Rygalski, who later becomes Lane’s band mate, and eventually her boyfriend. We first hear him on Lorelai’s answering machine, and we know he’s keen, because this is the second time that he’s phoned.
There is a mysterious female voice in the background, leaving it open whether Dave has a girlfriend, a sister, or a female friend.
The Annotated Gilmore Girls 