Okay, after the last post about movie identification, I've got another one that my friends and I were puzzling over a few years back and still haven't figured out.
All we have is two lines. Everyone who hears this swears they've seen the movie these lines appear in, but they can't name it for the life of them:
"What does it do?" "It doesn't DO anything. That's the beauty of it."
This could be terribly obvious and we're all just missing it...
Thalia
Posted by TheTick (Member # 2883) on :
Wow, that sounds familiar...
Posted by Godric (Member # 4587) on :
It does sound familiar. But I'm terrible at placing quotes...
[edit for spelling]
[ April 03, 2003, 12:04 PM: Message edited by: Godric ]
Posted by Ayelar (Member # 183) on :
Um... Hudsucker Proxy, with the hula hoop?
Posted by Khavanon (Member # 929) on :
For some reason I'm thinking of that commercial where the guy is always bringing in some kind of gadget to the business people,
"It's magic pixy dust. Sprinkle some on a server, and your problems go away."
or
"They're binoculars to see the future of business." "What do you see?" "Everything works perfectly." <says all this business related junk functions great> "How does it all work?" "I don't know, it says I need another quarter."
or
"It's an adapter for everything you could possibly need an adapter for." <lists off all sort of things it adapts to> "What about Europe?" <pause> "You'd need an adapter"
I don't know why they come together like that.
[ April 03, 2003, 12:13 PM: Message edited by: Khavanon ]
Posted by Thalia (Member # 3891) on :
See, that's the problem, it sounds familiar to EVERYONE who hears it, but nobody can place it.
I don't think it's a commercial, Khav... but I know some of the ones you're talking about.
Thalia
Posted by Beren One Hand (Member # 3403) on :
I don't think this is it, but your quote reminds me of my favorite scene in A Distinguished Gentleman:
quote: On a bill to limit awards in malpractice suits, it doesn't matter which way Eddie Murphy votes
"If you're for it, I can get you money from the doctors and the insurance companies," the lobbyist says. "If you're against it, I can get you money from the trial lawyers."
"If that's true," Murphy asks, "how does anything get done?"
"It doesn't," the lobbyist says, "that's the beauty of the system."
Posted by Leonide (Member # 4157) on :
I want to say "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" but that doesn't quite fit
Posted by Jeni (Member # 1454) on :
I SO know that line! Argh!!
Posted by Leonide (Member # 4157) on :
Okay, is it two british people? Or a brit and an American? Because I'm picturing the "DO" really hoity-toity.
and is it possible the quote is:
"But what does it do" "Do? It doesn't do anything. That's the beauty of it."
?
Posted by porcelain girl (Member # 1080) on :
arrgh!!!
*claws face* i'm with everyone else. really familiar. no dice.
Posted by Thalia (Member # 3891) on :
Leonide,
I'm not sure if there's a Brit involved. My impression that it was two Americans.
Thalia
Posted by Nick (Member # 4311) on :
Is is the movie "Sphere?"
Posted by Javert (Member # 3076) on :
This is so familiar it's hurting my brain. I think I even remember reciting this exact quote, because it sound familiar when I say it out loud. Grrrrrrr! Posted by Hegemon_Locke (Member # 4695) on :
That is really familiar. I'm thinking Back to the Future, McFly asks Doc " What does it do?" and Doc replies "It doesn't DO anything. That's the beauty of it."
I don't think that's right but for some reason it reminds me of that movie. It just seems to fit in.
Posted by Nick (Member # 4311) on :
That's it! I remember now! Back to the Future! Of course! I'm feel dumb for not getting it.... Posted by saxon75 (Member # 4589) on :
Hmm... The quote sounds familiar but I don't remember it being in Back to the Future. What part of the movie is that?
Posted by Hegemon_Locke (Member # 4695) on :
I'm right? I wasn't sure. I have'nt seen that movie in awhile so I was afraid I was wrong.
Posted by Thalia (Member # 3891) on :
You know, initially, Back to the Future was my best guess too, but someone who seemed to be more familiar with it swore those lines weren't in it. He could have been wrong, though!
Thalia
Posted by ssywak (Member # 807) on :
I was wondering, since we've got all these film trivia experts here, and the first problem's been resolved...
My wife recalls an old (probably B&W) sci-fi/horror movie, but can only recall this aspect of it:
If you looked up at the sky, these alien "cells" or similar such things would drop onto your neck, and either take you over or kill you. Sort of like those stupid, flying, cell-like things from the original (Kirk/Spock) Star Trek series, but landing on your throat, instead of your back.
