# What Actor is Responsible for Delivering the Most Iconic Lines? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 20, 2011, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actor-is-responsible-for-delivering-the-most-iconic-lines/600253 "2011-10-20T14:47:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Jeffrey\_Lebowski](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_jeffrey_lebowski/32/215_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Jeffrey\_Lebowski](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Jeffrey_Lebowski)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actor-is-responsible-for-delivering-the-most-iconic-lines/600253/41 "2011-10-21T15:42:49Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > Jeff Bridges. > > And did all of them in one movie. 😃 Let me explain something to you. Um, I am not “Mr. Lebowski”. You’re Mr. Lebowski. I’m the Dude. So that’s what you call me. You know, that or, uh, His Dudeness, or uh, Duder, or El Duderino if you’re not into the whole brevity thing. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_Draper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Don\_Draper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_Draper)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actor-is-responsible-for-delivering-the-most-iconic-lines/600253/42 "2011-10-21T16:30:03Z")
> [@Mrs.Cake](#): > > Mae West: How can you mention Mae West and not cite her most famous line? “Beulah, Peel me a grape.” Also… coatcheck girl: Goodness, that’s a fine mink coat you’re wearing! Mae: Goodness had nothing to do with it. Cary Grant: I’ve heard a lot about you. Mae: Yeah, but you can’t prove any of it. Mae: How tall are you without your horse? Actor: Six foot, seven inches. Mae: Never mind the six feet. Let’s talk about the seven inches! ---
**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:** [October 21, 2011, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actor-is-responsible-for-delivering-the-most-iconic-lines/600253/43 "2011-10-21T17:03:47Z")
My favorite Gene Wilder lines are from _Silver Streak_. I don’t think of them as “iconic movie lines,” though. > [@](#): > > Son of a _bitch_! > [@](#): > > _George_! > [@](#): > > _Gimme dat_! ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actor-is-responsible-for-delivering-the-most-iconic-lines/600253/44 "2011-10-21T17:10:58Z")
Yeah–so far, nothing offered by Gene Wilder strikes me as an iconic movie line. Some very funny, well-delivered lines, to be sure, but not lines that get referenced, riffed off of, turned into cliches, etc. ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actor-is-responsible-for-delivering-the-most-iconic-lines/600253/45 "2011-10-21T18:00:37Z")
It’s tough, I think, to meet the parameters laid out by the OP. If you quote a line “cold”, and people still know who said it (if not the exact movie itself), then does it qualify as an iconic line, or is it merely a memorable line form a movie? “I won’t be wronged. I won’t be insulted. I won’t be laid a-hand on. I don’t do these things to other people, and I require the same from them.” “Fill yore hands, you sonuvabitch!” ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actor-is-responsible-for-delivering-the-most-iconic-lines/600253/46 "2011-10-21T18:11:23Z")
> [@mlees](#): > > It’s tough, I think, to meet the parameters laid out by the OP. If you quote a line “cold”, and people still know who said it (if not the exact movie itself), then does it qualify as an iconic line, or is it merely a memorable line form a movie? > > “I won’t be wronged. I won’t be insulted. I won’t be laid a-hand on. I don’t do these things to other people, and I require the same from them.” > > “Fill yore hands, you sonuvabitch!” The [Wikipedia article about the AFI list](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AFI%27s_100_Years...100_Movie_Quotes) suggests criteria: > [@](#): > > Movie Quotation: A statement, phrase or brief exchange of dialogue spoken in an American film.[1] Lyrics from songs are not eligible. > Cultural Impact: Movie quotations that viewers use in their own lives and situations; circulating through popular culture, they become part of the national lexicon. > Legacy: Movie quotations that viewers use to evoke the memory of a treasured film, thus ensuring and enlivening its historical legacy. ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actor-is-responsible-for-delivering-the-most-iconic-lines/600253/47 "2011-10-21T18:22:27Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > The [Wikipedia article about the AFI list](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AFI%27s_100_Years...100_Movie_Quotes) suggests criteria: Hmm. I guess I need more coffee today. While I might have cause to use “what knockers!” and “You are talking about the nonsensical ravings of a lunatic mind!” in real life situations, I won’t be saying “Do ya feel lucky, punk?” or “Fill yore hands…”. Is the linked definition suggesting Gene Wilder is a bigger contributor to the iconic culture than the action hero movie stars? Or B), **mlees** has a thick skull, and just being able to conjure up and reminice about a film by quoting one line is sufficient for iconic status? ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actor-is-responsible-for-delivering-the-most-iconic-lines/600253/48 "2011-10-21T18:24:06Z")
