Bob Hope Wasn't The Only One Who Used Idiot Cards

When Bob Hope moved into television, he lost the opportunity to hold his script in his hand , something he had gotten used to working in radio. The presentation would look too stiff to his audience. He tried to memorize his monologues, but that proved to be too cumbersome of a task and it took away from his golf game. The solution was cue cards, or idiot cards as they are known in the industry. This worked well for the performer, but was hazardous for others. On one of Hope's early NBC broadcasts a well meaning assistant director held up the cards so his star could read them, then tossed them back over his shoulder almost decapitating several members of the studio audience.

Idiot cards are a way for performers to lose the respect of their co-stars. James Caan, Robert Duvall and the rest of the cast of the 1972 classic, The Godfather , were thrilled to meet the star of the movie Marlon Brando. Actor Lenny Montana, who played the thuggish character Luca Brasi was so in awe of Brando he kept fumbling his lines when they both shared the same scenes. Director Francis Ford Coppola made it work by having the character of Luca nervously rehearse what he was going to say prior to meeting the Don, making the situation appear seamless. But if Montana was willing, if unable to learn his lines, Brando was not. In his scenes there were cue cards everywhere, causing Duvall to yell at him," Marlon, why don't you learn your lines you fat #*^%*@!"

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