# Ad-libbing **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 14, 2009, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ad-libbing/496416 "2009-05-14T15:16:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2009, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ad-libbing/496416/1 "2009-05-14T15:16:20Z")
What are some great lines and scenes that have been ad-libbed, or unplanned? (I was at my brother’s school play yesterday. One kid was playing two parts- a Brazilian sailor, and a landlord’s assistent. He accidentally came onstage wearing his sailor costume instead of his landlord costume. He realized what had just happened, and quickly yelled, “I’ve just come back from the Navy!”). Off hand, I can think of two famous ones. The scene in _Raiders of the Lost Ark_ where Indiana Jones shoots the guy with the whip: originally, thery were going to have an all-whip fight sequence. But the actor who played Indiana suddenly came down with… well, with diarrhea. He wasn’t feeling well enough to do any fancy fighting, so he just used his gun. And thus was born one of the funniest scenes in the film. (I can’t check on the details, because the Snopes website is having hiccups. But I think I’ve remembered it correctly). According to TV Tropes, the awesome “kick a$$ and chew bubblegum” line from _They Live_ was an ad-lib. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2009, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ad-libbing/496416/2 "2009-05-14T15:40:02Z")
If you like great ad-libs listen to old time radio. Especially George Burns, he was the best as saving scripts when other people screwed up their lines. Jack Benny was quick with the ad-lib to save a script, but no one was better with George Burns. My favourite ad-lib by George was during a script when Bill Goodwin (the announcer) said, “My girlfriend’s name is Mona Knox, it used to be Ethel Knox, but the gasoline company paid her to change it.” And George ad-libs, “My name used to be Asbestos but they paid me off too.” It was especially funny ‘cause it took Gracie Allen a bit to get the line and then all of a sudden she starts crackin’ up. You could always tell when “Burns and Allen” screwed things up because in Vaudeville, they had a fail-safe, when one forgot their lines or something happened, Gracie would turn to George and say “You wanna talk about my brother,” then they’d go into a routine they had down pat." (It was normal for Gracie to change subjects quickly) George tells a bit about one time on radio he, Gracie and a guest star were reading their scripts and he dropped his and while picking it up, knocked Gracie’s script off and the pages were all out of order. So Gracie immediately starts up with “So George, wanna talk about my brother…” and the guest star (who still had his script) was totally lost. So when if you listen to them on old time radio, listen for Gracie’s “You wanna talk about my brother…” ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2009, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ad-libbing/496416/3 "2009-05-14T15:45:16Z")
There is, of course, **The Line** from **Shark Attack 3: Megladon**. Definitely not safe for work, but you can find it at http:/ /www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1XOfHax6Q8 (link disabled, of course). ---
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2009, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ad-libbing/496416/4 "2009-05-14T16:02:27Z")
Since I haven’t (and probably never will) seen the movie, and can’t watch videos at work, care to fill us in in a spoiler? ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2009, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ad-libbing/496416/5 "2009-05-14T16:05:06Z")
> [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](#): > > But the actor who played Indiana suddenly came down with… well, with diarrhea. Whatever happened to that guy? ---
**Author:** ![fiddlesticks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddlesticks/32/18129_2.png) [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2009, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ad-libbing/496416/6 "2009-05-14T16:12:38Z")
The scene in Pretty Woman where Richard Gere “chomps” Julia Roberts’ fingers with the jewelry box was ad-libbed…Julia had no idea Richard was going to do that. ---
**Author:** ![Indyellen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/indyellen/32/4176_2.png) [@Indyellen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indyellen)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2009, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ad-libbing/496416/7 "2009-05-14T16:16:35Z")
Apparently the famous line from _Jaws_, “You’re gonna need a bigger boat” was an ad-lib from Richard Dreyfuss. IIRC, it was the first time he’d seen the shark up close in the water. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2009, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ad-libbing/496416/8 "2009-05-14T16:23:44Z")
All of the Christopher Guest mockumentaries are structured improvisation…Guest tells the actors generally what he wants in the scene then unclips their leashes (so to speak) and lets them loose. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2009, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ad-libbing/496416/9 "2009-05-14T16:31:45Z")
I believe the scene in Alien (where John Hurt is thrashing about and suddenly the alien explodes out of his stomach) was not explained to the actors. So their reactions to the gore were unplanned! ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2009, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ad-libbing/496416/10 "2009-05-14T16:31:48Z")
_The Tonight Show_, [Ed Ames, Johnny Carson and a tomahawk](http://http://www.videosift.com/video/Johnny-Carson-and-Ed-Ames-The-Famous-Tomahawk-Toss). For those who can’t watch: Ames, better known as a singer, was playing a Native American in the TV series Daniel Boone. He tried to show Carson the correct way to throw a tomahawk. On his first attempt, Ames hit the target (a cowboy) in the upper thigh, right next to the crotch. Ames’ obvious embarassment and Caron’s reaction are classic. ---
