The mind-boggling movie quote?

Cafe Society
81

Or what if it’s an Ontological paradox?

The qoute comes from somewhere, but nobody knows where. In the future, nobody knows where, so eventually a time machine is invented and one of the trips is to go back in time to figure out where it comes from.

Unfortunatly, the time traveler, while in the past, lets it slip and it eventually ingrains itself in the general conciousness of the population.

Probably not true, but a really cool idea anyway.

82

Oh, it does remind me of a joke from the BBC series Black Books.

In the 1st episode, The main female character Fran, who runs a trinket shop, spends much of her time trying to identify a strange globe with a stud on it. At first she tries to pawn one off on her Neighber, Bernard.

Bernerd: “What does it do?”
Fran: “It’s very in”

83

I believe it was a slightly changed version of a line from THE EMPEROR’S NEW CLOTHES From Hans Christian Andersen!:

AFAICR the most faithful telling of this on TV or the movies was from a UPA short of the tale.

Like the Sherlock Holmes quote (also never said): “Elementary my dear Watson” The mind-boggling movie quote simplifies the characters and the tale…

I could see the Court weavers telling each other that.

84

Frankly I think we’re connecting two common phrases

It doesn’t do anything
&
That’s the beauty of it

and whoever we’re crediting has said only one of the pair.

85

Perhaps it’s from one of the Beatles’ movies. Help! maybe. I could certainly hear John saying it.

Although I do think it fits nicely with BBC series of the Hitchhikers Guide. Yes, annoying.

86

I’m as mystified by how familiar this quote seems as everyone else. One thing that popped into my head, which I haven’t noticed anyone else mention, is that it could be a Far Side quote. Does anyone have a complete anthology that they wouldn’t mind spending a few hours checking :).

87

That’s the beauty of this quote. It’s not from anywhere!

88

best post in this whole thread

89

In my mind, the scene is a corporate conference room, and the IBM reps have just unveiled a glowing, floating thing.

90

Isn’t that a variation in the story that inspired Hitchcock to use the term MacGuffin?

91

Does anybody have a copy of “A Christmas Story” (known in my house as “Ralphie”)? It sounds like it would come from the part where Ralphie’s dad wins the lamp. The mother questions what it does and that is his response.

92

According to the IMDB thread that Earl Snake-Hips Tucker linked to, the answer has been found – the Bugs Bunny cartoon Mad as a Mars Hare.

However, I’ve done several searches using +“Mad as a Mars Hare” along with key terms from the quote, and it turned up nothing. It seems to me that if a quote this pervasive were from this cartoon, it would get more of a mention on the web. Therefore, I ain’t buying it.

For the record, when I read the OP, I instantly thought “Oh…that’s from one of the Hitchhiker’s books…” <shrug>

93

One person early on in the mystery two years ago mailed IBM b/c he too remembered a computer/technology commercial. They said no. Gotpasswords and everyone else, please go to my post in Mundane, link here, and help out. I plan on sending hundreds of letters out ASAP.

MONSTER, you need to see the web blog devoted to it. Everybody go here.** A Christmas Story has already been checked, Monster. SO HAS A LOT OF OTHER STUFF. BUT A LOT HASN’T BEEN. FIND OUT HOW YOU CAN HELP** :smiley:

94

Look again.

PS: SDMB “Earl Snake-Hips Tucker” = IMDB “Mjollnir”

95

Does anybody plan on/ feel like watching these movies soon:

The Mask
Peggy Sue Got Married
What Dreams May Come
Yellow Submarine
Jumanji

These are a few movies of a short list of movies I’ve seen that I plan on reseeing to check for the quote- and also b/c they’re enjoyable. But these aren’t as fun, so if anyone owns these and/or just likes them and feels like a rewatch, keeping the sentence in mind, be my guest.

96

And by ‘keeping the sentence in mind’ I obv. mean ‘being attentive for the phrase,’ even though it’s not like you’d ever miss this phrase if you heard it ;).

97

I was sure it was in “Independence Day” (1) but it’s not. Now I must check “II”.

98

I for some reason am picturing a Nextel or IBM Business Division thingy commercial. IT guy brings his invention, has a bunch of things on it, boss asks what it does. But I think that is for a device that does everything, not nohting.

99

'Kay, now y’all have sucked me in.

My first mental response was hearing Steve Martin’s voice saying that second line, with “do” pronounced almost like “dyoooo.” Not sure why, as I haven’t really seen all that many Steve Martin films.

But now I’m getting a distinct “Willy Wonka” (the Gene Wilder film) vibe here. I can hear one of those kids – maybe the blueberry chick or Veruca Salt? – asking Wonka what one of the gajillion doodads / buttons does, and Wilder’s sly response. No?

100

Oh ugh, sorry, just read that blog. Apparently the Wonka guess has been checked and refuted. And yet … and yet … I’m not convinced… :smiley: