Herbert (Family Guy)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Herbert (Family Guy)
Family Guy Character
Herbert with his walker
Character Information
Full Name	Herbert (surname unknown)
Hometown	Quahog, Rhode Island
Age	79
Gender	Male
Hair Color	White
Height	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Weight	120 lb (54 kg)
Occupation	Retired
General Characteristics
Show Information
First Episode	"To Love and Die in Dixie"
Voice actor	Mike Henry
WikiQuote
Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Herbert (Family Guy)

Herbert, a.k.a. Mr. Herbert, is a fictional character in the FOX animated sitcom Family Guy. He is voiced by Mike Henry.

An elderly ephebophile with a possible desire to be a transsexual, Herbert impotently lusts after Chris Griffin from time to time. He resides just down the street from the Griffins and has tried on several occasions (unsuccessfully) to seduce Chris, with such gems as "Hey, muscley-arm, why the long face?" and "You like popsicles? Why don't you come down to the cellar, I got a whole freezer full." In a later episode, he is seen atop a ladder outside of Chris' window peeping in (like Bluto in Animal House, complete with music and John Belushi's eyebrow twinkle). He uses a walking frame for support and speaks with a lisp, often in a high-pitched, comedically drawn out tone.

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 Season 4. The Season 4 episode "The Courtship of Stewie's Father" gave the character more of a back story, revealing that he has a dog, Jessie, who looks just like him. This episode also featured his rendition of Somewhere That's Green, from Little Shop of Horrors.

In the 4th season episode "Petergeist", Herbert saves Chris when a tree in the yard grabs him. Duplicating the scene from The Lord of the Rings he proclaims, "You shall not pass" and slams his walker into the ground, causing both him and the tree to fall down a ridiculously long shaft into water. It appears that he died in this episode, although a scene cut for time (and, according to the DVD commentary, Standards and Practices) had Herbert and the tree monster climb out of the hole after the Griffin house vanishes and Herbert asking the tree whether he was a "giving" tree or a "receiving" tree.

It has been revealed that Herbert is alive and well, appearing several times in the current season.

[edit] Origins

According to Seth MacFarlane, Herbert was created when Mike Henry would do his voice, everytime the writers had trouble coming up with new ideas for episodes, in a disapproving manner. He admitted that it made him laugh every time and decided to adapt him as a character. Originally, he was going to be either a creepy school bus driver that Chris was afraid to go near, or as an eccentric ice cream man (which is played out when he goes to the Hummer dealership and asks if his car with the ice cream vendor song is ready). Herbert was just to be a one-shot character in his first appearance, but he proved to be extremely popular with fans.

[edit] Appearances

To Love and Die in Dixie: In his first appearance, Chris is delivering newspapers to his house, and he tries to persuade Chris to come inside. His views on women are, "Who needs 'em?", revealing he may be a misogynist and/or gay. At the end, he leaves 113 messages on the phone, and they are all about Chris.
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". This is humorous because the song 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 asks two boys to dance. Brian points out that he is "one ugly eighth-grader". "You don't wanna hurt yourself dancing; make sure you stretch out those creamy hamstrings."
Petarded: When they are singing the song after Peter is tested and found to be retarded, you can see him dancing towards the end (DVD only).
Brian the Bachelor: When Chris takes his shirt off in the bathroom, he climbs up a ladder and spies on him, mimicking a scene in Animal House.
The Perfect Castaway: Herbert asks Brian for a car disguised as an ice-cream truck with which to entice children. He then humorously sings "The Entertainer" (off-key), 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. Chris breaks his window with a baseball, and at Herbert's suggestion, Peter makes Chris do chores for Herbert. He later takes Chris out to dinner. At that point, he fantasizes about life with Chris, as his husband, for he sees himself as the wife, dressed as Donna Reed. He also does a musical number, "Somewhere that's Green" from Little Shop Of Horrors, which involves things that are extremely outdated, such as "watching Lucy on a big enormous 12-inch screen", and seeing the kids play Howdy Doody. In his 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, he turns on the TV to an announcement of the Little League World Series. He perks up instantly and responds: "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". While he may be homosexual, he may only be against gay marriage because he doesn't want gay people to have a commitment, or he doesn't want people to know of his own homosexual lusts for Chris. Or perhaps a sarcastic satire on his character, based on the fact that all of the people who refuse to sign in this sequence are either people who are themselves in some way either very liberal, sexually indiscriminate or homosexual and/or deviant themselves and would be expected to be supportive of it. Or he may be an ephebophile but not homosexual.
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. In the DVD, a scene showing both Herbert and the tree exiting through the hole where the Griffin's house was, and Herbert asks if the tree would like to come over, ending with "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.
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 dog is tempted to eat Peter's finger, which was previously blown off.
Prick Up Your Ears: He is lined up to shake Stewie after he is shaken by Chris and Brian. Later in the episode, Stewie steals his dentures in the night while he is sleeping and dreaming about Fred Savage.
Road to Rupert: Herbert can be seen in line at the Griffin's 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 fitting that description is a pair of shorts, to which Herbert replies "Sweet Jesus!".
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.
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.
Airport '07: Herbert is on a flight that ends up crashing, yet everyone is ok. He also asks a young boy to kick 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".
No Meals on Wheels: Herbert is seen at the same store as the Griffin family. He is at the checkout line, where he purchases a string, a cardboard box, a ruler, and a teddy bear. Herbert then sets the objects up as a trap.