Fourth of July and here’s a patriotic quiz.
Which of these things, ascribed as “American”, are international in origin?

Apple pie
Football (not soccer)
Hot dogs
Jazz
Peanut butter
Star Wars
Rodeo
Democracy
Statue of Liberty
Star-Spangled Banner

Most if not all of them. I'd say. Apple pie certainly isn't - we've been making it since before America was founded. Plenty of other European countries have their styles of apple pies that predate ones from America.

American football is a relative latecomer, with reports of earlier similar games from all over the world.

The hot dog sausage comes from Germany. However, it is likely that the idea of selling it in a bun is American.

Jazz is American, although it has its roots in west African rhythms.

A Canadian invented peanut butter.

Both the film company and producer, George Lucas, of Star Wars are American.

The rodeo comes from Spain and Mexico.

Democracy comes from Greece.

The Statue of Liberty was a gift from France.

The Star-Spangled Banner was written by an American but the tune is from a British song, "To Anacreon in Heaven".

Wrong on several.

I look forward to the answers. Mine would have been very similar to arnie's.

Wrong? arnie??? I think he's 100% correct. One could argue that the premise of Star Wars was not US-originated. It smacks of Freud's "id" and Jung's "shadow," but other than that, I can't fault arnie's reply.

Show us the error of our ways, oh wise and omniscient Proofreader!

Proof, I can't wait to see your answers.

Arnie, I did not know about the Star Spangled Banner tune.

Peanut butter was fist made by the Aztecs. I don'y think too many made it to Canada, eh.

Star Wars was a remake of an earlier Samurai movie. George Lucas, along with several other production company members, admired the work of one particular Japanese director and set his film in a future time.

All the others were as Arnie stated: not America.

quote:

Originally posted by Proofreader:

Star Wars was a remake of an earlier Samurai movie.

I don't think that's true.

quote:

Star Wars was a remake of an earlier Samurai movie.


I don't think that's true.

quote:

Originally posted by Proofreader:

Star Wars was a remake of an earlier Samurai movie.


I don't think that's true.

Based on a Lucas interview, I probably should have said "earlier Samurai movies."

quote:

Originally posted by Proofreader:
Based on a Lucas interview, I probably should have said "earlier Samurai movies."

I know he was influenced by Kurosawa films, but I've read nothing that says Star Wars is a remake of another film or films.

Your claim is that Star Wars is not American in origin because it is a remake of a Japanese film. No, that's not true.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: goofy,

See Wikipedia. Although the page mentions that Aztecs may have used a peanut paste as a toothache remedy, it also mentions that Marcellus Gilmore Edson (1849 – 1940) of Montreal, Canada obtained a patent for peanut butter in 1884.

Wikipedia again does mention a 13-page script with "thematic parallels" to Kurosawa's The Hidden Fortress but that only seems to be a small part of the film with pretty well all of it being down to Lucas.