[Ads-l] "Go ahead--make my day"

[Yagoda, Ben]

On the subject of attributing quotations: in The Yale Book of Quotations, the above quote from the 1983 film “Sudden Impact” is attributed to Joseph Stinson, who has screenplay credit on the film. However, Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Go_ahead,_make_my_day#cite_note-1) asserts:

The phrase "go ahead, make my day" was written by Charles B. Pierce, an independent filmmaker who is credited with "story by" in the film Sudden Impact. The actual origins of the phrase came from Pierce's father Mack, who used to tell him as a child, "Just let me come home one more day, without you mowing that lawn, son just go ahead.....make my day".[citation needed<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed>]

And apparently Clint Eastwood has asserted that John Milius, who was an uncredited script doctor on the film, came up with the line. http://www.startribune.com/go-ahead-make-his-day-watch-milius/240635431/

I wonder if Garson O’Toole or Fred Shapiro have any insights or info as to the truth of the matter.

Ben

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