She claims that this movie spooked her so much that she refused to look up at the sky for two years after having seen it.
Anybody?
--Steve
[ April 03, 2003, 06:02 PM: Message edited by: ssywak ]
Posted by Jeni (Member # 1454) on :
I never saw Back to the Future, and I could swear I know those lines.
Posted by Hegemon_Locke (Member # 4695) on :
can't figure it out. But a movie which scared me alot was the Exorcist. Many people say the were'nt scared. Maybe it was because I as in grade 4 or 5
Posted by porcelain girl (Member # 1080) on :
many of my friends and i *do* use that quote or something akin to it all the time. i am not sure if that is the only reason it is familiar, though. i am fairly sure i've heard it in a movie, too. i can sorta sense the atmosphere during said quote, but that is all. sorta like remembering the sensations from a dream and nothing else.
Posted by solo (Member # 3148) on :
I'll add my own to the movie search.
With all the ads for Phone Booth, my wife and I both recall a preview we saw for another movie that may or may not have already been released that had a very similar premise.
In this one, a woman is standing at a hot dog stand if I remember correctly and I think she is talking on a cellphone with either a sniper or someone who has planted a bomb next to the hot dog stand. He is watching her and has told her that if she tries to leave or tell anyone, that he will shoot or detonate the bomb.
The movie looked pretty good, but neither my wife or myself can recall any of the actors or any other details.
Posted by FlyingCow (Member # 2150) on :
Could it possibly be a bit of dialogue from Seinfeld? It sounds like some sort of interchange with Kramer, but I can't say for sure if that's true. Just from the tone.
Posted by Frisco (Member # 3765) on :
It sounds like something Val Kilmer would say in Real Genius.
Posted by Bokonon (Member # 480) on :
My 3 best guesses have already been mentioned. Willy Wonka, Back to the Future, or Real Genius. Not that any of these are right, but they are my guesses.
-Bok
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
I think it's Willy Wonka.
Posted by Leonide (Member # 4157) on :
on second thought, i know it's not willy wonka. I just watched it the other day and i'm pretty sure Wonka wouldn't say something quite so...i don't know. it just doesn't fit his style of insanity, ya know
Back to the Future fits *better*, but i can't help picturing the "But what does it do" person as a woman.
Posted by T_Smith (Member # 3734) on :
Isn't that what the doc says when Marty asks him about the Flux Compacitor?
Posted by Kayla (Member # 2403) on :
Steve, it wasn't by any chance the original Invasion of the Body Snatchers, was it? 1956?
Posted by Frisco (Member # 3765) on :
Okay...a very unreliable source says it's Big. Anybody seen the movie enough for me to tell my source that he's a moron?
Posted by Godric (Member # 4587) on :
I really enjoyed Liberty Stands Still, although I'm not sure if I agree with it's "themes" on guns and gun control. I'm not sure if Phone Booth will live up to my expectations now. The presence of Forrest Whitaker (who I think is a good actor and loved in Panic Room, but I know can show up in some really bad films) in this one gives me some hope.
Posted by Thalia (Member # 3891) on :
But... the flux capacitor DOES do something... right?
Dang, this is annoying. I'm tempted to rent Back to the Future just to see if the freaking lines are in it.
On a good note... SNOW DAY today! And the University actually CLOSED! Posted by solo (Member # 3148) on :
Thanks Kayla.
As for the original question, I found an online script for Back to the Future and that line (I searched the script for it and just for "do anything") aren't in the script I looked at.
Posted by Leonide (Member # 4157) on :
quote:Okay...a very unreliable source says it's Big. Anybody seen the movie enough for me to tell my source that he's a moron?
Sounds a *little* plausible, Eddie..I'm trying to find an online script from the movie to check it out right now...
Posted by solo (Member # 3148) on :
Well, these lines are in the script for "Big" that I found:
quote:MOM Why not? Why not? What did you do to him?!
JOSH I didn't do anything to him! I think he's a terrific kid!
but not the quote from the original post.
[Edited to use quote feature]
[ April 04, 2003, 10:40 AM: Message edited by: solo ]
Posted by solo (Member # 3148) on :
Oh and here is a link to a site with many movie scripts on it. It says it is Film Ireland The Homepage of Irish Cinema, but it has links to all sorts of scripts.
Posted by Avadaru (Member # 3026) on :
Office Space is popping into my head, but I don't think that's it....agggh it does sound so familiar, I just can't place it...
Posted by ssywak (Member # 807) on :
Great! I was looking for an excuse to go watch Real Genius again this weekend!
