Whatchoo Talking 'Bout, Willis?
November 28, 2006 10:16 AM   Subscribe

TV Land's 100 Greatest Catchphrases
The network will air a countdown special, "The 100 Greatest TV Quotes & Catch Phrases," over five days starting Dec. 11.
posted by fenriq (79 comments total) 2 users marked this as a favorite
 
Boston Legal? Nip/Tuck?

No "Hi, Neighbor"? No "I love you, you love me"?

Your favorite TV quote sucks.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 10:22 AM on November 28, 2006


And I'm not sure that "Ask not what your country can do for you..." is actually a catchphrase, in the sense I think they mean. After all, Webster never said it.
posted by pdb at 10:26 AM on November 28, 2006


"You were awfully hard on the Beaver last night, Ward."
posted by Floydd at 10:28 AM on November 28, 2006


Aren't the Brady Bunch quotes from the movie? Or at least, made famous by the movie?
posted by amro at 10:29 AM on November 28, 2006


"Missed it by that much."

Since this wasn't on the list, I conclude it was compiled by a bunch of kids with no sense of pre-cable culture.

.
posted by RavinDave at 10:30 AM on November 28, 2006


No "I pity the fool"?
No "Oh no you dunt"?
No "Wont you be my neighbor"?
What revoltin situation.
posted by hal9k at 10:31 AM on November 28, 2006


I think I'd add: "You bet your bippy" and "Get me my pills ... the one's marked 'McCloud'."
posted by RavinDave at 10:32 AM on November 28, 2006


No 'Listen carefully, I shall say zis only wurnce'?
No 'I vas just passing by in my little tank'?
Shameful.
posted by Mocata at 10:34 AM on November 28, 2006


Howzabout "Lucy, Lucy, Lucy, how many times I gotta tell you" ??
posted by ahimsakid at 10:35 AM on November 28, 2006


I'd nominate, "Ooooph, little buddy." The Skipper on Gilligan's Island.
posted by strangeleftydoublethink at 10:35 AM on November 28, 2006


They could get a lot more out of Scooby Doo including "Zoinks!" and "Jinkies!"
posted by vacapinta at 10:36 AM on November 28, 2006


Notable omissions:
Kiss my grits
Nanoo Nanoo
Mister Graaaant
Sit on it
I'm comin', Elizabeth!

posted by rocket88 at 10:37 AM on November 28, 2006


Weird amalgam of catchphrases, taglines, and one-offs from speeches and news coverage. I would have rather seen some criteria like the line had to be part of a scripted television show, not a news event or a commercial.

Those can be different lists. Alas.
posted by JWright at 10:38 AM on November 28, 2006


rocket88: they covered "I'm comin' Elizabeth!" although my nomination for that show would have been "You old fish-eyed fool!"
posted by vacapinta at 10:41 AM on November 28, 2006


"I've made a huge mistake."
posted by dougunderscorenelso at 10:41 AM on November 28, 2006 [2 favorites]


"Notable omissions:

....

I'm comin', Elizabeth!"

...

-"Elizabeth, I'm coming!" (Fred Sanford, "Sanford and Son")"


Transposition, not omission.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 10:42 AM on November 28, 2006


"I'd buy that for a dollar!"
posted by quin at 10:43 AM on November 28, 2006


"The 100 Greatest TV Quotes & Catch Phrases"

NOT!
posted by BoringPostcards at 10:46 AM on November 28, 2006


Ohhh Rob!
posted by hal9k at 10:48 AM on November 28, 2006


-"I want my MTV!" (MTV ad)
-"I'm not a crook ..." (Richard Nixon)
-"I'm not a doctor, but I play one on TV" (Vicks Formula 44 ad)
-"It keeps going and going and going ..." (Energizer Batteries ad)
-"It takes a licking ..." (Timex ad)
-"Marcia, Marcia, Marcia! (Jan Brady, "The Brady Bunch")


This is the pinnacle of worthless "Top 100" lists, the germination periods for which terminate at the end of each year. Remember the Y2K brood? The millenium couldn't come fast enough to end the incessant lists.
posted by Terminal Verbosity at 10:50 AM on November 28, 2006


And here's a few more that ought to have been considered...

