Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Entertainment/2013 November 30

= November 30 =

Is there a Soviet and an American equivalent of this WW2 scene? (downed German pilot into enemy hands)
The pilot, in the video link, parachutes into British territory, and gets captured by a police constable.

I wonder whether there's a scene floating around someplace online showing an Axis pilot floating down into a Soviet position, and getting picked up by the local authorities / soldiers there.

Then into an American position (a forward operating base) or in front of a column of Shermans). I can't seem to find enough movie or TV clips of Axis pilots being turned into POWs. --Let Us Update Dusty Articles 05:10, 30 November 2013 (UTC)


 * How about a column of one M3 Lee in Sahara, when evil Captain von Schletow gets captured by Joe Gunn (Humphrey Bogart)? Clarityfiend (talk) 07:56, 30 November 2013 (UTC)


 * Would the Soviets have bothered to take pilots prisoner, or just given them another dose of shooting down, this time on the ground? Never mind. Clarityfiend (talk) 09:42, 30 November 2013 (UTC)


 * Hey Clarity, I can't see the text, but if you can, may you paste it here? (Or at least link to where anyone can see it?) Thanks. --Let Us Update Dusty Articles 04:47, 1 December 2013 (UTC)
 * Which text? The part I scratched out? (Would the Soviets have bothered to take pilots prisoner, or just given them another dose of shooting down, this time on the ground?) Clarityfiend (talk) 09:31, 1 December 2013 (UTC)
 * I mean the text in the Google Books link; it assumed I had looked at too many pages because it refused to show me any text in the page you linked to. --Let Us Update Dusty Articles 17:30, 1 December 2013 (UTC)
 * No particular text in the book. I was just going by the title: Another Bowl of Kapusta: The True Life Story of A World War II Luftwaffe Fighter Pilot and P. O. W. in Russia. Now that I think about it, I'm assuming he was shot down, but he could have been captured if his airbase was overrun. Clarityfiend (talk) 02:31, 2 December 2013 (UTC)
 * Hmmm, according to this blog discussion, the co-writer and subject of the book is likely a fraud. Clarityfiend (talk) 23:44, 2 December 2013 (UTC)


 * The movie Battle of Britain features a Polish airman (fighting alongside the RAF) bailing out of his plane and being "captured" by British farmers who mistake him for a German. StuRat (talk) 11:50, 1 December 2013 (UTC)

Land Before Time
What song is playing in the scene of Littlefoot's mother's death?--KAVEBEAR (talk) 12:39, 30 November 2013 (UTC)
 * Can you find it on youtube? ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 14:52, 30 November 2013 (UTC)
 * Yeah it is the song at the 2 minute mark on this video? What is the name?--KAVEBEAR (talk) 17:43, 30 November 2013 (UTC)
 * I don't recognize it, for whatever that's worth. It's possible, even probable, that it was written specifically for the movie and has no title.  Dismas |(talk) 20:59, 30 November 2013 (UTC)
 * I can't access the video but the soundtrack listing here seems to back up Dismas thought that it was written for the film. MarnetteD | Talk 21:27, 30 November 2013 (UTC)
 * Yes, the link doesn't work. Probably some sort of technicality with the name. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 22:21, 30 November 2013 (UTC)
 * Search The Land Before Time (2/10) Movie CLIP - Littlefoot's Mother Dies on youtube. It is the HD version by uploaded by movieclips. Let's try this again --KAVEBEAR (talk) 23:59, 30 November 2013 (UTC)

