# It's a classic, but all you NEED to see... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 9, 2007, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-classic-but-all-you-need-to-see/391498 "2007-02-09T15:06:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Winston\_Bongo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a9adbd/32.png) [@Winston\_Bongo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Winston_Bongo)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2007, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-classic-but-all-you-need-to-see/391498/21 "2007-02-09T16:28:05Z")
_Taxi Driver_: All you really need to see is, “You talkin’ to me? . . . You talkin’ to me? Cuz I’m the only one here . . .” And I disagree with choosing _Casablanca_ – way too many famous/quotable scenes to pick just one or two. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2007, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-classic-but-all-you-need-to-see/391498/22 "2007-02-09T16:34:27Z")
[QUOTE=Winston Bongo] And I disagree with choosing _Casablanca_ – way too many famous/quotable scenes to pick just one or two. [/QUOTE] There’s a (probably urban legend) story about the guy who asks "What’s so great about Casablanca? All they did was string a bunch of cliches together!) Grease: You Are The One That I Want ---
**Author:** ![jacquilynne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/67e7ee/32.png) [@jacquilynne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jacquilynne)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2007, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-classic-but-all-you-need-to-see/391498/23 "2007-02-09T17:01:49Z")
[QUOTE=Annie-Xmas] There’s a (probably urban legend) story about the guy who asks "What’s so great about Casablanca? All they did was string a bunch of cliches together!) [/quote] Heheh. Yeah, Casablanca is one that has references from nearly every scene. My personal favourites as ‘I was misinformed.’ and ‘Shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on…’ > [@](#): > > Grease: You Are The One That I Want Summer Loving is arguably more riffed on. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2007, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-classic-but-all-you-need-to-see/391498/24 "2007-02-09T17:12:52Z")
Here’s lookin’ at everybody who disagrees about _Casablanca_ needing to be on this list, kid. ---
**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:** [February 9, 2007, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-classic-but-all-you-need-to-see/391498/25 "2007-02-09T17:14:10Z")
[QUOTE=Zeldar] Does anything beyond the beans scene in _Blazing Saddles_ need to be seen? [/QUOTE] It’s _Hedley_ Lamar! The “I’m Tired” scene. “Mongo only pawn in game of life.” ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2007, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-classic-but-all-you-need-to-see/391498/26 "2007-02-09T17:18:14Z")
[QUOTE=jayjay] It’s _Hedley_ Lamar! The “I’m Tired” scene. “Mongo only pawn in game of life.” [/QUOTE] I knew I was going to get shot down with such a bold statement about a movie that has nothing but memorable scenes and lines. The one where Gene Wilder demonstrates his fast draw. All the Johnsons in church. Basie’s band. ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2007, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-classic-but-all-you-need-to-see/391498/27 "2007-02-09T18:06:24Z")
[QUOTE=Priceguy] _Casablanca_ is a classic, but all you NEED to see is the “as long as I have those letters of transit I’ll never be lonely” scene and the “I remember every detail - the Germans wore gray, you wore blue” scene. And possibly the final shot. [/QUOTE] I’ll disagree with this. I saw this movie for the first time last year, and it seemed like every five minutes I was hearing or seeing something I’d heard referenced somewhere else. As for my own contribution, I’d say that the classic **Star Trek II** could be summed up with the following short bit of dialogue from the movie: Kkhhhhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan! 😃 ---
**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:** [February 9, 2007, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-classic-but-all-you-need-to-see/391498/28 "2007-02-09T18:15:31Z")
**The Court Jester** : “The pellet with the poison’s in the flagon with the dragon. The vessel with the pestle holds the brew that is true.” ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2007, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-classic-but-all-you-need-to-see/391498/29 "2007-02-09T18:18:03Z")
[QUOTE=Zeldar] Do I need to say any more than “ax through the door” to identify this movie? [/QUOTE] Yup. “Here’s Johnny!” is\*\* _the_\*\* bit for that flick. The scene of the astronauts walking towards the camera in their spacesuits is all you really need to see of “The Right Stuff.” ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2007, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-classic-but-all-you-need-to-see/391498/30 "2007-02-09T18:19:54Z")
_The Warriors_: All you need to see is Cyrus’s speech (“Can you dig it?!”) and the final scene (“Warriors, come out to play-ay!”). ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2007, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-classic-but-all-you-need-to-see/391498/31 "2007-02-09T18:42:05Z")
_Basic Instinct_: The interrogation scene. 😃 _Carrie_: Prom, from pig blood to mom’s impalement _Ben-Hur_: the chariot race (Lew Wallace, please forgive me!) _ET_: the flying bicycle ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2007, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-classic-but-all-you-need-to-see/391498/32 "2007-02-09T18:44:41Z")
