Glove Snap
When the Mad Doctor is ready to "operate", this almost always includes shoving his hands into big latex gloves with a (usually upward) thrusting motion while tugging on the back of the glove with the other hand; then there's a loud snap at the end when the back of the glove is released. Pretty much a Mad Doctor and Medic staple, and also pretty common in cartoons. Usually meant to inspire fear or to startle; usually part of the Creepy Physical.
Compare Gloved Fist of Doom. Also see Ass Shove, which frequently uses this as a family-friendly suggestion. Not to be confused with the Glove Slap.
Film
- The infamous glove-snapping scene in The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
- Latex glove snap done by a fearsomely large nurse in Armageddon.
- Implied in one scene in Kung Pow Enter the Fist:
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Master Tang: As you know, I am a man of special needs. One of you will now receive... the Fist of Fury! |
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- Undercover Brother. One of Mr. Feather's minions does this repeatedly, greatly to Mr. Feather's annoyance.
- Fletch. A proctologist does this before giving Fletch an examination, as shown here.
- Jim Carrey's Count Olaf does this in his herpetologist disguise in Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
- Rush Hour 3 - The two protagonists have been detained by security in a French airport.
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Chris Tucker: Can we go now? |
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- The Mad Doctor in The Rescuers Down Under does this. "All right, girls, let's snap to it!" *snap* Oh! That smarts..."
- Played for Laughs in Wayne's World, when the Big Bad is being "searched for drugs".
- Judge Doom does this before putting a toon shoe in "the Dip."
Live-Action TV
- In The X-Files, Mulder accuses Scully of enjoying doing this.
- Tony of NCIS; though it's more comedic than sinister.
- NCIS: Los Angeles has used it for comedic affect, even more so in that it was the Geek that did the snapping.
Newspaper Comics
- Dilbert has a comic where Dilbert opens a package, and by doing so agrees to a full cavity search at any time. Enter woman with the glove snap.
Video Games
- The Medic in Team Fortress 2 does it with his Syringe gun taunts.
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"Anuhza successful procedure!" |
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- He also does it in the Meet the Medic video, before he and the Heavy return to the battlefield.
Web Comics
- The second strip of Schlock Mercenary, seen here. (The threat of the expected exam is subverted.)
- In Narbonic, during the Professor Madblood and the Lovelace Affair storyline, Helen has quite a mad-sciencey one.
- In Skin Horse, Remy gets an ideal glove snap after dramatically opening his collection of scalpels.
Western Animation
- Cyborg does this once in Teen Titans, on Beast Boy's suggestion that they "check" Robin to see if he's a robotic duplicate. Naturally, Robin's terrified and screams out that he's real.
- Dr. Drakken definitely did this in Kim Possible.
- The Peter Griffin's doctor in Family Guy does this just before giving him a prostate exam.
- The town doctor does this at one point in Rango.
- Happens a couple times in American Dad One early episode has Stan being overly paranoid about some new neighbors of Iranian (but born American) decent, and holds a block party in order to please Francine as well. When Bob Memari bends down to look into the soda cooler, Stan puts on the glove, and Bob notices.
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Stan: What? It's a quirk, indulge me. |
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- It become a Running Gag in another episode when Roger constantly puts one on in order to offer someone else a hand job.
Real Life
- During the 2008 American presidential campaign, Mitt Romney had the spectacularly bad luck/judgment to have this picture taken of him.