70s (?) science fiction film
A long time ago I saw a film on the TV. The people were dressed in hippy style and greeted each other by displaying their upturned palms toward one another, then starting at the bottom, moving them around in a circle. Then when the hand reached the starting position they would wait for a beat and say, "shine". Any ideas or did I dream it? Britmax (talk) 15:02, 30 November 2013 (UTC)
 * This sounds a bit like the Eternals in Zardoz. Another possibility is one of the episodes of Quatermass (TV serial). Now, it has been too long since I watched either of these so my memory could be playing me false but I thought I would post them as a starting place and, hopefully, someone else will be able to come up with the correct answer for you. MarnetteD | Talk 21:41, 30 November 2013 (UTC)
 * Thanks for that. A start is always a good thing. I'll try to chase these up over the next couple of days. Britmax (talk) 01:28, 1 December 2013 (UTC)
 * I remember that hand move from somewhere. All's I can say is you are likely not insane as regards having that memory.  I have no idea where it's from.  But I have seen Zardoz, which doesn't sound like a bad guess. μηδείς (talk) 01:26, 2 December 2013 (UTC)
 * Sure it wasn't The Karate Kid: The Prequel? Shine on, shine off. Clarityfiend (talk) 02:32, 2 December 2013 (UTC)
 * They always kept things real "shiny" on the good ship Serenity MarnetteD | Talk 21:49, 2 December 2013 (UTC)

Identify a dystopian novel
A recent question on RD/M reminded me of a dystopian SF novel I read in the early 80's, and I was wondering if anyone could identify it. I'm afraid I can only remember a few details. Not very much to go on, I know. But any help would be much appreciated. Tevildo (talk) 21:19, 30 November 2013 (UTC)
 * It's set in London in the early 21st century, but there isn't much "local colour". It may be by an American author.
 * The protagonist is a member of the elite, out of three distinct social castes.
 * He meets a girl who introduces him to a proletarian revolutionary movement.
 * In one scene, he gets on a train disguised as a proletarian - "I didn't know that there was a third class."
 * He has a rendezvous in a café with the girl - he gets a coffee from an "autochef", that greets him with "Good morning, Madam." He comments that the device has done well to recognize the time (0100), but its "sex discrimination circuits" have failed.
 * His contact in the revolutionary movement is called "Fryer, because [he] looks after a chipper" [ chip shop ].
 * This is Homeworld by Harry Harrison. Card Zero  (talk) 21:44, 30 November 2013 (UTC)
 * Indeed it is, thanks very much. Should I buy a new copy? :) Tevildo (talk) 21:45, 30 November 2013 (UTC)
 * I was going to say "Harry Harrison books are complete trash", but I see he died last year (in England) and now I feel I ought to be slightly respectful. I have never regretted reading one of his violent, sexist, entertaining books, notable for their completely over-the-top action sequences. I keep twelve in my bathroom cabinet. Card Zero  (talk) 21:53, 30 November 2013 (UTC)
 * Ahh, he was never my favourite author, either, although he could write better than I, at least, and I liked the Stainless Steel Rat books. "It's pretty, but is it Art?"  (Kipling) Tevildo (talk) 22:19, 30 November 2013 (UTC)

Christmas song question
Every year about this time, one of the songs that gets played over the intercoms at stores is a kind of a rap song, done by what sounds like a white woman, I guess from the 80s or 90s. The only part of it I can recall for sure is the rap-rhythm repetitition of "Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas, [blah blah-blah-blah, blah-blah blah blah], Merry Christmas, Merry Chistmas..." etc. I realize that's not much to go on. When I've asked store clerks what it is, they don't know. Does this sound familiar to anyone? Thank you. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 22:01, 30 November 2013 (UTC)
 * Christmas Wrapping. "Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas, but I think I'll miss this one this year." Card Zero  (talk) 22:10, 30 November 2013 (UTC)
 * Wow, that took an entire 9 minutes to get the answer! That's the one. Thank you! ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 22:19, 30 November 2013 (UTC)


 * How funny. I thought that this was pretty common knowledge (at least, among my age group – having been a teenager in the 80's).  As the OP states, this song is constantly played (in stores and on the radio, etc.) during this time of year.  I expect that the store clerks (mostly of a younger generation) would not be as familiar with this song, as those of us who grew up with it in the 80's.  Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 08:43, 2 December 2013 (UTC)
 * I stopped following pop music about the time the Beatles broke up. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 13:00, 2 December 2013 (UTC)


 * Wise choice!  Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 15:27, 2 December 2013 (UTC)