Let's get kilts on a TV show

[Mattg]

That's awesome! I wish I had seen that episode!

[Pour1Malt]

Burns, Homer, an Willie a' gae tae Loch Ness tae capture the monster...

the episode is called "Monty Can't Buy Me Love"

[Colin]

I think one of the reasons Formula 51 (51st State to you UK guys) was so popular to most of us as a film is that it shows a character wearing modern kilt wear, and not just a kilt in a formal scene. We have a lot of glimpes of kilts in formal settings, and a few historical (accurate or not) films in which kilts can be seen, but Formula 51 is the first film I have seen that the central character wears a kilt in a casual way. The kilt is also not the main focus of the film even thought it is an interesting, but irrelevant part of the story.

Duncan was great on Monarch, but he was also a bumbling boob at times. I don't think the average American household is ready for a kilt wearing main character in a TV series. The kilt would have to be a running joke (and insult) for the show to get acceptance on mass produced mindless TV.

[Pour1Malt]

maire shows we dinnae need tae see...

Big Brither...

Muckle & Mindy... Mork in a kilt!

The Ach Team.... Mr. T in a kilt!

Buffy the Trooser Slayer...

Wee Kilt oan the Prairie....

[macsim]

And don't forget:

Withoot an Inklin'

Cauld Case

Tha Winchin' o' Eddie's Faither

Tint (closest I could come to Lost)

America's Maist Socht

Wyliecoat Junction

and my fave, Hoose. :rolleyes:

[auld argonian]

Duncan was great on Monarch, but he was also a bumbling boob at times. I don't think the average American household is ready for a kilt wearing main character in a TV series. The kilt would have to be a running joke (and insult) for the show to get acceptance on mass produced mindless TV.

Now that's just damn mean of you. YOU might consider Duncan "bumbling" but it seemed very clear to ME that although he was naive and rough about the edges he was always sincere, loyal and ernest...and it was a TV series, fer God's sake...there has to be that kind of dynamic that creates situations that make it INTERESTING...you wanna watch an hour of "real life"?

Don't look at it so seriously...I think you're finding all the negative aspects of a character whose role was overwhelmingly positive.

And you assume that a kilted character would somehow automatically be a running joke and an insult? Agreed that the vast majority of TV shows pander to the lowest common denominator but the kilt jokes and insults would only occur if they were purposely written in by the writers and that would be at the insistance of the producers. If a character in a series showed up in a kilt and there was absolutely no fuss or comment made about it in the context of the show...if no one asked, "Why is that guy wearing a kilt?"...no one made any jokes at all...everyone just behaved normally...there was no special qualifying dialogue like, "....oh, he's from Scotland..."...the character didn't go off on some diatribe about what his motivation was for being kilted...what would happen?

Not much...maybe there would be a bit more interest in kilts and they might become a little more mainstream (and I hear those of you who don't want that to happen...don't want it to be considered a fad...want it to still remain "special"...) but I don't think that the Dockers people will have much to worry about.

What was that story...Clark Gable took off his shirt in "It Happened One Night" to reveal that he wasn't wearing an undershirt and the sales of mens' undershirts plummeted for the next year? JFK shows up for his inauguration without a hat and that was the end of the mens' hat industry. Who would have to show up in a kilt for that to happen?

This argument is academic...it won't happen...it is a "wouldn't it be nice if" exercise. The truth is that the kilt will always stand out. To just introduce it into a context where it's not the norm will always seem gimmicky and arbitrary.

Best

AA

[davedove]

If a character in a series showed up in a kilt and there was absolutely no fuss or comment made about it in the context of the show...if no one asked, "Why is that guy wearing a kilt?"...no one made any jokes at all...everyone just behaved normally...there was no special qualifying dialogue like, "....oh, he's from Scotland..."...the character didn't go off on some diatribe about what his motivation was for being kilted...what would happen?

There is one scene in the movie King Ralph that is very much like that. Ralph is walking the dogs on the palace grounds and just happens to be kilted. It was a very short scene and if you blinked you might miss the kilt. The most refreshing thing is that the movie didn't make an issue of it. Now I don't know what was on the cutting room floor, but it was nice they didn't do a scene about his being kilted for the first time.

[Colin]

Now that's just damn mean of you. YOU might consider Duncan "bumbling" but it seemed very clear to ME that although he was naive and rough about the edges he was always sincere, loyal and ernest...and it was a TV series, fer God's sake...there has to be that kind of dynamic that creates situations that make it INTERESTING...you wanna watch an hour of "real life"?

Oh, don't get me wrong, I loved watching all 7 seasons of the show and go back and watch them over again often. Duncan was a great character, but he wasn't going to get the tough guys that think they are living the role of the romantic lead in life to try on a kilt. I wish more people had the humanity, inquisitiveness, concern, and wonder lust that the character of Duncan had. He just wasn't given his fair shake. He started to grow as a character in series' 4-6, but his return in series 7 brought back the bumbling kid from season 1 (blame the lack of good writing ).

I don't really think this is a serious topic, nor one any of us can change. American TV will almost always portray the kilt as a gimmick (World According to Jim, Sex in the City, Judging Amy, short lived John Goodman show, etc, etc) as it just isn't part of US culture.

I do agree that if the character just wore a kilt and it was not refered to often, it may work, but than again how often do we get a reference to a kilt each day? You need to have the "question" and comments from time to time.

Yes, it takes only one influential person to wear the kilt and it may adapt. How many celebs have worn a kilt to a premiere? Sam Jackson, Mel Gibson, David Duchovny, Ewan MacGregor, Gerard Butler, Billy Boyd, Sir Sean Connery, David Coulthard, Nathan Fillion, Vin Diesel, Bob Weir, Kiefer Sutherland, Robbie Williams, Axl Rose, Sting, George Clooney, Ashton Kutcher, etc. have all worn a kilt publicily. That revolutionary moment hasn't happened yet.

[setboy]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woYscjIgzlM&search=kilt

[auld argonian]

Oh...I thought that you were giving the link for this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Khrpy...%20star%20trek

...and this is PG rated, okay? But it's really funny....

Best

AA