Don't Crush That Dwarf, Hand Me the Pliers

Don't Crush That Dwarf, Hand Me the Pliers is a comedy recording made by The Firesign Theatre in 1970. Released at the height of their popularity, it is considered by many to be their best work, and in any case is one of their most representative.

Related Topics:
Comedy - The Firesign Theatre - 1970

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The piece centers on the character of George Leroy Tirebiter (played by David Ossman), a former child actor watching himself on late-night television.

Related Topics:
David Ossman - Child actor - Television

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Along the way, one hears "excerpts" from the fictional movie High School Madness "starring" Tirebiter, a parody of the Andy Hardy films and of 1940s youth in general, interspersed with commercials and other staples of late-night television as Tirebiter randomly changes channels.

Related Topics:
Andy Hardy - 1940s - Commercials

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Ultimately, the piece is about the universal experience of channel-surfing, being only partly concerned with the subjective experience of the main character.

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The catch phrase, "This is UTV, for you, the viewer!" was eerily prophetic of what in the following decade would become standard television viewing habits for Americans, after the rise of cable television.

Related Topics:
Catch phrase - Cable television

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