“Here’s looking at you, kid.” “Open the pod bay doors, please, Hal.” “I have a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.”
Everyone has their favourite movie quote. They’re the lines that stay with us long after the end credits have rolled, the things we say to friends, family and colleagues when we want to make a point or raise a smile – indeed, film quotes are all around us.
Below, we’ve collated another 45 of our favourites (in date order.) So…Lights, camera… action! Take 2.
1: “Mother of mercy, is this the end of Rico?” Little Caesar (1931)
This film was Edward G. Robinson’s breakthrough role and immediately made him a major film star. The film is often listed as one of the first full-fledged gangster films and continues to be well received by critics.
2: Look! It’s moving. It’s alive. It’s alive… It’s alive, it’s moving, it’s alive, it’s alive, it’s alive, it’s alive, IT’S ALIVE! Frankenstein (1931)
Upon placing a brain inside the head of the monster, Dr. Henry Frankenstein and his assistant Fritz are amazed that the experiment is alive.
3: “It was beauty killed the beast. ”King Kong (1933)
Top of the Empire State Building, four airplanes attack King Kong. Kong destroys one, but finally succumbs to their gunfire. He gazes sorrowfully at Ann (Fay Wray) one last time before falling to his death. Denham (Robert Armstrong) arrives and pushes through a crowd surrounding Kong’s corpse in the street. When a policeman remarks that the planes got him, Denham tells him, “No, it wasn’t the airplanes. It was Beauty killed the Beast.”
4: “Sawyer, you’re going out a youngster, but you’ve got to come back a star!” 42nd Street (1933)
This film single-handedly rescued the movie musical which had been considered a money-losing proposition since mid-1930. The film was so financially successful that it saved Warner Brothers from bankruptcy.
5: “Look, I know you’re a smart lawyer – very smart – but don’t get smart with me.” Angel with Dirty Faces (1938)
The film chronicles the relationship of the notorious gangster William “Rocky” Sullivan (Jimmy Cagney) with his childhood friend and now priest Father Jerry Connolly (Pat O’Brian).
6: “There’s no place like home.” The Wizard of Oz (1939)
The film adaption took a lot of liberties with L. Frank Baum’s 1900 fantasy novel. The filmmakers did, however, take this jewel straight from the book.
7: “You may need me and this Winchester, Curly. Saw a ranch house burnin’ last night.” Stagecoach (1939)
Directed by John Ford and starring John Wayne in his breakthrough role. This was Wayne’s 80th film and the one that finally made him a star.
8: “After all, tomorrow is another day!” Gone With the Wind (1939)
Though the screenplay, which went through numerous revisions, has four credited writers, this line is lifted directly from Margaret Mitchells book, where it is the closing line of the novel.
9: We’re the people…we’ll go on forever.” The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
Henry Fonda kept the hat he wore in the movie for the rest of his life, until before he passed away in 1982 he gave it to his old friend Jane Withers. Apparently he and Withers, when she was an 8-year-old girl and he a young man, did a play together before Fonda made movies. Fonda was so nervous to go onstage that little Jane took his hand, said a little prayer to ease his nerves, and the two of them became good friends for life.
10: “Rosebud.” Citizen Kane (1941)
Despite all the publicity, the film was a box-office flop and was quickly consigned to the RKO vaults. At 1941’s Academy Awards the film was booed every time one of its nine nominations was announced. It was only re-released to the public in the mid-’50s. It is now considered one of the greatest films of all time.
11: “Play it, Sam. Play ‘As Time Goes By.” Casablanca (1942)
Rick (Humphrey Bogart) never says “Play it again, Sam.” He says: “You played it for her, you can play it for me. If she can take it, I can take it so Play it!” Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman) says “Play it, Sam. Play ‘As Time Goes By.”.
12: “You know how to whistle, don’t you? You just put your lips together and blow.” To Have and Have Not (1944)
Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall fell in love during the production. At the funeral for her husband, Bogart, Bacall put a whistle in his coffin.
13: “Every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings.” It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
There are 42 rings heard during the movie, meaning, if Clarence (Henry Travers) is right, 42 new angels.
14: Could you really say goodbye? Never see me again? Brief Encounter (1946)
This movie’s international success has made Carnforth Station (Lancashire) a Mecca for romantic movie fans. The clock was reconstructed from original pieces found in a shop in Twickenham. The tearoom where Alec (Trevor Howard) and Laura (Celia Johnson) met is now a visitor’s centre.
15: Take ’em to Missouri, Matt! Red River (1948)
At its core are the contrasting performances between John Wayne and Montgomery Clift that establish the various complexities of manhood in this rattlingly grand, sweeping, epic cattle driving classic.
16: Badges? We ain’t got no Badges! We don’t need no Badges! I don’t have to show you any stinkin’ Badges!!Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
Humphrey Bogart’s portrayal of ‘Fred C. Dobbs’ in this film was cited by Steven Spielberg as the main inspiration for the character of Indiana Jones.
