Bridge references are one of my favorite things, especially where in unlikely places. I’ve always found the background noise of a running television or radio to be comforting – and every time I hear a bridge term, I’ll stop and look why. (It deserves a thanks to everyone who has been working these references into their art, too, of course!)
Here are some bridge references from TV and movies recently spotted.
The Simpsons – Season 10, Episode 1
The first thing most viewers of a certain age remembers from seeing The Simpsons aired in the 90s was getting the show banned by their parents for the pentagram-laden Treehouse of Horrors episode. There was also this episode, entitled Lard of the Dance (1998), where Homer digs into Marge’s bacon meant for her bridge game.
Homer might have done her a favor; bacon grease and card decks aren’t a great mix.
The Simpsons – Season 22 Episode 3
MoneyBart is from a much later season with a couch gag credited to Banksy and Bart’s iconic board script emphasising the importance of not “writing on walls.”
In this one, an impressive Ivy League representative visits the school – and is unimpressed when Lisa says that she’s part of two clubs. “Two clubs? That’s a bridge bid, not an Ivy league application!”
Heh.
Stargate Universe – Season 1, Episode 12
Fans of the Stargate Universe series should appreciate this discussion to “Volker and his bridge club” in the episode called Divided. Since Stargate is set so far in the future, we can assume that Elon Musk (eventually) takes up the offer of bridge in space and things just kind of progress from there.
How I Met Your Mother – Season 4, Episode 17
In this episode called The Front Porch, a brief visualisation shows the crowd playing a game of bridge on the porch in their futures. Of course, they’re still friends – and at some point, they must have discovered the game. (Maybe it’s Ted’s wife who finally introduced them all. Just a theory.)
Smallville – Season 3, Episode 6
Aired in 2003, Relic mentions that “Dex hates to miss his bridge game.”
Dex refers to Dexter McCallum, Lana’s uncle.
In Plain Sight – Season 2, Episode 7
In Plain Sight was a great procedural TV show – and I’m referring to the American version.
This episode is entitled “Duplicate Bridge” – and yes, it happens to be a pun.
2 ½ Men – Season 1 Episode 22
Apparently this episode got the title of “My Doctor Has a Cow Puppet” and contains the following dialogue bit about bridge…
– Got it. So, sexual release cured his sleepwalking?
– Seemed to. Of course, there was a brief time when the two overlapped.
– I recall an incredibly awkward bridge game. I had Seven No Trump and he just walked in
Well…
Titanic
In the famed Titanic movie, you’ll hear the line, “Come on, let’s get back to our bridge game.”
It’s the exact scene where the boat is called unsinkable before it proves to be the opposite.
The 1953 movie also contains a reference in another form: “How’s topside? Is that bridge game still going on?”
DuckTales: The Billionaire Beagle Boys Club
The Billionaire Beagle Boys Club is a DuckTales classic many might still have in their collections.
Scrooge gets arrested – for trespassing, theft and interrupting a bridge game.
North by Northwest (1959)
North by Northwest is a 1959 movie with the following quote:
“I’ll be late for the bridge club.”
“Good. You’ll lose less than usual.”
Obviously filmed back when you could still say things like this…
The Skeleton Key (2005)
The Skeleton Key is a 2005 historically-set horror movie that was exactly what you’d expect it to be from the cover art, and still great for horror movie marathons everywhere. Of course, it contains the following quote: “No knitting, no joining a bridge club and no playing bingo.”