History Main / OverlyPolitePals

Compare PolitenessJudo, where this is being done as part of a passive-aggressive fight. May involve OuthumblingEachOther. BanteringBaddieBuddies often combine this with being FauxAffablyEvil. See also JapanesePoliteness. InvertedTrope of VitriolicBestBuds.

* Creator/ShirleyJackson used Gaston's CatchPhrase as the title of her short story, "After You, My Dear Alphonse," published in the January 16, 1943 issue of The New Yorker.

[[quoteright:350:[[ComicStrip/AlphonseAndGaston https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/alphonse_gaston.jpg]]]]

* The [[Film/TheBluesBrothers Blues Brothers]] invoke this trope when they go into Mr. Fabulous' restaurant, taking each other's arms.

[[caption-width-right:350:[[MemeticMutation No-one]] [[NiceGuy shows courtesy]] like [[WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast Gaston!]]]]

* ''WesternAnimation/RobinHood'' has Robin and Little John doing this when they reach a log over a stream. They then proceed to both go first, knock each other off and fall in the water.

[[folder:Live-Action Television]]

Compare PolitenessJudo, where this is being done as part of a passive-aggressive fight. May involve OuthumblingEachOther. See also JapanesePoliteness. InvertedTrope of VitriolicBestBuds.

Compare PolitenessJudo, where this is being done as part of a passive-aggressive fight. May involve OuthumblingEachOther. See also JapanesePoliteness. InvertedTrope of VitriolicBestBuds. May often involve characters referring to each other as MrXAndMrY.

* The "Double Date" episode of ''Series/TheOffice'', Dwight and Andy perform this routine for differing motives based in politeness.

[[folder:Web Original]]
* Played with in ''[[WebAnimation/HowItShouldHaveEnded How Top Gun Should Have Ended]]''.
[[/folder]]

* In ''Series/TheAvengers'', Mr. Steed and Mrs. Peel were often overly-polite to each other, in a very flirtatious way.

[[caption-width-right:350:[[MemeticMutation No-one]] [[NiceGuy shows courtesy]] like [[Disney/BeautyAndTheBeast Gaston!]]]]

* ''Disney/RobinHood'' has Robin and Little John doing this when they reach a log over a stream. They then proceed to both go first, knock each other off and fall in the water.

Compare PolitenessJudo, where this is being done as part of a passive-aggressive fight. May involve OuthumblingEachOther. See also JapanesePoliteness. InvertedTrope of VitriolicBestBuds.

[[folder:Films -- Animated]]
* ''Disney/RobinHood'' has Robin and Little John doing this when they reach a log over a stream. They then proceed to both go first, knock each other off and fall in the water.
[[/folder]]

Compare PolitenessJudo, where this is being done as part of a passive aggressive fight. May involve OuthumblingEachOther. See also JapanesePoliteness. InvertedTrope of VitriolicBestBuds.

Compare PolitenessJudo, where this is being done as part of a passive aggressive fight. May involve OuthumblingEachOther. InvertedTrope of VitriolicBestBuds.

%%Comic was published in 1906, and as such is in the public domain.

Known in the entertainment industry as the Alphonse and Gaston Routine (named after the "Alphonse and Gaston" comic strip by Frederick Burr Opper), this is a comedy trope from the days of {{vaudeville}}. It's when two characters are overly polite to each other, often in a bumbling way and almost always done comically. Often these two will be of a lower class but wish to dress and act in an upper-class manner and therefore take things to extremes. Often one will offer the other his arm if they are walking somewhere together, especially someplace fancy. Almost AlwaysMale, and occasionally a [[HoYay homosexual subtext]] is implied.

[[quoteright:300:[[ComicStrip/AlphonseAndGaston https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/alphgast1_6762.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:300: [[MemeticMutation No-one]] [[NiceGuy shows courtesy]] like [[Disney/BeautyAndTheBeast Gaston!]]]]

* The "Double Date" episode of Series/''TheOffice'', Dwight and Andy perform this routine for differing motives based in politeness.