May I suggest: the winner is doubtless on [this page.](http://www.listal.com/list/favorite-use-word-fck) Especially Item #2. How’s that for “iconic”? ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actor-is-responsible-for-delivering-the-most-iconic-lines/600253/49 "2011-10-21T18:41:07Z")
> [@mlees](#): > > Hmm. I guess I need more coffee today. > > While I might have cause to use “what knockers!” and “You are talking about the nonsensical ravings of a lunatic mind!” in real life situations, I won’t be saying “Do ya feel lucky, punk?” or “Fill yore hands…”. > > Is the linked definition suggesting Gene Wilder is a bigger contributor to the iconic culture than the action hero movie stars? > > Or B), **mlees** has a thick skull, and just being able to conjure up and reminice about a film by quoting one line is sufficient for iconic status? Note this line: “circulating through popular culture, they become part of the national lexicon.” “Do ya feel lucky, punk?” is part of the national lexicon. “What knockers” is not. I can imagine an advertisement for, say, an XTREME soft-drink referencing the former, but not any advertisement, however edgy, referencing the second, because the second line just isn’t sufficiently well-known. A silly cartoon series might have a character shout, “Rakes! Why’d it have to be rakes!” (for a terrible lame example): they’d rely on sufficient viewers’ instant familiarity with the original line. They wouldn’t have a character say, “I know,” hoping viewers would instantly flash to Harrison Ford’s delivery of that line. Edit: I think the line needs to have some legs beyond just referencing the film. Ford’s line about snakes is a wry expression of phobia, and if a friend were terrified of spiders and shouted, “Spiders! Why’d it have to be spiders?” I’d know what she meant. She’d be talking about her own phobia while making a wry movie allusion. “We’ll always have Paris” could similarly be used. Someone leaving a job after a long while could say, “We’ll always have EOGs” wistfully to co-workers, mocking the bittersweet occasion of leaving a job. ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actor-is-responsible-for-delivering-the-most-iconic-lines/600253/50 "2011-10-21T18:48:40Z")
Ok, that helps. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actor-is-responsible-for-delivering-the-most-iconic-lines/600253/51 "2011-10-21T19:37:24Z")
> [@aldiboronti](#): > > Al Pacino has to be a contender. > > I don’t want to kill everyone, Tom. Just my enemies. > > I know it was you, Fredo. You broke my heart. You broke my heart. > > YOU’RE out of order! YOU’RE out of order! THE WHOLE TRIAL IS OUT OF ORDER! THEY’RE OUT OF ORDER! > > Okay! You wanna play rough? Okay! Come say hello to my little friend. > [@Steophan](#): > > Pacino also needs to be up there, and I’ll add “Attica! Attica! Attica!” to the memorable lines. Don’t forget “HOOAH!” But Clint Eastwood would be my favorite for iconic lines. ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actor-is-responsible-for-delivering-the-most-iconic-lines/600253/52 "2011-10-21T20:14:02Z")
Arnold lines that should be on the list: Get to the chopper! No problemo. Milk is for babies. When you grow up you have to drink beer. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actor-is-responsible-for-delivering-the-most-iconic-lines/600253/53 "2011-10-21T20:27:19Z")
> [@x-ray\_vision](#): > > Arnold lines that should be on the list: > > Get to the chopper! > > No problemo. > > Milk is for babies. When you grow up you have to drink beer. These lines are mildly funny. Do you really think they are iconic? ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actor-is-responsible-for-delivering-the-most-iconic-lines/600253/54 "2011-10-21T20:51:35Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > These lines are mildly funny. Do you really think they are iconic? Please define what constitutes an iconic line and explain why this line is iconic: \*If that plane leaves the ground and you’re not with him, you’ll regret it. Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow, but soon and for the rest of your life. \* and this in isn’t: _Get to the chopper!_ Thanks. FYI: > **[Get To The Choppa | Know Your Meme](https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/get-to-the-choppa#.TqHW5nKyBlo)** > > “Get To The Choppa!” is a memorable quote said by Major Alan “Dutch” Schaefer (played by Arnold Schwarzenegger) in the 1987 sci-fi action film Predator. Du ---
