Many people may think that the most misquoted line from any blockbuster film is, "Play it again, Sam" from the 1942 Humphrey Bogart film Casablanca. But according to the makers of a new board game it's, “Houston, we have a problem”.
The classic line was uttered by Tom Hanks's character Jim Lovell in the 1995 Hollywood film Apollo 13. But even before that, millions of people would quote exactly the same line. However, what the real Jim Lovell said over the airwaves to NASA control in Houston on April 14, 1970, was, "Houston, we've had a problem."
According to a study by a new board game called Clipology that streams real content clips, the misquote sits atop the 10 most misquoted lines in films. The board game has competitors guessing the iconic quotations from popular films and television shows. And despite being a pivotal scene in the film, less than half of the 2,000 adults polled knew the true sentence.
Other famous lines to feature in the top 10 misquoted phrases include, “Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who's the fairest of them all” from Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The line is actually, “Magic mirror, on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?” Of course, the classic misquote in Casablanca —“Play it again, Sam”, In fact the line was, “Play it Sam, play As Time Goes By".
And in the 1933 film King Kong, the final line was not "'Twas beauty killed the beast” but, “Oh, no, it wasn’t the airplanes, it was Beauty killed the beast”. And, “Fasten your seat belts, it’s going to be a bumpy night” from All About Eve (1950) is often quoted wrongly as “Fasten your seat belts, it’s going to be a bumpy ride”.
While “Take your stinking paws off me, you damn dirty ape” from the 1968 gilm Planet of The Apes is often incorrectly recited as “Get your stinking paws off me, you damn dirty ape”.
And what about "“Luke, I am your father,” from Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)? Wrong! The real line is, “No, I am your father”.
The study also found 29 per cent of respondents have fallen into arguments over misheard movie quotes, with 37 per cent resorting to searching online to check the actual quote. What’s more, nearly half of the UK (56 per cent) who get things wrong will demand to hear it a second time.
It also emerged that 38 per cent of those polled via OnePoll use film quotes in real life with “Here’s Johnny” from the 1980 horror classic The Shining and, “If you build it, he will come” from Field of Dreams (1989) among the most popular.
Other lines regularly recited include “You’re going to need a bigger boat” from Jaws (1975), “Do I feel lucky? Well, do you, punk?” from Dirty Harry (1971) and “I’m the king of the world!” from Titanic (1997).
Boyd Hilton, the TV and film expert, said: “When there are so many brilliant movie quotes to remember, it’s understandable for people to get some muddled up, even some of the classics from the golden era of world cinema. Even when a line has only been slightly altered, it can change the context of the whole movie. For example, “Oh, no, it wasn't the airplanes, it was Beauty killed the beast” is the final line from the King Kong film. You need to remember the whole sentence to get the full effect."
Top 10 correct movie lines which are often misquoted:
- Ah Houston, we’ve had a problem – Apollo 13, from Universal Pictures
- If you build it, he will come – Field of Dreams, from Universal Pictures
- Magic mirror, on the wall, who is the fairest one of all – Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, from Walt Disney Productions
- Play it Sam play ‘As Time Goes By’ – Casablanca, from Warner Bros PIctures
- You’re going to need a bigger boat – Jaws, from Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment
- It was Beauty killed the Beast – King Kong (1933), from RKO Radio Pictures
- No, I am your father – Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, from Lucas Film Ltd.
- You’ve got to ask yourself one question: ‘Do I feel lucky?’ Well, do you punk? – Dirty Harry, from Warner Bros Pictures
- Fasten your seat belts, it’s going to be a bumpy night – All About Eve, from 20th Century Fox
- Take your stinking paws off me, you damn dirty ape – Planet of the Apes, from 20th Century Fox
Clipology by Moose Games is a streaming board game for TV and film lovers, with thousands of trivia questions and video puzzles. The game features real clips from classics and fan-favourite movies including Jurassic Park, Jaws, The Breakfast Club, Fast & The Furious, Dirty Dancing and many more.
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