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View Full Version : Who started one-liners in movies?


DesignerGreg
03/15/2007, 02:46 pm
I was just thinking about one-liners in movies, and I am wondering if there's a place where it all began?

What movie do you think inspired this trend the most?

The Dirty Harry movies are good examples... e.g. "Go ahead, make my day."


-greg

abdallah
03/15/2007, 04:11 pm
Hard to say.. You know the ads for Hamlet used the "To be or not to be, that is the question" as a one liner to make people interested. Obviously it goes on (and on) after that, but on the posters they just used that line. I can imagine Chaplin films using one liners by text.. Its probably an old tradition thats hard to find an exact "first" for..

jp-30
03/15/2007, 05:45 pm
I have no idea where it started (Marx brothers?), but my vote as to when they became expected, anticipated and relished would be James Bond in the 70s. For my generation though, probably the 1980s Arnie action films.

Jake
03/15/2007, 06:02 pm
This is my weak arm.

Udvarnoky
03/15/2007, 06:25 pm
This (http://youtube.com/watch?v=_sarYH0z948) isn't a productive addition to the discussion, but it's hilarious.

Mel
03/15/2007, 06:36 pm
What about Casablanca (ade in 1942)? It's the earliest movie that came to mind.

Here's looking at you kid.

Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

Oh, oh - The Wizard of Oz (1939) - that one is earlier.

Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore.

Now I guess the question is when did those one liners become popular? Was it at the time of the movie's release or was it something that became popular later and then those cool lines were rediscovered? And maybe I've just reasked the question that Greg asked originally. :o

DesignerGreg
03/15/2007, 06:55 pm
Yeah, I guess I was getting which movies were seemingly BUILT around these one-liners?

The Dirty Harry films in the 70's. The Rambo movies in the 80's. Anything before that? I wonder if TV shows like Columbo or Maverick did this... I haven't seen them enough to recall...

Hero1
03/15/2007, 08:18 pm
humphry bogart sure had some memorable one liners in he 40s..

Shauntron
03/15/2007, 09:24 pm
Clark Gable had awesome one-liners in Red Dust, that was 1932. Just 5 years after sound!

jp-30
03/15/2007, 11:58 pm
This is my weak arm.

Yep, that movie in particular.

Jake goes Commando...