Herbert (Family Guy)

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Herbert (Family Guy)
Family Guy character

Herbert with his walker.
Character information
Full name Herbert
Gender Male
Hair color Grey
Occupation Retired
Show information
First appearance "To Love and Die in Dixie"
Voice actor Mike Henry

Herbert is a fictional character in the FOX animated sitcom Family Guy. He is voiced by Mike Henry. He is an elderly and eccentric pedophile who resides down the street from the Griffins and constantly lusts after Chris Griffin. He uses a walker for support and whistles as he speaks due to missing teeth.

Contents

[edit] Origins

Originally, he was going to be either a creepy driver of a school bus that Chris was afraid to go near, or as an eccentric ice cream man.

Herbert has a high voice and speaks with a whistle. According to Seth MacFarlane, Herbert was created when Mike Henry would use his voice to scold the writers when they had trouble coming up with new ideas for episodes. He admitted that it made him laugh every time and decided to adapt him as a character.[1] Herbert first appeared in two episodes of the third season and was originally intended as a small time gag (as a lot of other previous characters before him), but due to high acclaim from fans, featured more regularly and was greatly expanded on in the fourth season. The episode The Courtship of Stewie's Father expanded Herbert's back story, revealing that he has a dog, Jesse, who not only looks similar to Herbert but also has mobility issues and has similar utterances.

In the fourth season episode Petergeist, Herbert saves Chris when an evil tree in the yard grabs him. After the tree initially attacks Herbert says, "Hey Skinnybritches, that there is my man, why don't you pick on someone your own size?" Duplicating the scene where Gandalf confronts the Balrog from The Lord of the Rings he then proclaims, "You shall not pass" and slams his walker into the ground, causing the ground under the tree to split sending both the tree and Herbert falling down a long chasm into water,again mimicking the fight between Gandalf and the Balrog at the beginning of the Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers film. It appears that he may have died in this episode, although a scene cut for time (and, according to the DVD commentary, Standards and Practices) had Herbert and the tree climb out of the hole after the Griffin house vanishes and Herbert asks the tree whether he was a giving tree or a receiving tree. The scene was later re-added to the DVD version. Herbert also tried unsuccessfully to hit on Stewie while he was doing Chris' paper route, saying "Oh ho, we've got a fighter" after Stewie verbally shot down his effort, exclaiming, while on his tricycle; "Piss off, you perverted old freak".

