Jackie Gleason, Sally Field, and Burt Reynolds (NOT Norm MacDonald)
How can I be almost forty years old, a child of the seventies and eighties, and know hardly ANY CB language? (huh, DAD?) We rented Smokey and the Bandit for Sam last night. It was made in 1977 so I was eight when it came out. I know I must have seen it but I didn't remember the movie, I just remembered the sound track of Jerry Reed singing every single mundane thing Burt Reynolds does. (I might have had the cassette tape of that.)
Anyway, do you know what a "Choke and Puke" is? It's a truck stop in CB language. That is a term I would have liked to have known before yesterday. That got me thinking about what other wonderful terminology I've been missing out on so I looked up a CB language website and I've come to the conclusion that 1970s truckers were funny in an embarrassing, dorky kind of way, and they must have been really bored on those long trips to come up with an almost complete slang language of dorkiness, and also: there weren't enough books on tape. Is that a big 10-4? (do you understand/agree?)
Do you remember seeing that movie? It was funny because Burt Reynolds reminded me of Norm MacDonald's impression of Burt Reynolds.
Sally Field sure was cute but she's apparently always had an old lady voice. Jerry Reed was a friendly psycho (anyone who repeatedly screams into a radio for no reason at all is a little bit crazy, even if it is for a movie). And Jackie Gleason made me laugh every single time he was on the screen. ("Gimme a diablo samich and a Docta Peppa!") That movie is worth seeing just for him.
What was with the obsession with semi-trucks in the 70's? Aside from the Smokey and the Bandit movies, you've also got Convoy the movie (and the wonderful song), BJ and the Bear (featuring BJ's ladyfriend, "Stacks"), White Line Fever, CB Hustlers etc. etc. etc.
Apparently highway safety, fuel economy and trains were not very popular in the 1970s.
Seriously, I just had the Convoy song in my head today. "We got a bear in the air" is my favorite CB lingo.
ReplyDeleteOne of my college friends had a cb radio in her car and she'd talk to truckers all of the time...it got a little creepy. There are some very lonely men out there!
Gurl......we didn't have cell phones we had CB radios!
ReplyDeleteWe all did!!!
You just brought back so many memories!
I for the life of me can't remember my handle......
I think I'd rather have a CB than a cell phone. Jane, you really did have CBs? And a "handle?" OMG that's so nerdy... I'm just kidding!
ReplyDelete(no I'm not)
OMG, we had a CB!! I was "The Ugly Duckling" and my mom was "The Shaklee Shaker" (we sold Shaklee, obviously). I can't remember dad or Kristin, but you know I'm gonna call her right now and ask her. We never took a roadtrip with out the CB, and my grandparents had one too. My dad insisted we speak in trucker lingo when talking to them. We couldn't say, "Hey, we should stop and pee at that rest stop". We had to say "Breaker, breaker, 1-9. Mornin', good buddy. You're comin' in loud and proud. The ankle biters need to hit the pickle park up ahead, so let's pull in and be sure and watch the braille on the new sneakers." I'm not even kidding. And we had the 7 foot antenna on both cars. Hot.
ReplyDeleteThe Ugly Duckling??? Do your parents hate you???
ReplyDeleteI am still laughing at the nonsense you wrote at the end of your comment. You lost me at pickle park.
I asked Mitch what 1-9 means and he gave me a looooooooong explanation about how channel 19 was the go-to channel to "meet and greet," and then you'd go to other channels for the private talk.
Explain the Braille...
Um... OH yeah.
ReplyDeleteDad was the "Merganser." (His favorite duck. Seriously.)
Kristin was "Sweat Hog" (from the fabulous, hit show "Welcome Back, Kotter.)
I SO remember the 1-9 channel being the "Meet & Greet" channel, too. Trips to the Cities meant listening to Dad talk like he was a real, live trucker most of the way. "Yeah, you're comin' in loud & clear, what's your 10-4, good buddy?" Yeah - ALL that. We were the COOLEST. ROTFL!
"Braille" is the bumps on the side of the road that keep you from going in the ditch and "new sneakers" means new tires. OMG, I remember dad chattin it up with truckers talking like that! He'd ask him about the weather, bears (coppers), or places to eat, just so he could practice. OMG, I'm dying.
ReplyDeleteHA - Who you callin a nerd!
ReplyDeleteWe all had Firebirds (me), Camaros, and Mustangs ALL with huge antennas on top!
It was cool, just like my hair back then!
Generally I do not post on blogs, but I would like to say that this post really forced me to do so! really nice post
ReplyDeleteThanks, Dude and/or Dudette!
ReplyDelete