Posted on 06/22/2005 4:59:10 AM PDT by TrebleRebel
Frankly, my dear, even those who have never seen Gone with the Wind can still identify Rhett Butler's final words to Scarlett O'Hara.
The level of instantaneous recognition inspired by Clark Gable's final line to Vivien Leigh--"Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn"--led the American Film Institute to deem it number one on its list of the top 100 movie quotes.
The listmakers extraordinaire over at the AFI revealed the latest compilation in their 100 Years series--100 Movie Quotes: America's Greatest Quips, Comebacks and Catchphrases--in a three-hour CBS television special Tuesday hosted by Pierce Brosnan.
The winning lines were selected by 1,500 jurors from a list of 400 nominees. Voting criteria included a nominated quote's cultural impact on the national lexicon and whether it was used to invoke the legacy of the film in which it appeared.
In close contention for the top spot on the list were two of Marlon Brando's most famous lines--"I'm going to make him an offer he can't refuse," from 1972's The Godfather and "You don't understand! I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender. I could've been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am," from 1954's On the Waterfront--which finished second and third, respectively.
In fourth place was Judy Garland's naive proclamation to her loyal canine in 1939's The Wizard of Oz: "Toto, I've got a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore."
Humphrey Bogart's remark to Ingrid Bergman in 1942's Casablanca, "Here's looking at you, kid," was looking at fifth place on the list, but was one of six quotes overall chosen from the film. Others included Bogart's "Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship" (20th), "We'll always have Paris" (43rd), "Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine" (67), and Bergman's "Play it, Sam. Play 'As Time Goes By' " (28th).
Gone with the Wind also had multiple entries in the top 100. Leigh's "After all, tomorrow is another day" made the list at number 31, and her "As God is my witness, I'll never be hungry again" was number 59.
The earliest quote was Al Jolson's "Wait a minute, wait a minute. You ain't heard nothin' yet," (71st) from 1927's The Jazz Singer. The most recent was Andy Serkis' "My precious," (85th) from 2002's The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.
Numerous sci-fi films inspired list-making quotes, including Harrison Ford's "May the Force be with you" (8th) from 1977's Star Wars, Arnold Schwarzenegger's "I'll be back" (37) from The Terminator and a certain friendly alien's insistence that "E.T. phone home," (15th) from 1982's E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial.
On the lighter side, John Belushi's exclamations of "Toga! Toga!" from 1978's Animal House made the list at number 82, while Cuba Gooding Jr.'s rallying cry of "Show me the money!" from 1996's Jerry Maguire placed 25th on the list.
Then there were the lines that inspired fear in the hearts of all but the most intrepid moviegoers, such as Jack Nicholson's "Here's Johnny!" (68th) from 1980's The Shining, and Haley Joel Osment's "I see dead people," from 1999's The Sixth Sense (44th).
Patrick Swayze's solemn declaration that "Nobody puts Baby in a corner," from 1987's Dirty Dancing squeaked onto the list at number 98 and Margaret Hamilton's witchy vow, "I''ll get you, my pretty, and your little dog too!" from The Wizard of Oz came in at number 99.
Rounding out the top 100 was Leonardo DiCaprio's passionate shout-out from 1997's Titanic: "I'm king of the world!" (And, please, let that be the last we hear of it.)
The complete list of 100 Movie Quotes: America's Greatest Quips, Comebacks and Catchphrases can be viewed at www.afi.com.
