Movies with the Knock-Out/Clothes Switch goodness

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

In response to real-ILX's Repo Man thread (and the fact that my girlfriend had never seen it) I rewatched RM last night and noticed that it contains one of my all-time favorite cliched movie devices: the scene where protagonists knock out unsuspecting bystanders and change clothes with them as to be incognito.

It seems like dozens of movies have this but I can't think of too many besides Repo Man (elevator scene), Blazing Saddles ("where the white women at?"), the Naked Gun ("Hey! It's Enrico Pallazzo!"), and Indiana Jones (switching clothes with Nazis).

Here's where you help me think of more.

― Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe (Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe), Saturday, 17 February 2007 23:11 (seventeen years ago) link

good question. it happens a lot with guards.

― a mediocre black-and-white cookie in a cellophane wrapper (hanks1ockli), Saturday, 17 February 2007 23:17 (seventeen years ago) link

dude this is like in every movie ever. and a lot of tv shows.

― Tyrone Slothrop (Tyrone Slothrop), Saturday, 17 February 2007 23:17 (seventeen years ago) link

which star wars do they put on the storm trooper uniforms? i remember feeling all funny about seeing leia with one one but without the helmet

― a mediocre black-and-white cookie in a cellophane wrapper (hanks1ockli), Saturday, 17 February 2007 23:18 (seventeen years ago) link

i believe that's the first one. luke knocks some dude out and goes in to save her.

― Jim Feeney (Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe), Saturday, 17 February 2007 23:20 (seventeen years ago) link

yeah, i had thought of star wars earlier but forgot to put it in the original post. george lucas digs it, i guess.

― Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe (Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe), Saturday, 17 February 2007 23:22 (seventeen years ago) link

Going a step beyond this, I'm kind of perpetually amazed by the whole dramatic use of "knocked out" as a light substitute for "dead." I think it's all a vast conspiracy, so that when the aliens who are observing us via film and television attack, they'll think all they need to do is knock people lightly over the head with stuff. And then we'll kick their asses.

― the pony-poop paradox (the pony-poop paradox), Sunday, 18 February 2007 00:14 (seventeen years ago) link

Do the Terminators count?

― PPlains (PPlains), Sunday, 18 February 2007 00:17 (seventeen years ago) link

Or Paul McCartney's grandfather?

― PPlains (PPlains), Sunday, 18 February 2007 00:18 (seventeen years ago) link

i'm also a big fan of the "running from someone and ducking inside a building where you change your clothes and get mistaken for a renowned surgeon/lecturer/person of importance" scenario. i wish EVERY movie had this scene. of course, this can happen when you knock someone out and steal their clothes too. the getting mistaken for someone else thing.

― scott seward (121212), Sunday, 18 February 2007 00:24 (seventeen years ago) link

austin powers has a classic gag with this

― and what (ooo), Sunday, 18 February 2007 00:28 (seventeen years ago) link

in re: how easy it seems to be to knock people out, i've always noticed that, too, but that's part of why i like it so much. it's always going to be funny how quickly people seem to be incapacitated instead of the real life scenario which would be much more "dude, wtf?"

also, blackjacks seem to be the ideal weapon of choice here. knocks motherfuckers RIGHT out.

― Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe (Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe), Sunday, 18 February 2007 00:37 (seventeen years ago) link

yeah, i had thought of star wars earlier but forgot to put it in the original post. george lucas digs it, i guess.

-- Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe (swinging.addi...), February 17th, 2007.

lucas in loving cliches SHOCKAH

― latebloomer's goddamn throat is on fire (clonefeed), Sunday, 18 February 2007 01:12 (seventeen years ago) link

if i get hit in the head with something so hard that it smashes (eg ceramic plant pot) then i hope it does knock me out, becuase otherwise it'll hurt like fuck.

― Slump Man (Slumpman), Sunday, 18 February 2007 01:19 (seventeen years ago) link

Apparently a couple of pool balls in a sock don't knock you out tho.

http://www.theprisonfilmproject.com/images/interactive/oer/scum/scumlarge.jpg

― It's Expected I'm Maud Gonne (Modal Fugue), Sunday, 18 February 2007 01:20 (seventeen years ago) link

http://pentaclerecords.net/darien3/oz_disguised_1.jpg

― bill sackter (bill sackter), Sunday, 18 February 2007 01:27 (seventeen years ago) link

LOVE AND DEATH

― a_p (a_p), Sunday, 18 February 2007 01:44 (seventeen years ago) link

any of the versions of Invasion of the Body Snatchers

― latebloomer's goddamn throat is on fire (clonefeed), Sunday, 18 February 2007 01:47 (seventeen years ago) link

this one goes way beyond "knock-out"
http://members.aol.com/harlowgold/braddavis/midnightexpress/images/cap060.jpg

― bill sackter (bill sackter), Sunday, 18 February 2007 02:02 (seventeen years ago) link

In Armed and Dangerous John Candy and Eugene Levy knock out and switch clothes with a drag queen and a leather man in a porn shop.

