Swordfish (password)
Encyclopedia
The use of the word "Swordfish" refers to a password
which originated in the 1932 Marx Brothers
movie Horse Feathers
. The password has since been used in films, TV series, books and videogames.
movie Horse Feathers
in a scene where Groucho Marx
, as Professor Wagstaff, attempts to gain access to a speakeasy
guarded by Baravelli (Chico). The original dialogue occurred as follows:
Harpo Marx
("Pinky"), whose characters operated only in pantomime, is still able to get into the speakeasy by pulling a fish and a small sword out of his trench coat and showing them to the doorman.
Episode Password: Swordfish, the Terry Pratchett
novel Night Watch, The Mad Men
episode "Six Month Leave", the book The Sword of the Samurai Cat
, the movie Meet the Applegates
, the movie Arena
, the computer games Discworld
, Return to Zork
and Quest for Glory
, a Commodore 64
computer game Impossible Mission
, and the online game Kingdom of Loathing
as part of the quest for the Holy Macguffin. In the premiere episode of the television show Sam & Max
, a character says "What's the password...? And if you say 'Swordfish' I'll lose it!", and in the later video game Sam & Max Season One, in a scene during the third episode where the player is given a dialogue selection to guess random passwords, one of the passwords guessed is swordfish.
The password "Swordfish" was also used in...
"Swordfish" is also used as a name in the P. G. Wodehouse
novel How Right You Are, Jeeves. In the story, a recurring Wodehouse character named Sir Roderick Glossop
poses as a butler in order to secretly determine the sanity of another character. The various residents in the pastoral manor take to calling Glossop "Swordfish".
In the TV sitcom Night Court, judge Harry, disillusioned about his life, goes into an It's a Wonderful Life
dream and in the secret club in the courthouse basement, Moose gains entrance by saying "Swordfish".
In the TV sitcom "Too Close for Comfort" the Marx Bros film and password "Swordfish" is mentioned.
This reference was also used in the Disney Show Recess
, as a password to get into a performing arts club.
In the ninth episode of the second season of the AMC show Mad Men, Roger Sterling jokes about the password for an illegal casino in New York being "swordfish".
In the second season episode "That Old Gang of Mine" of the TV series Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman
, Lois Lane and Clark Kent enter a secret gambling parlor. Lois tries naming several passwords, including "Swordfish" to the parlor's doorman, but none worked. The doorman said he had seen the Marx Brother's movie and sarcastically said it was a nice try. Clark interjects and says, "the fat lady sings", the correct password which he overheard when a previous person tried to get in.
Password
A password is a secret word or string of characters that is used for authentication, to prove identity or gain access to a resource . The password should be kept secret from those not allowed access....
which originated in the 1932 Marx Brothers
Marx Brothers
The Marx Brothers were an American family comedy act, originally from New York City, that enjoyed success in Vaudeville, Broadway, and motion pictures from the early 1900s to around 1950...
movie Horse Feathers
Horse Feathers
Horse Feathers is a Marx Brothers film comedy. It stars the four Marx Brothers and Thelma Todd. It was written by Bert Kalmar, Harry Ruby, S. J. Perelman, and Will B. Johnstone. Kalmar and Ruby also wrote some of the original music for the film...
. The password has since been used in films, TV series, books and videogames.
Original apparition
The password "Swordfish" was first used in the 1932 Marx BrothersMarx Brothers
The Marx Brothers were an American family comedy act, originally from New York City, that enjoyed success in Vaudeville, Broadway, and motion pictures from the early 1900s to around 1950...
movie Horse Feathers
Horse Feathers
Horse Feathers is a Marx Brothers film comedy. It stars the four Marx Brothers and Thelma Todd. It was written by Bert Kalmar, Harry Ruby, S. J. Perelman, and Will B. Johnstone. Kalmar and Ruby also wrote some of the original music for the film...
in a scene where Groucho Marx
Groucho Marx
Julius Henry "Groucho" Marx was an American comedian and film star famed as a master of wit. His rapid-fire delivery of innuendo-laden patter earned him many admirers. He made 13 feature films with his siblings the Marx Brothers, of whom he was the third-born...
, as Professor Wagstaff, attempts to gain access to a speakeasy
Speakeasy
A speakeasy, also called a blind pig or blind tiger, is an establishment that illegally sells alcoholic beverages. Such establishments came into prominence in the United States during the period known as Prohibition...
guarded by Baravelli (Chico). The original dialogue occurred as follows:
- Baravelli: ...you can't come in unless you give the password.
- Professor Wagstaff: Well, what is the password?
- Baravelli: Aw, no. You gotta tell me. Hey, I tell what I do. I give you three guesses. It's the name of a fish.
