Here we go, in chronological order, oldest first. Since I never got into old movies that much, although they have their place in film history, these are lines from films of the last 40 years or so. Films that I saw when they were first released or shortly thereafter, within a few years at most.
10. One of the most famous movie quotes is the time-honored “what we’ve got here is a failure to communicate”, often used by egotistical bosses when preparing to “crack the whip. The line is usually delivered with a Southern drawl. What they seem to forget is the sarcastic way in which the line was uttered in 1967’s Cool Hand Luke. The film is the story of Luke, played by Paul Newman, and his experiences as a prisoner on a “chain gang.
Luke, after a short-lived escape, is taken back into custody and put back under the thumb of the sadistic Captain, played by Strother Martin. When Luke mocks the empirical Captain, Luke is struck, causing him to fall down a steep hill at which time the Captain utters the famous movie quote. Luke gets the last word, using the line himself at the end of the film. This movie quote still gets a lot of play over 40 years later. To me, it means when dealing with a jerk of a boss, CYA. (Cover Your Assets)
9. In 1972’s The Godfather, the blockbuster of that year, one of the most famous movie quotes was born. The Godfather, played by raspy-voiced Marlon Brando, has his ring kissed by someone wanting a favor. “Johnny Fontane”, a wimpy lounge singer, comes into the Godfather’s office seeking Don Corleone’s help in securing a movie role. Finally, Corleone agrees. How, Fontane, asks, is he going to get the hard-bitten Producer, who has already rebuffed Fontane rudely, to change his mind? Simple. “We’ll make him an offer he can’t refuse” says the Godfather.
The Producer wakes up with his prize race horse’s head in bed with him. Talk about a wakeup call! Fontane gets the part, by the way. The line is used often throughout the rest of the film when the Corleone’s are rebuffed in their initial offers on various items. When hearing this line, hopefully, it’s not meant as in the film.
8. Although many lists of movie quotes have the recently departed Roy Scheider’s line from the 1975 blockbuster Jaws, “you’re gonna need a bigger boat”, in my opinion, that wasn’t even the most memorable quote from Chief Brody, (Scheider’s role) in the film. Most of the best lines went to Richard Dreyfuss’ Matt Hooper and Robert Shaw’s Captain Quint. There are several good movie quotes to choose from. There was the crabby Cap’n Quint’s “here’s to swimmin’ with bow-legged ‘wimmin” and his shout to Brody: “I see ya brought yer rubbers”. Scheider’s most memorable line was “smile you son of a bitch” right before he shot and killed the Great White.
I recall reading a couple of years back that Jaws author Peter Benchley regretted writing the bestseller the film was based on. It seems Benchley was eaten up with guilt over stereotyping the poor downtrodden Great White Shark. Talk about “political correctness” gone wild! Anyway, the best movie quote in the film to me was Richard Dreyfuss’ queasy, about to barf “this was no boating accident” upon examining the remains of the first victim of the shark early in the film.
7. In the 1976 film Taxi Driver, not to be confused with TV’s “Taxi” of the 70’s, Jodie Foster became a household name with her portrayal of a teen aged prostitute. I can’t recall any of her lines. No, the movie quote this disturbing film is remembered for was delivered by Robert DeNiro as the unbalanced cabbie, Travis Bickle.
In a day when many taxi drivers spoke English, Bickle’s movie quote was spoken …to himself. As Bickle postures in front of a mirror while practicing his draw with a handgun, he repeatedly snarls “you talkin’ to me?!” Later in the film, Bickle goes berserk and shoots up the house of prostitution in a murderous rage.
6. The 1978 spoof Animal House, in addition to spawning a host of imitators, contained many memorable movie quotes. Like the Godfather, there is a memorable scene involving a horse. “Fat, drunk and stupid is no way to go through life, son” as spoken by Faber College Dean Vernon Wormer (John Vernon) to Flounder is one famous movie quote from the film. “Otis, my man!” is another.
