Re: German butler censored in 'Crusade'?

Posted by Indy's Girl from spider-wb062.proxy.aol.com on April 09, 2000 at 19:38:36:

In Reply to: German butler censored in 'Crusade'? posted by Martin Q. Blank on April 09, 2000 at 18:27:28:

: Apologies if this has been covered before, but...

: In 'Crusade' when Indy is posing as a Scottish guy who wants to see the tapestries, the German butler says something like 'If you're Scottish, I'm Mickey Mouse.' But as I recall the movie cuts to the back of his head as he says 'Mickey Mouse,' a very awkward cut. It seemed to me at the time that he was saying something else that had been dubbed over. Sure enough, in the novelization the butler says "...I'm Jesse Owens."

: Just wondering if anyone knew the scoop on this. It is a racist joke, but it seems appropriate for a Nazi butler to say it, since he would be a racist. (especially since Jesse Owens had made the Germans look so bad in the Olympics) Do you think that (a) Spielberg et al. simply didn't think the younger members of the audience would even get the reference, or (b) it was decided to delete a joke that could cause controversy?

: As it stands in the movie Indy just seems to punch the guy to get him out of the way, but if the Jesse Owens line had been left in, there would've been another reason: "He's in my way AND he just made a racist joke."

I have noticed that in the novel they say "Jesse Owens". I never knew why they would say that in the book and not in the movie. Probably the answer to your question is a little of a and b. I guess that would make sense for them to take that out.

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: : Apologies if this has been covered before, but...

: : In 'Crusade' when Indy is posing as a Scottish guy who wants to see the tapestries, the German butler says something like 'If you're Scottish, I'm Mickey Mouse.' But as I recall the movie cuts to the back of his head as he says 'Mickey Mouse,' a very awkward cut. It seemed to me at the time that he was saying something else that had been dubbed over. Sure enough, in the novelization the butler says "...I'm Jesse Owens."

: : Just wondering if anyone knew the scoop on this. It is a racist joke, but it seems appropriate for a Nazi butler to say it, since he would be a racist. (especially since Jesse Owens had made the Germans look so bad in the Olympics) Do you think that (a) Spielberg et al. simply didn't think the younger members of the audience would even get the reference, or (b) it was decided to delete a joke that could cause controversy?

: : As it stands in the movie Indy just seems to punch the guy to get him out of the way, but if the Jesse Owens line had been left in, there would've been another reason: "He's in my way AND he just made a racist joke."

: I have noticed that in the novel they say "Jesse Owens".  I never knew why they would say that in the book and not in the movie.  Probably the answer to your question is a little of a and b.  I guess that would make sense for them to take that out.

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