- Professor Wagstaff: Is it "Mary?"
- Baravelli: [laughing] 'At's-a no fish!
- Professor Wagstaff: She isn't? Well, she drinks like one! ...Let me see... Is it "Sturgeon"?
- Baravelli: Aw, you-a craze. A "sturgeon", he's a doctor cuts you open when-a you sick. Now I give you one more chance.
- Wagstaff: I got it! "Haddock".
- Baravelli: 'At's a-funny, I got a "haddock" too.
- Wagstaff: What do you take for a "haddock"?
- Baravelli: Sometimes I take an aspirin, sometimes I take a calomel.
- Wagstaff: Y'know, I'd walk a mile for a calomel.
- Baravelli: You mean chocolate calomel? I like-a that too, but you no guess it. [Slams door. Wagstaff knocks again. Baravelli opens peephole again.] Hey, what's-a matter, you no understand English? You can't come in here unless you say, "Swordfish." Now I'll give you one more guess.
- Professor Wagstaff: ...swordfish, swordfish... I think I got it. Is it "swordfish"?
- Baravelli: Hah. That's-a it. I guess it.
- Professor Wagstaff: Pretty good, eh?
Harpo Marx
Harpo Marx
Adolph "Harpo" Marx was an American comedian and film star. He was the second oldest of the Marx Brothers. His comic style was influenced by clown and pantomime traditions. He wore a curly reddish wig, and never spoke during performances...
("Pinky"), whose characters operated only in pantomime, is still able to get into the speakeasy by pulling a fish and a small sword out of his trench coat and showing them to the doorman.
Uses in other works
It was referenced in the movie Swordfish, the Robot ChickenRobot Chicken
Robot Chicken is an American stop motion animated television series created and executive produced by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich along with co-head writers Douglas Goldstein and Tom Root. Green provides many voices for the show...
Episode Password: Swordfish, the Terry Pratchett
Terry Pratchett
Sir Terence David John "Terry" Pratchett, OBE is an English novelist, known for his frequently comical work in the fantasy genre. He is best known for his popular and long-running Discworld series of comic fantasy novels...
novel Night Watch, The Mad Men
Mad Men
Mad Men is an American dramatic television series created and produced by Matthew Weiner. The series premiered on Sunday evenings on the American cable network AMC and are produced by Lionsgate Television. It premiered on July 19, 2007, and completed its fourth season on October 17, 2010. Each...
episode "Six Month Leave", the book The Sword of the Samurai Cat
Samurai Cat
Samurai Cat is the main character in a series of books by Mark Rogers. To accompany the anachronistic satire, almost every page in each book has a picture painted by Rogers, depicting the events described on that page. Each chapter is a bizarre parody of some historical or pop culture event, but...
, the movie Meet the Applegates
Meet the Applegates
Meet the Applegates is a 1990 American black comedy film directed by Michael Lehmann. It was filmed in 1989, but not released until 1991. The movie takes a dark, satirical look at the end of the world, nuclear holocausts, alienism and terrorism. Meet the Applegates was filmed in Oshkosh and Neenah,...
, the movie Arena
Arena (1989 film)
Arena is an American science fiction film directed by Peter Manoogian and starring Paul Satterfield and Claudia Christian. Set in 4038, Satterfield plays Steve Armstrong, the first human in 50 years to compete in the intergalactic boxing sport called simply "The Arena"...
, the computer games Discworld
Discworld (computer game)
Discworld, also known as Discworld: The Trouble With Dragons during its development, is a point-and-click adventure game developed by Teeny Weeny Games and Perfect 10 Productions in mid-1995. It stars Rincewind the Wizard and is set on Terry Pratchett's Discworld...
, Return to Zork
Return to Zork
Return to Zork is a 1993 adventure game in the Zork series. It was developed by Activision and was the final Zork game to be published under the Infocom label.-Gameplay:...
and Quest for Glory
Quest for Glory
Quest for Glory is a series of hybrid role-playing/adventure computer games designed by Corey and Lori Ann Cole. The series combined humor, puzzle elements, themes and characters borrowed from various legends, puns, and memorable characters, creating a 5-part series of the Sierra stable.Although...
, a Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
computer game Impossible Mission
Impossible Mission
Impossible Mission is a platform computer game for several home computers. The original version for the Commodore 64 was programmed by Dennis Caswell and published by Epyx in 1984.-Description:...
