Famous Movie Quotes, Famously Misquoted!

Most of us have tried our hand at karaoke before, and been surprised that the words we usually sing in the shower are quite different from the actual lyrics on the screen – well, misquoted lines from movies are common place too, and frankly, my dear, yes I do give a damn!

In a recent blog, we looked at some of the best closing lines in cinematic history. This time around, we’re looking at some of the biggest crimes against movie-going folklore – and the worst thing is, we’re all guilty!

 

“Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn.”

Yes, the line made famous by the dashing Clark Gable in the American Civil War classic, Gone With The Wind, isn’t the oft misquoted, “Frankly, Scarlett, I don’t give a damn.” It’s also not the much-touted final line from the film – Scarlett, being a good woman, gets the last word in with, “After all, tomorrow is another day!”

"You played it for her, you can play it for me. If she can stand it, I can. Play it!"

While we’re on the classics, Humphrey Bogart didn’t say, “Play it again, Sam” in Casablanca. He actually said, "You played it for her, you can play it for me. If she can stand it, I can. Play it!" But this misquoted quote from the 1942 film has long stood the test of time and will continue to do so, as will the following:

"Me Tarzan, you Jane!" is actually "Jane. Tarzan. Jane. Tarzan." (Tarzan The Ape Man, 1932)

"You dirty rat!" is actually "Mmm, that dirty, double-crossin' rat!" (Larceny Lane, 1931)

"Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who's the fairest of them all?" is actually "Magic mirror on the wall, who is the fairest one of all?" (Snow White and The Seven Dwarves, 1937)

“Toto, I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore!” is actually “Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore!” (The Wizard of Oz, 1939)

And, who hasn’t done a bad Clint Eastwood impression and said, "Do you feel lucky, punk?" when the actual line is "You've got to ask yourself one question; 'Do I feel lucky?' Well, do ya, punk?"

"No. I am your father."

More recently, Star Wars aficionados around the world will resort to violence when they hear common folk blurt out, "Luke, I am your father" because Darth Vader actually first broaches his relationship with his estranged son, Luke Skywalker, with the not-so-memorable line, "No. I am your father" before he tries to kill him in The Empire Strikes Back!

Sticking with geekdom, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but no one on the Starship Enterprise originally said "Beam me up Scotty". It was actually "Scotty, beam me up."

While we’re on the subject of space, Tom Hanks didn’t say “Houston, we have a problem” in Apollo 13, he actually said “Ah, Houston, we’ve had a problem”, but I guess it’s just semantics when you’re a billion feet in the air in a tin can that’s falling apart!

And guess what, Dracula never said "I want to suck your blood" either, but why let the truth get in the way of a good quote? Talking of the truth, "You want the truth? You can't handle the truth!" as attributed to the great Jack Nicholson in 1992’s A Few Good Men, is actually scripted as: Tom Cruise: "I want the truth!" Nicholson: "You can't handle the truth!"

So, sorry to disappoint and shatter your illusions, but we think you can handle the truth! What are your favourite movie lines – real, or otherwise?