Best and Worst Lines in Movie History

[knitwit45]

Just heard another of my favorite lines, Shirley MacLaine to Jack Lemmon,"Shut up and deal"

[JackFavell]

Love The Apartment, Nan! I was just watching.

That was a MOST fascinating interview, Moira! Thelma was a real deep and original thinker, wish she'd written a book, or that someone had written one about her.

MissG, I just love what you said about Thelma and Spence... I totally agree. As soon as I read they were in the same class they seemed related somehow, style-wise, almost as if they were the male and female versions of each other.

[CineMaven]

i love how you described your favorites and included images, t-mave. it really captures your personality. what we like reveals a lot about ourselves, which is what i find most interesting about these posts.

Thanxx April. Here are some more Rorschach'd revelations I'd like to share:



"Yes I can be very cruel. I have been taught...by masters."

( The pounding that Catherine Sloper’s ego, esteem and honest openness takes in this movie is brutal. Especially because it comes from her father. And his pounding is even louder than Morris' pounding on her front door. I like how she slightly looks up when she says: "...by masters." What a fantastic line...it's the last nail that seals her coffin. Take lovers, Catherine...but don't marry them; this way, you won't have to do housework. )
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“What a story. Everything but the bloodhounds snapping at her rear end.”

( She’s a Hit Man. One wry, sarcastic bon mot from Thelma...can destroy an audience with laughs. We all could use a Greek chorus like Thelma Ritter to keep us from falling into the orchestra pit. )
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“Why did you have to pick on me? Why me?! I loved you so Madeleine.”

( I don't know if it's the line or the moment in this story. I love James Stewart’s breathless anger. But I'd sure hate to face that. Even in the midst of his anger, he wants to forgive her. When a man is betrayed by love...the rage is primal. Why indeed, Scottie? Why indeed. I don't think he EVER recovers. )
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To be honest, I haven’t seen the film in its entirety...just this "muckled" sequence:



“Open the door for Mr. Muckle! Open the door for Mr. Muckle, the blind man!”



“Sit down Mr. Muckle honey. Sit down, dear.”



“WHERE ARE MY KOMQUATS!!!”

( I have played this YouTube clip a slew of times and totally fell out. Then I sent it to a friend, and we discussed this six-minute sequence for about an hour, and we STILL laughed. If the rest of the film is as funny as this...I will NOT survive. And the kicker??? It's when Mr. Muckle says: "I'm not carrying that!" Okay W.C. You're a genius! )
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“After you used to kiss me, I used to wipe my mouth! WIPE MY MOUTH!!”

( Well. How do YOU spell "contempt": B-E-T-T-E... Nobody does it better. < Gulp! >)
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“I hope you die. I hope you die soon. I’ll be waiting for you to die."

( Uhmmmmm...and that's just the way she feels about it. I debated whether to reveal that this is one of my favorite lines. It could appear that I am cold and callous to relish the cruelty. But I'm not. Rally I'm not. I would never EVER be this mean to someone...that’s why I live vicariously through Bette Davis. * Oh dear, what WILL they make of me?! )
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“Take a good look. Look at those pouches under your eyes. Look at those creases. You sag like an old woman! Get a load of yourself! Wait till you start tramping around the offices, looking for a job, because no agent's going to handle you. Sitting in those anterooms hour after hour, giving your name to office boys that never even heard of you. You're through, Renault! You're through in pictures and plays and vaudeville and radio and everything. You're a corpse, and you don't know it. Go get yourself buried!”

( Well SOMEBODY wrote ‘em so SOMEBODY’S got to say ‘em. Put these words in the motormouth of a master, like Lee Tracy, and you’ve been buzz-sawed by a glacier. )
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“I’ll go and change. I wouldn’t want him to see me in the same dress twice.”

( Ouch! Float like a butterfly, sting like a freakin' Mac truck!! The fairer sex. If you're caught [ Rule #1: don't get caught ] and your husband throws your affair in your face, hit him with a line like that. Stanwyck professionally delivers just the slightest paper cut of a remark to Kirk Douglas’ carotid artery. He bleeds out in his first motion picture. Welcome to Hollywood, Issur. )
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“But when anything I wear doesn’t please Stephen...I take it off.”

( SCORE!! Aaaah women. We really don’t like each other do we. )
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Now here's a man who stares knowingly into the soft, deep, beautiful brown eyes of death...



“Baby, I don’t care.”



“You build my gallows high, baby.”

( ...and jumps! Perfect. Perfect. Perfect. Perfect. Perfect. I love that he takes his medicine like a man. )
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“That, my dear, is something you need not worry about.”

( The diametric beauty of both these actresses juxtaposed against one another is genius. I think this is a line for the ages! People will laugh at this line one hundred years from now. And that'll mean that Harlow & Dressler will live on... )

[JackFavell]

Mr. Muckle

[Rita Hayworth]

My favorite three lines in Casablanca is this.

Major Strasser: "What is your nationality?" (talking to Rick)
Rick: "I'm a drunkard!"
Captain Renault: "That makes Rick a citizen of the world"
[all laugh]

My favorite in Gilda

Ballin Munson: "Gilda, are you decent?"
Gilda: Me?
[long pause]
Gilda: Sure. I'm decent.

My favorite in the Longest Day

[to his generals, observing the English Channel]
Field Marshal Erwin Rommel: Just look at it, gentlemen. How calm... how peaceful it is. A strip of water between England and the continent... between the Allies and us. But beyond that peaceful horizon... a monster waits. A coiled spring of men, ships, and planes... straining to be released against us. But, gentlemen, not a single Allied soldier shall reach the shore. Whenever and wherever this invasion may come, gentlemen... I shall destroy the enemy there, at the water's edge. Believe me, gentlemen, the first 24 hours of the invasion will be decisive. For the Allies as well as the Germans, it will be the longest day... The longest day.

[RedRiver]

ritter and tracy have that real, down to earth naturalism that seems so effortless

If you look like you're acting, you're probably not! Players like that are astonishing, and Tracy the perfect example. There's not an artificial moment in it. It's 100% real. My mom's favorite actor!

[MissGoddess]

Red, that's so nice to hear. I don't often hear that Tracy is a lady's favorite actor. Guys---yes. She has great taste.

[JackFavell]

[moira finnie]

What's that from, JF? Is it another "Thin Man" wisecrack?

[JackFavell]

Sorry, It's from I Love You Again.

[RedRiver]

I don't often hear that Tracy is a lady's favorite actor

Mom also liked Tyrone Power, but, well, that was different!

[JackFavell]

Ceasar Romero is knocking out the silly lines today in Captain of Castile... something about his delivery (does anyone else just swoon over his voice?) makes me think he knew they were funny.

"The closer to the mines, the bigger the nuggets."

[CineMaven]

D'Oh!!!!!



But then I'm the one who gets in trouble!

[Professional Tourist]

Tess McGill to Jack Trainer: "I have a head for business and a bod for sin."

Bad line, from Working Girl.

[JackFavell]

Oof. If I never hear that one again it will be too soon.