Being There

:This article is for the 1971 book and 1979 movie. For the 1996 album by the band Wilco, see Being There (album).

Use of television

The film makes continued use of actual television clips throughout. These clips are part of the ambient visual and audio background, presented as a natural occurrence of a television being on in the room where the scene is taking place. The clips were chosen by Dianne Schroeder, and are referenced in the film credits as "Special Television Effects."

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These clips are an essential element of the film. They provide a window into the mind of Chance, who knows nothing of the world outside the old man's home except from what he's learned on television.

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• Orchestral program.
• Scene from Jezebel, "Yowsah!"
• Sealy mattress commercial: "It's a Sealy Posturepedic morning! Yeah!".
• Scene from Sesame Street, with the song "Different People, Different Ways."
• Lt. Mumbly cartoon, "I dare you to stop me in my Super Cop Clobberer."
• Green Acres scene.
• Mister Rogers' Neighborhood.
• Captain Kangaroo scene.
• Quaker State Motor Oil commercial.
• Washington Post commercial.
• Basketball Jones cartoon and song (sung by Tommy Chong), including the line "I've got more moves than Ex-Lax!"
• Get Smart, "Pardon me for intruding at a time like this, but were you very close to Max?" "Are you kidding? We were inseparable."
• Fuzzbuster commercial, "You wouldn't think of driving without your rearview mirror. And yet some people still drive without a Fuzzbuster."
• Gatorade commercial, "Ever watch a game on TV and see the players chuggin' down this stuff? Ever wonder why?"
• Scene from Days of Our Lives.
• Sanford and Son scene.
• Scene from the film Little Ceasar.
• Scene from The Beverly Hillbillies.
• Match Game clip.
• Lilias, Yoga, and You exercise program.
• Paul Lynde on The Hollywood Squares.
• Love-making scene from The Thomas Crown Affair, featuring Faye Dunaway and Steve McQueen.
• TV news broadcast about a blizzard in the Midwest.
• Documentary or news clip about a wheelchair-bound man who gets his Masters degree.
• Anheuser Busch Natural Light beer commercial: "You can call me Ray."

Clips are also included which were made especially for the film and not taken from actual programs, sush as Chance's appearance on the Gary Burns Show, and the president (Jack Warden) appearing on television.

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