Sunday, January 24, 2016

Famous One Liners

Movies, many of which are based on novels, contain a lot of dialogue but why is it that some lines become so popular that they’re instantly recognizable by just about everyone? What is it about them that makes them stand out and stand the test of time?
“My mama always said, ‘Life is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you’re gonna get.’” Tom Hanks played Forrest Gump in the movie, “Forrest Gump,” based on the novel by Winston Groom.
 “As God is my witness, I’ll never be hungry again,” Scarlet O’Hara said in “Gone With the Wind.” The book was written by Margaret Mitchell and, in the movie, Vivien Leigh played the part of the southern belle.
Or, how about this one? “I’m gonna make him an offer he can’t refuse.” Mario Puzo wrote this novel entirely from the research he’d done; he had no experience whatsoever with the Mafia. Marlon Brando played Vito Corleone in the movie, “The Godfather.”
Who remembers this? “Love means never having to say you’re sorry.” Ryan O’Neal played Oliver Barrett IV and Ali MacGraw played Jennifer Cavilleri in “Love Story,” based on the novel by Erich Segal.
“I’ll get you, my pretty, and your little dog too!” “There’s no place like home.” “Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.” L. Frank Baum was the author of “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” and Judy Garland played Dorothy Gale in the movie, “The Wizard of Oz.”
 “May the Force be with you.” This is an interesting example because the movie, created by George Lucas, actually came out before the book. Harrison Ford played Han Solo in “Star Wars.”
Can you think of other examples? Is there a line in a book you've read that became popular and/or made a lasting impression on you?

12 comments:

  1. Hi, Pat,

    I love your quote choices! All favorites of mine. You've brought up something that still puzzles me. I like to put a quite at the beginning of each of my novels. I'm never certain if we're legally allowed to use quotes from recent work or not--by that I mean 20th century. There's a wonderful line of poetry from Robert Frost's "The Gift Outright" that I wanted to use to start my latest novel THE KILLING LAND, but I wasn't certain if I could. I still feel frustrated about it.

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    1. Jacquie,
      Figuring out what we can and can't use legally can be very frustrating. I think it's something we all struggle with from time to time.
      Thanks for dropping in!

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    2. I'm pretty sure you can quote from any work of fiction that's "public domain". At least that's what the contact from the Conan Doyle estate told me when I wanted to use some quotes from a Sherlock Holmes story.

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    3. Good information, Evelyn. Thanks for stopping by!

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  2. Who can forget, "Go ahead. Make my day." Not sure if that's the exact quote or not, but it's the way I remember it. Excellent post, and I have all kinds of quotes running through my head right now.
    Marja McGraw

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    1. Marja,
      I looked it up. "Go ahead, make my day" is a phrase written by Charles B. Pierce and spoken by the character Harry Callahan (played by Clint Eastwood) in the 1983 film Sudden Impact.
      You're right; that's a great one!

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  3. "Of all the gin joints in all the world…," "Play it, Sam. Play 'As Time Goes By…," "Round up the usual suspects…," all from Casablanca, one of my favorites!

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  4. "It was a dark and stormy night..." is my favorite. By and from,(Edward Bulwer-Lytton 1830 novel Paul Clifford per Google)

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    1. That's funny, M. M. I used that line in the opening of my latest book - "It actually was a dark and stormy night when Lea Logan was murdered."

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    2. I love that phrase, Madeline, but I didn't know where it originated. Thanks!

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    3. Helen, I smiled when I read that line in "Evil Under the Moon." Great opening for a great book!

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