Where did this TV/movie trope originate: the one where someone can no longer play a musical instrument because of a painful past incident....
January 19, 2012 10:52 AM Subscribe
Where did this TV/movie trope originate: the one where someone can no longer play a musical instrument because of a painful past incident....
One of my favorite episodes of any TV show is Strangers with Candy, "To Be Young, Gifted and Blank." She takes up the violin, but violin isn't even allowed to be mentioned around her father. He can't play it anymore, after The Incident.
There's also a South Park episode where Butters can no longer tap-dance because a tragedy happened last time he performed.
Is there a single movie this comes from, or is it just a common theme with no real origin?
One of my favorite episodes of any TV show is Strangers with Candy, "To Be Young, Gifted and Blank." She takes up the violin, but violin isn't even allowed to be mentioned around her father. He can't play it anymore, after The Incident.
There's also a South Park episode where Butters can no longer tap-dance because a tragedy happened last time he performed.
Is there a single movie this comes from, or is it just a common theme with no real origin?
Response by poster: I think it's just a play on movies like Airplane! where Ted Striker can't bring himself to fly since The Incident over Macho Grande.
But Airplane! itself is a parody of older big-budget tragedy movies where in some cases someone couldn't fly the plane because of their experience in WWII or Korea. Doesn't the trope go further back?
posted by deern the headlice at 11:19 AM on January 19, 2012 [1 favorite]
But Airplane! itself is a parody of older big-budget tragedy movies where in some cases someone couldn't fly the plane because of their experience in WWII or Korea. Doesn't the trope go further back?
posted by deern the headlice at 11:19 AM on January 19, 2012 [1 favorite]
"Getting back on the horse" would seem to be in a similar vein (assuming there are some who couldn't) So I would guess it goes back pretty far...
posted by NoDef at 11:29 AM on January 19, 2012
posted by NoDef at 11:29 AM on January 19, 2012
It could perhaps be a play on the "Retired Gunfighter" trope where someone is called to do something after they have given it up.
posted by cazoo at 11:31 AM on January 19, 2012
posted by cazoo at 11:31 AM on January 19, 2012
Doesn't the trope go further back?
Yeah, it does, I was just point out that it wasn't specifically a musical instrument thing, but I guess you knew that.
I haven't seen Zero Hour, the film Airplane! is based on (in some cases word for word), but I suspect that troupe was the case in that film.
posted by bondcliff at 11:35 AM on January 19, 2012
Yeah, it does, I was just point out that it wasn't specifically a musical instrument thing, but I guess you knew that.
I haven't seen Zero Hour, the film Airplane! is based on (in some cases word for word), but I suspect that troupe was the case in that film.
posted by bondcliff at 11:35 AM on January 19, 2012
Way back to Cassablanca where Bogart can't bear to hear "As Time Goes By" because it reminds him of her. But even this, I imagine, is based on precedent from previous melodrama.
posted by Jon_Evil at 11:35 AM on January 19, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by Jon_Evil at 11:35 AM on January 19, 2012 [1 favorite]
There's a whole thing about this in A Girl of the Limberlost, by Gene Stratton Porter--I think it is the violin in this case--where the eponymous girl wants $instrument and the mother is all "Never mention $instrument in this house!". That book came out at the turn of the 20th century.
posted by Sidhedevil at 11:38 AM on January 19, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by Sidhedevil at 11:38 AM on January 19, 2012 [1 favorite]
As others have said, I think it goes back to 19th century melodrama.
posted by Sidhedevil at 11:39 AM on January 19, 2012
posted by Sidhedevil at 11:39 AM on January 19, 2012
TV Tropes calls it 'My Greatest Failure' and dates it back to at least Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie.
posted by Happy Dave at 1:25 PM on January 19, 2012
posted by Happy Dave at 1:25 PM on January 19, 2012
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No, I don't think I'll ever get over Macho Grande.
posted by bondcliff at 11:08 AM on January 19, 2012