Ubu Productions

Ubu Productions, Inc., is an independent production company founded in 1982 by television producer Gary David Goldberg. Ubu's notable productions include Family Ties (1982–1989), Brooklyn Bridge (1991–1993), and Spin City (1996–2002).[1][2]

Not to be confused with Ubu Films.

Ubu co-produced many of its shows with Paramount Television and in later years, DreamWorks Television.[2]

Mascot dog

Ubu's mascot is Goldberg's dog Ubu Roi, a black labrador retriever which he had in college and subsequently traveled the world with. The closing tag for Ubu Productions is a photograph of Ubu Roi with a frisbee in his mouth, taken in the Tuileries Garden close to the Louvre Museum in Paris. Along with the picture is Goldberg's voice saying "Sit, Ubu, sit! Good dog!", followed by the sound of a bark. The dog was named after Alfred Jarry's 1896 play Ubu Roi, considered a precursor to the Theatre of the Absurd. Ubu the dog died in 1984.

The sequence was frequently referenced and parodied in pop culture.

  • Goldberg's autobiography is titled Sit, Ubu, Sit: How I Went from Brooklyn to Hollywood with the Same Woman, the Same Dog, and a Lot Less Hair.
  • A question in the 1987 Disney version of Trivial Pursuit asked "What three words were spoken post-credits after every episode of Family Ties?" Answer: "Sit Ubu, sit."
  • A 1988 issue of Mad magazine which skewered demographics had "The Typical Audience" which divided expected viewership of TV shows. One was "The Typical Family Ties Audience", split along such groups as "25%: DINKYs looking for reasons to stay childless" and "2%: Ubu devotees".
  • At the close of the Colby's Clubhouse episode "Willing for Forgiveness" (i.e. following the closing credits), a cast member says the line "Sit, froggy, sit! Good frog", followed by the sound of a frog croaking.
  • In one after-credits scene in Animaniacs, the Warners come out from the water tower with their hands folded to say "Sit, Ubu, sit!"
  • In the Robot Chicken episode "Easter Basket", a character voiced by Seth Green says the line "Sit, Ubu, sit! Bad dog", followed by the sound of a gunshot and a dog whimper.[3]
  • In the "Brian Goes Back to College" episode of the animated TV series Family Guy, Peter and his friends enter a "Best Costume" contest at an 80's Television Convention dressed as The A-Team. A sign at the convention says that it is "In Loving Memory of Ubu".
  • In the animated series Batman: The Brave and the Bold, during the episode "Sidekicks Assemmble!" Robin knocks out Ra's al Ghul's right-hand man "Ubu" then says "Sit, Ubu, sit!"
  • In the 2010 Psych episode "Yang 3 in 2D," Mena Suvari's character says, "Sit, Ubu, sit!" as she's holding two other characters at gunpoint.[4]
  • In the Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary episode, during Weekend Update, Edward Norton is mimicking Bill Hader's character "Stefon" and makes a reference by saying the party won't stop until you hear "Sit, Ubu, sit. Good dog!"
  • In the BoJack Horseman episode "The Telescope", BoJack and Charlotte spot "Ubu, the dog that sits" at a party, to which Herb remarks "He is a good dog". Ubu's bark can be heard after the remark. In the episode "Prickly-Muffin", BoJack finishes his end credits fantasy with the phrase (and the bark).
  • In the Supernatural episode "Lebanon", while torturing Sam for information, the angel Zachariah taunts him by saying "Speak, Ubu, speak".

References
  1. "Gary David Goldberg '66 dies at age 68". Brandeis University. 2013-06-24.
  2. "Gary David Goldberg Biography". 2008. Archived from the original on 2017-09-17.
  3. "Robot Chicken: Easter Basket". TV.com. Retrieved 2019-07-07.
  4. Damski, Mel (2010-12-22), Yang 3 in 2D, retrieved 2016-03-22
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.