I don't think my wife's movie was "Body Snatchers," though (the original, and certainly not the remake).
--Steve
Posted by Frisco (Member # 3765) on :
Okay, so I decided to get some help from my fellow New Yorkers on this, and I think I lowered the productivity of NYC a significant amount.
I posted an ad on Craigslist.com, and got 20 responses--most of them asking me to tell them so they can get back to work, because everyone in the office is trying to figure it out.
quote:You evil person, now you have me obsessing about this quote. I know I've heard it somewhere.
quote:I know that I've heard that movie quote many times and I can't place it. It's driving me nuts. Please tell.
quote:please, please, tell me where that's from. it's been killing me all morning
quote:It's killing me because I know this movie and I just can't place it. I am just interested in the name of the movie, please, help me out! If not, it will be goinig through my mind all day long!!
quote:this quote is driving me crazy. there are at least 8 people here at the office trying to figure it out. its just so familiar. i feel like I watched it this morning....
For the love of God, please let me know what this movie is Paul Amendola Federal Work-Study Coordinator Office of Financial Aid New York Law School
quote:We need help! Work is not getting done around here. We need a clue...please!! It is driving us crazy!
Thanks,
Adam Baranowsky Customer Relations Executive (212) 271-0838 abaranowsky@ideaglobal.com
quote:the quote: it's been on the tip of my brain. i know it, but i... just... can't... place... it.
you're killing me.
it's not bottle rocket (my initial hunch) because that's: "why do you have tape on your nose?" "exactly!"
i can even hear the way those lines were delivered... it's in my head.
please send help, (in the form of an answer).
i will be tormented until then.
quote:This is driving me insane! I know this one...I really do but I can't remember for the life of me. It is on the tip of my tong.....
Now I am at work, I have a lot of work to do but all I can think about is this darn quote. Thanks a lot! :-)
F.
Besides driving people up the wall, answers I've received have been:
Ghost Dog: Way of the Samurai
Big
Goldmember
News Radio
Meaning of Life
The Rise and Fall of Reginald Perrin
Seinfeld
Box of Moonlight
Watership Down
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
Hudsucker Proxy
I looked over the Hudsucker script (as it seemed like the best guess), and found nothing. I hate you, Thalia.
[ April 04, 2003, 01:46 PM: Message edited by: Frisco ]
Posted by Jeni (Member # 1454) on :
Paul, who has obsesses with this movie constantly, and bought the DVD set the minute it came out, tell me that it is definitely not Back to the Future. He says it is not in the general tone of the movie (it's more of a whimsical quote) and that he personally confirm it is not in there.
Posted by BannaOj (Member # 3206) on :
Ghost Dog: Way of the Samurai is an awesome movie, but if I had to vote on where that quote is from I'd vote for Val Kilmer in Real Genuis.
Though could it possibly be from Men in Black I?
AJ
Posted by Frisco (Member # 3765) on :
Just got another vote for Real Genius.
I may have to rent it to confirm, as my copy was "borrowed".
Posted by Kama (Member # 3022) on :
I think this is just a meme conspiracy to take over our lives and time. Just think about it: everyone has heard the quote, and noone can place it? And you keep thinking about t all the time? Isn't that a successful meme?
Posted by Thalia (Member # 3891) on :
I can't believe the can of worms this has opened up...
Then again, *everybody* we ever told these lines to had exactly the same reaction.
Frisco, you are so weird, I don't know whether to laugh or cry at that long list of poor souls who are now doomed to experience Tip-of-the-Tongue syndrome all day...
It can't be a movie that came out within the last 2-3 years. I think it was 3 years ago that we first tried to figure this out.
Has anybody tried googling it?
Thalia
Posted by Jeni (Member # 1454) on :
A few times. I couldn't find anything.
Maybe it's just one of those things, we all think we've heard it but we really haven't.
Otherwise, it must just be a really popular movie.
Posted by cyruseh (Member # 1120) on :
what about neverending story? just guessing though.
Posted by Belle (Member # 2314) on :
You can take watership down off that list, I can vouch that it is not in that movie.
Hazel, Fiver, and Bigwig just didn't go for cute quips.
Posted by Thalia (Member # 3891) on :
Yah, I'm wondering if somebody didn't just make it up and for some reason we all remember it...
Thalia
Posted by Jeni (Member # 1454) on :
But I KNOW it! Posted by narrativium (Member # 3230) on :
Then TELL us!
