It Got By The Censor/In Jokes

[ZelenskyTheValiant (Ivan)]

Bronson was a stone blue collar Ukrainian

Which makes him even cooler, in my book! Although I think he was actually Lithuanian. Wikipedia says his father was a Lithuanian Tatar which I didn't even know was a thing. Didn't know there were any Tatars in Lithuania. But maybe it just means he was a Tatar who happened to be born in Lithuania. In any case the last name of Buchinsky certainly sounds either Ukrainian or Polish. Not Lithuanian or Tatar. It says his mom was Lithuanian too. So I'm not sure where the Buckinsky last name comes from.

Charlie the working stiff- afraid of enclosed spaces like his Mag 7 character - from the coal mines let it all hang out.

Afraid of enclosed spaces was his Great Escape character.

Hi Ivan,
I am pretty certain he claimed he had people from Ukraine but I am always happy to be corrected. I will watch Bronson on Cavett when that episode airs again.
However, I just did a search, one site said he was Polish, another half Polish and half "Slav"(which covers a lot of territory and besides is a language group, not a race or particular nation).
Another site said Lithuanian of Polish extraction, another that he changed his name because in the 1950's his "Russian" name would be a drawback.
This might be in part because we Americans are abysmally educated in regards to foreign countries, plus the Slavs were the enemy for 45 years during the Cold War
and were the "other" so why bother sorting out who is who. Much less finding them on a map.
Plus as you know over the centuries the borders changed.
After WW1 millions of Ukrainians wound up in Poland, Belarus, or in other once subject nations of the Czar like Lithuania.
So Bronson could be a Ukrainian-Lithuanian(with part Polish blood) the same as I am half Ukrainian-American.
My grandmother was Ukrainian but her family lived in Belarus,in an area that was part of Poland pre-WW 2.
She spoke a mix of Ukrainian/Russian/Polish plus a little Yiddish to talk to her Jewish neighbors. Heck there was millions of German ethnics scattered thru Eastern Europe as well.
I guess what I am saying is it is reasonable for there to be confusion as to exact "bloodlines".
Also, rather than having to conduct a geography/history class and explain what a Ukraine or Belarus was, some of my cousins would just say 'Russian' when asked about their
heritage, maybe Bronson did the same. To confuse this all the more, the original Rus were actually a Viking tribe. Norsemen.
When warring factions near Kiev couldn't agree who among them should rule, they accepted the Norseman Rurik, hence afterwards they were Russians.
Okay, I am really going down the rabbit hole here, it gets very complicated.

Good catch on me putting in The Magnificent Seven for The Great Escape, I can't believe I did that, doh!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Sometimes it seems to me that half the world lives on fear and the other half lives in it.
Surprising what can happen when just one or two people decide to stop being afraid."
Marshal Dan Troop(John Russell) of "Lawman"

Yeah there's definitely been a lot of confusion as to what Bronson's background really is. My mom actually thinks he looks like a Chukchi, which is basically like a Siberian version of Eskimo. Which I agree that he does. He has a bit of that Asian look around his face and eyes. He looks more Chukchi than Tatar if you ask me.

one site said he was Polish, another half Polish and half "Slav"

That's funny. That's like saying half Polish and half Polish. Since Polish are Slavs.

Also, rather than having to conduct a geography/history class and explain what a Ukraine or Belarus was, some of my cousins would just say 'Russian' when asked about their heritage

Oh that was a big no-no in our household. When we immigrated in 1991 (just a few months before the collapse of the Soviet Union) we made sure we stressed that we were from Ukraine, not Russia. Even though we got many confused looks as to what this "Ukraine" is. I was only in 5th grade but whenever I tried to explain that Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union which just broke up I immediately got the reaction "Oh so you're from Russia!" Grrr, that used to drive me up the wall!!! I would say that no, I lived nowhere near Russia. I lived in the city of Lviv which was just a few miles from the Polish border. Nowhere near Russia. My dad actually told me that I should just say that I'm Polish in order to avoid confusion. He said if you say you're Polish then they won't call you Russian. "But I'm NOT Polish" I would tell my dad. And I'm not Russian either. I'm Ukrainian and that's what I told everyone. Someone once even asked "Did you say you're Korean?" No kidding! I responded "Do I look Korean?". I blame the American education system!

