He Never Said That!--Famous movie quotes that were never said
The best lines that never were
Movie quotes are part of our popular culture. We've all used them. Old ones ("I have a feeling we're not in Kansas any more") or newer ones ("Show me the money!"). However, you may be surprised to know that some of the most popular and oft-quoted movie lines we use were never actually said. Erroneous lines or misquotes have often become indelibly etched into our consciousness. You may have used some faux-quotes yourself. Here are eight of the most often quoted non-quotes.
"Play It Again, Sam"
This is the most quoted line from CASABLANCA, one of the greatest films ever. However, this line was never uttered by any character in the film. At one point, Ingrid Berman's Isla character asks piano player Sam to, "Play it once for me, Sam. Play 'As Time Goes By'." Later, Humphrey Bogart's Rick says to Sam, "You know what I want to hear! You played it for her, you can play it for me!"
"Me Tarzan, you Jane!"
This iconic phrase has been used so often, not only in regards to Tarzan, but it's also been repeated as a joke in many jungle adventures. Too bad the line was never said by Tarzan. In the 1932 adventure film TARZAN THE APE MAN Jane (Maureen O'Sullivan) tries teaching Tarzan (Johnny Weissmuller) to talk. She points to herself and says "Jane", and then points to him and says "Tarzan." He mimics this by pointing to himself and saying "Tarzan?" and then pointing to her and saying "Jane?" But he never says "Me" or "You".
"Judy, Judy, Judy."
Every Cary Grant imitator uses this line when impersonating Grant. Cary Grant once said he was tired of being asked to say it, especially since he never said it in the first place. In the film ONLY ANGLES HAVE WINGS he does say the name Judy (Who was played by Rita Hayworth) many times, but never three times in a row. Ironically, he does say "Susan, Susan, Susan" in the film BRINGING UP BABY but no one ever uses this quote.
"You Dirty Rat!"
James Cagney impersonators love to use this line, but Cagney himself never did. In ANGELS WITH DIRTY FACES, Cagney snarls "You dirty...!" and slugs a guy, but he never says "Rat". In BLONDE CRAZY, Cagney says, "Why that dirty, double-crossing rat!".
"COME WITH ME TO THE CASBAH"
Charles Boyer has become famous for this line he never said. It is often attributed to the film ALGIERS, but he never said it in that movie. the quote actually comes from a cartoon parody of the film starring Pepe Le Pew. The line would often be used by the cartoon skunk, but Boyer never said it.
"BEAM ME UP, SCOTTY"
This is one of the lines that immediately comes to mind when most people think of STAR TREK. However, not in any of the TREK films nor the classic 1960s TV series was this line ever uttered. Captain Kirk used several variations on the line ("Beam us aboard", "Four to beam up," etc.) but more commonly used the word "Energize" to order himself and his fellow crewmen teleported back up to the ship.
"I Vant To Suck Your Blood!"
Sorry vampire fans, but this line was never said by Bela Lugosi in DRACULA. He never said he vanted to do any such thing. He does say "The blood is the life!" but that's the closest he comes. The line has been misused many times, including the excellent ED WOOD, but Lugosi never said these words.
"I'd Never Belong to Any Club That Would Let Me Join".
Many Groucho-philes debate about which movie this classic comedy quip by Groucho Marx came from. The truth is, it was never linked with any particular movie. It comes from famous anecdotes about the great comedian. However, it is misquoted. The real story is that a movie magazine wrote a story about Groucho that wasn't true. Groucho wrote to the editor saying that their magazine was the worst piece of junk ever printed and only idiots read it, and if they ever write another untrue story about him, he was going to cancel his subscription. This story has been twisted and tweaked over the years until it became the "club" line.
These are some of the most famous never-said quotes. There are others and I may get to them in the future. For now, think about these next time you hear someone use one of this non-quotes.