[ April 04, 2003, 02:17 PM: Message edited by: narrativium ]
Posted by Thalia (Member # 3891) on :
Hm.
Should we take the red pill or the blue pill, people?
Thalia
Posted by Leonide (Member # 4157) on :
Okay, folks --we need to BUCKLE DOWN with this one!!
The picture in my mind is of either a girl asking a guy, or a guy asking a guy. I'm almost 95% sure that the "answerer" is a male. Everytime i say these lines in my head, a little teensy bit of my brain goes "OOH!" and shoots this microsecond memory at me -- but then I lose it.
IT'S DRIVING ME UP A WALL
edit: WAIT, WAIT!! Is it possible the the quote is actually:
quote:Person 1: (tries thing) But...it doesn't do anything!
Person 2: I know! That's the beauty of it!
?? because that sounds even more familiar
[ April 04, 2003, 02:27 PM: Message edited by: Leonide ]
Posted by Jeni (Member # 1454) on :
Same here, I'm pretty positive the answerer is male.
Maybe if we combine all of our microseconds of memory together...
Posted by narrativium (Member # 3230) on :
Thali, was that supposed to be a rather obvious clue, or a reference to us falling down a metaphorical rabbit hole?
Posted by Leonide (Member # 4157) on :
Wait a second...Thalia knows the answer!?
edit: narr, it can't be the Matrix because the only person in that movie who would answer like that would be Mouse. And he doesn't.
[ April 04, 2003, 02:29 PM: Message edited by: Leonide ]
Posted by Jeni (Member # 1454) on :
No. And that couldn't be a clue, because it's wrong.
Posted by Frisco (Member # 3765) on :
She had better damn well not.
[edit: hellooo, Kira--Alice in Wonderland reference, too]
[ April 04, 2003, 02:30 PM: Message edited by: Frisco ]
Posted by Leonide (Member # 4157) on :
The only thing that would make sense in an AiW scenario would be if ALICE was the asker, about an inanimate object. I can't think of anytime that that would fit. Any Alice experts?
edit: stupid UBB. nevermind. I didn't find anything
[ April 04, 2003, 02:35 PM: Message edited by: Leonide ]
Posted by Papa Moose (Member # 1992) on :
I think the quote is slightly wrong, too, because I think I know precisely where it's from. Unfortunately, I'm not able to find a script for the movie I think it is. But I'm gonna keep looking....
Anyone have a site that provides a horrendous number of movie scripts?
--Pop
Posted by porcelain girl (Member # 1080) on :
it is most certainly not willy wonka.
i also feel the quipper is male.
Posted by Jeni (Member # 1454) on :
How about if you tell us what you think it's from? Posted by Leonide (Member # 4157) on :
If the URL on this doesn't work, just copy and paste and i think it should...my latest google search.
I have to run for like 10 minutes to go pick up my sister...don't go figuring it out without me!! Posted by Sopwith (Member # 4640) on :
For some reason, the movie "Real Genius" keeps coming to mind here...
Posted by Papa Moose (Member # 1992) on :
Didn't find it at that site, Leo.
I really wanted to confirm it before I posted. Maybe I should go rent the movie....
--Pop
Posted by solo (Member # 3148) on :
I linked another script site on the first page. It seemed to have a lot of scripts.
Posted by Godric (Member # 4587) on :
Hmmm... There was a link on the first page about the movie Brazil. I'm pretty sure it wasn't from Brazil, but could it be a Monty Python quote?
Posted by fugu13 (Member # 2859) on :
I have a strange feeling the quote is actually from a TV series thats had a lot of reruns for the episode the quote is in lately, which would explain why it isn't turning up, even in carefully constructed searches which should deal with different wordings well, in movie scripts (many of which are online, unlike most tv episodes).
Posted by solo (Member # 3148) on :
It seems like something that might be from a cartoon. The inventor duck from the Donald Duck/Ducktales cartoon rings a bell for some reason.
Posted by Leonide (Member # 4157) on :
fugu might be right -- but it would have to be a really popular show. Same with the movie -- everyone I've said the quote to said they recognized it. Of course, that may be because (as is evidenced by the many google searches i've performed) it appears to be a really popular phrase.
Posted by Jeni (Member # 1454) on :
Posted by Papa Moose (Member # 1992) on :
Tried that site, too, solo. Still no luck.
As to Real Genius, that's a possibility. When Kent asks about the ice? Again, I don't think the quote is exact. That's not the movie I was thinking of, though.