[QUOTE=Ludovic] …that, and know how they dressed.. [/QUOTE] …and the Singin’ in the Rain part. (edit: doh! already mentioned.) For Pulp Fiction I agree that there are a ton of references. “Check out the big brain on Brad” being one that leaps to mind. And that dance move with the two fingers across the eyes. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2007, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-classic-but-all-you-need-to-see/391498/33 "2007-02-09T18:47:19Z")
[QUOTE=Zeldar] I knew I was going to get shot down with such a bold statement about a movie that has nothing but memorable scenes and lines. The one where Gene Wilder demonstrates his fast draw. All the Johnsons in church. Basie’s band. [/QUOTE] I think this is the same disconnect as the “Pulp Fiction” bit. A movie may have a bajillion lines that you and your friends can quote over beers but that’s not the same as the scenes being referenced in later TV shows or anything. In the “Pulp Fiction” example, any time I see a riff of it, it’s almost always the “Royale with cheese” conversation. If you only ever saw that conversation, you’d ‘get’ probably 75% of the PF references you’ll ever see on TV. Although, as I type this, I can think of two riffs on the “cleaner”, Wolfe (Seinfeld and the cartoon Recess). So maybe PF isn’t the best example in the world, but you hopefully see where I’m coming from. ---
**Author:** ![Wee\_Bairn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/90db22/32.png) [@Wee\_Bairn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wee_Bairn)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2007, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-classic-but-all-you-need-to-see/391498/34 "2007-02-09T18:51:00Z")
To Carrie, I would add the “plug it up, plug it up!” scene. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2007, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-classic-but-all-you-need-to-see/391498/35 "2007-02-09T19:05:46Z")
Well are you talking about other movies/tv spoofing/riffing on it or making references? The two are not synonymous. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2007, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-classic-but-all-you-need-to-see/391498/36 "2007-02-09T19:15:35Z")
Wait, there’s more to **Empire Strikes Back**. What about: “Do or do not. There is no try.”? I hear that one just about every other day. Or: “I love you!” “I know.” Or: “All too easy.” Or: “Apology…accepted.” ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2007, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-classic-but-all-you-need-to-see/391498/37 "2007-02-09T19:32:47Z")
[QUOTE=OpalCat] Well are you talking about other movies/tv spoofing/riffing on it or making references? The two are not synonymous. [/QUOTE] I don’t quite understand the OP either. What’s being listed? I’m seeing famous lines and scenes from popular movies – movies that people might not have seen but that they’ll be able to recognize from the clip. I’ll round up the usual suspects while someone explains it to me. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2007, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-classic-but-all-you-need-to-see/391498/38 "2007-02-09T19:58:50Z")
At first I thought it was about getting references to movies, and the amount of the movie required to see to understand the reference, but then it seems it was only about getting references _in other movies and tv shows_, but then it appears that it is only about getting the reference when other movies and tv shows “riff” on the scene, and not just when they make references in general. So I have no idea. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2007, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-classic-but-all-you-need-to-see/391498/39 "2007-02-09T20:06:31Z")
[QUOTE=AuntiePam] I don’t quite understand the OP either. What’s being listed? I’m seeing famous lines and scenes from popular movies – movies that people might not have seen but that they’ll be able to recognize from the clip. [/QUOTE] I assure you, it was crystal clear in my head 😃 I suppose the “riffs” angle is a better way to put it. How much of a classic movie do you need to have seen to be able to get jokes, references, etc made to it in other forms (usually TV shows). I’m not talking about lines your friends might quote to one another, but portions that have made it into the pop-cultural mainstream. To harken back to my OP, if you only ever saw the parts of “The Birds” with the silent mass of birds and the bit with the telephone booth, you’re going to get the joke almost every single time a show throws in a bit that’s supposed to make you think “Hah! It’s like ‘The Birds’!” A particularly poor example would probably be “The Wizard of Oz” where just about every minute of the movie has found its way into a TV show in some form or another. A poor example on the other extreme would be “The Big Lebowski”. People can quote the hell out of that movie but I don’t think I’ve ever watched a show and thought “Hey, they’re doing a ‘Big Lebowski’ thing here…” I’m sure I’m only making it worse by trying to explain it. > [@Opalcat](#): > > then it seems it was only about getting references in other movies and tv shows, but then it appears that it is only about getting the reference when other movies and tv shows “riff” on the scene I have to admit that I very rarely see a show do a take-off of a popular movie and NOT have it be tongue-in-cheek at the very least. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2007, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-classic-but-all-you-need-to-see/391498/40 "2007-02-09T20:10:57Z")
After you see the first coupla minutes of _The Deep_, with whatshername scuba diving in a t-shirt, you can shut it off and take it back to the Blockbuster. I’ve seen the final chase in _Ronin_ twice. No one has ever recommended that I see the rest of the movie. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-classic-but-all-you-need-to-see/391498.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-classic-but-all-you-need-to-see/391498.md?page=3)