The, uh, Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of
[image error]
I grabbed a bag of chips and some cold lemonade and sat down in front of my television to watch Turner Classic Movies. Today’s offering was Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948) with Humphrey Bogart. Ah, you can’t go wrong with Bogie, I figured.
As I sunk into the sofa munching my chips, I watched as Bogie and cast devolved into a pack of stricken, desperate men in search of ‘the treasure’. Great acting by Bogie. It was awesome. Then it happened.
One cunning, toothy Mexican bandido looks into the camera and says “Badges. We ain’t got no badges. We don’t need no badges. I don’t have to show you any stinking badges.”
There it was. My ‘Ah Ha’ moment. Because, despite the poor grammar, the line resonated. It had been hijacked by local teenagers who just substituted whatever they liked following the word ‘stinking.’ Up until then, I had not realized the impact movie lines had on our language. And, I sincerely doubt that those teenagers even knew where the line originally came from.
So that bit of dialogue from a 1947 movie, with some modifications, was still going strong.
Old movies. I just love them. Of course, ahem, when I say ‘old movies’ I mean 1930’s, 1940’s, and some 1950’s.
During those golden years, Hollywood churned out picture after picture.
In 1939, it seemed the ‘stars’ literally aligned to produce some of the most significant and memorable movies (and one liners) of all time, all in one prolific year.
That year gave us not only one of the best pictures but one of the top movie lines ever.
The movie was Margaret Mitchell’s Gone With The Wind, starring Clark Gable and Olivia de Havilland.
And that most famous line, uttered by a fed-up Rhett Butler, “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn,” became history.
Since those golden years, movie line after movie line has worked its way into our lingo.
Where would we be without the proverbial, anytime toast, “Here’s looking at you kid.” (Casablanca, 1942). Or, “Elementary, my dear Watson,” which was written solely for the movies and never appears in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s books.
Hundred’s, probably thousands of lines like “You ain’t heard nothing yet!” (The Jazz Singer, 1927), “There’s no place like home” (the Wizard of Oz, 1939), “What a dump!” (Beyond the Forest, 1949), “It’s alive!”, Frankenstein, 1931, and “I’m shocked, shocked…”, (Casablanca, 1942), are still relevant today and vie with other more modern movie lines.
In today’s modern world, “Houston, we have a problem,” (Apollo 13, 1995) can mean anything from clogged drains to the car’s on fire. And the challenge, “Go ahead. Make my day,” (Sudden Impact, 1983) can fit a Mom warning her four-year old or a hard-nosed cop. Or, the gruff voiced, “I’ll be back!” (The Terminator, 1984) easily competes with “You talking to me”, (Taxi Driver, 1976), so “Snap out of it”, (Moonstruck, 1987).
While I thought about all these wonderful lines floating in and out of our daily dialog, The Maltese Falcon came on next. I still had more chips, so I settled in.
I watched Bogie, Sidney Greenstreet, Mary Astor and Peter Lorre (as the curly-haired Joel Cairo), engage in some of the most devious, duplicitous maneuvers ever employed, trying to beat each other in their quest for the elusive Black Bird. It was worth every minute.
When it looks like all is lost, Lorre loses it and in a teeming tirade, rounds on Greenstreet, calling him an imbecile, a bloated idiot and a stupid fathead.
Gee, crooks were so much more fun back then.
Now my chips were almost gone as Ward Bond and Bogie stare down at the Bird. The movie is coming to a close and I wait for the best line ever!
“Heavy”, says Bond holding the statue. “What is this?” he asks.
Bogie grasps the Bird and replies, “The, uh, stuff that dreams are made of.” (The Maltese Falcon, 1942)
Author’s Note: Just like “Elementary, my dear Watson,” the line “The, uh, stuff that dreams are made of,” never appeared in Dashiell Hammett’s novel. Humphrey Bogart suggested adding it.