"Bang zoom to the moon, Alice" - Honeymooners

"Norm!" - Cheers

"...this message will self-destruct in 30 seconds" - Mission Impossible

"Eat my shorts" - Simpsons

"I have the power!" - He man

"Frak" - Battlestar Galactica

"Yee Haw!" - Dukes of Hazzard
posted by JWright at 10:52 AM on November 28, 2006


"I am not a crook" is a TV Catchphrase? WTF? Nixon was the President of the United States, not the Jefferson's wacky neighbor.

We are truly in bizarro world.
posted by space2k at 10:55 AM on November 28, 2006


Seriously, you gotta narrow this down a little. Like JWright says, you can't include this wide variety of categories. If it's just "things I heard on TV", why no quotes from movies?

I like how there are two different "Hey hey hey!"s.
posted by graventy at 10:59 AM on November 28, 2006


For Seinfeld catchphrases, I would have chosen "Not that theres anything wrong with that" over the ones they used.
posted by jeffmik at 11:00 AM on November 28, 2006


Lucy, you got some 'splainin' to do!!!
posted by blucevalo at 11:02 AM on November 28, 2006


"Beam us up, Scotty."
posted by Brian B. at 11:08 AM on November 28, 2006


I, for one, welcome our new catchphrase overlords.
posted by gompa at 11:08 AM on November 28, 2006


Ay Carumba!
posted by jonmc at 11:09 AM on November 28, 2006


"Help! I've fallen and I can't get up!"
posted by daninnj at 11:09 AM on November 28, 2006


"Come on down! You're the next contestant on the Price is Right!"

Bob Barker, RIP.
posted by anthill at 11:10 AM on November 28, 2006


No Invader Zim, I see. Clearly, they've never hung around the Faint of Butt household.

"Gir! Why is there bacon in the soap?"
"I made it myself!"

posted by Faint of Butt at 11:12 AM on November 28, 2006


Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Pinky?

They gave a miss to Full House -- how rude! (Albeit nonsurprising.)

And "making whoopee" is hardly unique to -- and wasn't even first popularized by -- The Newlywed Game.
posted by booksandlibretti at 11:12 AM on November 28, 2006


"I am not a crook" is viable just because of the number of times Rich Little and Dan Ackroyd used it lampooning Nixon.
posted by FYKshun at 11:14 AM on November 28, 2006


They could have culled a ton more from Seinfeld, up to and including

"I'm not a racist, that's what's so insane about this."
posted by Uther Bentrazor at 11:20 AM on November 28, 2006 [1 favorite]


It's dead, Jim.
posted by Danf at 11:20 AM on November 28, 2006


hal9k:

"I pity the fool" doesn't count. That's from Rocky 3.
posted by fungible at 11:20 AM on November 28, 2006


I hate the listmakers, and I want to scratch them in the face.
posted by Mister_A at 11:21 AM on November 28, 2006


Mama mia, that's a spicy meatball!

Er, I mean, this list sucks.
posted by slogger at 11:28 AM on November 28, 2006


bad, bad list....

Anyone who makes a "100 greatest...whatever" list without consulting anyone other than wikipedia and his dog, is probably an idiot..

Save your time...
posted by HuronBob at 11:29 AM on November 28, 2006


To qualify as a catchphrase, doesn't a character need to say it more than once? More than a few of these are one-offs.
posted by rocket88 at 11:30 AM on November 28, 2006


Uh-oh.
posted by Dr-Baa at 11:33 AM on November 28, 2006


"Note to self..." - Norm MacDonald on SNL

Something from "How I Met Your Mother" made the list, but none of the ridiculous technospeak from "24" did?
posted by emelenjr at 11:36 AM on November 28, 2006


Q: Why does television lick it's own balls?

