alt title(s): Big Ham
"''I will be above God someday! In fact, I am almost there! Don't be down, you mediocre nobodies! I'm just too awesome! There is nothing in this world more precious than Me! Very soon you'll see a
mandorla above my head!
Ridiculously larger-than-life character, often a mentor to one of the regulars. Typically played by a guest star with an Internet Movie Database listing longer than the rest of the cast put together. Full of energy,
joie de vivre and nothing but line readings and dramatic gestures that
can shake a scene to pieces. Often a
key redeeming element in shows that are
So Bad Its Good.
The first line from the
Large Ham will be dramatic, portentous, often just before the act break and can almost always be replaced with: "Did somebody order A LARGE HAM?".
Try it at home; it's fun.
Practically defined by:
BRIAN BLESSED in Britain,
William Shatner... in America!, and
Norio Wakamoto in Japan. Often a character trait of the
Boisterous Bruiser, usually with
No Indoor Voice, and often cast as a
One Scene Wonder. Having an outrageous appearance is helpful but not a requirement.
The origin of the term is unclear: is either from the use of hamfat as a cheap make-up remover in the old days of theatre, or because "ham" serves as short for "amateur"; Leslie Charteris stated it derived from "
Hamlet" in a
The Saint short story.
An equivalent term in Japanese is "daikon", meaning a very large white radish. Anime characters frequently order
hot blood with their
Large Ham. Contrast
Bad Bad Acting, where the acting isn't
nearly as energetic. A
Large Ham may occasionally be
Crazy Awesome. They also greatly relish a "
This! Is! SPARTA!!!" moment whenever it crops up. Villainous Hams also enjoy getting
Drunk On The Dark Side. A
Smug Super relishes showing off their power this way.
One of the United Kingdom's most active export industries. If a character is depicted as an American in a BBC series, he's likely to be one of these. If there seem to be several large hams on screen at the same time, you may be watching a
World Of Ham. If in a few scenes many
Large Hams come together, the likely result is
Ham To Ham Combat.
When this is
Narm, the large hams are likely to have come from
Hillshire Narm (Go
Keet!) But more often these actors are
Narm Charm.
Compare
Melodrama,
Ham And Cheese,
Milking The Giant Cow,
Feed Me,
Level Breaker,
Camp.
