"The Great Humberto" was: Questions

[Geoff Bannister]

No: HPFGUIDX 119057


--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "hermionekitten9" 
<kreneeb at h...> wrote:
> 
> Geoff: I do not think that he would be a wrestler or something akin 
> to that because Dudley was expecting to see him on a Monday night 
> and I don't recall TV schedules including things like wrestling 
> during the week. That would be fare for the wall-to-wall sports 
> coverage on a 
> Saturday...
> 
> Kitten: I don't know
 Smackdown, a high rating wrestling
> show, is on regularly Thursday nights where I'm from (I have an
> 12 year old nephew who watches
 I don't-g-) and I don't
> ever recall a magician having a tv show whether it be Monday, 
> Wednesday, Friday, or Sunday
 nor can I imagine Dudley wanting to 
> watch a magic show on tv
 I can, on the other hand, imagine him 
> watching a wrestling show.

Geoff:
Two thoughts: (1) Are you speaking from a US perspective and (2) are 
you looking at satellite or terrestrial programmes?

Remember that we are considering 1991. IIRC, satellite programmes 
were very much in their infancy then - in fact were they available? 
My comment re schedules was looking at the current UK terrestrial TV 
scene where, as I said, major sport is on Saturdays. Weekdays would 
see very big events such as World Cup football, Olympics, cricket etc.

 
> Geoff: I think Vernon would be able to differentiate between 
someone 
> such as a stage magician whom he would consider to be a fake, using 
> legerdemain and deception to produce their results as opposed to 
> genuine members of the Wizarding World. After all, the neighbours 
> would probably watch the Great Humbrto with the same measure of 
> suspended disbelief as the Dursleys, wouldn't they?
 
Kitten: 
this is an interesting point, Would Vernon and Petunia let 
> Dudley watch a magic tv Show? One would think-g- but Vernon and 
> family freaked out when Harry told Dudley to say the "magic"
> word, in CoS, so I don't see them being able to differentiate 
> between the two. 

Geoff:
Possibly because it was /Harry/ who used the M-word and they are very 
sensitive to his use of vocabulary. I think that if darling Duddykins 
wanted to see a TV conjurer, they'd let him; after all, Harry could 
safely be hung on a peg with the coats in the hall cupboard by 
then. :-)