Doctor. Doctor. Doctor.

Revision as of 18:15, 8 April 2014 by Dai-Guard (talk | contribs) (Mass update links)

When several people of similar (and high) rank or professional stature are gathered, and greet each other with their titles. For the principals, it is short hand for "Wow, we are all really awesome and successful. Isn't that awesome?" For the audience, it serves to point out that this is a meeting of Big Wigs, who will make Important Decisions and discuss Important Things.

The script would look like this:

 Chase: Doctor. [shakes hands]

House: Doctor. [shakes hands]

Foreman: Doctor. [shakes hands]

Cuddy: Doctor. [shakes hands]

Cameron: Doctor. [shakes hands]

Seen with doctors, high ranking military officers, and members of nobility and aristocracy. A variant is to have introductions between people with the same name. This trope is almost always played for laughs, and happens to be Truth in Television.

Not to be confused with the 1989 sitcom Doctor Doctor

Examples


Film

  • K-PAX, at the planetarium when Prot and Dr. Powell meet four astrophysicists. See clip
 

  Prot: "Doctor — Doctor — Doctor — Doctor. How many doctors are there on this planet?"

 
 

 Tower guy: "We're all ready sir. This is Captain McCrosky, Captain Roberts, Captain Kramer, Captain Kolosomo. Captain Henshaw, this is Captain Gatz. Captain Kramer, Captain Gatz. Captain Henshaw, Captain Roberts..."

 
 

 Travis: My rank is colonel.

Crockett: So's mine. Wouldn't we sound silly jabbering "Colonel, Colonel" at each other like a couple of bluejays?

 


Literature

  • Honor Harrington is filled with scenes like this, and as Honor rises in society, the volume of Dukes and Admirals only increases.

Live Action TV

 

 Doctor: Mr. Bertenshaw?

Mr. Bertshaw: Me, Doctor.

Doctor: No, me doctor, you Mr. Bertenshaw.

Mr. Bertshaw: My wife, doctor...

Doctor: No, your wife patient. (etc. etc. etc.)

 
 

 Fourth Bruce: Goodday, Bruce, Hello Bruce, how are you, Bruce? Gentlemen, I'd like to introduce a chap from pommie land... who'll be joining us this year here in the Philosophy Department of the University of Woolamaloo.

All: Goodday.

Fourth Bruce: Michael Baldwin - this is Bruce. Michael Baldwin - this is Bruce. Michael Baldwin - this is Bruce.

First Bruce: Is your name not Bruce, then?

Michael: No, it's Michael.

Second Bruce: That's going to cause a little confusion.

Third Bruce: Mind if we call you 'Bruce' to keep it clear?

 


Theater

  • In Anyone Can Whistle, Hapgood explains that this trope is the reason that everyone thinks he's the local asylum's new doctor when he is actually its latest patient.