A Dark Family Guy Joke About A Classic Hollywood Musical Has Connections To Real Life

Scorpion February 4, 2025

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Family Guy is known for its dark humor, with one about a classic musical having ties to real life. With Family Guy season 23 on the way, revisiting past outings is a great way to prepare for new content. but it also leads to fresh discoveries. Family Guy‘s season 6, episode 3, “Believe It or Not, Joe’s Walking on Air,” is one of the most memorable Family Guy episodes based on its widely known references and intriguing plot. One of its biggest references is actually about the Hollywood classic, Singin’ in the Rain, but not in a good way.

In the episode, Joe undergoes surgery to regain his ability to walk in order to impress his wife. As a result of the successful operation, Joe is also able to participate in exciting activities with his friends again, including playing extreme sports and practicing complex dance routines. As a classic Family Guy episode, Joe’s happiness does not last long, but the episode did manage to create a lasting impression because of its memorable references.

Family Guy’s “Singin’ In The Rain” Joke About Joe Has Real Life Connections

Joe’s Aggression Has Ties To Gene Kelly

Quagmire, Joe Swanson, Peter Griffith and Cleveland all together smiling and looking disheveled in Family Guy

One of the ways Joe enjoys his newfound mobility is by practicing the dance routine for “Good Morning” from the Hollywood classic, Singin’ in the Rain. While the dance routine starts fairly comical and lighthearted as Joe, Peter, Quagmire, and Cleveland all participate, he quickly becomes aggressive and starts to berate Quagmire. Joe’s aggression is actually a reference to Gene Kelly’s treatment of his co-stars in the musical, which adds a heavy note to the comical scene.

Gene Kelly Was Infamously Harsh To His Singin’ In The Rain Co-Stars

Kelly’s Cheerful Attitude Disappeared Off-Screen

While Singin’ in the Rain is often praised as one of the best Hollywood musicals due to its incredible performances as well as dance and musical numbers, it has a heavy history. Gene Kelly was notoriously cruel to his co-stars, Debbie Reynolds and Donald O’Connor. In Reynolds’ memoir, as revealed by Far Out Magazine, she says that she was so upset over his treatment of her that she called Kelly a “cruel taskmaster.” He would criticize her performance despite the fact that Reynolds only had a few months to master the skills that Kelly and O’Connor had years to develop.

…Reynolds only had a few months to master the skills that Kelly and O’Connor had years to develop.

O’Connor also faced some critiques, but at a much lower level than that which Reynolds received. As revealed on Donald O’Connor’s posthumous website, O’Connor and Kelly remained “lifelong friends” even after the latter’s poor treatment. Given the movie’s incredible cult status, it is not surprising that there was such attention to detail placed on the routines and performances. However, it is unfortunate that the movie’s brilliance is sometimes overshadowed by the story behind Kelly’s abuse of his colleagues. It is no wonder that Family Guy used Joe’s aggression as a reference for the dark moment.

Sources: Far Out Magazine, Donald O’Connor

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