Here's a rundown of the top 25 most memorable movie quotes as determined by the AFI:
1. "Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn." Gone with the Wind, 1939
2. "I'm going to make him an offer he can't refuse." The Godfather, 1972
3. "You don't understand! I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender. I could've been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am." On the Waterfront, 1954
4. "Toto, I've got a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore." The Wizard of Oz, 1939
5. "Here's looking at you, kid." Casablanca, 1942
6. "Go ahead, make my day." Sudden Impact, 1983
7. "All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up." Sunset Boulevard., 1950
8. "May the Force be with you." Star Wars, 1977
9. "Fasten your seatbelts. It's going to be a bumpy night." All About Eve, 1950
10. "You talking to me?" Taxi Driver, 1976
11. "What we've got here is failure to communicate." Cool Hand Luke, 1967
12. "I love the smell of napalm in the morning." Apocalypse Now, 1979
13. "Love means never having to say you're sorry." Love Story, 1970
14. "The stuff that dreams are made of." The Maltese Falcon, 1941
15. "E.T. phone home." E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, 1982
16. "They call me Mister Tibbs!" In the Heat of the Night, 1967
17. "Rosebud." Citizen Kane, 1941
18. "Made it, Ma! Top of the world!" White Heat, 1949
19. "I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore!" Network, 1976
20. "Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship." Casablanca, 1942
21. "A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti." The Silence of the Lambs, 1991
22. "Bond. James Bond." Dr. No, 1962
23. "There's no place like home." The Wizard of Oz, 1939
24. "I am big! It's the pictures that got small." Sunset Boulevard, 1950
25. "Show me the money!" Jerry Maguire, 1996
"Are you gonna pull them pistols or whistle dixie?"
Whatever they may be in public life, whatever their relations with men, in their relations with women, all men are rapists, and that's all they are. They rape us with their eyes, their laws, and their codes.
The Women's Room
"Don't be jealous because I've been chatting online with hot babes all day. We both know I'm training to become a cagefighter"
Oh, of course. Also, who could forget:
"But if I'm right...Lenny...you will have saved the lives of millions of registered voters."
I think a list like this has to be difficult to come up with...so many memorable lines...how do you pick the top 100? And you know that you will always have someone who will disagree with any or all that are selected and some will be unhappy that their favorites were omitted. That's probably true of any top 10, or top 20, top 100, the best, the worst, etc. etc.
It was a pleasure doing some cleaning over the weekend with Godfather I playing on tv. That's a movie I've seen a zillion times, but never tire of watching again and again. In fact, I liked the whole series -- even Godfather III, which was trashed by a number of critics and moviegoers. Maybe it wasn't up to the standard of Godfather I and II, but still a good film nonetheless in my opinion.
I constantly mourn the two hours of my life spent watching that horrible movie, at the insistence of a friend of mine. When I am on my deathbed, I will desperately wish I had those hours back.
missing from the top ten: "Are you suggesting coconuts migrate?"
Great quotes. I think the biggest rip-off in Oscar history is Kilmer's not winning....and NOT being nominated for best supporting actor in that role.
If that's your only regret in life, I'd say you are doing pretty good!
Since when, Kip? You have the worst reflexes of all time.
the "Badges" quote is over shadowed with "Where are all the white women at?"
Yeah....pun intended. I still smile when I think of that scene.
I understand the subjective nature of doing a list like this, but I think it's a safe assumption that each line should be ingrained into the popular culture, even for people who are not fans of the movie. If Casablanca was worth 6 quotes, Gone with the Wind gets three quotes, and the Graduate and Jerry McGuire each got two quotes, I find it mind-boggling that each of Godfather I and Godfather II could only get one quote apiece. Especially given some of the other loser quotes included in the top 20 of all time (particularly #s 7,9,13,14,16,17,and 19.) Are you going to tell me that ANY of those quotes was better than "Leave the gun, take the cannolis?" What a joke.
"Fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life, son".
"What er we supposed to do, ya moron?"
"Im not kidding. This is my job!"
"My advice to you is to start drinking heavily"
"I hate those guys"
"Put Niedermeyer on it. He's a sneaky little s**t just like you are".
"Thank you god!"
"They took the bar! The whole f***ing bar!"
"I'm in love with a retard. Is he bigger than me?"
"Try to guess what I am now?"
"You know, your son looks like a fag to me. You better get married again or he's going to end up with someone's (censored) before you can say Jack Robinson" - Slapshot
It's just a flesh wound.
I'm not dead. I feel fine. I think I'll go for a walk.
Gimme some of your tots.
Saw a retrospective of the Carol Burnett Show not long ago, which included an interview with Bob Mackie, who designed Carol Burnett's costumes (and maybe the other costumes too) for the show. He talked about his reaction to the request from the producers/writers/directors to design a gown with a drapery rod through it. ("O-kaaaay") He also said that of all the gowns, dresses and costumes he's designed for anyone, not just Carol Burnett, that famous gown with the drapery rod is the one most people remember best.
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