― Marmot (marmotwolof), Sunday, 18 February 2007 06:40 (seventeen years ago) link

Father Ted where the bad guy switches clothes with a priest - except the bad guy is already a priest. "Why did you switch clothes? You're a priest!" "Ah it's just the way things were going."

― ledge (ledge), Sunday, 18 February 2007 10:02 (seventeen years ago) link

Taking to too far

http://www.recommendedbuys.co.uk/images/face-off.gif

― onimo (nu_onimo), Sunday, 18 February 2007 11:16 (seventeen years ago) link

if i get hit in the head with something so hard that it smashes (eg ceramic plant pot) then i hope it does knock me out, becuase otherwise it'll hurt like fuck.

Speaking pedantically here, it's better for you if the thing you're hit with breaks, because that means it absorbed more of the force of the blow. Also, even if it does ko yez, it'll hurt when you wake up anyway.

Back on topic, Tom Cruise does this with foam rubber masks in the Mission Impossible movies.

― a bulldog fed a cookie shaped like a kitten (austin), Sunday, 18 February 2007 13:42 (seventeen years ago) link

Silence of the Lambs

― will (will), Sunday, 18 February 2007 17:36 (seventeen years ago) link

Also, even if it does ko yez, it'll hurt when you wake up anyway.

I'd sleep thru a lot of it though so it would be better. Although i would lose my clothes i guess.

― Slump Man (Slumpman), Sunday, 18 February 2007 18:39 (seventeen years ago) link

Did James Bond ever do this? It seems like he must have, but I can't think of a specific example.

― Marmot (marmotwolof), Sunday, 18 February 2007 21:19 (seventeen years ago) link

Dr. No, I'm almost sure of it.

― a bulldog fed a cookie shaped like a kitten (austin), Sunday, 18 February 2007 21:29 (seventeen years ago) link

I like the 8 million Family Guy gags on this. Especially the one where Peter then knocks out a guy wearing his normal clothes and changes back.

― the pony-poop paradox (the pony-poop paradox), Monday, 19 February 2007 06:40 (seventeen years ago) link

Simpsons did a decent gag on this didn't they

― Ste (fuzzy), Monday, 19 February 2007 10:22 (seventeen years ago) link

twice

― Ste (fuzzy), Monday, 19 February 2007 10:22 (seventeen years ago) link

Silence of the Lambs

― Ste (fuzzy), Monday, 19 February 2007 10:34 (seventeen years ago) link

"Back on topic, Tom Cruise does this with foam rubber masks in the Mission Impossible movies."

Tom acts with the emotional range of a foam rubber mask at the best of times, so that disguise would be foolproof.

This happened fairly regularly on Get Smart as I remember.

― Fred Nerk (Fred Nerk), Monday, 19 February 2007 10:40 (seventeen years ago) link

That Father Ted episode was the first thing I thought of when I saw this thread!

― Colonel Poo (Colonel Poo), Monday, 19 February 2007 10:42 (seventeen years ago) link

In 24, Jack does his fair share of 'knocking out' innocent people. Not sure if he wore any of their clothes though.

― Ste (fuzzy), Monday, 19 February 2007 11:29 (seventeen years ago) link

Emma Peel to thread!!!!

― Venga1 (Venga1), Monday, 19 February 2007 11:47 (seventeen years ago) link

Castle of Cagliostro has the only underwater clothes switcheroo I can think of.

― nklshs (nklshs), Monday, 19 February 2007 14:35 (seventeen years ago) link

http://www.brightlightsfilm.com/46/46_images/algiersrunning.jpg

Beating up women for their clothes and then making your getaway in drag is always a laff riot, as demonstrated by Gillo Pontecorvo in his 1966 screwball comedy caper, The Battle for Al's Shears?!?

― iiiijjjj (iiiijjjj), Monday, 19 February 2007 19:49 (seventeen years ago) link

that wasn't funny

― iiiijjjj (iiiijjjj), Monday, 19 February 2007 19:52 (seventeen years ago) link

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.