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Exactly What It Says on the Tin: a baby is born while the mother is stuck in a stalled elevator (births in the vehicle on route to the hospital also count towards this trope). Probably the most uncomfortable of elevator moments. A classic Sitcom scenario, especially when the baby has to be delivered by a squeamish and totally unqualified male lead. Cue the inevitable Crowning Moment of Heartwarming.
See also Locked in a Freezer, Instant Birth, Just Add Water, and Screaming Birth.
Examples of Born in An Elevator include:
Anime & Manga[]
- In Vandread, Kahlua a.k.a. Pyoro-2 was born in an elevator. The male lead is initially tasked with handling the delivery, but he manages to hand it over to his love-interest fairly quickly. (This is interesting because she, theoretically, shouldn't be any more qualified for it than he is, and yet she handles it like a pro simply on account of being a woman.)
- Couldn't it be the fact that he grew up on a planet where pregnancy, live birth, etc., doesn't exist? (Thus making him even less qualified than any random earth male...)
- Given that Hibiki apparently fainted when he saw the baby, it's hard to believe that anyone else could possibly be any worse.
- Couldn't it be the fact that he grew up on a planet where pregnancy, live birth, etc., doesn't exist? (Thus making him even less qualified than any random earth male...)
- Fairly narrowly averted in the very beginning of Kyo Kara Maoh. The scene (a warm conversation about baby names in the back of a taxi) is given without a shred of context; we work out who the principle players were in subsequent episodes, and see the scene again, de-blurred and with a lot more context, a long while later in a flashback episode.
- They did get to the hospital in time, probably because Conrad had the forethought to be in a taxi when he approached Miko-chan. One may still infer that he was prepared to do this; in fact he brings up his presence at Wolfram's birth to reassure Miko. (And his language is vague enough that she replies 'your brother had a baby?!')
- It was forethought, too—he'd probably been stalking her for weeks in case this or similar was necessary. That baby's going to be his King, dammit!
- Amusingly, until context filled itself in, this scene lent itself to the easy assumption that Conrad was Yuuri's father.
- They did get to the hospital in time, probably because Conrad had the forethought to be in a taxi when he approached Miko-chan. One may still infer that he was prepared to do this; in fact he brings up his presence at Wolfram's birth to reassure Miko. (And his language is vague enough that she replies 'your brother had a baby?!')
Films — Live-Action[]
- This happens in the movie Blankman.
- Averted but referenced in Die Hard. After Hans and his crew have taken the Nakatomi office workers hostage, Holly
McClaneGenaro tells him one of them is pregnant. Hans immediately rolls his eyes, expecting this to take place before Holly tells him she's not due for a couple of weeks, but that she need something more comfortable than the floor to sit at. Hans agrees, and has his mooks move a couch from the lobby to the main hall. - The going into labor in a taxi version is used in Look Who's Talking. (The taxi driver sticks around and the mother, who has broken things off with the baby's father, eventually falls in love with him.)
- Men in Black has this with an alien giving birth to an octopus-shaped baby in a car, starring Agent Jay as Delivery Guy.
Live-Action TV[]
- Lucy and Kevin's daughter Savannah on 7th Heaven.
- Happened in Saved by the Bell of course, with Mr. Belding's wife.
- Fran went into labor in a broken elevator in The Nanny, but they got her out in time for her to deliver in a hospital.
- Malcolm in the Middle: Lampshaded by Hal at one point. He saves a pigeon caught in plastic packaging at the side of the road, and says, "Well, I wanted to deliver a baby in the back of a taxi, but..."
- This happens in The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, where the baby is born in The Tipton's elevator to a mother called Mary and a father called Joseph at Christmas. The theme was broken by the baby being a girl.
- Occurred in The Young and The Restless, with Jack delivering Phyllis's baby girl (the father was Nick).
- Happened in Early Edition. The power goes off, and Chuck and some pregnant lady are trapped in an elevator. Chuck, unfortunately, has a weak stomach and passes out. Gary goes down the elevator shaft, delivers the baby and leaves, leaving Chuck with the lady and her baby when the elevator doors finally open after everything gets working, making Chuck look like the hero.
- Night Court. When Public Defender Christine Sullivan is pregnant but insists on working regardless, the others plan "Operation Stork"—a ridiculous Crazy Prepared scenario should she suddenly go into labour. Unfortunately they forgot to include the elevator in their preparations.
- Denise on Benson.
- Doogie Howser, M.D.: Vinnie has to deliver his French teacher's baby in an elevator.
- An All in The Family episode has Archie getting stuck in an elevator with several people, including—yes—a pregnant woman who goes into labor.
- Gloria manages to get stuck in a phone booth after calling the doctor to say she's in labor. They get her out to go to the hospital though.
- Alluded to in Stargate Atlantis when a misfiring security system put the entire city in lockdown, locking in Sheppard and visibly pregnant Teyla alone in the lab.
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Sheppard: (glances nervously at Teyla) |
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- The 'giving birth in a taxi' variation happens in an episode of Frasier. However, in something of a variation, it's the taxi driver's baby, not any of the passengers. And also, the two highly educated persons who pridly added a Doctor in front of their name was completely useless, while the retired Police Officer helped her through the crisis.
- Alex Russo was reportedly born in a taxi.
- In My Name Is Earl, Billie goes into labor on the hospital's broken elevator (during Earl's coma dream). Earl has to help her...and he is proudly holding a healthy baby boy afterwards in the dream.
- Home Improvement had a variation on this. Heidi goes into labor while she, Tim and Jill are driving through the middle of nowhere to go to an awards dinner and she gives birth in a roadside gas station. Tim becomes the Delivery Guy.
- Mrs. Kotter does this on Welcome Back, Kotter.
- Averted on Kung Fu: The Legend Continues when an elevator is stuck between floors with a visibly pregnant woman, a jerk, and Kermit Griffin, a tough guy. The woman gets upset, the jerk is rude to her, and Griffin threatens him for being rude. All are rescued, and the woman does not go into labor.
- Joan of Arcadia features a quite cruel variation: after the baby is born, the mother refuses to look at it and demands it be taken away.
- Happens to ALF of all creatures during his Christmas Episode, with him making the delivery and suggesting the name of a newly-deceased little girl he met earlier for the baby. Yes, even ALF gets a Crowning Moment of Heartwarming on Christmas, too.
Video Games[]
- This trope is alluded to in Elite Beat Agents where a taxi driver is asked to take an expecting woman to the hospital. (However, regardless of whether he succeeds or not, she does not give birth in the taxi.)
Western Animation[]
- King of the Hill: Bobby amuses himself by pressing the buttons for every floor inside an elevator, then gets bored and leaves. A few seconds later, a man and a doctor wheel a birthing woman into the elevator. The door closes. Ding... Ding... "WAAAH!"
Real Life[]
- Truth in Television: Actor Jack Lemmon was born in an elevator.