**Author:** ![Wargamer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/df705f/32.png) [@Wargamer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wargamer)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2009, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ad-libbing/496416/11 "2009-05-14T16:43:18Z")
I have heard the scene in _Stakeout_ where Richard Dreyfuss and Emilio Estevez were playing the movie line game, and Estevez stumps Dreyfuss with a line from _Jaws_ was ad-libbed from an actual incident in rehearsal where that same thing happened. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2009, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ad-libbing/496416/12 "2009-05-14T16:46:48Z")
> [@corkboard](#): > > Since I haven’t (and probably never will) seen the movie, and can’t watch videos at work, care to fill us in in a spoiler? I wish I could. It was a very risque line by John Barrowman, that probably has never been put into anything other than a porn film. He expected his co-star to break up, but she didn’t and they decided to keep it in the movie. It is the only part of **Shark Attack 3** worth watching. But every single person who watched the movie on DVD at home has stopped the movie and rewound, saying, “Did I really hear him say _that_?” I could PM you with it, though. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2009, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ad-libbing/496416/13 "2009-05-14T16:50:06Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > _The Tonight Show_, [Ed Ames, Johnny Carson and a tomahawk](http://http://www.videosift.com/video/Johnny-Carson-and-Ed-Ames-The-Famous-Tomahawk-Toss). > > For those who can’t watch: > > Ames, better known as a singer, was playing a Native American in the TV series Daniel Boone. He tried to show Carson the correct way to throw a tomahawk. On his first attempt, Ames hit the target (a cowboy) in the upper thigh, right next to the crotch. Ames’ obvious embarassment and Caron’s reaction are classic. Heh… “Frontier Rabbi!” ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2009, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ad-libbing/496416/14 "2009-05-14T16:53:43Z")
TV tropes has a list: [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ThrowItIn](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ThrowItIn) A lot of improv work is in Reno 911 as well. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2009, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ad-libbing/496416/15 "2009-05-14T16:57:37Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > I wish I could. It was a very risque line by John Barrowman, that probably has never been put into anything other than a porn film. He expected his co-star to break up, but she didn’t and they decided to keep it in the movie. > > It is the only part of **Shark Attack 3** worth watching. But every single person who watched the movie on DVD at home has stopped the movie and rewound, saying, “Did I really hear him say _that_?” > > I could PM you with it, though. Oh, for God’s sake. Here’s the exchange he’s talking about, as quoted on the IMDB: Cataline Stone: [sigh] I’m exhausted. Ben Carpenter: Yeah, me too. But you know I’m really wired. What do you say I… take you home and eat your pussy. Honestly, **Chuck** , it’s not that good a line, or that shocking. ---
**Author:** ![Jester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jester/32/8223_2.png) [@Jester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jester)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2009, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ad-libbing/496416/16 "2009-05-14T16:59:10Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > Oh, for God’s sake. > > Here’s the exchange he’s talking about, as quoted on the IMDB: > > Cataline Stone: [sigh] I’m exhausted. > Ben Carpenter: Yeah, me too. But you know I’m really wired. What do you say I… take you home and eat your pussy. > > Honestly, **Chuck** , it’s not that good a line, or that shocking. You son of a bitch. I just dropped my monocle. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2009, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ad-libbing/496416/17 "2009-05-14T16:59:44Z")
Coming out of the blue as it does, it’s a major shock – not the words per se, but because it is so completely unexpected. If you’re not warned about it, everyone says, “Did he really say _that_?” In the **Doctor Who** episode, “Nightmare of Eden,” Tom Baker as the Doctor is asked what his job is. He says, “I don’t have a job. I’m just having fun.” The second sentence is an ad lib (it’s not in the novelization), and you can see the other actor struggling just a bit to cover and go on. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2009, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ad-libbing/496416/18 "2009-05-14T17:01:09Z")
Rutger Hauer’s death speech in Bladerunner was ad-libbed. I think it’s one of the greatest death scenes in cinema history. “Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion” - sheer poetry. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2009, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ad-libbing/496416/19 "2009-05-14T17:02:43Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > I wish I could. It was a very risque line by John Barrowman, that probably has never been put into anything other than a porn film. He expected his co-star to break up, but she didn’t and they decided to keep it in the movie. > > It is the only part of **Shark Attack 3** worth watching. But every single person who watched the movie on DVD at home has stopped the movie and rewound, saying, “Did I really hear him say _that_?” On this board I have read about f_ck_ing, r_mm_ng and f_lch_ng. What on earth is it that you can’t put it in a spoiler? ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2009, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ad-libbing/496416/20 "2009-05-14T17:03:04Z")
In Monty Python’s “The Meaning of Life,” at the end of the scene where the American’s at the dinner party all die from food poisoning and are taken away by Death, Michael Palin has a great improv’d line where he says, “But I didn’t eat the mousse.” Great line that makes the scene, I think. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ad-libbing/496416.md?page=2)