However, my favorite line is the passionate pep talk delivered by the late John Belushi as Bluto Blutarski. When it appears as though the jig is up, that the members of Delta House are going to be expelled, Bluto, like a football coach whose team is trailing by 3 touchdowns at the half, rises up and pronounces “nothing is over until WE decide it is. Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?” As Otter prepares to correct Bluto, Boon says it best: “forget it, he’s rolling”.
5. In 1979’s Apocalypse Now, a widely praised Viet Nam war film produced by Francis Ford Coppola of The Godfather fame and winner of the Oscar for Best Film, Robert DuVal had one of the most famous movie quotes. As Lt. Col. Bill Kilgore, Duval sits on the beach and as he sips coffee, matter-of-factly announces “I love the smell of napalm in the morning”. Dick Cheney surely loved this guy.
4. One of the most famous movie quotes of all time has to be from 1984’s fourth installment of the Dirty Harry series, Sudden impact. In the 1984 Presidential election, even “the Gipper”, Ronald Reagan, got in the act, using the quote. At the time, it was so over used, nearly everyone was sick of the line. Still, “go ahead, make my day” is the most memorable movie quote by Clint Eastwood in his long career.
I personally think, “are ya feelin’ lucky, punk” and other Eastwood movie quotes are better, but this is still the first thing that comes to mind when Clint Eastwood’s name is brought up, so here it is. The line is even in a hip hop song, for goshsakes.
3. In the hilarious Coen brothers film, Raising Arizona, released in 1987, there are so many great lines, it hard to choose just one. Nicolas Cage has several as H.I. McDunnough, the ne’er do well star of the film. Holly Hunter has several herself. Former boxer Tex Cobb has a few. However, the best movie quote in the film to me is from John Goodman as Gale Snoats. Snoats and his brother Evelle (William Forsythe) escape from prison via the septic system and show up at McDunnough’s remote home.
When asked by H.I.’s wife Edwina if they “busted out”, Evelle replies, “no ma’am, we released ourselves on our own recognizance”. “What my brother means to say” says Gale, “is that we felt the institution no longer had anything to offer us”.
The most memorable line, though, is Gale’s announcement to the hostages in a “hayseed bank” the duo were in the process of “making a withdrawal from”. As the pair leave the bank with the loot, Gale points his gun and exclaims the best line of the film. “Anyone found bipedal in 5, wears his ass for a hat!” What Gale was saying in his primitive way was for the hostages to stay on the floor. I often use this one myself.
2 .1991 introduced to film audiences Thomas Harris’ character, Hannibal Lecter, from Harris’ bestselling book, Silence of the Lambs, Many thought the book couldn’t be made into a film, but the movie wound up winning Best Film and several Oscars for the cast. Lecter, as played by Anthony Hopkins, had a number of good lines.
When Jodie Foster’s Clarice Starling, an FBI agent, is told by her boss to visit Lecter’s mental institution and pump Hannibal “the cannibal” for information about a serial killer on the loose, Lecter has a rather unique response. “The last person who tried to qualify me…I ate his liver…with some fava beans and a nice Chi-anti” Lecter says in his snooty, upper-class way.
The character is supposed to be from Baltimore, but Hopkins’ British accent slips through several times. The film could be abbreviated to S.O.L., which anyone in the film who crosses Lecter becomes, with the exception of Clar-ice.
1. Like some of the others on the list, 1994’s Farrelly Brothers laugh riot, Dumb and Dumber, has so many good movie quotes it’s hard to pare down to just one. Maybe another list is forthcoming. Anyway, Jim Carrey’s Lloyd Christmas, after numerous fantasies, finally gets up the nerve to ask his love interest, Mary Swanson (Lauren Holly) if he might “have a shot” at consumating their relationship.
Lloyd: “Mary, what are the chances of a girl like you and a guy like me ever getting together?”
Mary (after much hesitation) : “not good Lloyd”.
Lloyd: “you mean like one in a hundred?”
Mary: “I’d say it’s more like one in a million”.
Lloyd: (brightening) “so you’re telling me there’s a chance?!!”
