Everyone recognizes “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…” The line is from Star Wars – though it’s never spoken in any of the films.
What other movie quotes can we think of that were only written, never spoken?
I’m not talking about misquotes – “Play it again, Sam” being the classic example. But text from the credits, lines from computer chats that the actor doesn’t actually read out loud, or words that appear onscreen without being spoken all qualify. Even taglines from the poster can qualify: “In space, no one can hear you scream,” after all.
Heck, you could comb libraries of old movie posters (or go to the iMDB and look through the tag lines) to generate as many of these as you want. Tag lines from trailers and catchphrases from posters rarely get spoken in the film
**His Whole Life was a Million-to-One Shot
A Story of a Boy, a Girl, and a Galaxy
Makes Ber Hur Look Like an Epic!
Sets the Cinema back 500 Years!
Go Ahead … Laugh!
If You Have a Taste for Terror, You have a Date with Carrie!
Welcome to Westworld, Where Nothing can go Wrnog
You Will Believe a Man Can Fly!
**
See You Next Wednesday. Never spoken in John Landis films, but seen in just about every one as the title of a film being advertised or playing at a theatre in the background. Not sure if this should count though, since Landis apparently took the phrase from 2001, where Frank Poole’s parents say it to Poole when they speak with him.
Technically you’re correct since you never hear it in one of Landis’ movies. However, in the video for “Thriller” during the scene where MJ and his date are watching a movie in a theater, you do hear a voice from on-screen say the phrase.
“You dirty rat” I understand was never actually uttered by James Cagney but was the go-to line used by his myriad impersonators as a representative phrasing.
This isn’t the sort of thing the OP is looking for. The OP is looking for quotes that were actually in the movie (or perhaps on its promotional material), but which were never spoken, only written.
The propaganda signs in the background of Gilliam’s Brazil are pretty memorable. “Don’t suspect a friend, report him” and “Be Safe, Be Suspicious” are the two I remember.
That reminds me of the sign in the girl’s camp in Kubrick’s Lolita: “Welcome to Camp Climax. Drive Carefully.” Which was not in the book but summarizes what occurs there quite nicely!