# 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:** 15\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Ronald\_C.Semone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/cc9497/32.png) [@Ronald\_C.Semone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ronald_C.Semone)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2006, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-movie-and-literary-lines-never-spoken/346733/41 "2006-03-03T00:00:39Z")
Neil Armstrong never said “One small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.” In spite of NASA propaganda to the contrary, he blew it. I am sure that is what he meant to say, but what he actually said was “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” At the time, when I heard him say it, I said to my wife “That doesn’t make any sense.” ---
**Author:** ![akira5822](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/53a042/32.png) [@akira5822](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/akira5822)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2006, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-movie-and-literary-lines-never-spoken/346733/42 "2006-03-03T00:09:24Z")
Rick never says “Play it again Sam” in the classic movie Casablanca ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2006, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-movie-and-literary-lines-never-spoken/346733/43 "2006-03-03T01:33:34Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Sorry- are you saying you’ve seen it and it’s in there? Nope. Well, yes, I have seen it, and I remeber theterrible accent, but it was years ago, and I don’t remeber that particular line. But this poster at IMDB claims he does/did. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2006, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-movie-and-literary-lines-never-spoken/346733/44 "2006-03-03T02:44:35Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Nope. Well, yes, I have seen it, and I remeber theterrible accent, but it was years ago, and I don’t remeber that particular line. But this poster at IMDB claims he does/did. Ah. I think your link went to a different poster. I did find one who says “Why do all the critics love to attack Tony Curtis for his accent in this movie? (Most frequently citing the line “Yonda lies da castle of my fodda.”)” That does sound like he remembers him saying it. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2006, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-movie-and-literary-lines-never-spoken/346733/45 "2006-03-03T03:31:49Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Ah. I think your link went to a different poster. I did find one who says “Why do all the critics love to attack Tony Curtis for his accent in this movie? (Most frequently citing the line “Yonda lies da castle of my fodda.”)” That does sound like he remembers him saying it. That’s the one! ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2006, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-movie-and-literary-lines-never-spoken/346733/46 "2006-03-03T04:18:24Z")
> [@h.sapiens](#): > > 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.” Speaking of Shakespeare, here is a curious bilingual bit: In the original, Hamlet was traduced to Spanish and the famous “_to be or not to be_” was traduced as "to existir o no existir” (to exist or not to exist!), because the original English was traduced as “ser o no ser” in theater and then in Hollywood productions, later editions from around the 20th century appeared from then on with the “correct” (because it is the popular version) “ser o no ser”. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2006, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-movie-and-literary-lines-never-spoken/346733/47 "2006-03-03T04:25:59Z")
> [@GIGObuster](#): > > Speaking of Shakespeare, here is a curious bilingual bit: > > In the original, Hamlet was traduced to Spanish and the famous “_to be or not to be_” was traduced as "to existir o no existir” (to exist or not to exist!), because the original English was traduced as “ser o no ser” in theater and then in Hollywood productions, later editions from around the 20th century appeared from then on with the “correct” (because it is the popular version) “ser o no ser”. Err… replace traduced with translated, hard to type with both English and Spanish dictionaries active at the same time… ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2006, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-movie-and-literary-lines-never-spoken/346733/48 "2006-03-03T06:24:56Z")
> [@GIGObuster](#): > > Speaking of Shakespeare, here is a curious bilingual bit: > > In the original, Hamlet was traduced to Spanish and the famous “_to be or not to be_” was traduced as "to existir o no existir” (to exist or not to exist!), because the original English was traduced as “ser o no ser” in theater and then in Hollywood productions, later editions from around the 20th century appeared from then on with the “correct” (because it is the popular version) “ser o no ser”. Here is another curious bilingual trivia bit: a standup comic in 1938 Berlin stated that Hermann Göring, who at 45 was expecting his [only child](http://members.lycos.co.uk/wehrmachtcomtr/kimkimdir/resimlerkimkimdir/goering-hermann-edda.jpg) when he was well over 300 lbs. and widely rumored to be impotent from weight, drug addiction and injuries (and his wife, also 45 and childless, was rumored to have a far from pure past), would name the kid Hamlet. The comic then struck a Shakespearean pose and said “Sein… oder nicht sein?” which in German translates as “to be, or not to be?” but also means “His… or not his?” Göring, usually known as the most jovial and funloving of the Nazis, was not amused. The comic was arrested and spent time in a concentration camp (this before they were places of no return) for his joke. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2006, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-movie-and-literary-lines-never-spoken/346733/49 "2006-03-03T06:30:02Z")
That’s a hell of a joke! > [@Sampiro](#): > > Göring, usually known as the most jovial and funloving of the Nazis And that’s a hell of a distinction! Who was the big meanie of the group, dare I ask? ---
**Author:** ![KJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b2d939/32.png) [@KJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KJ)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2006, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-movie-and-literary-lines-never-spoken/346733/50 "2006-03-03T06:54:12Z")
Marie Antoinette never said “Let them eat cake.” ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2006, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-movie-and-literary-lines-never-spoken/346733/51 "2006-03-03T07:18:20Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > That’s a hell of a joke! > > And that’s a hell of a distinction! Who was the big meanie of the group, dare I ask? Probably Himmler (occultist, had a chair made out of a human torso, etc.) or Adolf Elizabeth himself. Neither was known for their sense of humor and whim. Göring on the other hand liked music, drove fast sports cars, loved to be seen as “one of the guys”, dated beautiful blondes between marriages, had an impressive WW1 record, played the accordion (until he got too fat), liked to have a good time. He was something of a John Goodman’s King Ralph among a bunch of Don Knotts and 'Principal Rooney" (_Ferris Bueller_) and “Principal Vernon” (_Breakfast Club_) ---
**Author:** ![mr.jp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/48db29/32.png) [@mr.jp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mr.jp)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2006, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-movie-and-literary-lines-never-spoken/346733/52 "2006-03-03T11:15:10Z")
> [@](#): > > Neil Armstrong never said “One small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.” In spite of NASA propaganda to the contrary, he blew it. I am sure that is what he meant to say, but what he actually said was “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” At the time, when I heard him say it, I said to my wife “That doesn’t make any sense.” Hehe. The two sentences you give are the same. I guess you blew your big line as well. 🙂 Actually it’s not certain that he messed it up. [Ol’ Cecil](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3_362.html) reports. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2006, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-movie-and-literary-lines-never-spoken/346733/53 "2006-03-03T11:20:54Z")
In some Southern accents especially, the unstressed indefinite article is barely, if at all, audible after an “r” sound. ---
**Author:** ![mr.jp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/48db29/32.png) [@mr.jp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mr.jp)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2006, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-movie-and-literary-lines-never-spoken/346733/54 "2006-03-03T11:24:30Z")
Oh, no. Sorry. You got it right of course. I’m not a very good listener. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2006, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-movie-and-literary-lines-never-spoken/346733/55 "2006-03-03T11:39:06Z")
> [@Liberal](#): > > In some Southern accents especially, the unstressed indefinite article is barely, if at all, audible after an “r” sound. You can’t really get much further north than [Ohio](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neil_Armstrong) without getting wet and then getting in Canada. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-movie-and-literary-lines-never-spoken/346733.md?page=2)