Ever since Mickey Mouse spoke his first words in a movie, the hot dog has graced the silver screen again and again. Making various cameos in weird and wonderful ways, hot dogs have a way of making you want to pop out of your seat to make a beeline for the hot dog cart!
Here's a glimpse at the hot dog's stellar movie career.
The Karnival Kid
In this 1929 Walt Disney film, Mickey Mouse works at a county fair as, you guessed it, a hot dog stand attendant. The character was so popular in silent films that producers decided to let him speak. His very first words were, "Hot dogs, hot dogs!"
Father of the Bride
George Banks, aka Steve Martin, has a famous meltdown in Father of the Bride, with regard to bun and sausage companies conspiring together to sell more products. In the character's own words:
"I'll tell you what I'm doing. I want to buy eight hot dogs and eight hot dog buns to go with them. But no one sells eight hot dog buns. They only sell twelve hot dog buns. So I end up paying for four buns I don't need. So I am removing the superfluous buns. Yeah. And you want to know why? Because some big-shot over at the wiener company got together with some big-shot over at the bun company and decided to rip off the American public."
That's some serious hot dog obsession!
Mean Girls
Spawning one of the most popular quotes from cult classic Mean Girls, the hot dog took the limelight for a scene. It started with the famous burn book, which was written by the 'Plastics' (aka the mean girls), portraying mean comments about members of the high school. Student Amber Delecio's unfortunate profile read “made out with a hot dog.” When Amber sees the book, she hilariously proclaims, "That was only one time!"
30 Rock Pilot Episode
Hot dogs make an appearance in the very first episode of popular TV series 30 Rock. The show begins with Liz Lemon, the fictional head writer of a television series, trying to buy a hot dog before work. After an argument with another commuter, Liz buys $150 worth of hot dogs and hands them out to random people passing by. The gesture was out of spite, but the passers-by certainly got lucky!
Something About Mary
Though a hot dog didn't actually make an appearance, the reference to one certainly caused a stir in the 'zipper' scene from 1998's Something About Mary. Ben Stiller's character, Ted, is excited to take Mary to the prom.
He goes to the bathroom and has an unfortunate incident with the zipper on his pants. Mary's father, when asking about the nature of the issue, enquires, "Is it the frank or the beans?"
The Break Up
A hot dog appears in the very first scene of The Break Up, starring Vince Vaughn as Gary and Jennifer Anniston as Brooke. In fact, it acts as a catalyst for unfolding events as Gary tries to force Brooke into accepting a hot dog she doesn't want in order to flirt with her. Instead, he insults her date and makes a very bad first impression.
Keep your eyes open for the humble hot dog at the movies next time you go, as you never know how, when or why one of your favourite foods will show up on the big screen!