Johnny Showtime: 24 Hours of Pancakes

 by JB

A few weeks ago, someone suggested a 24-hour marathon of films about pancakes. I bravely accept that challenge.

Uncle Buck (1989) 100m. “Birthday pancakes”

Because of the perma-frost of adolescent nostalgia that now encircles his work, we often overlook that John Hughes’ films almost always deal with class in America. Consider the differences between working-class John Bender and the rest of the kids in The Breakfast Club, the conflict between upper-middle class Neil and lower-middle class Del in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, and the drama that results when upper-class Blane deigns to date lower-class Andie in Pretty in Pink. See it?

Let rich people eat French toast, omelets, and crepes, Uncle Buck knows that a good ol’ stack of pancakes is the Breakfast of the Masses. This country was built on pancakes. Go down into the basement of your domicile right now... right now... and look under the foundation. What will you all find? Pancakes.

The Kid (1921) 68m.

In this seminal Charlie Chaplin comedy, the tramp and his adopted son Jackie Coogan share a fitful meal of pancakes after a busy morning of work. I love how Charlie counts the pancakes like he is counting money, making sure that he and Jackie get a fair split. NOTE: Readers with high cholesterol might NOT want to copy Charlie’s method of wrapping a pancake around a big slab of butter. The choice is yours...

Fargo (1996) 98m. “More pancakes”

 


One of the many things Steve Buscemi can’t figure out about fellow kidnapper Peter Stormare is why you would want to follow a breakfast of pancakes... with more pancakes?

Rain Man (1988) 133m. “Pancake Tuesdays”

The Dustin Hoffman character always eats pancakes on Tuesdays, and he eats them using toothpicks. This of course leads to the famous “toothpick counting” scene. Okay, maybe it isn’t so famous.

Ma & Pa Kettle Go to Town (1950) 79m. “Popcorn pancakes”

Between 1949 and 1955, Universal Studios made seven Ma and Pa Kettle movies; today these films are largely forgotten. In the same way that Universal’s Francis the Talking Mule series later “moves to television” as Mister Ed, the spirit and sense of humor of the Ma & Pa Kettle series was later hijacked by The Beverly Hillbillies.

The Big Lebowski (1998) 117m. “Lingonberry pancakes”

Probably the saddest pancake scene ever committed to film, as the nihilists gloomily order an early morning diner breakfast after one of their number has sacrificed a toe to their cause.

A Night at the Opera (1935) 96m. “Harpo Eats Pancakes”

Three hungry Marx brothers and Allen Jones finally get something to eat. Harpo uses the pancakes and powdered sugar as face makeup. Do not confuse this scene with a similar one in the Marx brothers’ Room Service. This is the only one of the two with pancakes! In the Room Service scene, Harpo eats peas one at a time with a fork. Otherwise, the two scenes are almost identical.

Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure (1985) 91m. “The Breakfast Machine”

“I pity the fool who doesn’t eat a good breakfast.”

Pleasantville (1998) 124m.

Fifties mom Joan Allen extolls the benefits of a good breakfast while her Nineties children watch in horror. This film is so wonderful in so many ways... and I wonder why it isn’t shown or talked about that much anymore. What gives? I put blueberries in them just the way you like.

Matilda (1996) 98m. “Matilda makes pancakes”

Pulp Fiction (1994) 154m. “One charming m*****-f****** pig.”

John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson have their famous “pigs are filthy animals” conversation in an LA diner with PANCAKES on Travolta’s plate. This gives us an excuse to watch a two hour and thirty-four-minute film as part of this marathon just for a scene that is LESS THAN FOUR MINUTES LONG.

Cabin Fever (2002) 93m. “Pancakes!”

A strange child reacts oddly to mentions of pancakes. For years I thought the short clip from this film included in Patrick’s YouTube tribute to our 100th podcast was from the film The Legend of Billy Jean. I do not know why. Ten years later, I stand corrected.

Man of Steel (2013) 143m. “Most Product Placements Ever”

This blockbuster film/expensive showcase for paid ads features not just one but two full scenes set in an International House of Pancakes. Take your pick.

Winter of the Witch (1969) 24m.

Okay, this might be cheating because I only need a few more minutes to get this marathon to the requisite 24 hours. A staple in middle school classrooms in the Seventies and early Eighties, this Learning Corporation of America short may have just been seen by more delighted students than all of the other films in this hotcake marathon combined. Any student back then can reminisce warmly about days when the hungover and/or going through a messy divorce teacher dutifully wheeled the 16mm projector into the classroom for some teaching-free “me time.” This film could be titled “The Lion, The Witch, and the Pancakes Without the Lion,” and it is a wonderful example of this type of film. The opening music cues filled me with such nostalgia that I reflexively hid my hands under my desk so that Sister Lee Anne could not swat them with her metal ruler. The film features Broadway legend Hermione Gingold, here slumming as the titular witch.

Hey! You know what? Now that the movie marathon is over, I could really go... for some Belgium waffles.