Minor Scuffle

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In a response to last week's Greatest Insults video (which I posted on 7.1), Philadelphia Inquirer critic Carrie Rickey yesterday voiced a preference for ridicule with "more polish and less profanity." Like, for example, Burt Lancaster's kiss-off to Tony Curtis in Sweet Smell of Success (1957): "You're dead, son. Go get buried."

That is slightly incorrect. The line is actually "You're dead, son. Go get yourself buried." No biggie in itself, but Rickey used the quote in her headline. So I wrote her yesterday afternoon at 5:48 pm (sitting in Fanelli's, using my iPhone) and explained her excusable error. She wrote back at 9:37 pm with a dispute. "According to imdb.com and an Ernest Lehman essay I cross-checked with, I have it right," she said. "Of course, they could both be wrong. Next time I watch SSoS I'll listen extra-hard."

Yeah, do that. Because the IMDB has the quote as "You're dead, son -- go get yourself buried. Wikiquote has the quote as "You're dead, son -- go get yourself buried." And I have it as that in my head, having watched Sweet Smell of Success something like 12 or 13 times (including three times in a theatre). Sorry, Carrie, but I got this.

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Posted by Jeffrey Wells on July 7, 2010 at 4:10 AM

comment #1

Quantrell Bishop says ...

IMDB has the quote as, "You're dead, son. Get yourself buried."

Regardless of whether either of you is right about the quote, you've both incorrectly transcribed what the website has to say.

Rickey seems more wrong here, and should know better than to use a quote in a headline without double checking the source material first. You can't trust your memory on a movie quote. Hell, I was convinced for YEARS that Bill Paxton spoke a line in his brief The Terminator appearance that he never actually said.

(For the curious, I imagined that he'd said, as Ahhhnuld approaches in the nude, "Check out the dick!")

Posted by Quantrell Bishop at July 7, 2010 5:49 AM

comment #2

evelyn garver says ...

One of my favorite film insults is from WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? Elizabeth Taylor to Richard Burton: "If you existed, I'd divorce you." I certainly hope I have this right.

Posted by evelyn garver at July 7, 2010 6:16 AM

comment #3

mrksltsky says ...

Does that video have my personal favourite insult, Al Pacino to Kevin Spacey in Glengarry Glen Ross, "Who TOLD YOU you could WORK with MEN?!"

Posted by mrksltsky at July 7, 2010 6:44 AM

comment #4

raygo says ...

One of my favorite film insults is from WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? Elizabeth Taylor to Richard Burton: "If you existed, I'd divorce you." I certainly hope I have this right.

One of my all time favorites too. I *think* the full quote (from memory) is ... "I swear to god George, if you even existed I'd divorce you."

Posted by raygo at July 7, 2010 7:06 AM

comment #5

raygo says ...

Said while swilling a cocktail. As is 80% of the dialogue.

Posted by raygo at July 7, 2010 7:08 AM

comment #6

Mark says ...

Blogging 101; misquote a beloved movie. Endless smart asses will wag their finger and link your content across the country.

Posted by Mark at July 7, 2010 7:21 AM

comment #7

erniesouchak says ...

IMDB is full of errors.

Posted by erniesouchak at July 7, 2010 7:40 AM

comment #8

Quantrell Bishop says ...

No one is saying it isn't, ernie.

Posted by Quantrell Bishop at July 7, 2010 7:44 AM

comment #9

Jackrabbit Slim says ...

I like the line in Witness for the Prosecution, in which Charles Laughton says to Elsa Lanchester, "If you were a woman I'd strike you."

Posted by Jackrabbit Slim at July 7, 2010 7:56 AM

comment #10

Movie Watcher says ...

Batman. Jack Nicholson is looking in the mirror. A lady puts her hand on his shoulder and says: "You look fine."
He looks at her and says:"I didn't ask." And then he looks at her hand.

Posted by Movie Watcher at July 7, 2010 9:13 AM

comment #11

Joe McDonald says ...

I don't know if everyone else sees it this way, but I've always loved how the line "Match me, Sydney" read as an insult. Not only is he asking him to be subservient in conducting a task that he could easily do himself, but it also could be saying "Just TRY to be as good as me, because I know you can't."

Posted by Joe McDonald at July 7, 2010 9:29 AM

comment #12

Jeffrey Wells says ...

The line is " get yourself buried" without a " go"? Aww, now I'm disappointed. In myself, I mean.

