# 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:** 4
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2008, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-entrance-in-cinema-history/447186/61 "2008-04-29T01:33:11Z")
John Wayne in _Stagecoach_. Not high-tech or all that fancy, just classic. ---
**Author:** ![Incensed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Incensed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Incensed)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2008, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-entrance-in-cinema-history/447186/62 "2008-04-29T02:22:46Z")
I’ve gotta post one for Paul Newman in _Cool Hand Luke_: A half-lit parking area, a man shown from shoulder down, circling one of many parking meters. He turns, tightens an enormous pipe cutter, makes another circle. He decapitates one, the dull clank of its falling and rattle of change, and carefully sets the head back upon the curb so it won’t block the spot before moving on to the next. At length, he half sits, half collapses onto the ground, in some stage of inebriation, opens another beer with an opener kept on a chain around his neck. A car pulls up and he squints and throws up a foreshortened arm as if to ward off the headlights. The cop challenges him, speaks unseen, safe in the darkness, and the man responds with “that Luke smile of his.” Talk about setting up a movie. Disclaimer-Written from memory, so may not be precisely accurate…especially the bit regarding the foreshortened arm. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2008, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-entrance-in-cinema-history/447186/63 "2008-04-29T15:14:45Z")
[QUOTE=blondebear] John Wayne in _Stagecoach_. Not high-tech or all that fancy, just classic. [/QUOTE] Good call. [For your viewing pleasure.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0iBF088YzZ0) ---
**Author:** ![ianzin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ed655f/32.png) [@ianzin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ianzin)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2008, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-entrance-in-cinema-history/447186/64 "2008-04-29T20:42:25Z")
Well, this might not be deemed to count as a ‘great entrance’ exactly, but how about Psycho and the figure who, ahem, _interrupts_ Marion Crane’s shower? Certainly pretty memorable and dramatic. Both Newman and Redford get great ‘entrances’ in _Butch Cassidy_, in the sepia-tinted introductory segment. Newman looks fantastic when we first see him checking out the bank. Redford doesn’t exactly ‘enter’, since we just see him sitting down playing cards. But he’s majestically cool, and he rules the whole scene even though he barely says a word. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Them](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/898d66/32.png) [@The\_Them](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Them)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2008, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-entrance-in-cinema-history/447186/65 "2008-04-30T04:42:28Z")
Clint Eastwood riding out of the desert heatwaves in_High Plains Drifter._ ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2008, 8:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-entrance-in-cinema-history/447186/66 "2008-04-30T08:07:52Z")
The entrance of the survivors and the descendants of the survivors that were on Oskar Schindler’s List as they came triumphantly, joyously over the top of the hill at the end of the movie. ---
**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:** [April 30, 2008, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-entrance-in-cinema-history/447186/67 "2008-04-30T12:48:43Z")
[QUOTE=ianzin] Well, this might not be deemed to count as a ‘great entrance’ exactly, but how about Psycho and the figure who, ahem, _interrupts_ Marion Crane’s shower? Certainly pretty memorable and dramatic. Since we are talking about **Psycho** , how about the entrance of the guy’s mother near the end of the movie?] ---
**Author:** ![I\_m\_No\_Saint](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/977dab/32.png) [@I\_m\_No\_Saint](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_m_No_Saint)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2008, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-entrance-in-cinema-history/447186/68 "2008-04-30T19:28:45Z")
Salma Hayek from \*\* From Dusk 'Til Dawn\*\*. Thank you and goodnight. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2008, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-entrance-in-cinema-history/447186/69 "2008-04-30T19:47:01Z")
[QUOTE=The Them] Clint Eastwood riding out of the desert heatwaves in_High Plains Drifter._ [/QUOTE] Omar Sharif in Lawrence of Arabia. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2008, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-entrance-in-cinema-history/447186/70 "2008-04-30T22:31:32Z")
[QUOTE=jsc1953] Good call. [For your viewing pleasure.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0iBF088YzZ0) [/QUOTE] Very good call. Often noted as evidence that Ford knew what Wayne’s future held in store; there’s no question that that is an intentionally starmaking entrance. ---
**Author:** ![ltfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@ltfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ltfire)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2008, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-entrance-in-cinema-history/447186/71 "2008-04-30T23:22:51Z")
Robert Duval in ‘To Kill A Mocking Bird’. An entrance and an exit at the same time, since his face isn’t revealed until he steps out from behind the door at the end of the movie. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2008, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-entrance-in-cinema-history/447186/72 "2008-04-30T23:55:05Z")
**Ocean’s 11** opening of the body shot of George Clooney. You know that this guy is doing anything he can to get out on parole and he is lying through his teeth. [Introducing Rueben](http://youtube.com/watch?v=83HdnKCOkwU) in Ocean’s 11. [Original intro for Martin Riggs in Lethal Weapon](http://youtube.com/watch?v=TMYLjlpP0NY) I cannot find the one that we get the real intro to Martin, but I always thought it was pretty good at summarizing the crazy-ballsy level that Riggs was. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2008, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-entrance-in-cinema-history/447186/73 "2008-05-01T00:15:19Z")
The Monarch’s [minty fresh](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PESZ2guVZRg) entrance to…his accountant’s office? ---
**Author:** ![pretend\_my\_name\_is\_witty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b9e5f3/32.png) [@pretend\_my\_name\_is\_witty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pretend_my_name_is_witty)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2008, 9:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-entrance-in-cinema-history/447186/74 "2008-05-01T09:44:47Z")
**The Long Good Friday** , [Harold’s Entrance](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7zRGmSHL9U). He _owns_ that airport. Or at least he walks like he does. ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2008, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-entrance-in-cinema-history/447186/75 "2008-05-01T12:52:56Z")
[QUOTE=Shirley Ujest] [Original intro for Martin Riggs in Lethal Weapon.](http://youtube.com/watch?v=TMYLjlpP0NY) [/QUOTE] Or not. ---
**Author:** ![The\_King\_of\_Soup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@The\_King\_of\_Soup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_King_of_Soup)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2008, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-entrance-in-cinema-history/447186/76 "2008-05-01T14:44:17Z")
I’ll cast a third vote for Omar Sharif in _Lawrence of Arabia_. I also like Grocho Marx’s entrance as Rufus T. Firefly in _Duck Soup_. ---
**Author:** ![Kozmik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8dc957/32.png) [@Kozmik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kozmik)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2008, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-entrance-in-cinema-history/447186/77 "2008-05-04T12:28:41Z")
Darth Vader in _Star Wars._ ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2008, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-entrance-in-cinema-history/447186/78 "2008-05-04T15:34:17Z")
I can’t beat Rita Hayworth or Darth Vader, but just to add to the list… The Gimp from Pulp Fiction made quite a memorable entrance. ---
**Author:** ![TPWombat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbce88/32.png) [@TPWombat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TPWombat)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2008, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-entrance-in-cinema-history/447186/79 "2008-05-05T01:24:09Z")
Ahnuld, as he looks up from the Wheel in **Conan the Barbarian**. Tremendous. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2008, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-entrance-in-cinema-history/447186/80 "2008-05-05T04:08:02Z")
[QUOTE=vison] Omar Sharif’s first appearance in Lawrence of Arabia. [/QUOTE] I’ll fourth this, especially since I had already found [an image.](http://www.greatamericanmovies.com/images/LawrenceOfArabia_Scene1.JPG) It’s about as different an entrance as could be imagined from the one in the OP. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-entrance-in-cinema-history/447186.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-entrance-in-cinema-history/447186.md?page=5)