17: Made it, Ma! Top of the world! White Heat (1949)
Madonna’s song “White Heat”, off of her 1986 album “True Blue” used this film as a backdrop, with some lines from the film used throughout the song.
18: “Stella! HEY, STELLA!” A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)
Marlon Brando thought Stanley was the shallowest character he ever played and couldn’t understand how he became a sex symbol. Upon release of the film, Brando, virtually unknown at the time of the play’s casting, rose to prominence as a major Hollywood film star, and received the first of four consecutive Academy Award nominations for Best Actor.
19: “One thing in the world I hate: leeches. Filthy little devils.” The African Queen (1951)
“The African Queen” sank and had to be raised twice during filming of the movie. Lauren Bacall is quoted as saying, “The natives had been told to watch it and they did. They watched it sink.” Walt Disney used this film as the basis for Disneyland’s “Jungle Cruise” attraction.
20: “O.K. Fatso, if it’s killin’ ya want, come on.” From Here to Eternity (1953)
The now classic scene between Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr in the rushing water on the beach was not written to take place there. The idea to film with the waves hitting them was a last minute inspiration from director Fred Zinnemann. The film revived Frank Sinatra’s flagging career and gave him a new lease as a dramatic actor.
21: “Shane! Shane! Come back!” Shane (1953)
The final scene, in which the wounded Shane (Alan Ladd) explained to the distraught Joey (11 year old Brandon deWilde) why he had to leave, was moving moment for the entire cast and crew except deWilde. Every time Ladd spoke his lines of farewell, deWilde crossed his eyes and stuck out his tongue.
22: “I’ve been looking for a girl every Saturday night of my life.” Marty (1955)
At 91 minutes, Marty (Ernest Borgnine) was the shortest film to win an Academy Award Best Picture. Gone With the Wind is the longest, at 238 minutes. This movie tells the story of – you guessed it – Marty, a chubby, lonely butcher in Bronx, New York, falling in love for the first time.
23: “You’re tearing me apart!” Rebel Without a Cause (1955)
James Dean got angry when director Nicholas Ray stopped the knife fight scene after noticing that Dean had been cut on the ear and was bleeding. Dean said, “Don’t you ever cut a scene while I’m having a real moment.” Dean died on September 30, 1955, nearly a month before the film was released on October 27, 1955.
24: “That’ll be the Day” The Searchers (1956)
The phrase “That’ll be the day” was first used by Ethan Edwards (John Wayne) in this classic western. According to legend, Buddy Holly and his friend and band-mate Jerry Allison saw the movie and heard Wayne use the phrase throughout the film. One night, while Holly and Jerry were working together, Holly said to him that it sure would be great if they could write a hit song. Jerry replied “That’ll be the day.” Immediately inspired, they wrote the rock-and-roll song of the same name.
25: “What Have I Done?” The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
Colonel Nicholson (Alec Guinness) has woken up to the fact that he has fucked up big time. He has helped the enemy build a bridge. It goes against everything in his training as a soldier and an officer. He has just fought and stopped one of his own from blowing up the bridge.
26: “I’d hate to take a bite outta you. You’re a cookie full of arsenic.” Sweet Smell of Success (1957)
Burt Lancaster and his producing partners initially considered Orson Welles for the role of J.J. Hunsecker, but after the success of “Trapeze (1956),” Lancaster decided to play the role himself and give Tony Curtis the role of Sidney Falco.
27: “I don’t care how rich he is, as long as he has a yacht, his own private railroad car, and his own toothpaste.”Some Like it Hot (1959)
Marilyn Monroe wanted the movie to be shot in colour (her contract stipulated that all her films were to be in colour), but Billy Wilder convinced her to let it be shot in black and white when costume tests revealed that the makeup that Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon wore gave their faces a green tinge.
28: “A boy’s best friend is his mother.” Psycho (1960)
Although Janet Leigh was not bothered by the filming of the famous shower scene, but seeing it on film profoundly moved her. She later remarked that it made her realize how vulnerable a woman was in a shower. To the end of her life, she always took baths.
29: “I’m Spartacus!” Spartacus (1960)
We all remember the famous scene from the movie. Kirk Douglas plays the famous slave leader. A Roman general announces to a group of former slaves that unless they identify Spartacus they will all be crucified. Spartacus prepares to speak up but then all around him others stand to declare: “I’m Spartacus!”
30: “That’s right. I’m just CRAZY about Tiffany’s!” Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961)
The famous black Givenchy dress worn by Audrey Hepburn in the opening scenes of this movie was sold for $807,000 on December 4, 2006 at Christie’s Auction House in London. Making it the second most expensive piece of movie memorabilia ever sold. The first is the Best Picture Oscar for Gone with the Wind (1939).
