# Greatest movie and literary lines never spoken **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 2, 2006, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-movie-and-literary-lines-never-spoken/346733 "2006-03-02T06:37:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2006, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-movie-and-literary-lines-never-spoken/346733/1 "2006-03-02T06:37:05Z")
This can also extend to speeches and other near memes that were never actually said by the original person from any source. The most famous ones I can think of: Jimmy Cagney never said “You dirty rat! You killed my brother!” in any of his movies. Humphrey Bogart did not say “Play it again, Sam.” Cary Grant never said “Judy! Judy! Judy!” (though George ‘Goober’ Lindsey did many times) The Apollo 13 astronauts said “Houston, we’ve had a problem here” rather than “Houston… we have a problem”. Any others that come to mind? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2006, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-movie-and-literary-lines-never-spoken/346733/2 "2006-03-02T06:47:55Z")
Captain Kirk never said, “Beam me up, Scotty.” Tony Curtis didn’t say “Yonduh is da castle of my faddah.” ---
**Author:** ![Weirddave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/919ad9/32.png) [@Weirddave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weirddave)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2006, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-movie-and-literary-lines-never-spoken/346733/3 "2006-03-02T06:51:26Z")
Capt. Kirk never said “Beam me up Scotty” in the entire run of the TV show, I can’t recall if they had him utter the line in any of the movies. ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2006, 8:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-movie-and-literary-lines-never-spoken/346733/4 "2006-03-02T08:44:58Z")
In _Treasure of the Sierra Madre_, Gold Hat doesn’t say, “We don’t need no stinking badges.” What he says instead is, “Badges? We ain’t got no badges. We don’t need no badges. I don’t have to show you any stinking badges!” ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2006, 9:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-movie-and-literary-lines-never-spoken/346733/5 "2006-03-02T09:01:39Z")
Holmes never said “Elementary, my dear Watson.” “Elementary”, yes. “My dear Watson”, many times. But not both together. ---
**Author:** ![Tinkertoy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f19dbf/32.png) [@Tinkertoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tinkertoy)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2006, 9:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-movie-and-literary-lines-never-spoken/346733/6 "2006-03-02T09:10:16Z")
James Cagney never said “Top of the world ma” What he really said was “Made it, Ma! Top of the world!” ---
**Author:** ![Stark\_Raven\_Mad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Stark\_Raven\_Mad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stark_Raven_Mad)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2006, 9:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-movie-and-literary-lines-never-spoken/346733/7 "2006-03-02T09:33:45Z")
Vito Corleone never said, “I’ll make him an offer he can’t refuse.” The exact wording was, IIRC, _don’t_. ---
**Author:** ![hammos1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ba8739/32.png) [@hammos1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hammos1)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2006, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-movie-and-literary-lines-never-spoken/346733/8 "2006-03-02T11:25:49Z")
Alan Ladd didn’t say “A man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do” in _Shane_. I think the line was “I couldn’t do what I gotta do…” ---
**Author:** ![hammos1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ba8739/32.png) [@hammos1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hammos1)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2006, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-movie-and-literary-lines-never-spoken/346733/9 "2006-03-02T11:31:40Z")
> [@Stark Raven Mad](#): > > Vito Corleone never said, “I’ll make him an offer he can’t refuse.” > > The exact wording was, IIRC, _don’t_. Are you sure about this? ---
**Author:** ![Stark\_Raven\_Mad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Stark\_Raven\_Mad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stark_Raven_Mad)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2006, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-movie-and-literary-lines-never-spoken/346733/10 "2006-03-02T11:37:31Z")
> [@hammos1](#): > > Are you sure about this? Quite. My blood alcohol is probably slightly above the legal limit to drive right now, and I’ve never read the book, but I’m quite sure Brando says it, “I’ll make him an offer he _don’t_ refuse.” ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2006, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-movie-and-literary-lines-never-spoken/346733/11 "2006-03-02T13:24:32Z")
> [@Stark Raven Mad](#): > > Vito Corleone never said, “I’ll make him an offer he can’t refuse.” > > The exact wording was, IIRC, _don’t_. From the [Internet Movie Database](http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0068646/quotes): • **Michael:** My father made him an offer he couldn’t refuse. • [after being asked how he will arrange to buy a hotel from Moe Greene] **Michael:** I’ll make him an offer he can’t refuse. • **Don Corleone:** I’m gonna make him an offer he can’t refuse. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2006, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-movie-and-literary-lines-never-spoken/346733/12 "2006-03-02T13:35:54Z")
