Top 25
Over at the American Film Institute website, they currently have a feature called 100 Years... 100 Movie Quotes. Next June, the AFI will "count down America's 100 greatest lines of dialogue spoken in the movies, as chosen by experts of the motion picture community" in a three-hour television event. Since I can't wait till next June, I decided to look at the AFI list of 400 candidate quotes and formulate my own list. Now 100 is too much for me, so I created "Kem White's Top 25 Movie Lines of All Time".
Now as you might expect, my criteria are ill-defined and fluid but I more or less selected them based on how well the quote remains lodged in our popular culture vernacular as well as how dramatic, poignant, or crucial to the movie the quote is. Of course, I'm not an expert so my choices undoubtedly reflect my taste in movies.
I intentionally left off the name of the movie so you can test your movie trivia expertise.
Here are my top five:
1. JAMES BOND
Bond. James Bond.
2. HAN SOLO
May the Force be with you.
3. RICK BLAINE
Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
4. THE TERMINATOR
I'll be back.
5. THE WICKED WITCH OF THE WEST
I'll get you, my pretty, and your little dog, too!
Expand the entry to see the remaining 20. I can't wait till next June when I see how well I agree with the experts.
Did I leave out any? What do you think?
K-
6. HARRY CALLAHAN
Go ahead, make my day.
7. SCARLETT O'HARA
As God is my witness, I'll never be hungry again.
8. MARTIN BRODY
You're gonna need a bigger boat.
9. JOEY STARRETT
Shane! Shane! Come back!
10. HOWARD BEALE
I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore!
11. HELEN BENSON
Gort! Klaatu barada nikto!
12. RICK BLAINE
Here's looking at you, kid.
13. JIMMY DUGAN
There's no crying in baseball!
14. LT. COL. BILL KILGORE
I love the smell of napalm in the morning.
15. CAROL ANNE FREELING
They're here!
16. THE WIZARD OF OZ
Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!
17. ANDRE DELAMBRE
Help me! Help me!
18. OLIVER
Well, here's another nice mess you've gotten me into!
19. TERRY MALLOY
You don't understand! I could’ve had class. I could’ve been a contender. I could've been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am.
20. MAME DENNIS
Life is a banquet, and most poor suckers are starving to death!
21. PETE CLEMENZA
Leave the gun. Take the cannolis.
22. NIGEL TUFNEL
These go to eleven.
23. OSGOOD FIELDING III
Well, nobody's perfect.
24. NORMA DESMOND
All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up.
25. ANDY
Get busy livin’, or get busy dyin'.
You left out a few of my favorites. I'll have to use the actor's real names. That's how I remember them.
Claude Rains, "Round up the usual suspects", is the best line from Casablanca and probably my favorite line of all time. Totally unexpected and totally satisfying at the same time.
Kevin Spacey's dying words in L.A. Confidential, "Rollo Tomassey". Fabulous setup.
Sam Shepard's, "Hey Ridley, got any Beamon's?", from The Right Stuff.
Speaking of Ridley's, Sigourney Weaver's, "I say we take off and nuke the entire site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure." from Aliens, is also a classic.
Clark Gable's, "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn" from GWTW is a classic and is sure to be on the list.