This is my entry for the Great Movie Quotes Blogathon hosted by The Flapper Dame.
Harry "Dirty Harry" Callahan, a character who was essayed by Clint Eastwood in 5 movies, is the ultimate "I don't give a rat's ass about the rules" character, and one of my heroes of the cinema. Dirty Harry was always at odds with his superiors, never taking bull**** lying down. Never taking bull****, period, for that matter. The Dirty Harry series were rife with memorable lines, like "Do you feel lucky...PUNK?" (Which has been misquoted actually...The tail end of the actual quote is "You gotta ask yourself a question...'Do I feel lucky?'...Well, do ya, PUNK?")
In 1983's Sudden Impact, early in the movie, Harry goes in to the Acorn Cafe to get a cup of coffee, where he discovers a robbery in progress. Harry takes out all but one of the robbers, the sole robber then takes a hostage and threatens to shoot her. Harry utters the immortal line, which basically encapsulates his "screw it all" attitude. The scriptwriter, Charles Pierce, pulled the line from his own childhood. According to him, his father used the same threatening line on him when he was a kid.
The line gained a new life of it's own when at a business conference, then President Ronald Reagan used it to emphasize his intention to veto any tax increases from Congress
People have a love for the underdog and the buckers of the system. "Go ahead, make my day" has been honored as one of the greatest movie quotes of all time, ranking #6 on the list.
Quiggy
Thanks for participating! I had no idea Reagan quoted Dirty Harry! Thats cool! I really need to see one of the Dirty Harry movies- see what its all about! Thanks foe writing up a post and see you round! Emily!
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading. And letting me in.
DeleteI was young but I remember when Reagan gave that speech.
ReplyDeleteOf all the Presidents Reagan knew a good line when he heard it. You have to concede that even if you didn't like him.
DeleteCan't believe it is only #6! Thought it would be higher than that. I would be honored if you would submit this to this week's The Classic Movie Marathon link party http://classicmovietreasures.com/the-classic-movie-marathon-link-party-3/
ReplyDeleteYou have to see the other 5. It would be a hard case to move it up the line. But it is a classic nonetheless.
DeleteSuch a great line! I didn't realize Ronald Reagan quoted it – you're right when you say he knew a good line when he heard one.
ReplyDeleteI'm actually surprised at how many people DIDN'T realize that Reagan quoted the movie. Of course, my age shows. I was in my early 20's at the time. If I had been a babe, even I might have been unaware of it.
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