Anita Bryant - Cultural References

Cultural References

Bryant's public persona has led to her being referred to (and often satirized) throughout popular culture:

• In the comic book, Howard the Duck, a character called The Sinister SOOFI (with her organization "Save Our Offspring from Indecency") is a parody of Bryant. After Howard smashes her mask (in the shape of an orange) on her head, he recognizes her, and she says, "And what's a girl from the Sunshine State doing in the trenches...A day without imposing my morality on someone else is like a day without--well, you know!"
• In the TV series Will & Grace, the character Karen Walker refers to Anita Bryant as being her enemy who fell in love with her.
• Bryant was often lampooned by comedy actress Jane Curtin who was a regular on Saturday Night Live. The first was in a 1976 edition in which she portrayed Bryant being held captive in Beirut by two Arab terrorists but tries to promote orange juice to them. Her captors drink the juice and agree it is delicious, but as Bryant starts to sing her infamous jingle from the TV commercials, they place a bag over her head and order a firing squad to shoot her. A 1977 edition of "Weekend Update" showed a photo of a scowling Bryant as Curtin reports: "Our top story tonight: A report from Florida states that Anita Bryant plans to undergo a sex-change operation this Spring. The exact date will not be set until the popular TV personality decides which sex to change to." In another 1977 edition in which Curtin played a newscaster on a spoof news show "Weekend Update", the then-recent clip of Bryant being pied on television was shown. Returning to the news studio, Curtin stated "Fortunately, Ms. Bryant, who was not injured, enjoyed a good laugh, and said it was okay if the assailant dated her husband." Another was in 1980 in which she portrayed Bryant planning an anti-gay sting operation with police and gets angry when one of the officers turns down her offer of orange juice by saying he'd already had some for breakfast (Bryant's famous slogan when she did her Florida Orange Juice commercials was "it's not just for breakfast").
• In the TV series Designing Women, Bryant is mentioned in several episodes by Suzanne Sugarbaker (played by Delta Burke), referencing both her beauty pageant history, as well as her political activism which Suzanne disagreed with.
• In an episode of the TV sitcom The Golden Girls, an effeminate male wedding planner is overcome with emotion, causing character Blanche Devereaux to sarcastically comment, "You're ready to fly right outta here, aren't you?" The man replies, "Well, excuse me for living, Anita Bryant!" In another episode, character Dorothy Zbornak complains that although she and Rose Nylund placed second in a song-writing contest about Miami, they still got "treated badly" because the judges told them "to get out of the way as they took the winner's picture with Anita Bryant."
• Mad magazine's parody of the television sitcom Three's Company (where John Ritter's character, Jack, pretends to be gay to share an apartment with two women) ends with a visit from the "new landlord", a whip-wielding Anita Bryant.
• In an episode of TV's Gilmore Girls, Lorelai says to her father that he could fill a huge gap after Anita Bryant because her father always has half a grapefruit for breakfast.
• In the song "Fuck Aneta Briant" on his 1978 album Nothing Sacred, country singer David Allan Coe expresses his feelings for Bryant.
• In Armistead Maupin's 1980 novel More Tales of the City, Michael Tolliver's parents write to him praising Anita Bryant's "Save Our Children" campaign, prompting him to write back and come out of the closet.
• In the film Airplane!, Leslie Nielsen's character, Doctor Rumack, upon seeing a large number of passengers become violently ill, vomit, and suffer uncontrollable flatulence, says, "I haven't seen anything this bad since the Anita Bryant concert."
• In the 2008 film Milk, Bryant's anti-gay activism is shown in various newsreels.
• On their 2004 album Un, UK band Chumbawamba made reference to Bryant being pied on television on the track "Just Desserts". The track also included an audio sample of the event itself.
• In 1977, the album Lesbian Concentrate was released by Olivia Records in protest to Bryant's anti-gay campaigning. The album featured a collection of songs and poems by different artists. The liner notes to the album referred to Bryant as "a part-time orange juice pusher". Part of the proceeds from the album went to the Lesbian Mothers National Defense Fund, an organization dedicated to helping lesbian mothers keep their children.
• The Dead Kennedys song "Moral Majority" addresses Bryant along with Phyllis Schlafly and others, with the refrain "God must be dead if you're alive."
• In the 1978 song "Mañana" by Jimmy Buffett, Buffett says "I hope Anita Bryant never ever does one of my songs."
• Rock musician Leon Russell wrote a song entitled "Anita Bryant" in 1978 in which he makes reference to going to school with her. The song was released as the B-side of his single "Elvis & Marilyn". Russell, born Claude Russell Bridges, did in fact attend Will Rogers High School in Tulsa, Oklahoma with Bryant and Elvin Bishop.
• In the TV sitcom Soap, Anita Bryant is mentioned in various episodes in conjunction with the gay character Jodie Dallas.
• On the A Single Man Tour in Russia 1979, Elton John responds to critique for touring in Russia due to the political situation: "I wouldn't say I won't tour in America because I can't stand Anita Bryant".