A: Because it can.
posted by CynicalKnight at 11:51 AM on November 28, 2006


"Beam us up, Scotty."

Brian B. I don't know if you're joking, but in case you're not, that was never actually said.
posted by Snyder at 11:53 AM on November 28, 2006


I hate the listmakers, and I want to scratch them in the face.

Top 10 Places In Which I Want to Scratch the Listmakers
1) The face.
2) ...
posted by WhiskeyTangoFoxtrot at 12:13 PM on November 28, 2006


Dy-no-mite!
posted by Heywood Mogroot at 12:19 PM on November 28, 2006


"Would you believe. . .?" is the one I looked for in vain.
"The devil made me do it."
"I'm Chevy Chase and you're not."
"Consume mass quantities."
"Offered. . . for your consideration. . ." (Twilight Zone)
"Don't touch that dial!"
"Same Bat-time, same bat-station!"
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 12:22 PM on November 28, 2006


From sports:
"Go-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-al!"
He. . . could. . . go. . . all. . . the. . . way
This is Howard Cosell here.
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 12:40 PM on November 28, 2006


"Ehhh, What's Up Doc?"
"Abadee Abadee Abadde, That's All Folks!"
"That Wascally Wabbit!"
posted by mach at 12:49 PM on November 28, 2006


If you're all just going to just keep naming "familiar phrases" that got left off this list, I'm going to click away. Don't think I won't. Because basically, this is a list of familiar phrases since 1950. The only reason "54-40 or fight" isn't on there is that TV was a hundred years off.

Any lists of quotes that includes both Joseph Welch dressing down the House UnAmerican Activities Committee and Fonzie dressing down Potsie is a little off.
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 1:12 PM on November 28, 2006


-"Hey hey hey!" (Dwayne Nelson, "What's Happening!!")

-"Hey hey hey!" (Fat Albert, "Fat Albert")


This list is stupid beyond stupid.
posted by piratebowling at 1:22 PM on November 28, 2006


"Beam us up, Scotty."

Brian B. I don't know if you're joking, but in case you're not, that was never actually said.


Snyder, that seems to be true, and makes a separate trivia claim because its variations are catchphrases without being original quotes, with its own wikipedia page too.
posted by Brian B. at 1:30 PM on November 28, 2006


"That's one small step for man" and "De Plane! De Plane!" have nothing in common. I have never before been so incensed by anything posted here as I am with this. Cancel my MeFi membership.
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 1:35 PM on November 28, 2006


oops. stupidsexyFlanders said it first. Okelele Dokele...
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 1:39 PM on November 28, 2006


This post has the WEAKEST LINK. Goodbye.
posted by Saucy Intruder at 1:43 PM on November 28, 2006


Faint of Butt

Zim fans represent!

In my household, people have learned NOT to ever say, "You made it worse!"

Also on our quote list is, "I love this show!", "I have a MIGHTY NEED!" and "I neeeeed Tacos! Or I will explode!"

Oh, and just for Thanksgiving: "It's me! I was the turkey all along!"
posted by InnocentBystander at 1:47 PM on November 28, 2006


They pelted us with rocks and garbage
posted by Ironmouth at 2:12 PM on November 28, 2006


Half of these are lame comedic devices, coined in the 50's, and simply applied to the show's of the 70's and 80's. Lists like these should recognize innovation. "Which Brings us to Tonight's Word", anyone?

Oh, on preview, my favourite has to be "Here it is, your moment of Zen" (Jon Stewart, "The Daily Show"). I guess they didn't miss EVERY single bit of comedy that wasn't ripped from I Love Lucy.
posted by tehloki at 2:16 PM on November 28, 2006


InnocentBystander : In my household, people have learned NOT to ever say, "You made it worse!"

Funny. My employees have learned the same thing.

