Walk this way (humor)

For the song by Aerosmith, see Walk This Way.

"Walk this way" is a recurrent pun in a number of movies and television shows, most notably movies by Mel Brooks.^[1] It may be derived from an old vaudeville joke. It refers to the double usage of "way" in English as both a direction and a manner.

One version of the old joke goes like this: A heavy-set woman goes into a drug store and asks for talcum powder. The bowlegged clerk says, "Walk this way," and the woman answers, "If I could walk that way I would not need talcum powder!"

The more familiar version adds a visual, not any less vaudevillian, dimension to the joke:

One character would say, "Walk this way" and walks off in a limping or waddling or otherwise odd manner, and the second character would follow, mimicking the mannerisms of the first.

Examples of usage

From Mystery Science Theater 3000 Episode 321: Santa Claus Conquers The Martians:
- Tom Servo: Walk this way!
- Crow T. Robot: If I could walk that way, I wouldn't be wearing the box!
In After the Thin Man (1936), the butler says "Walk this way" (with stiff, bowed legs) and Nick Charles does.
In Arthur, when Arthur (Dudley Moore) goes to visit his fiance's father, the old butler tells him to walk this way, and leads Arthur away using a slow, stiff, long-legged walk. Arthur follows him in step mimicking the walk.
The "talcum powder" line is a favorite of David Letterman, who has repeated it many times on his show.
In Robin Hood: Men in Tights, the Sheriff of Rottingham tells Robin and his men, "Walk this way!" and proceeds to toss his chin up and wander off in a very self-important manner. Robin and the Sheriff's men look at one another, shrug their shoulders and do the same. The joke is also present in another Mel Brooks film, History of the World, Part 1
In The Lucy Show episode "Lucy and Jack Benny's Account", aired October 16, 1967, Lucy leads Jack out of Mr. Mooney's office, telling him "Walk this way," and sauntering in womanly fashion out the door. After watching her exit, Jack quips, "I always do!" and follows her out with like gait.
In the M*A*S*H episode "Hey, Doc", aired October 10, 1975, it is used with the "talcum powder" punchline.
In Young Frankenstein (1974), Igor says "Walk this way" (hunched over, with a short cane), encouraging Doctor Frankenstein to mimic his movements, even handing the Doctor his cane. Frankenstein complies, reluctantly, for a few steps before resuming his own walk. According to Gene Wilder, who co-wrote the script and played Doctor Frankenstein, the joke was added while shooting the scene by Mel Brooks, inspired by the old "talcum powder" joke.^[2]
The episode of Animaniacs, "Draculee, Dracula", had someone say "Walk this way" swerving from the head trauma. Yakko, Wakko, and Dot proceeded to walk as he did.
In the Three Stooges short Don't Throw That Knife, a woman instructs the Stooges to walk this way and saunters off swinging her dress. The Stooges shrug and follow, imitating her.
In the Broadway musical of The Producers, two gay characters ask Max and Leo to walk this way, and they follow with a camp mince.^[3]
In the animated series Drawn Together, in the episode "The Lemon-AIDS Walk", the character Captain Hero says a variation on the joke in a mall nutritional supplement store ("If I could walk that way, I wouldn't need steroids!") and is booed by an offstage voice. Later in that same episode, the character Wooldoor Sockbat runs into a Chinese restaurant named Wok This Way. In fact, there are real-life Wok This Way Chinese restaurants in a number of cities in North America.^[4]
"Walk this way" was a running gag on Monty Python's Flying Circus during the late 1960s and early 1970s. Usually, after one character says, "Walk this way," a second character would say, "If I could walk that way-" and then be interrupted and sternly warned against completing the joke. In one sketch, a character played by Eric Idle actually completes the joke, ("If I could walk that way I wouldn't need after-shave!") and is promptly arrested. During the Election Night Special, "If I could walk that way" was part of the ridiculously long name of the "Very Silly Party" candidate.
In the 1946 Warner Bros. cartoon The Big Snooze, while "helping" Elmer Fudd flee his pursuers, Bugs Bunny uses a variant on this line by telling Elmer, "Quick, run 'this way'!" and puts him through some crazy dance steps while they continue to run.
In the Daffy Duck cartoon Super Snooper, when told to "Walk this way" by a butler, Daffy follows, mimicking the butler's unique walk. He remarks to the audience, "T'ain't easy!"
The song "Walk This Way" by the American rock band Aerosmith was inspired by the line "walk this way" in Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein (1974).
In an episode of Garfield and Friends, a hunchbacked butler tells Jon, Odie and Garfield to walk this way, then walks forward in an odd manner. After a short pause, Jon, Odie and Garfield follow, pointedly walking in their normal fashion. Garfield comments, "Don't worry, we won't be using that old gag."
