“Got a little Captain in you?”

150px-captainlogo_2005The Captain Morgan Rum commercials have been all over  tv, so it’s likely you’ve seen one of the off-beat “Got a little Captain in you?” ads.

The “Got a little Captain in you?”  refers to people after they drink the rum.  They drink Captain Morgan because it’s different as they are. And, we learn from the commercial that Captain Morgan Rum IS  very different, because, well, when you take a sip while standing up, ONE of your legs may suddenly rise and bend at the knee, signaling that you’ve got a little of “Captain” in you.

When you see a row of people with a “little Captain” in them,  it’s quite effective. And from the beginning, I wondered if there was any basis in fact to having a “little “Captain” in anyone.

I found the answer in the book, Discovery of France ,by Graham Robb, in the unnumbered picture section, between pages 142-43. The caption describes the 1905 photo as a staged scene in the spa town of La Bourboule. The image shows country folk performing a dance called the bourree—and it certainly looks like they have a “little Captain” in them.