Also commonly heard:

"It's got chicken legs..." (said with awe)
"Aww, my bees" (said with longing)
and "I saw a squirrel, it was all goin' like this..." (said as manically as possible whenever a squirrel happens to be seen in the front yard)

To be honest, there are just too many. I can't even begin to imagine how much that program has changed my vocabulary over the years.
posted by quin at 2:40 PM on November 28, 2006


If the list includes quotes as well as catchprases (and it does), "As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly."

And the Daily Show "Moment of Zen" was originally uttered by the original host, the almost deservedly forgotten Craig Kilborn.

I've already done some analysis on the list (self-link) with more to come. I do NOT have a life.
posted by wendell at 2:44 PM on November 28, 2006


"Did IIIII do thaaaat?"
posted by mayfly wake at 4:43 PM on November 28, 2006


"Beam us up, Scotty."

Brian B. I don't know if you're joking, but in case you're not, that was never actually said.

Snyder, that seems to be true, and makes a separate trivia claim because its variations are catchphrases without being original quotes, with its own wikipedia page too.
posted by Brian B. at 1:30 PM PST on November 28


Shatner did, however, use that phrase in one of his "Star Trek" novels, with a sly nod to the fact that nobody ever said it on the show.

Missing:
"We can rebuild him ..."
"Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird. It's a plane. It's Superman!"

And yet "That's hot" and the "What's Happening" version of "Hey hey hey" made the list. Yeesh.
posted by diddlegnome at 4:57 PM on November 28, 2006


Whoa!
posted by I Foody at 5:14 PM on November 28, 2006


IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII don't know.
posted by cerulgalactus at 6:32 PM on November 28, 2006


"Surprise, surprise, surprise!"
posted by Nathanial Hörnblowér at 6:46 PM on November 28, 2006


Huh. I wish we had TV in England - perhaps then we could have contributed something to the list?
posted by Jon Mitchell at 6:48 PM on November 28, 2006


I'm in yer English TV making puppet shows!
posted by fenriq at 7:22 PM on November 28, 2006


Arbitrary and anecdotal lists are a media mainstay (and watch as this "list" is reported as canon by other outlets, who will laud the winner as "TV's top catchphrase of all time"), never mind the fact that it comes down to a few guys wasting a morning around the meeting table. It's all so small-minded and irksome. And where's "Make it so"?
posted by bicyclefish at 8:56 PM on November 28, 2006


"Don't be ridiculous." - Bronson Pinchot on Perfect Strangers
posted by emelenjr at 9:01 PM on November 28, 2006


You havin' a laugh? Is he havin' a laugh?
posted by gyc at 11:26 PM on November 28, 2006


Huh. I wish we had TV in England - perhaps then we could have contributed something to the list?
posted by Jon Mitchell 4 ¾ hours ago


"And now for something completely different ..."
"... It's ..."
posted by diddlegnome at 11:37 PM on November 28, 2006


Those are random. They should do the 100 worst TV phrases, e.g.:

"My wife: I think I'll keep her." and
"Ancient Chinese secret!"
posted by ClaudiaCenter at 11:45 PM on November 28, 2006


Great Caesar's Ghost! No "Great Caesar's Ghost?"
posted by Superfrankenstein at 12:04 AM on November 29, 2006


You plonker, Rodney!
posted by salmacis at 5:35 AM on November 29, 2006


We also had an entire show Made entirely of catchphrases...
posted by Jon Mitchell at 9:21 AM on November 29, 2006


"My Arse!" -- Jim Royle
posted by PeterMcDermott at 12:01 PM on November 29, 2006


And for poor foreigners, who don't know him:

The Royle Family
posted by PeterMcDermott at 12:14 PM on November 29, 2006


Schwing!
posted by kirkaracha at 4:49 PM on November 29, 2006


"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." was in vogue on 'Doctor Who' this year.

I thing The Doctor might have been watching 'Torchwood'.
posted by feelinglistless at 3:52 PM on December 7, 2006


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