# The greatest entrance in cinema history ... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 28, 2008, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-entrance-in-cinema-history/447186 "2008-04-28T04:04:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2008, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-entrance-in-cinema-history/447186/41 "2008-04-28T16:44:02Z")
[QUOTE=USCDiver] I love when she does that shit with her hair! [/QUOTE] And that grin! “Who, me?” Ye gods! ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2008, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-entrance-in-cinema-history/447186/42 "2008-04-28T17:15:50Z")
Ned Beatty _Network_ ---
**Author:** ![Wargamer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/df705f/32.png) [@Wargamer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wargamer)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2008, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-entrance-in-cinema-history/447186/43 "2008-04-28T17:44:03Z")
When Harrison Ford finally shows his face in _Raiders of the Lost Ark_, you immediately knew this was a man who knew his shit. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2008, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-entrance-in-cinema-history/447186/44 "2008-04-28T18:14:05Z")
The Jurassic Park main gate. Well, I thought it was a pretty impressive entrance. ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2008, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-entrance-in-cinema-history/447186/45 "2008-04-28T18:20:08Z")
[QUOTE=Alessan] If you’re looking for the most \*iconic \* entrance, you can’t do much better than [this](http://youtube.com/watch?v=d5UTRbOdfUs). [/QUOTE] Just after that video ends, Bond has to take a phone call. Striding across the room to the strains of _that_ theme, he makes even a chat on the phone look like the most damnedest cool thing to do 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Kizarvexius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/da6949/32.png) [@Kizarvexius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kizarvexius)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2008, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-entrance-in-cinema-history/447186/46 "2008-04-28T18:28:18Z")
The Balrog. Nothing else comes close. ---
**Author:** ![vison](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/e47774/32.png) [@vison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vison)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2008, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-entrance-in-cinema-history/447186/47 "2008-04-28T18:33:30Z")
Since I didn’t click on any of the links, I may be repeating something posted by someone else, for which I apologize in advance: Omar Sharif’s first appearance in Lawrence of Arabia. Apparently he has regretted ever since that he was not actually riding the camel for the whole sequence. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2008, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-entrance-in-cinema-history/447186/48 "2008-04-28T18:38:00Z")
If I might include the small screen, and extrapolate “entrance” to include a long-absent character’s return to a series… … then Giles’ appearance in the final seconds of “Two to Go,” in Buffy’s season 6, is the hands-down winner. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2008, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-entrance-in-cinema-history/447186/49 "2008-04-28T19:21:18Z")
[QUOTE=vison] Since I didn’t click on any of the links, I may be repeating something posted by someone else, for which I apologize in advance: Omar Sharif’s first appearance in Lawrence of Arabia. Apparently he has regretted ever since that he was not actually riding the camel for the whole sequence. [/QUOTE] First thing I thought of, and you posted while I was out looking for a [clip.](http://youtube.com/watch?v=aiAtjgnWAUg) (about 2 minutes in) ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2008, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-entrance-in-cinema-history/447186/50 "2008-04-28T19:27:16Z")
> [@](#): > > Clint Eastwood’s ride into town in High Plains Drifter. I’d vote instead for his entrance in **For A Few Dollars More**. Walking towards the saloon from the back, then a sudden downpour, then he light his cigar under his hat, then he looks up into the camera right when a thunder clap happens. (Which is ruined on my DVD copy b/c the sound is off and the thunder happens early) Bogart’s first appearance in **Casablanca**. Tracking the cigarette up to his mouth. Also…[The Stay Puft Marshmallow Man](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_loG8AQKtY). 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![pinkfreud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pinkfreud/32/17603_2.png) [@pinkfreud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinkfreud)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2008, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-entrance-in-cinema-history/447186/51 "2008-04-28T19:35:13Z")
[Mary Poppins](http://www.alexloveseverything.com/uploaded_images/poppins4-715158.jpg) floating down from the skies with her umbrella unfurled. ---