Posted by Jeffrey Wells at July 7, 2010 9:29 AM

comment #13

moviemaniac2002 says ...

Martin Milner:(referring to Curtis) "When he dies, do you think he'll go to the dog and cat heaven?"

Curtis: (lashing out at one of many enemies) "If that's funny, I'm a pretzel!"

Burton: (referring to his and Taylor's "son") "He's the apple of our three eyes...Martha being a Cyclops."

Posted by moviemaniac2002 at July 7, 2010 9:42 AM

comment #14

lazarus says ...

Jeff, I think omitting the "yourself" is a worse oversight than omitting the "go".

So to my eyes you're still one up on Rickey.

Posted by lazarus at July 7, 2010 9:50 AM

comment #15

matt cousens says ...

I see an edit coming...

Posted by matt cousens at July 7, 2010 10:05 AM

comment #16

DarthCorleone says ...

IMDB should never be used as a definitive source in these debates. Those quotes listed there are all user-supplied.

Posted by DarthCorleone at July 7, 2010 10:06 AM

comment #17

larry braverman says ...

"Yeah do that"

You should take your own advice.

Posted by larry braverman at July 7, 2010 10:24 AM

comment #18

longrunner says ...

Yes, I am wondering when we will see an apologetic "mea culpa" to Rickey posted here... (but I'm not holding my breath while I wait, for sadly obvious reasons)

Posted by longrunner at July 7, 2010 11:21 AM

comment #19

Jeffrey Wells says ...

Hey, Dalloway...are you looking get your ass booted out of here? You're belligerent, sneering, always looking to render harsh judgment.

Posted by Jeffrey Wells at July 7, 2010 11:30 AM

comment #20

lazarus says ...

Dalloway is DYING in this town!

Posted by lazarus at July 7, 2010 11:47 AM

comment #21

Deathtongue_Groupie says ...

C'mon Jeff, don't pull a D.Z here - this happens to everyone when it comes to quotes to even beloved films. Especially favs, as you probably repeat a favored line over and over.

Sheepishly admitting a mea culpa makes you admirably human, as we've all had the moment when we thought we were correcting someone only to end up face-palming it.

Posted by Deathtongue_Groupie at July 7, 2010 11:51 AM

comment #22

LexG says ...

Dalloway is Shep Proudfoot, Vinessa Shaw, and Vern Hardapple.

Don't piss him off or he'll make fun of your voice, tell you to meet him at Gladstone's in Malibu, or claim he's seen you around the Village.

Posted by LexG at July 7, 2010 11:51 AM

comment #23

matt cousens says ...

Man, i really wish Dalloway Shaw is secretly a celeb, because then everything in Lex's head would be ok. They can do whatever they want, you know...

Posted by matt cousens at July 7, 2010 11:57 AM

comment #24

larry braverman says ...

"You're belligerent, sneering, always looking to render harsh judgment."

Pot?

Kettle here.

You're black.

Posted by larry braverman at July 7, 2010 12:00 PM

comment #25

LexG says ...

Hey, cousens, I historically thought you were down, but what's with these potshots today?

FUCK IT, if the HUMORLESS are running the asylum from here out, where people are actually siding with people who have NO SENSE OF HUMOR OR FUN and WHO MAKE ACTUAL THREATS?

I'm fucking OUT OF HERE. Later, Jeff. Thanks for the venue to post, but I didn't know HE was the NO HUMOR ZONE. Now everyone can sit back and let THE MORAL CRUSADER DUO of Douchetongue Groupie and Schizoway set the tone of the comments section.

Suggested next thread topic: PEOPLE WHO MAKE JOKES: BURN IN HELL OR JUST LIFE BEHIND BARS?

Your floor, gentlemen....

Posted by LexG at July 7, 2010 12:02 PM

comment #26

matt cousens says ...

Sigh. Lex, i enjoy much...scratch that...most of your posting here, and i don't think i've hit below the belt or anything. I'm just jabbing a little, take a joke yerself. I mean, it would be hysterical if she was a hot female celeb is all. Just wondering if the threats would become AWESOME then.

Posted by matt cousens at July 7, 2010 12:08 PM

comment #27

LexG says ...

Per the CLASSIC HE thread "Creep Alley," where in one fell swoop our resident stalker threatens a poster's livelihood, claims to be saving screengrabs of their handiwork, claims to be an ENTERTAINMENT LAWYER, and claims to have just attended a trial for his past abusers.... he is male.

