Need film clip suggestions

Cafe Society
1

Here’s a chance for you movie afficianados to put your arcane film knowledge to some practical use — well, for me anyway. Oh, and for what it’s worth, I am humbly beseeching you.

I need to put together a compilation of clips of people in movies giving “this is the greatest thing ever” type speeches. It wasn’t my idea, but I’m the one who got stuck with it. About the only one that comes to my poor brain is Carl Denim in “King Kong.” We’d prefer more modern stuff but that’s as good as place as any to start.

If anyone has any good suggestions I would be geninely grateful.

Thanks.

2

Um…Flounder in Animal House going “Oh boy, is this great”?

Oh, there’s that scene from Phantom Planet where to co-pilot is yammering away about the good and the true…it was done on MST3K.

Robert DuVall talking about how he loves the smell of napalm in the morning from Apocalypse Now.

3

“Verbal” Kint’s “the greatest trick the devil ever pulled…” speech from The Usual Suspects.

Steve McQueen’s line from Tom Horn: “Why Geronimo there is so great, Corbett would have to stand on his grandmother’s shoulders just to kiss Geronimo’s ass.”

George C. Scott’s opening speech from Patton.

4

I’ll think about this for a while, but immediately what comes to mind is Samuel L. Jackson in Pulp Fiction: “Now that’s a tasty burger!”

Oh, and Salieri in Amadeus must have a bunch of moments where he raves about Mozart’s composition.

And here’s an obscure one: Jack Black in Bob Roberts with one of his creepy “Bob Roberts is the best candidate for Senator ever” scenes.

And there’s always Dirty Harry’s “this is a Magnum handgun” (which you can follow up with Joe Piscopo in Johnny Dangerously: “It shoots through schools”). :slight_smile:

5

“Spectacular Spectacular” from Moulin Rouge.

Bill Samson’s speech about the theatre from All About Eve.

Michael Douglas’s final speech from The American President.

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Merci, folks.

7

Titanic (early scenes).

Tucker: The Man and His Dream.

W. C. Fields:
Never Give a Sucker an Even Break.
You Can’t Cheat an Honest Man.

8

W. C. Fields (from The Bank Dick):

I’m in the bond and stock business. Now I have 5,000 shares of Beefsteak Mines in Leapfrog, Nevada that I want to turn over to your bank…Now these shares are selling for 10 cents a share…Naturally you’re no dunce…If 5 will get you 10, 10 will get you twenty, 16 cylinder cars, a big home in the city, balconies upstairs and down, home in the country, big trees, private golf course, stream running through the rear of the estate, warm Sunday afternoons fishing under the cool trees, sipping ice cold beer.

http://www.filmsite.org/bank.html

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Dr. Frankenstein’s “pep talk” to the monster in Young Frankenstein.

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More W. C. Fields (from The Bank Dick): Egbert = Fields.

Egbert: I met a poor fellow who’s in trouble. Something the matter with his grandmother’s paisley shawl. He has 5,000 shares in the Beefsteak Mine and you can buy them for a handful of hay.

Og: Hay? And they’re worth…?

Egbert: Ten cents a share. Telephone sold for five cents a share. How would you like something better for ten cents a share? If five gets ya ten, ten’ll get ya twenty. A beautiful home in the country, upstairs and down. Beer flowing through the estate over your grandmother’s paisley shawl.

Og: Beer?

Egbert: Beer! Fishing in the stream that runs under the aboreal dell. A man comes up from the bar, dumps $3,500 in your lap for every nickel invested. Says to you, ‘Sign here on the dotted line.’ And then disappears in the weaving fields of alfalfa.

Og: Gosh! Do you think he was telling the truth?

Egbert: You don’t think a man would resort to terra-diddle, do you? Why, he sounded like a child at the very thought of disposing of these shares. How does the bank make its money?

Og: By investing.

Egbert: That’s the point. You don’t want to work all your life. Take a chance. Take it while you’re young.

Egbert: My uncle, a balloon ascensionist, Effingham Hoofnagle, took a chance. He was three miles and a half up in the air. He jumped out of the basket of the balloon and took a chance of landing on a load of hay.

Og: Golly! Did he make it?

Egbert: Uh, no…He didn’t. Had he been a younger man, he probably would have made it. That’s the point. Don’t wait too long in life.

Og: I’ve never done anything like this. And another thing, I haven’t got the money. Of course, my bonus comes due in four days. That’s $500. I could buy 'em then, and then with all that money, why, I really might be worthy of your daughter’s hand.

Egbert: Women really appreciate the fine things in life. You don’t wanna die and leave your wife and children paupers, do ya?

Og: No.

Egbert: Borrow the $500 from the bank. You intend to pay it back when your bonus comes due, don’t ya?

Og: Well, sure.

Egbert: Surely, don’t be a luddie-duddie, don’t be a moon-calf, don’t be a jabbernow, you’re not those, are you?
http://www.filmsite.org/bank2.html

11

As a soundbyte between longer speeches, what leaps to mind is a very short bit in Robocop, where Emil tests out some absurdly large gun and exults “I LIKE IT!” The delivery is perfect.

12

Chevy Chase’s Wally World rant from National Lampoon’s Vacation.

“We’re gonna have so much fuckin’ fun we’ll be whistling zippidy-doo-da out of our assholes!”