[edit] Appearances

 This section may contain original research or unverified claims.
Please improve the article by adding references. See the talk page for details. (March 2008)
  • To Love and Die in Dixie: In his first appearance, Chris is delivering newspapers to Herbert's house with Herbert trying unsuccessfully to persuade Chris to come down to his cellar for a popsicle. At the end of the episode, Herbert leaves 113 messages on the answering machine with the episode ending with the family listening to them, all the ones played were Herbert asking about Chris' whereabouts (the family moved to the deep South for a majority of the episode).
  • From Method to Madness: At the mall, he sees Jeff Campbell, a teenage nudist, and says "Holy moley, it must be my birthday!"
  • Family Guy: Live in Vegas: He sings the Broadway song One Boy, which is from Bye Bye Birdie and is sung by a female character about her boyfriend.
  • Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story: He is heard during the intermission asking, "Chris, do you have a shower scene? Or do I have to keep dreamin'?"
  • North by North Quahog: He disguises himself (unconvincingly) as an eighth-grader and warns two boys at dance - "You don't wanna hurt yourself dancing; make sure you stretch out those creamy hamstrings." Brian points out that he is "one ugly eighth-grader".
  • Petarded: On the DVD version of the episode, he is seen dancing at the end of a song.
  • Brian the Bachelor: When Chris takes his shirt off and swings it around in the bathroom, he climbs up a ladder and spies on him, mimicking a scene in Animal House. Herbert eventually falls backwards onto the lawn, still hanging onto the top of the ladder.
  • The Perfect Castaway: Herbert asks Brian (who at the time is a car salesman) for a vehicle like an ice-cream truck with which to entice children. He then humorously sings the tune of "The Entertainer" (off-key) for the ice cream truck song.
  • The Courtship of Stewie's Father: Herbert is central to the plot of this episode. It is in this episode that his name is revealed, and that he also has a crippled dog named Jesse, who mirrors him in appearance and mannerisms. Chris accidentally breaks Herbert's window with a baseball, and at Herbert's suggestion, Chris does chores for Herbert to pay for it. He later takes Chris to a restaurant for dinner complete with a tableside couple's photo. At that point, he fantasizes about life with Chris as his husband, and Herbert dressed as Donna Reed. He does a musical number, "Somewhere That's Green" from Little Shop Of Horrors, which involves references from the 1950s, such as "watching Lucy on a big enormous 12-inch screen", and seeing the kids play Howdy Doody. In their fantasy family, he and Chris have two children, a boy who resembles Chris, and a girl who resembles Herbert. In the last scene of the episode, after the fantasy has finished and storylines resolved, Herbert turns on the TV to an announcement of the Little League World Series. He perks up instantly and responds: "Oh, jackpot!"
  • You May Now Kiss The...Uh...Guy Who Receives: He does not sign Brian's petition for gay marriage, saying, "Get off my property, you pervert".
  • Petergeist: He saves Chris from being eaten by a giant evil tree, and battles the tree in a similar fashion to Gandalf's battle with the Balrog in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. After the tree initially attacks Herbert states, "Hey Skinnybritches, that there is my man, why don't you pick on someone your own size?" Later, when the Griffins' house disappears, both Herbert and the tree emerge from a large hole that was left behind, having put their conflict behind him. Herbert then invites the tree over to his house, asking him, "Are you a giving tree or a receiving tree?"
  • Hell Comes to Quahog: When Chris loses his paper route due to Superstore U.S.A., Herbert gets shot by the truck that's launching newspapers and tells his dog Jesse, "That new paperboy done broke my sternum." He and Jesse then exchange "mmmmm"s and fall asleep on the sidewalk.
  • Saving Private Brian: After Lois and Peter come down to stop Chris from rehearsing loudly in the garage, he gets angry at them and leaves to loiter in the park. To get to the park, he jumps on a motorcycle driven by Herbert.
  • Whistle While Your Wife Works: He sends his dog Jesse out for a walk, and the Jesse is tempted to eat Peter's detached finger (which was blown off by fireworks), the finger is instead snatched away by a bird.
  • Prick Up Your Ears: He is lined up to shake Stewie after he is shaken by Chris and Brian in a parody of the film Airplane!. Later in the episode, Stewie steals his dentures in the night while Herbert is sleeping and dreaming about Fred Savage.
  • Barely Legal: Inspected by Peter's child pickpockets, Herbert says, "I hope you don't find the money strapped to my thigh". Later, in an Adult Swim-only scene, he can be seen in the background of the police academy.
  • Road to Rupert: Herbert can be seen in line at the Griffins' garage sale. Approaching Chris, Herbert asks him if he is selling any "clothes he wore in the summer." Chris then tells Herbert that all he has is a pair of shorts, to which Herbert replies "Sweet Jesus!", although this may be in shock to the large size of the shorts, rather than lusting after the item.
