A miniature baseball diamond with a tiny open gate and turnstile on a sand-colored surface.

Original artwork, not a still

Charlie

Ray, you're never gonna solve it. It's not a riddle because Who is on first base. That's a joke, Ray, it's comedy, but when you do it you're not funny. You're like the comedy of Abbott and Abbott.

— Rain Man ‧ 1988

Behind the line

What it means

Our interpretation.

The speaker explains that the baseball routine depends on wordplay, not on solving a riddle. Calling Ray the comedy of Abbott and Abbott suggests he has lost the contrast between the partners that makes the exchange funny. Taking the names literally defeats the joke.

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