Movies Popularizing Slang

[Rick H Kennerly]

|o| Can anyone suggest names of movies that played significant roles in
|o| popularizing slang expressions, such as "Clueless" or "Wayne's World"?

Been off island for a week.   Let's see...How far back?   The real trick
will be the generational gaps--literature or movie, Grimms or Disney?

Cinderella
Snow White
pumpkin & white mice, turning into a pumpkin at midnight
Sleeping Beauty
Prince Charming
Mirror, Mirror
Hi ho, hi ho
wicked step-sister
wicked step-mother

not to mention titles or characters that have become catch phrases all by
themselves (including several of the above):

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
Failsafe
Good Morning, Vietnam
Pollyanna
Mary Poppins (plus, spoon full of sugar)
Swiss Family Robinson
In Harm's Way

I guess a lot depends on the set you run around with, not to mention your
generational cohort.  Where does "significant role" cut off?  So many of
these phrases had currency for only a year or two.  Off the top of my head:

Wizard of Oz - we're not in Kansas anymore, yellow brick road, Cowardly
Lion, Wicked Witch of the West, & "pay no attention to the man behind the
curtain" (or references to the "man behind the curtain")

Casablanca for "play it [again], Sam" as well as references mentioning both
old loves and gin joints as well as the beginning of beautiful friendships.

2001 A Space Odyssey - for references to "HAL" in conjunction with computers
running dangerously amok

The Sting for sting & Sting Operation

ET for "phone home"

Some one got Star Trek but don't forget Star Wars -- Jedi; may the Force be
with you; Wookie; droid; and variations on "Help me Obi Wan Kanobe, you're
my only hope".

To Have & Have Not for "you know how to whistle don't ya, Steve"

Apocalypse Now - "I love the smell of napalm in the morning"

MASH - Hotlips, Hawkeye, Pro from Dover

African Queen for some lament about leeches, "why'd it have to be leeches",
which also flows to the Indiana Jones films for paraphrased remarks about
rats.  Any plaint that starts off, "why'd it have to be xxx"

Treasure of the Sierra Madres for "Badges? We don't need no stinkin' badges"

Godfather for "made him an offer he can't refuse" and "make me an offer I
can't refuse"  "It's not personal, it's business."

Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid "you crazy? The fall will kill you" as well
as "You just keep thinking, Butch. That's what you're good at."

Top Gun - your hair on fire

Gone With the Wind - Frankly, my dear...

Big Jake - I thought you was dead

Cool Hand Luke - What we've got here is your basic inability to communicate

Romancing the Stone - No sheep will be safe tonight

Right Stuff - screw the pooch

Dirty Harry - Make My Day, not to mention the title Dirty Harry for a rogue
cop

Magnum Force - Do you feel lucky?

Bond, James Bond (Bond references used to be heard everywhere, particularly
when talking about neat gadgets, hot cars and hotter women)

And what do we do about the retreads, particularly the Austin Powers films
that repopularize old sayings--Groovy; not my thing; not my bag; oh, behave;
etc.?


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Speaking of movies dialogue.  Anybody catch the language in the new Ocean's
Eleven remake?  Scriptwriter fantasy or new confidence game lingo?  Clooney
& Pitt are discussing the personnel they need for the job:

"We'll need at least a dozen men working half a dozen cons...we'll need a
Boesky, a Jim Brown, a Miss Daisy, Two Jethros, and a Leon Spinks....Not to
mention the biggest Ella Fitzgerald ever."   Later the acrobat is referred
to as a "grease man".

Also, the guy who was playing a character from down island came up with,
"We're gonna be in Barney"  [blank stares]  "Rubble." [more blank stares].
He becomes exasperated and shouts, "Trouble."

rhk