  • Peter's Two Dads: Herbert sings a few lyrics from "Friends and Lovers" by Carl Anderson and Gloria Loring, after seeing Chris start to sing it while spying through a window from a tree.
  • The Tan Aquatic with Steve Zissou: Herbert drops Chris as his paper boy in favor of a rival paper boy, Kyle. This is presumably because Kyle was better looking than Chris. Later when Chris goes to Herbert's house, Kyle comes and pushes Chris and Kyle's friends come out of nowhere to beat him up. Then Herbert arrives to break up the fight, saying "Boys, boys, we can settle this like reasonable and sexy teenagers. Whoever can swallow the most Tylenol PM wins." It is still unknown if Chris becomes his paper boy again, though it is evidenced in later episodes that Herbert still has feelings for him.
  • Airport '07: Herbert complains that the a young boy sitting behind him on an airplane stopped kicking his chair.
  • Bill and Peter's Bogus Journey: Herbert and his dog Jesse are at the aquarium. Herbert holds an eel, then tells his dog to smell his fingers. Herbert then says, "Today was a good day". The joke relies on the sign that reads "Fondle Tank".
  • No Meals on Wheels: Herbert is seen at the same store as the Griffin family. He is at the checkout line, where he purchases string, a cardboard box, a ruler, and a teddy bear. Herbert then sets the objects up as a trap.
  • Boys Do Cry: Herbert auditions for church organist with the song I Know What Boys Like by the Waitresses.
  • No Chris Left Behind: When Chris is sent to an exclusive private school, Mr. Pewterschmidt offers him membership in Skull and Bones, a powerful secret society. The final requirement for his admission is to spend seven minutes in the closet with the most senior member of the cult who is revealed as Herbert. When Chris refuses, wanting to return to James Woods High School, Herbert is very upset. Pewterschmidt apologizes to "Master Herbert," and Herbert irritably demands, "You better get your ass in that closet, Pewterschmidt!" Pewterschmidt reluctantly agrees and Herbert replies, "I am so tired of you."
  • It Takes a Village Idiot, and I Married One: When Lois was running for Mayor against Adam West, citizens of Quahog ask the candidates questions. Herbert asks Lois, "How do you feel about those computer websites that put a blue square on the home of a sex offender?"
  • Blue Harvest: Herbert plays Obi-Wan Kenobi in this hour-long parody of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. He appears to have some fetish over Luke Skywalker, who is portrayed by Chris. He apparently got himself into a mess on Alderaan according to Princess Leia's message (with Lois as Leia). He also sings a rendition of Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes's "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" to Luke along with the Imperial Stormtroopers before going into his final confrontation with Darth Vader (played by Stewie). During the duel, the blade of his lightsaber is seen to become flaccid and limp (impotent) when it activates. After Obi-Wan spots Luke, his blade immediately becomes erect before Obi-Wan is struck down and killed by Vader. When the voice Obi-Wan's spirit tells Luke to use the Force to destroy the Death Star, he says, "Force that thing in there, just like I showed you with those puppets. But don't tell nobody, 'cause you'll get in trouble." After Luke destroys the Death Star, Obi-Wan parodies the quote, "Luke, the Force will be with you, always. And so will I, always. Course, when you get older and get some crow's feet, I might lose interest." Obi-Wan's remark at the end seems to upset Luke.
  • Movin' Out (Brian's Song): Stewie briefly takes over Chris' newspaper route. As with Chris, he tries to compliment Stewie's work in an attempts to seduce him by saying "Well Oshkosh B'gosh, it's a brand new paper boy! That's a mighty full sack you're carrying", but Stewie rebuffs him saying, "Piss off, you perverted old freak!". Herbert then says to himself, "Hoo-hooh, we've got a fighter."
  • Believe It Or Not, Joe's Walking On Air: Herbert is seen in a homemade booth that is his equivalent to the Y.M.C.A. with a sign that says "Free Popsicles" and "Free Shoulder Rubs". He is singing Y.M.C.A. by the Village People.
  • Stewie Kills Lois: As Stewie scales the house from outside back to his room, Herbert asks him to open Chris's window and plays a record on an old-fashioned Victrola, parodying the John Cusack scene from Say Anything....
  • Padre de Familia: Herbert sings "God Bless the USA" with a children choir at a Veterans' Day parade (inspiring Peter to take pride in his American citizenship), then asks the children if they want to see his Purple Heart. His uniform suggests that he is a veteran of the United States Army in both WWI and WWII who held the rank of Corporal.
  • Play it Again, Brian: While going away on a vacation, Peter and Lois ask Herbert to babysit their kids while they're gone. Herbert makes several attempts to be near Chris, such as trying to convince him to bathe him (though Meg ends up doing it, to Herbert's dismay). In the end, Chris finally asks him, "Are you a pedophile?", but the scene cuts away before any reaction is shown, During the end credits he appears sleeping at the foot of Chris' bed while the evil monkey attempts to threaten him.

[edit] Notes

[edit] References

  1. ^ The Courtship of Stewie's Father DVD commentary

[edit] External links

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