When we got down to my house after seeing Spamalot, Nellie wanted to see Holy Grail. As I dug through the DVDs piled on my shelves, she was alternately amused and surprised by the contents of my collection, until I reached the one that turned out to be right above Holy Grail. I showed it to her, and got the reaction I expected: IT MUST BE MINE! (for a brief loan, at least).

When I told the story to Dave at lunch today, his blank stare reminded me how crucial a few years can be when it comes to pop culture. It had simply never occurred to me that someone in my usual circle of friends would never have heard of this:

Don Knotts as a bespectacled fish who serves as the US Navy’s secret weapon in World War II; what’s not to love?

Side note: my childhood memories dodged a bullet when Jim Carrey’s plan to remake this film fell through. Hasn’t he done enough damage already?