Boomhauer

Boomhauer (voiced by Mike Judge) is a character in the animated series King of the Hill. Hank Hill, Dale Gribble, and Bill Dauterive are his neighbors, and the four have been close friends since childhood. Boomhauer spends most of his spare time drinking Alamo Beer with Hank, Dale and Bill in the alley behind Hank’s house. It is not told exactly what he does for a living. It is mentioned in one episode that he is an electrician on worker’s compensation. Another reveals that his parents are rich after having won the lottery, and a third implies that Boomhauer receives favors from the various women with whom he sleeps. On the FX Networks website that shows King of the Hill, it says that “Boomhauer likes Seinfeld...‘dat show about nothin’ and he works in a deafening loud factory that makes barbed wire.” His primary pursuits in life are fast cars and loose women. In the episode “It’s Not Easy Being Green,” Boomhauer had a beloved cherry red Ford Mustang named Sally, which was the victim of a night gone awry with Hank, Bill, and Dale when they were teenagers. The car ended up at the bottom of the Arlen quarry until the quarry was drained, when it was winched out of the filthy water, which put closure on Boomhauer for finally knowing the fate of his car, which the boys said was stolen.

Boomhauer’s speech patterns are nearly incomprehensible to the audience. He mumbles very rapidly and uses the words “dang ol’ ” as an all-purpose adjective, sometimes using it several times in a single sentence. This, coupled with his heavy Southern accent, have led some to believe that he is mentally deficient, and was once admitted to a mental hospital after stumbling around downtown Houston in his speedo (he had drifted from a beach down the river in a tube, got sunburned, drunk, and dehydrated, hence his strange behavior). Despite the apparent incomprehensibility of his speech, all of the characters on the show understand what he is saying to some extent. This also leads to a recurring joke that at times Hank can’t understand Boomhauer but only due to extenuating circumstances (such as a bad telephone connection). Often, the closed caption text of Boomhauer’s mumblings are much more clear than his spoken words. Boomhauer’s speech patterns serve as a recurring theme. An example of a typical line of dialogue:
 * Yeah man, I tell ya what, man, that dang ol’ internet, man, you just go in on there and point and click, talk about w-w-dot-w-com, mean you got nekkid chicks on there, man, just go click, click, click, click, click, it’s real easy, man.

Boomhauer’s speech is satirical of “rednecks” using phrases such as "dang ole'" “dad gum” and “yeah, man talkin’ ’bout.” Though his speech is difficult to follow, Boomhauer sings clearly, as evidenced by his rendition of “Blue Moon of Kentucky” in Episode 6.9 (“The Bluegrass Is Always Greener”). The sung vocals were actually voiced by country singer Vince Gill. In “A Fire Fighting We Will Go,” when it shows a recount of what happened in Boomhauer’s mind, he is the only one who speaks normally while everyone else speaks with his mumbling.

Boomhauer has had four relatives that have appeared on the show. His mother, and his “Meemaw” (A Southern/Midwestern name for grandmother) who both have the same accent and speaking style as Boomhauer’s. Boomhauer’s father is drawn in one episode, though he does not speak. He is referred to simply as Dr. Boomhauer. The fourth family member is Boomhauer’s sleazy brother, Patch Boomhauer, who was voiced by Brad Pitt in his only appearance, when he was preparing to marry Boomhauer’s ex-girlfriend, Katherine (Laura Dern). The wedding did not take place, primarily because Katherine learns of her fiancee’s promiscuous behavior and she still harbors feelings for Boomhauer, who might possibly be the love of her life. It was revealed in this episode when Katherine went off to college, Boomhauer spent two days sitting in his hot tub, nursing a broken heart.

Despite his rambling speech patterns, Boomhauer is highly intelligent, and often gives advice to his friends. Once after giving advice to Bobby Hill, Bobby replied by saying “Wow, Mr. Boomhauer, Dad was right. You are smart.” This is further revealed in an episode in which Boomhauer is on a date and mentions that his mother wanted him to become an electrical engineer. Despite his impressive qualities and ability to lure women to him, he has trouble getting over a break-up. When he met a jogger whom Bill lusted after greatly, he spent many days (and nights) with her, before he made up the courage to ask her to marry him. To his horror, she had been sleeping with another man, and she only dated him because she wanted the sex. Crushed, Boomhauer went speeding down the street with “barracuda” playing, and crying in sadness. He spent the next few days in sorrow, trying to call her back to beg her to come home and to find another woman, with no success. Bill, a veteran at getting dumped by women, helped his friend get over the jogger and back on his feet by giving him a motivating and uplifting speech.

Boomhauer favors animal-print bikini briefs, which has been observed a few times in the show when he’s appeared without his blue jeans.

Trivia

 * In an episode where Hank, Bill, Dale, and Boomhauer were stuck in the water because they jumped off a boat, Boomhauer confessed that he dyes his hair (“Hank’s on Board”).
 * Mike Judge has stated that the inspiration for Boomhauer’s voice came from a message left on his answering machine by an irate viewer of Beavis & Butt-Head.
 * Boomhauer is a rock band from Finland, named after the character.
 * He drives a 1968 Dodge Coronet.
 * He owns a limousine, which has not been seen, but was mentioned when Luanne Platter was planning her wedding to Rhett Van Der Graaf.
 * Boomhauer is well known for his ability to swoon the ladies, seen in many episodes including a visit to a local shoe shop with Bobby.
 * Boomhauer likes to eat catfish.