**Author:** ![Steophan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steophan/32/9595_2.png) [@Steophan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steophan)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actor-is-responsible-for-delivering-the-most-iconic-lines/600253/55 "2011-10-21T22:06:14Z")
> [@mlees](#): > > It’s tough, I think, to meet the parameters laid out by the OP. If you quote a line “cold”, and people still know who said it (if not the exact movie itself), then does it qualify as an iconic line, or is it merely a memorable line form a movie? > > “I won’t be wronged. I won’t be insulted. I won’t be laid a-hand on. I don’t do these things to other people, and I require the same from them.” > > “Fill yore hands, you sonuvabitch!” Ah, more Jeff Bridges 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actor-is-responsible-for-delivering-the-most-iconic-lines/600253/56 "2011-10-21T22:33:40Z")
> [@x-ray\_vision](#): > > Please define what constitutes an iconic line and explain why this line is iconic: > > \*If that plane leaves the ground and you’re not with him, you’ll regret it. Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow, but soon and for the rest of your life. \* > > and this in isn’t: > > _Get to the chopper!_ > > Thanks. > > FYI: > [http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/get-to-the-choppa#.TqHW5nKyBlo](http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/get-to-the-choppa#.TqHW5nKyBlo) Because most people know the first one. I knew it years before I even knew what Casablanca was just from seeing it get parodied or hearing it quoted. I still don’t know what “Get to the chopper” is from, and I’ve never heard anyone quote it or parody it. ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actor-is-responsible-for-delivering-the-most-iconic-lines/600253/57 "2011-10-21T22:38:57Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > I still don’t know what “Get to the chopper” is from, and I’ve never heard anyone quote it or parody it. Then you should click the link I included in the post you just quoted. And I would bet “most people” don’t know the former and that more are familiar with the latter. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actor-is-responsible-for-delivering-the-most-iconic-lines/600253/58 "2011-10-21T22:52:00Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > Because most people know the first one. I knew it years before I even knew what Casablanca was just from seeing it get parodied or hearing it quoted. I still don’t know what “Get to the chopper” is from, and I’ve never heard anyone quote it or parody it. I agree. I’ve seen _Predator_ and I don’t recall the “get to the chopper” line from it. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actor-is-responsible-for-delivering-the-most-iconic-lines/600253/59 "2011-10-21T22:55:05Z")
> [@x-ray\_vision](#): > > Then you should click the link I included in the post you just quoted. > > And I would bet “most people” don’t know the former and that more are familiar with > the latter. But that Casablanca quote isn’t just well known–it’s a part of the culture. People parody it, quote it, etc. How often in pop culture do you hear someone mention the chopper quote versus how often is Casablanca (and that particular quote) referenced? ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actor-is-responsible-for-delivering-the-most-iconic-lines/600253/60 "2011-10-21T23:07:14Z")
I’m familiar with other lines from _Casablanca_ but not that one and I don’t recall it being parodied. I’ve heard the chopper quote used and parodied plenty. Did you click the link? It’s very much a part of the culture. Google hits for “If that plane leaves the ground and you’re not with him” - about 71,600. Google hits for “get to the chopper” - about 2,000,000. Google hits for “get to the choppa” - about 871,000. Some pages from the first page of Google hits: > **[Get To The Choppa](https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/get-to-the-choppa#.TqH6jnKyBlo)** > > “Get To The Choppa!” is a memorable quote said by Major Alan “Dutch” Schaefer (played by Arnold Schwarzenegger) in the 1987 sci-fi action film Predator. Due to Schwarzenegger’s thick European accent, the line came off as a comical relief rather than... > **[Yahoo | Mail, Weather, Search, Politics, News, Finance, Sports & Videos](https://www.yahoo.com/)** > > Latest news coverage, email, free stock quotes, live scores and video are just the beginning. Discover more every day at Yahoo! > **[RUN! GET TO THE CHOPPER!](https://gettothechopper.ytmnd.com/)** [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actor-is-responsible-for-delivering-the-most-iconic-lines/600253.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actor-is-responsible-for-delivering-the-most-iconic-lines/600253.md?page=4)