The "Peter Gunn"/"Happy Days" Connection? - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Wet Water · 01-30-2010, 11:17 AM

One of the episodes of "Happy Days" that stuck in my mind was the one where Richie and the gang encountered some Beatniks. One of them read a ridiculous poem: "Hey little boy, With your nose pressed up against the Bakery window, There ARE no jelly doughnuts for you today ... Only death!"

Well, I was watching an old "Peter Gunn" from 1958. Gunn is at a Beatnik club, and there's a guy reading a longer work whose words include (in order) "nose pressed up against the window", "no jelly doughnuts" and "only death".

Was "Happy Days" doing a knowing allusion to "Peter Gunn"? Has anybody ever noticed this before?

I just did a little internet sleuthing, and it seems that the No Jellydoughnuts poem may be the work of a "beat" named Joe Gould, who liked to compose ridiculous poems to mock the serious people attending poetry readings.

I wonder if this is the first time any of this has been pointed out.

anglemark10 · 01-30-2010, 12:12 PM

It could very well be the first. I've never seen it anywhere. Good observation!

01-30-2010, 11:17 AM	#1
Wet Water Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Jan 30, 2010 Location: Places Posts: 28	The "Peter Gunn"/"Happy Days" Connection? One of the episodes of "Happy Days" that stuck in my mind was the one where Richie and the gang encountered some Beatniks. One of them read a ridiculous poem: "Hey little boy, With your nose pressed up against the Bakery window, There ARE no jelly doughnuts for you today ... Only death!" Well, I was watching an old "Peter Gunn" from 1958. Gunn is at a Beatnik club, and there's a guy reading a longer work whose words include (in order) "nose pressed up against the window", "no jelly doughnuts" and "only death". Was "Happy Days" doing a knowing allusion to "Peter Gunn"? Has anybody ever noticed this before? I just did a little internet sleuthing, and it seems that the No Jellydoughnuts poem may be the work of a "beat" named Joe Gould, who liked to compose ridiculous poems to mock the serious people attending poetry readings. I wonder if this is the first time any of this has been pointed out.

01-30-2010, 12:12 PM	#2
anglemark10 Member Forum Regular Join Date: May 06, 2004 Location: United States Posts: 787	It could very well be the first. I've never seen it anywhere. Good observation!