In an episode of the cartoon Rugrats, when Tommy's grandfather comes to a mansion to pick up his grandson Tommy, the butler tells him to "Walk this way." and proceeds to bend over and walk through the curtained doorway. Shrugging, Tommy's grandfather bends over and walks with him.
In an episode of Duckman, Duckman, Ajax, Art DeSalvo, and Dr. Stein are invited to "walk this way" by a French woman, who then sashays away. Duckman stops the other three, who are all about to imitate the woman, and states, "Do it, and you're off the series."
In the 2003 movie Kung Phooey, a waiter instructs protagonist Art Chew and his friends to "walk this way", and hops away. As Art's friends attempt to mimic the gesture, he turns around and tells them not to even think about it.
The Red Guy, of Cow & Chicken fame, usually presents this manner of speech before walking off on his buttocks.
In one episode of the 2003 series of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Splinter says the line and walks off, using his stick. Michelangelo attempts to mimic this, but Donatello hits him with his staff.
In an episode from series 3 of Bottom, called "Finger", a French waiter says "Walk this way", clicks his fingers, and departs through a door. Richie then says to Eddie, "When in Rome...", and the two of them follow him, clicking their fingers all the way.
In National Lampoon's Loaded Weapon 1, a woman with buck teeth instructs Samuel L. Jackson to "walk this way," and he imitates the buck-toothed expression and follows her.
In The Rocky Horror Picture Show, a cult classic movie where it is common for the audience to participate by shouting humorous comments in response to the on-screen action and dialogue, there is a scene early in the movie in which the character Riff-Raff invites the characters Brad Majors and Janet Weiss into the castle, saying "I think perhaps you better both come inside" and then "This way," after which he exhibits an odd twitching motion with his thumb. This is typically a cue for the audience to make similar twitching motions and shout out "Follow the bouncing thumb!"
In an episode of The Basil Brush Show, Anil tells a customer to "walk this way" and the chorus from Aerosmith's song is played.
In the 'Allo 'Allo! episode Land Mines for London, lieutenant Gruber says "walk this way" to the Italian army with his hands behind his back. Everyone follows him in the same manner.
In a Sesame Street sketch where Count von Count runs an elevator, Kermit the Frog happens to be the unfortunate rider. When entering, Count asks Kermit to "Walk this way" and proceeds to walk with a waddle. Kermit then enters the elevator the same way.
In the Camp Lazlo episode "Prickly Pining Dining," the turkey manager of Beef Lumberjacks tells Scoutmaster Lumpus "Walk this way, sir" and proceeds to walk and gobble like a real turkey, followed by the Lemmings, holding a canoe, and imitating the turkey's gobbling.
Link Hogthrob instructs Fozzie Bear (dressed as First Mate Piggy) to "walk this way" in a Pigs in Space sketch in a second season episode of The Muppet Show.
In the Fraggle Rock episode "Space Frog Follies," Uncle Travelling Matt tells Wembley to "walk this way" as they exit Gobo and Wembley's Room. Wembley does, imitating Matt's clumsiness on the way out.
In the Fraggle Rock episode "Mokey, Then and Now," just prior to the "Voodoo Spell" song, Mokey tells Wembley and Boober, "Follow me and do what I do." Ever the literalist, Wembley copies her exactly as she exits.
In The Jim Henson Hour Pitch Reel, Jim Henson tells Gonzo to "walk this way." Gonzo watches Henson walk offscreen, then remarks to the camera, "If I could walk that way, I'd have legs!"
In "The Tubmans of Porksmith" UK Spot in a first season episode of Muppets Tonight, Carter tells the Handyman to "walk this way" to where Howard Tubman is stuck in his chair. The handyman does, imitating Carter's shaking slow walk.
In the 2004 Sesame Street video, A Celebration of Me, Grover, Grover (seeking to shift from his Waiter Grover capacity to Super Grover) asks a duck for directions to the nearest phone booth. Naturally, the duck tells him to "walk this way." Grover shrugs and follows suit, down to repeating the duck's quacking.
In the 1962 film, The Road to Hong Kong, the joke is used when an attractive woman asks Bob Hope and Bing Crosby to walk in her direction. Because of the sexy way she is walking, Bob Hope says "Walk that way" in a sarcastic way.
In the 1933 Betty Boop episode "Is My Palm Read", when Bimbo, dressed as a mystical seer, invites Betty to the room where he has his crystal ball, he crosses his arms and heads toward the room, saying "walk this way". Betty crosses her arms, mimics his facial expression, and follows.
In a 1974 episode of All in the Family, "Where's Archie Part 1", James Cromwell playing Stretch Cunningham makes a reference to the joke.

References

^ Comedy Writing Secrets, p. 60; Melvin Helitzer, F & W Publications, 1992. ISBN 0898795109
^ Kiss Me Like A Stranger: My Search for Love and Art, p. 151; Gene Wilder, Macmillan, 2005.
^ "Double Take", The New York Review of Books
^ "wok this way" - Google Search