, and the online game Kingdom of Loathing
Kingdom of Loathing
Kingdom of Loathing is a browser-based, multiplayer role-playing game designed and operated by Asymmetric Publications, including creator Zack "Jick" Johnson and writer Josh "Mr. Skullhead" Nite. The game was released in 2003...
as part of the quest for the Holy Macguffin. In the premiere episode of the television show Sam & Max
Sam & Max
Sam & Max is a media franchise focusing on the fictional characters of Sam and Max, the Freelance Police. The characters, who occupy a universe that parodies American popular culture, were created by Steve Purcell in his youth, and later debuted in a 1987 comic book series...
, a character says "What's the password...? And if you say 'Swordfish' I'll lose it!", and in the later video game Sam & Max Season One, in a scene during the third episode where the player is given a dialogue selection to guess random passwords, one of the passwords guessed is swordfish.
The password "Swordfish" was also used in...
- Flaming Carrot
- ArenaArena (1989 film)Arena is an American science fiction film directed by Peter Manoogian and starring Paul Satterfield and Claudia Christian. Set in 4038, Satterfield plays Steve Armstrong, the first human in 50 years to compete in the intergalactic boxing sport called simply "The Arena"...
(1989) - HackersHackers (film)Hackers is a 1995 American thriller film directed by Iain Softley and starring Angelina Jolie, Jonny Lee Miller, Renoly Santiago, Matthew Lillard, Lorraine Bracco and Fisher Stevens...
(1995) - The Net (1995)
- SwordfishSwordfish (film)Swordfish is a 2001 crime-thriller film, directed by Dominic Sena and starring John Travolta, Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Don Cheadle and Vinnie Jones. The film is an action thriller that was also notable for Halle Berry's first topless scene...
(2001) - Return to ZorkReturn to ZorkReturn to Zork is a 1993 adventure game in the Zork series. It was developed by Activision and was the final Zork game to be published under the Infocom label.-Gameplay:...
(1993) - Meet the ApplegatesMeet the ApplegatesMeet the Applegates is a 1990 American black comedy film directed by Michael Lehmann. It was filmed in 1989, but not released until 1991. The movie takes a dark, satirical look at the end of the world, nuclear holocausts, alienism and terrorism. Meet the Applegates was filmed in Oshkosh and Neenah,...
(1991) - Enter the MatrixEnter the MatrixEnter the Matrix is the first video game based on The Matrix series of films. It was developed by Shiny Entertainment and published by Atari and WB Interactive for the PlayStation 2, Xbox and Nintendo GameCube game systems, and for the PC. It was published in Japan by Bandai...
(2003)
"Swordfish" is also used as a name in the P. G. Wodehouse
P. G. Wodehouse
Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse, KBE was an English humorist, whose body of work includes novels, short stories, plays, poems, song lyrics, and numerous pieces of journalism. He enjoyed enormous popular success during a career that lasted more than seventy years and his many writings continue to be...
novel How Right You Are, Jeeves. In the story, a recurring Wodehouse character named Sir Roderick Glossop
Roderick Glossop
Sir Roderick Glossop is a recurring fictional character in the comic novels of P. G. Wodehouse.Sometimes referred to as "the noted nerve specialist" or "the loony doctor", he is the most famous practitioner of psychiatry in Wodehouse's works, appearing in several Wooster-Jeeves stories and one...
poses as a butler in order to secretly determine the sanity of another character. The various residents in the pastoral manor take to calling Glossop "Swordfish".
In the TV sitcom Night Court, judge Harry, disillusioned about his life, goes into an It's a Wonderful Life
It's a Wonderful Life
It's a Wonderful Life is a 1946 American Christmas drama film produced and directed by Frank Capra and based on the short story "The Greatest Gift" written by Philip Van Doren Stern....
dream and in the secret club in the courthouse basement, Moose gains entrance by saying "Swordfish".
In the TV sitcom "Too Close for Comfort" the Marx Bros film and password "Swordfish" is mentioned.
This reference was also used in the Disney Show Recess
Recess (TV series)
Recess is an American animated television series created by Paul Germain and Joe Ansolabehere and produced by Walt Disney Television Animation. The series focuses on six elementary school students and their interaction with other classmates and teachers...
, as a password to get into a performing arts club.
In the ninth episode of the second season of the AMC show Mad Men, Roger Sterling jokes about the password for an illegal casino in New York being "swordfish".
In the second season episode "That Old Gang of Mine" of the TV series Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman
Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman
Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman was a live-action American television series based on the Superman comic books...
, Lois Lane and Clark Kent enter a secret gambling parlor. Lois tries naming several passwords, including "Swordfish" to the parlor's doorman, but none worked. The doorman said he had seen the Marx Brother's movie and sarcastically said it was a nice try. Clark interjects and says, "the fat lady sings", the correct password which he overheard when a previous person tried to get in.