Getting pissed off because some 5th graders didn't know what Ukraine was? The education system doesn't really revolve around what is happening in Europe, at least not at that time. That reminds me of a few days after 9/11. A muslim had their prayer rug out and praying outside a Walmart. Police were called cause of it was not an every day occurrence. Person was questioned. He was yelling that he was praying and people should know that they pray so many times a day. Excuse me? Everyone is supposed to know what every religion, or person's intentions are? Back during the cold war era, it was easier to say 'Russia', than the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics or even the Soviet Union. Of course, saying the Soviet Union gave the impression that that whole territory was united. My niece once asked, "If they are the Soviet Union, why are they breaking up?"

But, I digress from my original thought. I was going to say that the Coalition of Communities of Color consider the Slavic people to be people of color.

https://www.coalitioncommunitiescolor.o ... ng-profile

And since I am Polish, and therefore a minority, I want to know how I can get into Harvard thru Affirmative Action.

I guess I should clarify that it wasn't my fellow 5th graders that I expected to know what Ukraine was. I didn't expect them to know. It was the teachers and other adult staff members that seemed to be confused by what Ukraine was. To me it really seemed like they were very uninformed. I think the Social Studies (geography/history) teachers were the only ones who seemed to be aware that the Soviet Union was made up of a bunch of republics which were now independent nations. I guess it was too much for me to expect the rest of the "educators" to know this?

[Pahonu]

Which makes him even cooler, in my book! Although I think he was actually Lithuanian. Wikipedia says his father was a Lithuanian Tatar which I didn't even know was a thing. Didn't know there were any Tatars in Lithuania. But maybe it just means he was a Tatar who happened to be born in Lithuania. In any case the last name of Buchinsky certainly sounds either Ukrainian or Polish. Not Lithuanian or Tatar. It says his mom was Lithuanian too. So I'm not sure where the Buckinsky last name comes from.


Afraid of enclosed spaces was his Great Escape character.

Hi Ivan,
I am pretty certain he claimed he had people from Ukraine but I am always happy to be corrected. I will watch Bronson on Cavett when that episode airs again.
However, I just did a search, one site said he was Polish, another half Polish and half "Slav"(which covers a lot of territory and besides is a language group, not a race or particular nation).
Another site said Lithuanian of Polish extraction, another that he changed his name because in the 1950's his "Russian" name would be a drawback.
This might be in part because we Americans are abysmally educated in regards to foreign countries, plus the Slavs were the enemy for 45 years during the Cold War
and were the "other" so why bother sorting out who is who. Much less finding them on a map.
Plus as you know over the centuries the borders changed.
After WW1 millions of Ukrainians wound up in Poland, Belarus, or in other once subject nations of the Czar like Lithuania.
So Bronson could be a Ukrainian-Lithuanian(with part Polish blood) the same as I am half Ukrainian-American.
My grandmother was Ukrainian but her family lived in Belarus,in an area that was part of Poland pre-WW 2.
She spoke a mix of Ukrainian/Russian/Polish plus a little Yiddish to talk to her Jewish neighbors. Heck there was millions of German ethnics scattered thru Eastern Europe as well.
I guess what I am saying is it is reasonable for there to be confusion as to exact "bloodlines".
Also, rather than having to conduct a geography/history class and explain what a Ukraine or Belarus was, some of my cousins would just say 'Russian' when asked about their
heritage, maybe Bronson did the same. To confuse this all the more, the original Rus were actually a Viking tribe. Norsemen.
When warring factions near Kiev couldn't agree who among them should rule, they accepted the Norseman Rurik, hence afterwards they were Russians.
Okay, I am really going down the rabbit hole here, it gets very complicated.

Good catch on me putting in The Magnificent Seven for The Great Escape, I can't believe I did that, doh!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Sometimes it seems to me that half the world lives on fear and the other half lives in it.
Surprising what can happen when just one or two people decide to stop being afraid."
Marshal Dan Troop(John Russell) of "Lawman"

Yeah there's definitely been a lot of confusion as to what Bronson's background really is. My mom actually thinks he looks like a Chukchi, which is basically like a Siberian version of Eskimo. Which I agree that he does. He has a bit of that Asian look around his face and eyes. He looks more Chukchi than Tatar if you ask me.

one site said he was Polish, another half Polish and half "Slav"

That's funny. That's like saying half Polish and half Polish. Since Polish are Slavs.

