Wednesday, June 29, 2005

Frankly, We Give a Damn


On Tuesday night, The American Film Institute is airing a special on the top 50 quotes from U.S. movies. I like these "lists of the best" because the results are so easy to debate. It always makes good material for discussion at the water cooler the next day. There are the inevitable arguments of the rankings. Why is that quote better than this one? What's that one doing on the list? Why isn't another there instead?
---So on Sunday, the show will be aired on Tuesday, I sat down with pen and paper and jotted down from memory a few I thought should make the list. I made no attempt to rank them, that is subject to individual tastes anyway. My list follows:

1) "You talking to me?" (Robert DeNiro - Taxi Driver ) 2) "If you build it, he will come." (Ray Liotta - Field of Dreams ) 3) "I'll be back." (Arnold Schwarzeneggar - The Terminator ) 4) "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn." (Clark Gable - Gone With The Wind ) 5) "You're gonna need a bigger boat!" (Roy Scheider - Jaws ) 6) "I coulda been a contender." (Marlon Brando - On The Waterfront ) 7) "Here's looking at you, kid." (Humphrey Bogart - Casablanca ) 8) "Think you used enough dynamite there, Butch?" (Robert Redford - Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid ) 9) "Here's Johnny!" (Jack Nicholson - The Shining ) 10) "Go ahead, make my day." (Clint Eastwood - Sudden Impact ) 11) "I love the smell of napalm in the morning." (Robert Duvall - Apocalypse Now ) 12) "Mama always said life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get." (Tom Hanks - Forrest Gump ) 13) "You'll shoot your eye out, kid." (several people - A Christmas Story ) 14) "May the force be with you." (several people - Star Wars ) 15) "Klattu Borado Nikto" (Michael Rennie - The Day The Earth Stood Still )

Well, that's the list I came up with. My number 15 probably won't make the list at all, but I always thought it was kind of cool. With 50 quotes to be honored, I think I have a good chance of most of my list making their list.
---How about you, readers? What quotes do you think should be on the list? Depending on the interest in this subject, I will post the AFI's list on Wednesday.

(Editors note:) This was actually written about two or three weeks ago, but I never posted it. With the exception of the images of Bullwinkle and Dudley Do-Right , it appears above this note as it would have appeared then. Of course, that program has since aired. For laughs, I am still interested in what other people would pick as their quotes. As before, if there is any interest, I can post the final list of 50. I have a printed list from a Wednesday newspaper on hand. I never read any blog comments about the list, maybe there was no interest?
---By the way, schnoodlepooh, the "Badges" quote made the list at nbr 36. (And my "Klattu Borado Nikto" did not make it.)

No.214

1 comment:

the many Bs said...

"We don't need no stinking badges". You really need to watch that movie. it's a classic.