History Main / CueCard

** Wally, with his cue cards, eventually became a recurring on-screen presence who Seth could play off of. He became so popular that viewers reacted positively when he stepped in to become a featured guest on the couch after Music/A$APRocky cancelled at the last minute. During the interview, Seth and Wally discussed how ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' alums like Seth, Creator/ConanOBrien, and Creator/JimmyFallon use cue cards rather than teleprompters because of their time on ''SNL''. Wally also promoted his own business where he creates custom cue cards for special occasions like greeting cards.

* In the first episode of ''Series/TheNewsroom'', the News Night crew hastily puts together a show about the Deep Water Horizon explosion as the event is unfolding. Because they don't have time to put together a script, Will's teleprompter just says "[VAMP]"[[note]]a real cue telling anchors to do what they can to fill out the time slot[[/note]] for the whole hour.

* After flubbing a line on ''Series/LateNight'', Creator/SethMeyers walked off camera to grab the cue cards to show how the writing was messy and hard to read, with the cue card guy walking up to indignantly grab them back and moving into position for the taping to continue.

* After flubbing a line in his monologue, [[Series/LateNightWithSethMeyers Seth Meyers]] walked off camera to grab the cue cards to show how the writing was messy and hard to read, with the cue card guy walking up to indignantly grab them back and moving into position for the taping to continue.

* ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'''s sketches and rundown are rewritten and reshuffled right up until the show has to go live. Because of this, casts and hosts all have to rely on cue cards to get through the night, with some being better at concealing their reading than others. Often for humor purposes, the cue cards are deliberately shown or otherwise used humorously. One sketch depicts a morning talk show where the teleprompter suddenly break down. The hosts, without anything telling them what to say for the first time, panic and go completely insane.

* Since ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' is a live show with guest stars who are often busy or not even actors, they tend to use cue cards. Often for humor purposes, the cue cards are deliberately shown or otherwise used humorously. One sketch depicts a morning talk show where the teleprompter suddenly break down. The hosts, without anything telling them what to say for the first time, panic and go completely insane.

[[AC:ComicStrips]]

[[AC:Films -- Animated]]

-->'''Bowler Hat Guy:''' So, where do I sign? ''[Cuts to him being thrown out of the building, followed by the memory scanner]''

[[AC:Films -- Live-Action]]

[[AC:LiveActionTV]]

* Since ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' is a live show with guest stars who are often busy or not even actors, they tend to use cue cards. Often for humor purposes, the cue cards are deliberately shown or otherwise used humorously.
** One sketch depicts a morning talk show where the teleprompter suddenly break down. The hosts, without anything telling them what to say for the first time, panic and go completely insane.

-->'''The Doctor:''' ''(completely deadpan)'' I'm very sorry for your loss. I'll do all I can to solve the death of your friend slash family member slash pet.
* A ''Series/SpittingImage'' American special had a send up of Creator/BobHope who is so dependent on cue cards that he needs a cue card guy to feed the question, "Where are my cue cards?"

[[AC:Other]]
* Creator/MarlonBrando read most of his lines in ''Film/TheGodfather'' off cue cards. Website/{{IMDB}} also says that in ''Film/{{Superman}}'' his lines were written on baby Kal-El's diaper. Brando was notorious for not bothering to memorize his lines or often even to read the script, and then turning in amazing performances anyway while reading his lines from a cue card.

[[AC:ProfessionalWrestling]]
* From Creator/ScottKeith's [[http://wrestling.insidepulse.com/2002/07/28/4775/ review]] of ''Wrestling/{{CZW}} Best of the Best'' (May 19, 2001):
-->"In one case, the guy is obviously reading off cue-cards, which you can tell because his eyes move to the right every other word."

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[[AC:VideoGames]]

-->'''Demyx''': ''"If the subject fails to respond, use aggression to liberate his true disposition." Right. Did they ever pick the wrong guy for this one.''

[[AC:WesternAnimation]]

-->'''Ed''': ''Sit down and say hello, Johnny!''
-->'''Johnny''': ''Uh... hello?''
-->'''Ed''': ''Ask him how he is!''
-->(Johnny is confused, Edd holds up a sign saying "How are you?")
-->'''Ed''': ''I'm fine. A little hungry.''

* In ''Disney/ChickenLittle'', Turkey Lurkey's aides hold up cue cards to inform him on how to act, including one telling him his fly is open.
* In ''Disney/TheGreatMouseDetective'', Mr. Flaversham is forced to read off cue cards while operating the Mouse Queen robot.
* In ''Disney/MeetTheRobinsons'', Bowler Hat Guy is presenting Lewis' invention as his own to the board of a corporation. Doris flies outside the window with cue cards, but then the CEO lowers the blinds, forcing an unprepared Bowler Hat Guy to wing it. HilarityEnsues in an EpicFail where the Bowler Hat Guy runs the headphone set of the memory scanner across the long boardroom table to the Inventco CEO. When time runs out, the memory scanner falls over, and the CEO is pulled all the way down the table to get tangled in the cord with the Bowler Hat Guy:

* ''WesternAnimation/Johnny Test'': During the end of a school play, Dukey holds large cards for Johnny to read on stage.

[[AC:Video

* In ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheFirstAvenger'', Cap uses cue cards (taped on the back of his shield so he can read them easily) during his first USO show.

[[AC:VideoGames]]
* ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII'': This trope is probably the reason for [[MinionWithAnFInEvil Demyx]]'s popularity. One has to wonder who wrote the cards for him, since half the words don't sound like natural parts of his vocabulary. Observe:
-->'''Demyx''': ''"If the subject fails to respond, use aggression to liberate his true disposition." Right. Did they ever pick the wrong guy for this one.''

[[AC:WesternAnimation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddy'': Edd holds up cue cards for Ed to read while he talks with Johnny. Despite screwing up, he manages to find Johnny's problem.
-->'''Ed''': ''Sit down and say hello, Johnny!''
-->'''Johnny''': ''Uh... hello?''
-->'''Ed''': ''Ask him how he is!''
-->(Johnny is confused, Edd holds up a sign saying "How are you?")
-->'''Ed''': ''I'm fine. A little hungry.''
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' naturally have had their go at this trope. From Krusty pausing during sentences to Homer yelling "NEXT CARD!"
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* In the ''Series/DoctorWho'' episode "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS35E3UnderTheLake Under the Lake]]", Clara has cue cards for the Doctor in case he says something insensitive because of his LackOfEmpathy.

* Creator/MarlonBrando read most of his lines in ''Film/TheGodfather'' off cue cards. Website/{{IMDB}} also says that in ''Film/{{Superman}}'' his lines were written on baby Kal-El's diaper.

* A ''Series/SpittingImage'' American special had a send up of BobHope who is so dependent on cue cards that he needs a cue card guy to feed the question, "Where are my cue cards?"

* A ''SpittingImage'' American special had a send up of BobHope who is so dependent on cue cards that he needs a cue card guy to feed the question, "Where are my cue cards?"

* In the ''Series/DoctorWho'' episode "Under the Lake," Clara has cue cards for the Doctor in case he says something insensitive because of his LackOfEmpathy.

[[AC:{{Film}}]]
* ''Film/AnchormanTheLegendOfRonBurgundy'' has the main character relying on teleprompters to the point of not knowing what he's actually saying.

* ''Film/FatalInstinct'': as Ned Ravine is reading a captured bank robber his Miranda rights, his partner holds up cue cards with the words written on them.

* In ''Film/{{Idiocracy}}'', President Camacho starts his speech by declaring "Shit!" followed by a long pause. Cut to the teleprompter which reads "Shit!" and is still slowly scrolling to the next line.