Also, rather than having to conduct a geography/history class and explain what a Ukraine or Belarus was, some of my cousins would just say 'Russian' when asked about their heritage

Oh that was a big no-no in our household. When we immigrated in 1991 (just a few months before the collapse of the Soviet Union) we made sure we stressed that we were from Ukraine, not Russia. Even though we got many confused looks as to what this "Ukraine" is. I was only in 5th grade but whenever I tried to explain that Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union which just broke up I immediately got the reaction "Oh so you're from Russia!" Grrr, that used to drive me up the wall!!! I would say that no, I lived nowhere near Russia. I lived in the city of Lviv which was just a few miles from the Polish border. Nowhere near Russia. My dad actually told me that I should just say that I'm Polish in order to avoid confusion. He said if you say you're Polish then they won't call you Russian. "But I'm NOT Polish" I would tell my dad. And I'm not Russian either. I'm Ukrainian and that's what I told everyone. Someone once even asked "Did you say you're Korean?" No kidding! I responded "Do I look Korean?". I blame the American education system!

Getting pissed off because some 5th graders didn't know what Ukraine was? The education system doesn't really revolve around what is happening in Europe, at least not at that time. That reminds me of a few days after 9/11. A muslim had their prayer rug out and praying outside a Walmart. Police were called cause of it was not an every day occurrence. Person was questioned. He was yelling that he was praying and people should know that they pray so many times a day. Excuse me? Everyone is supposed to know what every religion, or person's intentions are? Back during the cold war era, it was easier to say 'Russia', than the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics or even the Soviet Union. Of course, saying the Soviet Union gave the impression that that whole territory was united. My niece once asked, "If they are the Soviet Union, why are they breaking up?"

But, I digress from my original thought. I was going to say that the Coalition of Communities of Color consider the Slavic people to be people of color.

https://www.coalitioncommunitiescolor.o ... ng-profile

And since I am Polish, and therefore a minority, I want to know how I can get into Harvard thru Affirmative Action.

I guess I should clarify that it wasn't my fellow 5th graders that I expected to know what Ukraine was. I didn't expect them to know. It was the teachers and other adult staff members that seemed to be confused by what Ukraine was. To me it really seemed like they were very uninformed. I think the Social Studies (geography/history) teachers were the only ones who seemed to be aware that the Soviet Union was made up of a bunch of republics which were now independent nations. I guess it was too much for me to expect the rest of the "educators" to know this?

I think many were probably aware at some level of the various republics that made up the Soviet Union, but probably knew only Russia as one of them, or perhaps one or two more like Armenia or one of the Baltic nations. Of course many were probably clueless as some still are. I might compare it to American’s knowledge of our nearest neighbors. Most know there are provinces in Canada and states in Mexico, but couldn’t name all of them or even how many there are. I know Canada because of my parents, but can’t name all 31 states in Mexico, though I know many. From memory, I’m thinking there were 15 republics in the former Soviet Union?

[Pahonu]

Sorry, double post.

[ZelenskyTheValiant (Ivan)]

From memory, I’m thinking there were 15 republics in the former Soviet Union?

Correctomundo!

[Chris109]

Hi Ivan,
I am pretty certain he claimed he had people from Ukraine but I am always happy to be corrected. I will watch Bronson on Cavett when that episode airs again.
However, I just did a search, one site said he was Polish, another half Polish and half "Slav"(which covers a lot of territory and besides is a language group, not a race or particular nation).
Another site said Lithuanian of Polish extraction, another that he changed his name because in the 1950's his "Russian" name would be a drawback.
This might be in part because we Americans are abysmally educated in regards to foreign countries, plus the Slavs were the enemy for 45 years during the Cold War
and were the "other" so why bother sorting out who is who. Much less finding them on a map.
Plus as you know over the centuries the borders changed.
After WW1 millions of Ukrainians wound up in Poland, Belarus, or in other once subject nations of the Czar like Lithuania.
So Bronson could be a Ukrainian-Lithuanian(with part Polish blood) the same as I am half Ukrainian-American.
My grandmother was Ukrainian but her family lived in Belarus,in an area that was part of Poland pre-WW 2.
She spoke a mix of Ukrainian/Russian/Polish plus a little Yiddish to talk to her Jewish neighbors. Heck there was millions of German ethnics scattered thru Eastern Europe as well.
I guess what I am saying is it is reasonable for there to be confusion as to exact "bloodlines".
Also, rather than having to conduct a geography/history class and explain what a Ukraine or Belarus was, some of my cousins would just say 'Russian' when asked about their
heritage, maybe Bronson did the same. To confuse this all the more, the original Rus were actually a Viking tribe. Norsemen.
When warring factions near Kiev couldn't agree who among them should rule, they accepted the Norseman Rurik, hence afterwards they were Russians.
Okay, I am really going down the rabbit hole here, it gets very complicated.