Oh, but wait, per the thread where "he" told me to meet "him" at Gladstone's Malibu, he's a she.

Oh, and also the actress VINESSA SHAW. Literally!

But, oops, when he was a day-player actor on the set of a Kristen Stewart movie who wanted me to come down to the set, he was male again.

I wonder what gender he was last week when he offered up some Bruce Willis script to Jeff, and Jeff, not realizing it was Shep Hardapplefoot, said to email or call him. Wonder how that went.

He also seemed to be male when he threatened Glenn Kenny with "I've seen you around town in the Village."

Jeff will ban him again, and he'll be back in two weeks, probably telling Ray DeRousse he's seen him around Missouri or something.

Posted by LexG at July 7, 2010 12:13 PM

comment #28

Deathtongue_Groupie says ...

Whatever you say, Chester...

Posted by Deathtongue_Groupie at July 7, 2010 12:15 PM

comment #29

larry braverman says ...

For anyone who might still care, here's the line that started this whole thing (it's the last 10 seconds of the clip):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lx5XmD8fb24&feature=related

If I wrote a column or a blog - I would spend 5 minutes fact checking. And if I couldn't for whatever reason, I would admit if I was in error.

But that's just me.

A little research goes a long way...

Posted by larry braverman at July 7, 2010 12:16 PM

comment #30

LexG says ...

DTG, please explain that "Chester" comment, and why you think it applies to someone who likes 18-24 year old actresses, and who is a giant self-effacing douche and the least threatening person on the planet. You're really an asshole on this. That's not the kind of shit you should go throwing around lightly. You're a rank scumbag.

Posted by LexG at July 7, 2010 12:21 PM

comment #31

longrunner says ...

LexG, I thought you said you were leaving.

Posted by longrunner at July 7, 2010 12:24 PM

comment #32

berg says ...

favorite line in SSOS: You're blind Mr. Magoo!

Posted by berg at July 7, 2010 12:24 PM

comment #33

Wiggumx says ...

I'd much rather lose the dicks who just sit on the sidelines waiting to jump on Wells than to lose LexG. At least Lex can be entertaining.

Posted by Wiggumx at July 7, 2010 12:33 PM

comment #34

Glenn Kenny says ...

Yes, "You're blind, Mr. Magoo" really is great. I love how Curtis pretty much throws it away, too; it would've lost a lot had he overstated it. Curtis was a much more consistently smart actor than he gets credit for being, I think.

Posted by Glenn Kenny at July 7, 2010 12:43 PM

comment #35

Robert Cashill says ...

If nothing else this thread did inspire me to rewatch SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS again. Everyone should go and do likewise.

Posted by Robert Cashill at July 7, 2010 12:48 PM

comment #36

MattyC says ...

What Wiggumx Said.

Posted by MattyC at July 7, 2010 12:49 PM

comment #37

Wes Caline says ...

Exactly,. Those dicks have daddy issues.

Posted by Wes Caline at July 7, 2010 1:07 PM

comment #38

Bukowski20 says ...

DTG

You're a lowlife, humorless, scumbag.

You need therapy. Fast.

Lexg, ignore the haters. You keep the comments section entertaining.

Posted by Bukowski20 at July 7, 2010 3:58 PM

comment #39

Deathtongue_Groupie says ...

Let's recap here:

I very respectfully suggest that Jeff own up to his mistake regarding a quote and LexG decides to call me a douche over it but then can't take the heat of a pretty mild retort. And for this, Bukowski loses his shit?

Not that I take anything Lex says that seriously - I have no idea where the persona ends and a real person starts.

Posted by Deathtongue_Groupie at July 7, 2010 4:29 PM

comment #40

matt cousens says ...

That's my problem, too. I don't know when Lex is a cartoon and when he's a real person. Lex and Jeff both give out a fair amount of shit, but they both also freak out when you give some back. Like my mom. Yeah. Lex and Jeff are like my mom.

Posted by matt cousens at July 7, 2010 4:43 PM

comment #41

Bukowski20 says ...

I didn't lose my shit, DTG.

And my comment is for your overall body of work, not just one or two comments.

"pretty mild retort"

What did you mean by "Chester"? If you didn't mean what I think you meant, then you were respectful in this SINGLE particular thread. But everybody knows what you meant by it.

Posted by Bukowski20 at July 7, 2010 5:22 PM

comment #42