Dale Gribble

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Dale Gribble

Dale Alvin Gribble (voiced by Johnny Hardwick) is a character in the animated series King of the Hill. He is an exterminator, chain-smoker, and paranoid believer of almost all conspiracy theories. Due to his beliefs, he uses the alias "Rusty Shackleford" whenever he doesn't want his real name known, including when ordering pizza. The neighborhood block charter is the only document Dale has ever signed with his real name; he refuses to sign any document authorized by a government official.

His fear and hatred of the government stems from the decades-long belief that his father worked for the CIA. He was estranged from his father, Bug Gribble, because he saw Bug kissing his wife, Nancy, on the lips on their wedding day. In truth, Bug only kissed Nancy to hide the fact that he was actually homosexual and was nearing a kiss with the Filipino caterer. As Bug put it, "I grabbed the nearest thing in a dress". Dale did not learn the truth until twenty years later, when he witnessed his father working as a rider at a gay cowboy rodeo. It was here that both father and son reconciled their differences, and Dale allowed his dad and his dad's partner, Juan Pedro, to come to his and Nancy's re-marital ceremony ("My Own Private Rodeo").

Although he is highly suspicious of the government and of other people, he is not aware (although everyone else is) that his wife Nancy has had an affair with John Redcorn for nearly fifteen years, and that Redcorn is the biological father of his son, Joseph. The people that know about their affair are (according to Nancy): God, herself, Peggy, Hank, John Redcorn, possibly Bobby, Boomhauer, Bill, Redcorn's sister, Kahn and Minh. When Peggy Hill (finally) found out, she considered telling Dale, but ultimately decided not to disturb Dale and Joseph's loving father/son relationship. Dale's inability to figure out Nancy cheated on him may be the result of the blinding love he feels for her. Incidentally, whenever Dale makes a comment about being Joseph's father, John Redcorn will show up. Nancy points out that Dale's grandmother was of Latin descent which led to Joseph's darker skin. Dale briefly believed Joseph to be fathered by aliens, accounting for his skin color ("Of Mice and Little Green Men").

He runs his own business, Dale's Dead Bug, and drives a Dodge Caravan (nicknamed the "Bugabago", rhymes with Winnebago) with a large, fake, dead queen ant perched on the roof. Dale's favorite TV shows are Sanford and Son and What's Happening!! He enjoys drinking Alamo Beer with his long-time friends and neighbors, Hank Hill, Bill Dauterive, and Boomhauer. Dale is an avid smoker of Manitoba brand cigarettes, perhaps a parody of Marlboro cigarettes, and also drinks a Mountain Dew type soft drink. In one episode, Dale instructs a boy, who is receiving his kidney, to give his kidney a can of Mountain Dew once a week. He further explains that his kidney likes it ("Dale Be Not Proud").

He shares a birthday with Van Cliburn (July 12). He was born in 1960. This is proven in the 3rd season Episode: "Good Hill Hunting". Dale says that his dad took him on his first hunt 25 years ago. Hank and Dale are taking their boys when they are 13.

Dale has taken Russian correspondence courses and can speak the language, after a fashion ("Tankin' It To The Streets").

Dale reveals that he doesn't know what to do with his hands and is consequently a chain smoker ("Of Mice and Little Green Men"). He once attempted to quit smoking and switched to chewing tobacco, but abandoned the effort when his wife prohibited spitting in their house.

Trivia

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• Dale looks very much like Mike Judge when he removes his ubiquitous hat and dark glasses. Other than that, his appearance was mostly based on actor Robert Patrick, whom Mike Judge had hoped would sign for the part.
• Dale also bears a resemblance to the author William S. Burroughs. Johnny Hardwick has stated in an interview that the voice he uses for the character is essentially a "really lousy" impression of the late author #redirect . The physical resemblance was taken further in the fifth season episode "The Exterminator" where Dale took a job in an office and was forced to shed his hat and dark glasses and don the type of generic grey suit that was Burroughs' trademark. Like Dale Gribble, William S. Burroughs worked as an exterminator and had an interest in firearms.
• Dale also looks very much like the late Hunter S. Thompson, with his bald head constantly covered with a hat, always wearing sunglasses, and always pictured with a cigarette. Further, his love of firearms, anti-authoritarian stance, and dubious claims of being "in the know," regarding conspiracies further the resembalance.
• Much like Hank who looks/sounds like Tom Anderson from Beavis and Butt-head, Dale resembles another character from Beavis and Butt-head. In some Beavis and Butt-head episodes, a skinny, bald, smoking man in his underwear wearing sun glasses can be seen. This man is the husband of the trailer park phone sex woman.
• Dale's last name is a tribute to Mike Gribble, who died of cancer in 1994. Gribble, along with Craig "Spike" Decker, founded the Spike and Mike's Sick and Twisted Festival of Animation in San Diego. The Festival is considered the birthplace of Beavis and Butt-head, since Spike and Mike produced Judge's first two Beavis and Butt-head shorts.
• Stephen Root originally auditioned for the part of Dale, but was cast as Bill instead.
• There is an inconsistency regarding the appearance of Dale's father, Bug Gribble. When Bug was seen in a flashback from season one, in the episode "The Order of the Straight Arrow", he looked almost exacty like Dale, only older and more rugged. This version of Bug was again shown in a flashback in the episode "Now Who's the Dummy?" When Bug was seen in person when Hank tried to reunite Bug and Dale for Dale renewing his vows with Nancy, Bug was given an overhaul, looking nothing like Dale.
• The song "Get In Line" by Barenaked Ladies, on the King of the Hill soundtrack is based on Dale. The song's music video features the band members performing various conspiracies on him.
• Dale is about 5'10"

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