Alligator Bob Has New Job In Gooberville

Original column by Daniel Ruth, The Tampa Tribune

What He Wrote: "... once again it's "Alllllllllll aboard for Gooberville!"
Obscure Reference: 'Gooberville' may be a corruption of 'Hooterville' which was a fictional town populated by rubes that was the setting of the American television sitcoms 'Petticoat Junction' and 'Green Acres'. The name 'Hooterville' is actually first used in episode No. 6 of The Beverly Hillbillies.

What He Wrote: "... the Area 51 of government."
Obscure Reference: Area 51 is a remote tract of land in the southwestern portion of Lincoln County in southern Nevada. Situated at its center, on the southern shore of a dry lakebed, is a large military airfield, one of the most secretive places in the world. The base's primary purpose is to support development and testing of experimental aircraft and weapons systems.

What He Wrote: "... Hamlet-esque, Thomas Becket-like struggle ..."
Obscure Reference: Saint Thomas Becket, St. Thomas of Canterbury, was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 to 1170. He is venerated as a saint and martyr by both the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Church. He engaged in conflict with King Henry II over the rights and privileges of the Church and was assassinated by followers of the king in Canterbury Cathedral. Hamlet is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. The play, set in Denmark, recounts how Prince Hamlet exacts revenge on his uncle Claudius, who has murdered Hamlet's father, the King, and then taken the throne and married Hamlet's mother. The play vividly charts the course of real and feigned madness—from overwhelming grief to seething rage—and explores themes of treachery, revenge, incest, and moral corruption.

What He Wrote: "... a used car dealer in Fort Lonesome with four jalopies on the lot."
Obscure Reference: 'Fort Lonesome' is an unincorporated rural ghost town located in southeastern Hillsborough County, 36 miles southeast of Tampa and east of the Little Manatee River State Park. A sawmill plant briefly revived the area with a few houses and three stores in the early 1930s. It was short-lived. A fire destroyed the mill and eventually the "town" disappeared. A 'Jalopy' also known as a 'Rat Rod' is a style of Hot Rod or Custom car that, in most cases, imitates (or exaggerates) the early hot rods of the 40s, 50s, and 60s. Most appear with just the bare essentials to be driven. It is the visualization of the idea of function over form. Many appear unfinished with primer paint jobs being common. Other finishes may include “natural patina” (the original paint with rust and blemishes intact), a patchwork of original paint and primer, or bare metal with no finish at all in rusty or oiled varieties. Contrary to tastes of many car builders, rust is often acceptable and appreciated by a Rat Rodder.

What He Wrote: "... precious little to do with anyone confusing him with Jacques Cousteau."
Obscure Reference: Jacques-Yves Cousteau was a French naval officer, explorer, ecologist, filmmaker, scientist, photographer and researcher who studied the sea and all forms of life in water. He co-developed with Emile Gagnan the SCUBA aqualung, pioneered marine conservation and was a member of the Académie Française.

What He Wrote: "... most important credential of all - he's a hotsy-totsy member of ..."
Obscure Reference: 'Hotsy-Totsy' refers to being just right, or perfect. The term was coined by cartoon artist Billy de Beck, famed for his comic strips "Barney Google" and "Snuffy Smith".

What He Wrote: "... Next stop, Dogpatch Heights! ..."
Obscure Reference: Dogpatch is the fictional setting of most of Al Capp's Li'l Abner comic strip. The inhabitants of Dogpatch were mostly lazy hillbillies, who wanted nothing to do with progress, were extremely patriotic and devastatingly poor.