Darth Vader didn’t say “Luke, I am your father”, exactly. I believe Strother Martin didn’t say “What we have here is a failure to communicate” in Cool Hand Luke (though I’ve never seen the film). I understand the “a” isn’t in there. I’m not sure if Johnny Weismuller ever said “Me Tarzan, You Jane” in his Tarzan movies. I think it was “Tarzan … Jane”. In any event, no other movie Tarzan did. And in the books he’s positively eloquent. But that’s a whole 'nother topic, about how the movies really changed things from the books (Like Fu Manchu’s moustache, and the Giant Squid in Jules Verne movies) ---
**Author:** ![Revenant\_Threshold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f1d935/32.png) [@Revenant\_Threshold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revenant_Threshold)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2006, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-movie-and-literary-lines-never-spoken/346733/13 "2006-03-02T13:45:39Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Darth Vader didn’t say “Luke, I am your father”, exactly. Darth - Obi-Wan never told you what happened to your father. Luke - He told me enough! He told me you killed him! Darth - No…\ ***I** \* am your father. ---
**Author:** ![UntouchedTakeaway](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d78d45/32.png) [@UntouchedTakeaway](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UntouchedTakeaway)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2006, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-movie-and-literary-lines-never-spoken/346733/14 "2006-03-02T14:38:11Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Darth Vader didn’t say “Luke, I am your father”, exactly. > I believe Strother Martin didn’t say “What we have here is a failure to communicate” in Cool Hand Luke (though I’ve never seen the film). I understand the “a” isn’t in there. > I’m not sure if Johnny Weismuller ever said “Me Tarzan, You Jane” in his Tarzan movies. I think it was “Tarzan … Jane”. In any event, no other movie Tarzan did. And in the books he’s positively eloquent. But that’s a whole 'nother topic, about how the movies really changed things from the books (Like Fu Manchu’s moustache, and the Giant Squid in Jules Verne movies) IIRC, it comes out something like “What we have heah…is FAILUH…to C’MMUNICATE” with the accent on “failuh” and “communicate”. VCNJ~ ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2006, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-movie-and-literary-lines-never-spoken/346733/15 "2006-03-02T14:43:30Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > The Apollo 13 astronauts said “Houston, we’ve had a problem here” rather than “Houston… we have a problem”. IRL they didn’t say it, But in the film Apollo 13, Tom Hanks does in fact say “Houston, we have a problem.” ---
**Author:** ![mahj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@mahj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mahj)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2006, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-movie-and-literary-lines-never-spoken/346733/16 "2006-03-02T14:48:55Z")
Queen Victoria never uttered or wrote “We are not amused”. Her diaries are full of the phrase “I was very much amused”, though. ---
**Author:** ![Charger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df788c/32.png) [@Charger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charger)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2006, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-movie-and-literary-lines-never-spoken/346733/17 "2006-03-02T16:27:25Z")
Hannibal Lecter never says “Hello, Clarice.” He greets her with “Good afternoon, Clarice,” always attentive to the time of day. ---
**Author:** ![h.sapiens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e0b2c6/32.png) [@h.sapiens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/h.sapiens)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2006, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-movie-and-literary-lines-never-spoken/346733/18 "2006-03-02T17:15:59Z")
Hamlet doesn’t say “Alas, poor Yorick, I knew him well.” It’s “I knew him, Horatio.” Also, Gertrude says “The lady doth protest too much, methinks” not “Methinks the lady doth protest too much.” And Falstaff’s “The better part of valour is discretion” is often misquoted as “Discretion is the better part of valour.” ---
**Author:** ![Ghanima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Ghanima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ghanima)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2006, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-movie-and-literary-lines-never-spoken/346733/19 "2006-03-02T17:41:27Z")
Rhett did not say “Frankly, my dear Scarlet, I don’t give a damn.” He actually just said “My dear, I don’t give a damn.” ---
**Author:** ![flight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbce88/32.png) [@flight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flight)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2006, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-movie-and-literary-lines-never-spoken/346733/20 "2006-03-02T17:48:37Z")
> [@Ghanima](#): > > Rhett did not say “Frankly, my dear Scarlet, I don’t give a damn.” He actually just said “My dear, I don’t give a damn.” Huh, I never heard it that way. I always heard people say, “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn.” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-movie-and-literary-lines-never-spoken/346733.md?page=2)