Good catch on me putting in The Magnificent Seven for The Great Escape, I can't believe I did that, doh!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Sometimes it seems to me that half the world lives on fear and the other half lives in it.
Surprising what can happen when just one or two people decide to stop being afraid."
Marshal Dan Troop(John Russell) of "Lawman"

Yeah there's definitely been a lot of confusion as to what Bronson's background really is. My mom actually thinks he looks like a Chukchi, which is basically like a Siberian version of Eskimo. Which I agree that he does. He has a bit of that Asian look around his face and eyes. He looks more Chukchi than Tatar if you ask me.

one site said he was Polish, another half Polish and half "Slav"

That's funny. That's like saying half Polish and half Polish. Since Polish are Slavs.

Also, rather than having to conduct a geography/history class and explain what a Ukraine or Belarus was, some of my cousins would just say 'Russian' when asked about their heritage

Oh that was a big no-no in our household. When we immigrated in 1991 (just a few months before the collapse of the Soviet Union) we made sure we stressed that we were from Ukraine, not Russia. Even though we got many confused looks as to what this "Ukraine" is. I was only in 5th grade but whenever I tried to explain that Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union which just broke up I immediately got the reaction "Oh so you're from Russia!" Grrr, that used to drive me up the wall!!! I would say that no, I lived nowhere near Russia. I lived in the city of Lviv which was just a few miles from the Polish border. Nowhere near Russia. My dad actually told me that I should just say that I'm Polish in order to avoid confusion. He said if you say you're Polish then they won't call you Russian. "But I'm NOT Polish" I would tell my dad. And I'm not Russian either. I'm Ukrainian and that's what I told everyone. Someone once even asked "Did you say you're Korean?" No kidding! I responded "Do I look Korean?". I blame the American education system!

Getting pissed off because some 5th graders didn't know what Ukraine was? The education system doesn't really revolve around what is happening in Europe, at least not at that time. That reminds me of a few days after 9/11. A muslim had their prayer rug out and praying outside a Walmart. Police were called cause of it was not an every day occurrence. Person was questioned. He was yelling that he was praying and people should know that they pray so many times a day. Excuse me? Everyone is supposed to know what every religion, or person's intentions are? Back during the cold war era, it was easier to say 'Russia', than the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics or even the Soviet Union. Of course, saying the Soviet Union gave the impression that that whole territory was united. My niece once asked, "If they are the Soviet Union, why are they breaking up?"

But, I digress from my original thought. I was going to say that the Coalition of Communities of Color consider the Slavic people to be people of color.

https://www.coalitioncommunitiescolor.o ... ng-profile

And since I am Polish, and therefore a minority, I want to know how I can get into Harvard thru Affirmative Action.

I guess I should clarify that it wasn't my fellow 5th graders that I expected to know what Ukraine was. I didn't expect them to know. It was the teachers and other adult staff members that seemed to be confused by what Ukraine was. To me it really seemed like they were very uninformed. I think the Social Studies (geography/history) teachers were the only ones who seemed to be aware that the Soviet Union was made up of a bunch of republics which were now independent nations. I guess it was too much for me to expect the rest of the "educators" to know this?

I think many were probably aware at some level of the various republics that made up the Soviet Union, but probably knew only Russia as one of them, or perhaps one or two more like Armenia or one of the Baltic nations. Of course many were probably clueless as some still are. I might compare it to American’s knowledge of our nearest neighbors. Most know there are provinces in Canada and states in Mexico, but couldn’t name all of them or even how many there are. I know Canada because of my parents, but can’t name all 31 states in Mexico, though I know many. From memory, I’m thinking there were 15 republics in the former Soviet Union?

I don't know, but, should I care how many provinces there are in Canada or states in Mexico? Because I really don't. Unless I were to go to one of those places is the only reason that I would need to know. I know where Montreal is. But, that is only because of the best strip clubs in North America. Mexico? Zero interest.

[Chris109]

Okay guys, we are roaming far off the reservation, and I am as guilty as anyone, here and in other threads. So back to "In Jokes":

[Chris109]

Okay guys, we are roaming far off the reservation, and I am as guilty as anyone, here and in other threads. So back to "In Jokes":

These were sent to me by one of my spies -

1) On Arrested Development Barry Zuckerkorn (Henry Winkler) jumpes over a shark, a nod to Winkler's "The Fonz" jumping the shark while water skiing on Happy Days.
Which infamously did signal the series decline.

2) In an episode of The A Team the guys are in a studio in Hollywood. Face(Dirk Benedict) points to a Cylon from Battlestar Galactica as it walks by them. Dirk had earlier starred in that series.

3) On the series Numb3rs, Alan Eppes (Judd Hirsch of "Taxi" fame) turns on the TV and is greeted by the theme from Taxi, considered one of the finest series themes ever created.

