He Never Said That!--Famous movie quotes that were never said

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By Robwrite

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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.

Comments

Fullerman5000 profile image

Fullerman5000 Level 4 Commenter 10 months ago

This was fun and very entertaining. Great read man. voted up and awesome

Robwrite profile image

Robwrite Hub Author 10 months ago

Glad you liked it, Fullerman. Thanks for commenting.

Rob

Greensleeves Hubs profile image

Greensleeves Hubs Level 6 Commenter 10 months ago

Interesting how many of these quotes turn out to be misquotes Rob. One of my favourites is Sherlock Holmes, who never said 'Elementary my dear Watson' in any of Conan Doyle's printed stories. I believe the phrase was first used in a newspaper review, and only after that in a 1929 movie.

Robwrite profile image

Robwrite Hub Author 10 months ago

Hi Greensleeves; Yeah, the "Elementary my dear Watson", line is a classic literary misquote. Hollywood's Basil Rathbone used to say it all the time, but Conan Doyle's Sherlock never did in print.

Thanks for atopping by to comment.

Rob

WillStarr profile image

WillStarr Level 8 Commenter 10 months ago

Entertaining and informative Hub!

Robwrite profile image

Robwrite Hub Author 10 months ago

Thanks, willstarr.

Docmo profile image

Docmo Level 5 Commenter 10 months ago

Great read of classic movie misquotes. Well compiled and shatters many an urban myth.The Game is Afoot!

Steve Lensman profile image

Steve Lensman Level 7 Commenter 10 months ago

A fun hub Rob. I remember once watching a whole bunch of classic James Cagney films hoping to catch him saying "You dirty rat!" sadly he didn't.

Here's another Cagney misquote,from White Heat - "Top of the world Ma!" but what he actually says is "Made it ma. Top of the world!" Close enough. :)

One more common misquote, "Frankly Scarlett, I don't give a damn". Rhett Butler actually says "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn."

Robwrite profile image

Robwrite Hub Author 10 months ago

Hi Docmo; It's fun to shatter urban myths. thanks for reading.

Rob

Robwrite profile image

Robwrite Hub Author 10 months ago

Hi Steve: Yes, I knew about those. There are so many famous misquotes in films, it would be hard to name them all. That's why I decided to limit my list to lines that were never said at all. It kept the list to a manageable size.

Thanks for the great comments.

Rob

dahoglund profile image

dahoglund Level 7 Commenter 10 months ago

Now I don't have to see those movies.

Robwrite profile image

Robwrite Hub Author 10 months ago

Hi dahoglund. If you were going to watch them just to hear those quotes, then don't bother. But I'd still recommend some of them. CASABLANCA is timeless.

Rob

ruffridyer Level 4 Commenter 10 months ago

A good hub. I knew most of those were misquotes but not logosi's line or Groucho's joke. They do sound right though.

Robwrite profile image

Robwrite Hub Author 10 months ago

Hi ruffridyer; They do sound right. They all do. That's how these rumors get started.

Thanks for reading;

Rob

CarltheCritic1291 profile image

CarltheCritic1291 Level 5 Commenter 10 months ago

This is all very true. Another famous incorrect quote is "Luke, I am your father!" :) Great Hub, very informative, thanks for posting. Voted up!

Cogerson profile image

Cogerson Level 8 Commenter 10 months ago

Great hub Rob, there are tons of famous movies with the wrong quotes but I think you have picked the best and most famous ones.....I think impressionists(talk about a industry that is struggling....is Rich Little even alive?) are too blame for lots of the misquotes....I enjoyed reading this hub..voted up and useful.

Robwrite profile image

Robwrite Hub Author 10 months ago

Hi cogerson; You're right, impressionists have been the source of many of these falsehoods. Rich Little, John Byner, Frank Gorshin and the rest of that crew have a lot to answer for.

Robwrite profile image

Robwrite Hub Author 10 months ago

HI Carl; Yes, the exact quote was "No, I am your father" after Luke says that Vader killed his father. A common misquote. As I said, to keep the list at a manageable size, I just focused on lines that were never said at all.

Thanks for reading.

Hello, hello, profile image

Hello, hello, 10 months ago

Thank you, Robwrite, for your informative hub. Nice to know the truth.

Simone Smith profile image

Simone Smith Level 8 Commenter 10 months ago

Huh! Who knew?? I love this! Now I can call people out XD

Robwrite profile image

Robwrite Hub Author 10 months ago

Hi H.H.; I love to reveal truths.

Rob

Robwrite profile image

Robwrite Hub Author 10 months ago

Hello Simone; Ha! Good, let those people know they're off the mark. I love pointing these kinds of things out.

Thanks for stopping by;

Rob

Cogerson profile image

Cogerson Level 8 Commenter 10 months ago

Congrats on your hub being named to the Hub Page recommended hubs....I am happy they picked one of your hubs.

Sinea Pies profile image

Sinea Pies Level 6 Commenter 10 months ago

Love this hub! Voted awesome. Good job.

Luckystar3 profile image

Luckystar3 10 months ago

Hey great article Rob, I love the old black & whites! Spot on with every movie especially Bogart, Cagney, Cary, Johnny. GREAT.

moumaiazoun profile image

moumaiazoun 10 months ago

I like horror movies

Robwrite profile image

Robwrite Hub Author 10 months ago

Hi cogerson; I didn't even know. Thanks for telling me. I feel the love.

Rob

..

Hi Sinea; So glad you enjopyed it. Thanks for the kind words.

