MovieChat Forums > Disorder in the Court (1936) Discussion > Jasper? Anyone get this reference?

Jasper? Anyone get this reference?

posted 17 years ago by bobbeecher
7 replies | jump to latest

In the courtroom, Moe says to Larry, "Say, Jasper, what comes after seventy-five?" Larry replies, "Seventy-six." Then Moe, "That's the spirit."

Well, I understand the "Spirit of Seventy-Six", but was the name Jasper just a "throw-away" or is there some other reference there?

[–] PACman66 16 years ago

I'm thinking Jasper is just a name pulled out of the air, it's a name that sounds uppercrust (Hoi Polloi, if you will)...
And this is one of my ALL TIME FAVES!

Trust me,
Swan

[–] 16 years ago

[deleted]

[–] WarpedRecord 14 years ago

Right you are! "Hoi polloi" are the masses, just as the discreetly charming "bourgeoisie" are the middle class. I love these fancy words for decidedly unfancy people.

As for Stooges shorts, this is probably my favorite that I've seen, but I still have significant gaps in my Stooge scholarship.

[–] DelLord 14 years ago

Ditto for me. One of the best.

[–] StarMerchant 14 years ago

"Jasper" was a sort of slang terminology used the same way that "Jack" was used in the 70s and "dude" is used today. ("Jack" may still be a little obscure for most readers here.)

[–] WarpedRecord 14 years ago

That's the fact, Jack ... er, Dude!

[–] bok602 11 years ago

It may also be an oblique reference to William Jasper (1750-1779), a hero of the Revolutionary War and thus, part of the "Spirit of '76" referred to.

"If you don't know the answer -change the question."