31: “I’m not hurt at all. Didn’t you know? They can only kill me with a golden bullet.” Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
Peter O’Toole won his career-making part as T.E. Lawrence after it was turned down by superstar Marlon Brando. Director Sir David Lean and producer Sam Spiegel wanted Brando. (Spiegel had produced “On the Waterfront (1954),” the movie for which Brando and Spiegel had won their first Oscars.) But Brando turned the role down, allegedly saying he didn’t want to spend two years of his life riding on a camel.
32: “I haven’t seen Berlin yet, from the ground or from the air, and I plan on doing both before the war is over.”The Great Escape (1963)
During the climactic motorcycle chase, director John Sturges allowed Steve McQueen to ride (in disguise) as one of the pursuing German soldiers, so that in the final sequence, through the magic of editing, he’s actually chasing himself. McQueen played the German motorcyclist who hits the wire.
33: “Truly, this man was the Son of God.” The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965)
Director George Stevens did many takes of John Wayne’s single line, “Truly, this man was the Son of God.” A rumour has long persisted that at one stage, Wayne was asked by the director to add a little more ‘awe’ into his delivery. During the next take, Wayne changed the line to, “Aw, truly this man was the Son of God.”
34: “I love you wildly, insanely, infinitely.” Doctor Zhivago (1965)
Despite its highly diverse international cast, the movie contains almost no Russian actors and was not allowed to be shown in Russia until 1994.
35: “You see, in this world there’s two kinds of people, my friend: Those with loaded guns and those who dig. You dig.” The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (1966)
In their introductory scenes – where they are identified on-screen as the “good”, “bad”, and “ugly”, Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, and Eli Wallach each shoot three people.
36: “They call me Mister Tibbs!” In the Heat of the Night (1967)
Sidney Poitier insisted that the movie be filmed in the North because of an incident in which he and Harry Belafonte were almost killed by Ku Klux Klansmen during a visit to Mississippi. Poitier slept with a gun under his pillow during production in Tennessee. He did receive threats from local racist thugs, so the shoot was cut short and production returned to Illinois.
37: “Open the pod bay doors, please, Hal.” 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Intending to set the film apart from the “monsters and sex” type of science fiction films of the time, Stanley Kubrick used Homer’s The Odyssey as inspiration for the title. Kubrick said, “it occurred to us that for the ancient Greeks the vast stretches of the sea must have had the same sort of mystery and remoteness that space has for our generation.”
38: “Not to be a sore loser, but, when this is done if I’m dead, kill him.” Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
If Paul Newman was the biggest movie star in the world at the time, Steve McQueen was right up there with him. The idea of casting not one but two mega-stars as Butch and Sundance made perfect sense, but there was a problem: whose name would go first in the credits? But McQueen wouldn’t accept anything other than top billing. So Robert Redford got the part.
39: “If they move, kill ’em!” The Wild Bunch (1969)
The western film that is a classic of the genre and widely considered director Sam Peckinpah’s finest movie. Although the film’s graphic violence caused much controversy at the time of its release, the climactic shoot-out is arguably the best-directed and best-choreographed action sequence in the history of cinema.
40: “Which’ll it be?” True Grit (1969)
When accepting his Academy Award for his performance, John Wayne said, “Wow. If I’d have known that, I’d have put that patch on 35 years earlier.”
41. “Are you not entertained?” Gladiator (2000)
After contemptuously taking out a gang of burly fighters with a few swings of his sword, gladiator Maximus Decimus Meridius (Russell Crowe), lobs a blade into the stands. “Are you not entertained?” he shouts into the crowd when they scream at the hint of real danger. “Is this not why you are here?”
42: “60% of the time, it works every time.” Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)
Will Ferrell was already a star by 2004, but his film roles to that point had mostly been secondary characters. With Anchorman, Ferrell shot to superstardom, and Ron Burgundy became the legend the full title of the movie promised.
43: “Quaffable but far from transcending.” Sideways (2004)
A wine tasting road trip to salute Jack’s (Thomas Haden Church) final days as a bachelor careens woefully sideways as he and Miles (Paul Giametti) hit the gas en route to mid-life crises.
44: “I wish I knew how to quit you.” Brokeback Mountain (2005)
Heath Ledger declined to go to the one month cowboy camp that had been organized, as he had grown up on farms in Western Australia. Jake Gyllenhaal was required to attend, however, as he needed “roughing up”.
45: “This is Sparta!” 300 (2006)
Like almost every detail of Zack Snyder’s hyper-stylized vision of ancient history, the line “This is Sparta!,” bellowed by Leonidas (Gerard Butler) before kicking a Persian messenger into a bottomless pit, was ripped directly from a panel of Frank Miller’s graphic novel of the same name.
“Go ahead, make my day.” Sudden Impact (1983)
“If you build it, he will come.” Field of Dreams (1989)
“We rob banks.” Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
“Plastics.” The Graduate (1967)
“Well, here’s another nice mess you’ve gotten me into!” Sons of the Desert (1933)
Source: www.hollywoodreporter.com, www.radiotimes.com, en.wikipedia.org www.vulturehound.co.uk and www.thrillist.com
