Colonel Pickering Character
I have never understood the reason for the Colonel Pickering character. He seemed to just be hanging out?
Can anyone shed some light on this for me?
Aside from being the person with whom Higgins sets the wager up (without which there would be no story), he functions throughout as a contrast to Higgins' character. "I was always be a lady to Colonel Pickering because he always treated me as a lady."
"You must sing him your prettiest songs, then perhaps he will want to marry you."
He basically functions like Watson to Holmes. The ordinary guy the audience can ID with versus the eccentric.
shareAlso, he's a friend for Higgins to interact with in order for the audience learn more about Higgins' character.
shareIt's a role sometimes referred to as "Exposition Boy" (or Exposition Girl, as the case may be), and you're exactly right-the purpose is to give the audience insight into things in the movie that they wouldn't ordinarily know, but should for the movie to make sense.
When the head of the nuclear plant says to the technician "If the reactor goes into meltdown, it will kill thousands and leave the area uninhabitable", he's talking to Exposition Boy (who, as a nuclear technician, would have known that in real life).