July 18, 2007

Movie and TV Lines and Poly Lines

[an interactive: post your guesses in comments and in a week or two, if they haven't all been guessed correctly, I'll post the answers.
I'm quoting from memory, so I won't vouch for 100% verbatim accuracy. Also I'm quoting one or two dialogue title lines from the silent era.]

1. "Can you lend me a rope so I can swing a fellow out where I can get a better shot at him?"

2. "General--you go down there."
"And I suppose you're telling me there aren't any Indians down there?"
"Oh no. There are thousands of Indians down there. And them ain't helpless women and children, but Cheyenne braves and Sioux. When they get through with you there won't be nothing left but a greasy spot. General--you go down there, if you got the nerve."

3. "She's my sister AND my daughter. Do you understand--or is it too tough for you?"

4. "Why why why why WHY was he wearing a ballet ss-sKIRT Charles?"

5. "That's not a single malt whisky! It's a, a . . . polymalt!"

6. "There was me, that is Alex, and my three droogies, that is Georgie, Petey and Dim, and we sat in the Korova Milkbar trying to make up our rassoodocks what to do with the evening."

7. "We're screwed."
"We're way past screwed. We're so far past screwed, the light from screwed takes a billion years to reach us."

8. "Success to crime."

9. "So these staged suicides of yours are for your mother's benefit?"
"No. (Long pause.) I would not say benefit."

10. "C.K. Dexter-Haven. . . either I'm going to punch you on the jaw or you're going to punch me on the jaw."
"Perhaps we should flip for it."

11. "So who do you like as the killer?"

12. "They have you shot twice in the tabloids."
"That's a lie. Never came near my tabloids."

13. "Why do you realize if there were no closets, there'd be no coats and if there were no coats, there'd be no hooks, and if there were no hooks there'd be no fish and that would suit me just fine."

14. So get out there and lie like dogs and if Willow doesn't miff all her lines like she did in rehearsal, this'll be the best High School production ever of Death of a Salesman.

15. "So that ebola virus--that's really got to suck, right?"

16. "Watch how you're driving!"
"Am I driving?"

17. "How do you say 'drugstore' in French?"
"Le. . . Drugstore."

18. "My my my . . . nipples explode with delight. My my my. . . hovercraft is covered with eels."

19. "I'll give you exactly ten minutes to get your hands off my balls."

20. "Try to break into my house--I ought to blow you away. I got to tell you the truth. . . the only reason I don't is 'cause somebody might hear me."

8 comments:

Nonnie Augustine said...

3. Is Chinatown and 6. is Clockwork Orange. That's all I know for sure. Groucho Marx keeps coming to mind though.

Martin Heavisides said...

One of them is Groucho. I suppose a few are at least partly in his spirit. I'll be posting the whole list shortly, though if I seem to be getting more responses I'll delay that a little.

Andrew Tibbetts said...

I guessed the same ones Nonnie guessed. Great lines, though! I'll be eager to see the answers.

Gracie said...

OK, I know a few. Some I'm guessing.

2. Little Big Man (The calvary scout talking to General Custer)

3. Chinatown (Faye Dunaway to Jack Nicholson)

4. One Flew Over the Cukoo's Nest (Billy Bibbitt)

6. Clockwork Orange

10. A Groucho Marx line, but I can't recall which movie.

12. High Anxiety ( Mel Brooks)

That's my best.

14. Buffy the Vampire Slayer

15. Outbreak

18. Monty Python's Flying Circus - "And Now for Something Completely Different" - John Cleese using an innaccurate Hungarian-English Phrase Book

Martin Heavisides said...

I can't be positive whether the 'tabloids' passage turns up in 'High Anxiety' but this exchange predates Brooks' film by about fifty years. There is a Groucho line in here, but it's not number 10, and number 4 isn't Billy Bibbit. If the 'ebola virus' line was used in 'Outbreak' (which I'm not familiar with) it might predate this. What year did 'Outbreak' come out? Otherwise, your guesses are on the money. I'll post the complete list in a day or two. (I know, I promised that already, but life supervened.

Chancelucky said...

hope life stopped supervening. Looking forward to the answers.

Gracie said...

No. 4, ok, I did a little research, is from "The Ruling Class." Which is a wonderful black comedy starring Peter O'Toole.

BTW, you're blog comes up in the top 10 when googling the phrase.

Martin Heavisides said...

It hasn't for me yet, but I'll check it again. And tonight I am finally posting the answers, with comments of variable erudition.