And of Taxi, I do not know the episode, nor care, but in the show Who's the Boss, there was a bit where Tony Danza sat down to watch TV and the theme to Taxi came on and he said, "Ooo, I love this show."

[Chris109]

Okay guys, we are roaming far off the reservation, and I am as guilty as anyone, here and in other threads. So back to "In Jokes":

These were sent to me by one of my spies -

4) In Clint Eastwood's classic Dirty Harry(1971), Harry walks by a movie theater that is showing Play Misty For Me. Also in the movies beginning, the director of many a Eastwood flick,
Don Siegel, plays the bartender Murph.

Seeing that I've seen Dirty Harry many an umpteenth time, there was no bar scene in the movie. Looking up where Siegel was, he was just a pedestrian on the street. I hope you didn't pay your 'informant' for that info. If you did and he refuses to refund your money, tell him we're gonna take him behind the...



And, there is a small Magnum connection. Play Misty for Me's lead actress was Jessica Walter who played Joan Fulton in Novel Connection. But, I'm sure, we all knew that already.

[ZelenskyTheValiant (Ivan)]

I don't know, but, should I care how many provinces there are in Canada or states in Mexico?

You absolutely should! Who knows when you might find yourself stumbling across such a question while Jeopardy is on? Imagine the excitement when you go "ooooo...ooooo.... ooooo.... I know... I know!!!"

[ZelenskyTheValiant (Ivan)]

Seeing that I've seen Dirty Harry many an umpteenth time, there was no bar scene in the movie. Looking up where Siegel was, he was just a pedestrian on the street. I hope you didn't pay your 'informant' for that info. If you did and he refuses to refund your money, tell him we're gonna take him behind the...

Siegel played the bartender in PLAY MISTY, not DIRTY HARRY. It was a sort of favor of Clint's to give Siegel an acting role in Clint's directorial debut.

[Pahonu]

Seeing that I've seen Dirty Harry many an umpteenth time, there was no bar scene in the movie. Looking up where Siegel was, he was just a pedestrian on the street. I hope you didn't pay your 'informant' for that info. If you did and he refuses to refund your money, tell him we're gonna take him behind the...

Siegel played the bartender in PLAY MISTY, not DIRTY HARRY. It was a sort of favor of Clint's to give Siegel an acting role in Clint's directorial debut.

You beat me too it. Play Misty for Me is a favorite of mine and the cast is great… including Siegel as Murphy.

[Chris109]

Seeing that I've seen Dirty Harry many an umpteenth time, there was no bar scene in the movie. Looking up where Siegel was, he was just a pedestrian on the street. I hope you didn't pay your 'informant' for that info. If you did and he refuses to refund your money, tell him we're gonna take him behind the...

Siegel played the bartender in PLAY MISTY, not DIRTY HARRY. It was a sort of favor of Clint's to give Siegel an acting role in Clint's directorial debut.

Oh. I've only seen Misty once and that was 30+ years ago. I'm not one for stalker movies.

[Chris109]

I don't know, but, should I care how many provinces there are in Canada or states in Mexico?

You absolutely should! Who knows when you might find yourself stumbling across such a question while Jeopardy is on? Imagine the excitement when you go "ooooo...ooooo.... ooooo.... I know... I know!!!"

[Luther's nephew Dobie]

Okay guys, we are roaming far off the reservation, and I am as guilty as anyone, here and in other threads. So back to "In Jokes":

THANK you Chris.

[Luther's nephew Dobie]

Okay guys, we are roaming far off the reservation, and I am as guilty as anyone, here and in other threads. So back to "In Jokes":

These were sent to me by one of my spies -

4) In Clint Eastwood's classic Dirty Harry(1971), Harry walks by a movie theater that is showing Play Misty For Me. Also in the movies beginning, the director of many a Eastwood flick,
Don Siegel, plays the bartender Murph.

Seeing that I've seen Dirty Harry many an umpteenth time, there was no bar scene in the movie. Looking up where Siegel was, he was just a pedestrian on the street. I hope you didn't pay your 'informant' for that info. If you did and he refuses to refund your money, tell him we're gonna take him behind the...



And, there is a small Magnum connection. Play Misty for Me's lead actress was Jessica Walter who played Joan Fulton in Novel Connection. But, I'm sure, we all knew that already.

Good catch about Siegel, and I agree, let's give my poorly informed informant a tune up behind one of the joints on Hotel Street. I trust informed TV /movie aficionados like you guys,
I should have known better than to rely on an in-law.