"I'd buy that for a dollar!"[src]
Bixby Snyder was the star of the television comedy show It's Not My Problem!.
Snyder's catchphrase from the show was widely quoted by the denizens of Detroit.[1][2] The show was canceled after Snyder was arrested,[3] but eventually made it back on air.[4]
Ten years after RoboCop's initial activation, Ann R. Key's hideout bore a sign with "I'll buy that for a dollar."[5]
Behind the scenes[]
In a deleted scene from the first film's script, Jess Perkins reveals on Mediabreak that Snyder had been arraigned on charges of exchanging job security on his show for sexual favors from underage co-stars. It is unknown if this scene was ever filmed. A magazine cover in RoboCop: Rogue City mentions him being arrested, but does not say for what crime.
In the unproduced script, RoboCop II: The Corporate Wars, Snyder has become the President of the United States twenty-five years after the events of the first film.
Snyder's actor, S.D. Nemeth played the role very similarly to his character the Young Marquis from the KROQ radio show The Young Marquis and Stanley Show, which ran from 1977 to 1983.[6]
Despite not appearing since RoboCop 3, Bixby Snyder has continued to be referenced in other RoboCop media. the phrase was quoted from John T. Cable when listening to Albert Bixler's warnings. In the 2014 remake, Rick Mattox, upon seeing RoboCop's testing with an EM-208, says that he "wouldn't buy RoboCop for a dollar," this being a modification of the original slogan. In Mortal Kombat 11, when RoboCop meets Liu Kang and asks him if he would help capture Kano, Liu gives up on his proposal. RoboCop replies: "I'll buy that for a dollar." Bixby's famous phrase is also the name of an achievement/trophy in RoboCop: Rogue City, awarded to the player for finding an OCP skill disk.
The catchphrase "I'd buy that for a dollar" is a modernized reference to the short story "The Marching Morons" by Cyril M. Kornbluth. In the short story, a radio host uses the catchphrase "Would you buy that for a quarter" in a similar manner to Snyder of RoboCop.[7] It also got utilized in the 1990 video game Smash T.V., which the designers based on the 1987 film The Running Man. However, after seeing RoboCop, one designer enjoyed Snyder's quip so much he included it in a snippet of the game.
References[]
Appearances[]
- RoboCop (1987)
- RoboCop: Rogue City (mentioned & poster)
- RoboCop 3