Parody
Lemmon's portrayal of Shelley Levene was a major source of inspiration in the creation of the recurring The Simpsons character Gil Gunderson. The character had a Simpsons' Christmas Special episode dedicated to him in "Kill Gil, Volumes I & II". The character borrows many of the twitchy, nervous mannerisms of the Lemmon character, and is often portrayed in a desperate situation as an unsuccessful salesman.
Alec Baldwin spoofed his role as Blake during a skit on an episode of Saturday Night Live in December 2005. Baldwin played the role of "Winter's Breath", an Elf sent by Santa to a toy workshop. The Elves that work in the workshop have inadequate tools to build toys with, and have begun complaining. Baldwin attempts to motivate them with a contest in which first prize is "A shiny new toboggan", second prize is a box of candy canes, and "third prize is you're fired". He tells the elves that "Santa paid good money for your tools" and they should "Always Be Cobbling" (Which he reads as "Always Be Closing" the first time). He then teases the elves by showing off brand new Glengarry-brand power tools.
Read more about this topic: Coffee's For Closers
Famous quotes containing the word parody:
“Pushkin’s composition is first of all and above all a phenomenon of style, and it is from this flowered rim that I have surveyed its seep of Arcadian country, the serpentine gleam of its imported brooks, the miniature blizzards imprisoned in round crystal, and the many-hued levels of literary parody blending in the melting distance.”
—Vladimir Nabokov (1899–1977)
“The parody is the last refuge of the frustrated writer. Parodies are what you write when you are associate editor of the Harvard Lampoon. The greater the work of literature, the easier the parody. The step up from writing parodies is writing on the wall above the urinal.”
—Ernest Hemingway (1899–1961)
“Satire is a lesson, parody is a game.”
—Vladimir Nabokov (1899–1977)