Hello Nurse (vaudeville)
Encyclopedia
"Hello, nurse!" was a popular catcall used during the heyday of vaudeville
. One of many running gag
s used in many vaudeville shows was the appearance of a voluptuous, suggestively-dressed woman wearing a nurse's uniform. Upon her appearance, the main characters in the vaudeville sketch would call out, "Hello, NURSE!" This phrase is also the basis for the wolf whistle used in the United States
and other countries to suggest that a pretty girl has entered the room.
, the catcall is a favorite catchphrase of The Warner Brothers
and sometimes their sister Dot. A minor character, Hello Nurse, is not only a frequent target of the call, but also named after it.
The catchphrase was later used in the British
film Valiant
, when Ricky Gervais
' character enters a medical hut.
The Xbox 360 game Vanquish includes an achievement "Helloooo nurse!", awarded to players for reviving 10 marines throughout the course of the game.
]
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
. One of many running gag
Running gag
A running gag, or running joke, is a literary device that takes the form of an amusing joke or a comical reference and appears repeatedly throughout a work of literature or other form of storytelling....
s used in many vaudeville shows was the appearance of a voluptuous, suggestively-dressed woman wearing a nurse's uniform. Upon her appearance, the main characters in the vaudeville sketch would call out, "Hello, NURSE!" This phrase is also the basis for the wolf whistle used in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and other countries to suggest that a pretty girl has entered the room.
Contemporary usage
In the animation AnimaniacsAnimaniacs
Steven Spielberg Presents Animaniacs, usually referred to as simply Animaniacs, is an American animated series, distributed by Warner Bros. Television and produced by Amblin Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation. The cartoon was the second animated series produced by the collaboration of Steven...
, the catcall is a favorite catchphrase of The Warner Brothers
Yakko, Wakko, and Dot
Yakko, Wakko and Dot Warner, also known as "The Warner Brothers " or "The Warner Siblings", or just simply "The Warners", are the three titular cartoon characters featured on the animated series Animaniacs. The trio of red-nosed Warner siblings were considered to be the stars of the ensemble of...
and sometimes their sister Dot. A minor character, Hello Nurse, is not only a frequent target of the call, but also named after it.
The catchphrase was later used in the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
film Valiant
Valiant (film)
Valiant is a 2005 British computer-animated film produced by Vanguard Animation and Odyssey Entertainment, and released by Entertainment Film Distributors in the United Kingdom on March 25 2005 and by Walt Disney Pictures in the United States on August 19 2005. Set in May of the year 1944, it tells...
, when Ricky Gervais
Ricky Gervais
Ricky Dene Gervais is an English comedian, actor, director, radio presenter, producer, musician, and writer.Gervais achieved mainstream fame with his television series The Office and the subsequent series Extras, both of which he co-wrote and co-directed with friend and frequent collaborator...
' character enters a medical hut.
The Xbox 360 game Vanquish includes an achievement "Helloooo nurse!", awarded to players for reviving 10 marines throughout the course of the game.
External links
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/HelloNurseHello Nurse at TV TropesTV Tropes
TV Tropes is a wiki which collects and expands on various conventions and devices found within creative works. Since its establishment in 2004, the site has gone from covering only television and film tropes to also covering those in a number of other media such as literature, comics, video-games,...
]