Rob

Robwrite profile image

Robwrite Hub Author 10 months ago

Hi Luckystars; thanks very much. I appreciate the nice words. Glad you stopped by.

Rob

Robwrite profile image

Robwrite Hub Author 10 months ago

Hi moumaiazoun; I do, too.

chrisand profile image

chrisand 10 months ago

What a fun hub you've written. Love to read about movie trivia like this.

Robwrite profile image

Robwrite Hub Author 10 months ago

Thank you, chrisand. I love trivia, too.

Thanks for commenting,

Rob

Rog17 10 months ago

It's amazing what the human brain will do in terms of making us hear what we want to hear. I would have sworn I had heard some of these quotes in the original films.

Alladream74 profile image

Alladream74 Level 5 Commenter 10 months ago

Very entertaining

thewayeyeseeit profile image

thewayeyeseeit 10 months ago

Brings back memories. I could have sworn Cagney said, "You dirty rat!" Maybe it's because, as kids, we said it all the time :-)

Great Hub.

Robwrite profile image

Robwrite Hub Author 10 months ago

Hello Rog; You've probably heard these quotes so many times, you can't remember where you first heard them. Natuarally enough, you assume you first heard them in the movies they're supposed to come from. Memory is a tricky thing, isn't it?

Rob

Robwrite profile image

Robwrite Hub Author 10 months ago

Thanks Alladream; I appreciate it.

Rob

Cogerson profile image

Cogerson Level 8 Commenter 10 months ago

I think it is time to break open your record book and check to see what your record for most comments is....because I think it is about to be broken with this hub.

Robwrite profile image

Robwrite Hub Author 10 months ago

Hi thewayeyeseeit; Nope, he never did. Blame the guys who do the impersonations. Many people have been fooled.

Thanks for reading,

Rob

Robwrite profile image

Robwrite Hub Author 10 months ago

Hi cogerson; It's coming close. I need a few more.

Good to hear from you, as always.

rob

Kieran Gracie profile image

Kieran Gracie Level 4 Commenter 10 months ago

Anything to break that hub count record, but I really enjoyed this hub! Please may we have some more, to misquote Oliver Twist?

Robwrite profile image

Robwrite Hub Author 10 months ago

Ha! I like that one, Kieran. Thanks for the clever comment.

Rob

Luna B. profile image

Luna B. Level 1 Commenter 10 months ago

This is a great hub! It's fun to think of the movie references we use every day (i.e. "what a dump") along with the ones we misquote each day. Haha! Though if we first hear these quotes from another source (say Woody Allen's Play It Again, Sam or Looney Tunes) are we really misquoting? Or are we just forgetting what we're quoting it from? Heehee! Either way. Impressionists are the source of some of the misquotes ("Judy, Judy, Judy" certainly) but, others I think are just due to forgetting exactly how a quote went over time. They didn't have videos back then, so if you saw "Blonde Crazy" once and then didn't see it again for 5 years or so, you could easily misremember "why that dirty, double-crossing rat" as "you dirty rat". So, I guess you can't be too hard on people for having bad memories. ;)

Oh! And "I don't think we're in Kansas anymore" is a misquote too! It's a paraphrase of the real quote, "Toto, I've got a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore." ;)

Robwrite profile image

Robwrite Hub Author 10 months ago

Hi Luna; You're right about people misremembering quotes from films they haven't seen in years. It's just funny that so many people misremember the same way. I blame the impressionists for that. The parodies, too.

You're right about the Kansas quote. It's another of many famous lines that people get wrong.

Thanks for the great comments; (You've helped me tie my hub comments record.)

Rob

Christy 9 months ago

Great hub on my favorite subject - movies. And then there are quotes that are overused, like "I think you're gonna need a bigger boat." If that's a correct quote from "Jaws" that is...

Robwrite profile image

Robwrite Hub Author 9 months ago

Hi Christy; You're right, the overused ones are annoying. And your comment has helped me set a personal record for comments on one hub.

Thanks;

Rob

Rose West profile image

Rose West Level 3 Commenter 9 months ago

Very funny :) Weird how that happened! Voted up!

Robwrite profile image

Robwrite Hub Author 9 months ago

Hi Rose; Yeah, it is weird how these misconceptions have become so well-known. Chalk one up for the power of rumor.

Rob

James E. profile image

James E. 8 months ago

I particularly enjoyed the Play It Again, Sam! My buddies and I argue all the time about if that quote was in that movie.

Robwrite profile image

Robwrite Hub Author 8 months ago

Hi James; You can tell them definitely that it was not in the film.

Rob

The RV Guy profile image

The RV Guy Level 3 Commenter 8 months ago

People tend to hear what they want to hear...especially when it is uttered over and over again. Good examples and I am sure there are many, many more. Thanks for posting, it was an interesting read.

Robwrite profile image

Robwrite Hub Author 8 months ago

Hi RV Guy. It's true that once something is repeated enough, it becomes the "truth", whether it was correct or not.

Thanks for reading,

Rob

ThomasRydder 6 months ago

HAH...too cool!! I was as guilty as the next guy on pretty much all of those. I see you have a few involving movies. I'm going to read them all, and I'm kind of a film buff myself, and am fascinated by them. Well done, my friend :)TR

Robwrite profile image

Robwrite Hub Author 6 months ago

Hi Thomas; Most people are guilty of using these, so you've got a lot of company. If you're a film buff, I've got quite a few hubs you should enjoy.

Thanks for reading,

Rob

ThomasRydder 6 months ago

And I plan on visiting each and every one :)TR

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