**Author:** ![shy\_guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a6a055/32.png) [@shy\_guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shy_guy)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2008, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-entrance-in-cinema-history/447186/52 "2008-04-28T20:24:35Z")
Since I already mentioned Superman, I’ll also throw in Batman’s entrance from the first Tim Burton Batman movie. “Don’t kill me, man! Don’t kill me!” “I’m not going to kill you. I want you to do me a favor. I want you to tell all of your _friends_ about me.” “What are you?!” … “I’m _Batman_.” ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2008, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-entrance-in-cinema-history/447186/53 "2008-04-28T20:29:28Z")
[QUOTE=Bricker] If I might include the small screen, and extrapolate “entrance” to include a long-absent character’s return to a series… … then Giles’ appearance in the final seconds of “Two to Go,” in Buffy’s season 6, is the hands-down winner. [/QUOTE] If we’re going to do TV re-entrances, I’m going to add Isaac’s return in \*Sports Night \* (Robert Guillame had suffered a stroke, so they had Isaac suffer one too. Then he came back right after Dana broke up with Gordon and she’s having a meltdown.) ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2008, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-entrance-in-cinema-history/447186/54 "2008-04-28T21:07:28Z")
[QUOTE=Bosstone] The Jurassic Park main gate. Well, I thought it was a pretty impressive entrance. [/QUOTE] Ouch. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2008, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-entrance-in-cinema-history/447186/55 "2008-04-28T21:26:12Z")
[QUOTE=ivylass] If we’re going to do TV re-entrances, I’m going to add Isaac’s return in \*Sports Night \* (Robert Guillame had suffered a stroke, so they had Isaac suffer one too. Then he came back right after Dana broke up with Gordon and she’s having a meltdown.) [/QUOTE] I can do better than that from a TV show. in fact, I can do better than that from an Aaron Sorkin TV show. In the first episode of _The West Wing_, everyone has been in a tizzy; not least because the President has fallen off his mountain bike. And the representative of some religious group has said some things on TV about one of his daughters, which all the staffers know will earn his wrath. The President is the driving force for all events, but we haven’t seen him yet. Toby has the leaders of the group in to discuss matters with them, and the conversation turns toward commandments; they can’t agree on which one is first. As the argument starts to get heated, Martin Sheen comes through the door, in full bluster, and says “I am the Lord, thy God, you shall have no other Gods before me!” Now, that’s an entrance. ---
**Author:** ![ArizonaTeach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/45deac/32.png) [@ArizonaTeach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ArizonaTeach)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2008, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-entrance-in-cinema-history/447186/56 "2008-04-28T22:06:46Z")
[QUOTE=fiddlesticks] Harry Lime…[The Third Man](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_SQyCJega8). Zithertastic! [/QUOTE] I won’t bother reading the rest of the thread, because it has to be 50 or so more posts agreeing with this one. ---
**Author:** ![ryobserver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b2d939/32.png) [@ryobserver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ryobserver)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2008, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-entrance-in-cinema-history/447186/57 "2008-04-28T23:23:47Z")
If the small screen is eligible, I’m going to rank the top three _Doctor Who_ regenerations: 1. Christopher Eccleston goes up in flames, and morphs into David Tennant 2. Tom Baker dissolves into Peter Davidson (“The moment has been prepared for”) 3. Davidson lays down his life for Peri, then sits up as Colin Baker (“You were expecting someone else?”) ---
**Author:** ![K364](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k364/32/5_2.png) [@K364](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K364)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2008, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-entrance-in-cinema-history/447186/58 "2008-04-28T23:55:23Z")
Darth Vader was good, but Rick Moranis’s Dark Helmet in Spaceballs [was better!](http://youtube.com/watch?v=2M32wTjksZs) ---
**Author:** ![HeadNinja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b4bc9f/32.png) [@HeadNinja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeadNinja)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2008, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-entrance-in-cinema-history/447186/59 "2008-04-29T00:16:33Z")
[QUOTE=Interrobang!?] Tempting as Rita Hayworth is, I’m going to nominate [Grace Kelly’s entrance in _Rear Window_](http://youtube.com/watch?v=xhynlS1-o_c). Le sigh. [/QUOTE] I was in a theater watching a remastered version with about 100 other people. When she hit the screen there everyone gasped. Man, woman and child. It was actually a deafening gasp. She was amazing. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2008, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-entrance-in-cinema-history/447186/60 "2008-04-29T00:22:35Z")
[QUOTE=K364] Darth Vader was good, but Rick Moranis’s Dark Helmet in Spaceballs [was better!](http://youtube.com/watch?v=2M32wTjksZs) [/QUOTE] OMG, how have I never noticed before that he’s wearing a friggin’ _tie_?! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-entrance-in-cinema-history/447186.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-entrance-in-cinema-history/447186.md?page=4)