Last week, lawyer friend Steve sent along this link: gethimabodybag.ytmnd.com. Fans of "The Karate Kid" will appreciate its singular function.
This past weekend, "First Blood" made the rounds on Spike TV. It is perhaps Stallone's best work in a non-"Rocky" environment. More importantly, it gave us Richard Crenna as Col. Samuel Trautman, one of the most underrated characters in 1980s movie history.
What are the odds that two separate incidents involving use the use of the word "body bag" in 1980s movies would show up within 48 hours of each other? Very slim, indeed, which is why I had no choice but to compare the two in Old School Tuesday.
It's such a tough debate. It's a very random word to use, especially in the early and mid-1980s when every show on television wasn't some version "Law & Order" or "CSI." Seriously, who else but a medical examiner or CSU worker would even think to say that word in a sentence on camera?
Of course, everyone knows and remembers "The Karate Kid" scene, where a gimpy-kneed Daniel La Russo (Lately, I've been wondering if it was an ACL tear or just a meniscus issue) guts out the win against nemesis Johnny Lawrence while Cobra Kai guy Tommy screams "Get him a body bag!" You can see that at the 28-second mark of the video below.
But Col. Trautman's usage requires a bit more background. He shows up to explain to the local Hope Sheriff Will Teasle (Brian Dennehy) that he should let John Rambo go peacefully instead of risking further death and destruction to his police force. The exchange is brilliant and begins at the 37-second mark of the clip below.
Trautman: "You want a war you can't win?"
Teasle: "Are you telling me that 200 of our men against your boy is a no-win situation for us?"
Trautman: "You send that many, don't forget one thing."
Teasle: "What?"
Trautman: "A good supply of body bags."
Before I started typing this, I wasn't sure which way I was going to vote when I posted the link to our poll. Now, after studying both clips, it's clear Col. Trautman wins this silly little debate.