Top 10 funniest lines from classic movies.

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To coincide with the Just For Laughs comedy festival being held in Chicago this week, TCM US has put together a fun list of some of the wittiest, cleverest, and downright rip-roaring comic one liners from ten classic movies. Despite the fact that one of them, ‘When Harry Met Sally’, is a relative youngster compared to the others (dating as it does from a measly twenty-one years ago if you can believe it) all of them are rightly considered iconic moments of their kind. But are the quotes really the funniest ever?

When looking at the list, it’s worth bearing in mind these are American choices, so the reference to the 30th US President, Calvin Coolidge, might fly above the heads of many British audience members. Also, some of the lines are only funny in the context of the movie. If you don’t know what happened in the lead up to their delivery, or indeed, what will happen next or simply what’s happening onscreen, much, if not all of the humour, will be lost.

That aside, there are some true gems here, although you may well have your own opinions on what classic lines are missing, or what shouldn’t have been included in the first place.

So, in no particular order, the top 10 funniest quotes are:

"It must have been hard on your mother, not having any children." -- Ginger Rogers, ‘42nd Street’ (1933)

"You can't fool me! There ain't no sanity clause!" -- Chico Marx, ‘A Night at the Opera’ (1935)

"What do they think I am? Dumb or something? Why, I make more money than ... than ... than Calvin Coolidge! Put together!" -- Jean Hagen, ‘Singin' in the Rain’ (1952)

"Well, nobody's perfect!" -- Joe E. Brown, ‘Some Like It Hot’ (1959)

"Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room." -- Peter Sellers, ‘Dr. Strangelove: Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb’ (1964)

"Listen, strange women lyin' in ponds distributin' swords is no basis for a system of government." -- Michael Palin, ‘Monty Python and the Holy Grail’ (1975)

"Over? Did you say 'over'? Nothing is over until we decide it is! Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbour? Hell no!" – John Belushi, ‘Animal House’ (1978)

"Joey, do you like movies about gladiators?" – Peter Graves, ‘Airplane!’ (1980)

"It's good to be the king." – Mel Brooks, ‘History of the World, Part 1’ (1981)

"I'll have what she's having." -- Estelle Reiner, ‘When Harry Met Sally…’ (1989)

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Comments

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Janine C Posted: 2nd July 2010 i actually came to post that id managed to catch the 6.30. pm showing of The Apartment. yeahh! really love that movie, its still as good as ever. But regarding this feature ; you'd have to say that over they years, barbera stanwyck has delivered absolutley the best one-liners. well not really one-liners as such, more kind of 'put-downs' than anything else. as in;she always played the strong independent woman so well, and could cut any man down to size in one line. really a tremendous actress..

peterj burton Posted: 29th June 2010 "Why don't you F-F-F- Photograph something else".Sam Kydd in "I'm alright Jack" Peter Burton

frankie leeds Posted: 29th June 2010 I like "My love life is terrible. The last time I was inside a woman was when I visited the Statue of Liberty" Woody Allen as Alvy Singer in Annie Hall. Also the dead pan "Its the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man" confession from Ghostbusters (Dan Aykroyd)

Elaine H Posted: 28th June 2010 I always liked a line in an old Sherlock Holmes movie starring Basel Rathbone, called Dressed to Kill, when the over 60 year old victim sneaks up on the femme fatal and scares her. He then says "It must be the pixie in me"

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