--Pop
Posted by Jeni (Member # 1454) on :
This thread is making me need some of these. Posted by Leonide (Member # 4157) on :
*never saw Real Genius*
isn't it possible that variations on this theme are found in just...a huge amount of movies that we've all seen? Is it possible that the phrase didn't actually *originate* anywhere?
Posted by Belle (Member # 2314) on :
Real Genius is starting to feel like a possibility. I looked for a script of it online, but couldn't find it.
I'm thinking the exchange is between Mitch and the guy of Asian descent. I'm pretty sure it's Val Kilmer doesn't say it, and I don't think the girl Jordan does.
Posted by Belle (Member # 2314) on :
If it's Real Genius, it didn't make This list Posted by Frisco (Member # 3765) on :
quote:Moles and trolls, moles and trolls, work, work, work, work, work. We never see the light of day. We plan this thing for weeks and all they want to do is study. I'm disgusted. I'm sorry but it's not like me, I'm depressed. There was what, no one at the mutant hamster races and we had one entry into the Madame Curie look-alike contest and he was disqualified later. Why do I bother?
I wish I had written this line.
quote:Mitch Taylor: The weirdest thing just happened to me. Chris Knight: Was it a dream where you were where you see yourself standing in sort of sun-god robes on a pyramid, with a thousand naked women screaming and throwing little pickles at you? Mitch Taylor: No... Chris Knight: Why, am I the only one who has that dream?
Or this.
[ April 04, 2003, 03:37 PM: Message edited by: Frisco ]
Posted by Frisco (Member # 3765) on :
Another vote via e-mail for Real Genius.
Would somebody watch it, already?! The copy at my Blockbuster is rented out.
Posted by Slash the Berzerker (Member # 556) on :
Who was the guy that played the druggy buddy in 'Better off dead"?
When I say that line in my head, I picture that guy saying it.
Posted by Kayla (Member # 2403) on :
Risky Business Revenge of the Nerds One Crazy Summer Clan of the Cave Bear Jingle All the Way
Posted by Ace of Spades (Member # 2256) on :
He was also in Back to the Batcave.
Posted by Sopwith (Member # 4640) on :
Booger!!!!!!!!
Posted by Kayla (Member # 2403) on :
AoS, I didn't list all 34 movies and 41 notable guest appearances. Just the highlights...though if you think Return to the Batcave is a highlight...
Posted by Dobbie (Member # 3881) on :
I think portraying The Riddler would be a highlight of anyone's career.
Posted by Kayla (Member # 2403) on :
You think? I don't think that is what I'd call the highlight of Jim Carrey's career. Posted by ssywak (Member # 807) on :
Just for the record: I did not borrow Frisco's copy of Real Genius.
--Steve
Posted by pooka (Member # 5003) on :
What about "Sneakers"? I can kind of see Robert Redford or River Phoenix having this conversation with the blind guy. Especially with the answering machine box.
Posted by TheTick (Member # 2883) on :
I can't see Sneakers being that much a part of culture for us all to be exposed to it...I know I haven't seen it.
Posted by Beren One Hand (Member # 3403) on :
If the combined forces of Hatrack and Craigslist cannot solve this puzzle, this is truly the end of the universe as I know it.
That's it, I'm writing an email to Roger Ebert.
Posted by Kayla (Member # 2403) on :
quote: "What the hell spell were you trying to do?"
"Ra Tilt."
Guildenstern grabbed Rosencrantz by the shoulders and shook him, hard.
"You know the Ra Tilt and you never told me?"
"It doesn’t do anything, I thought I’d tell you when it works."
Guildenstern dropped Rosencrantz. "You have no idea what it does?"
"No, what does it do?"
Posted by Kayla (Member # 2403) on :
This is really driving me crazy.
Posted by Kayla (Member # 2403) on :
quote:When the inventor was asked about the function of the weird machine, he replied, “What does it do? Oh, it doesn’t do anything, but doesn’t it run beautifully?”
Posted by Thalia (Member # 3891) on :
Oh my freaking gosh... I leave for a few hours and you people are going nuts... I apologize to anyone whose peace of mind has been ruined by the attempt to place those lines. I'm just sharing the insanity we've experienced over the last few years... but you guys are hardcore.
I want to stress that I do NOT know what the movie is... this is not a mindgame. My red/blue pill comment was a reference to the fact that this could very well be a conspiracy that we're untangling. Thinking about these lines is like experiencing deja vu.
I doubt it's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead... I've seen that a couple of times, and it's also not THAT widely known.
Thalia
Posted by Godric (Member # 4587) on :
As a proud owner of Sneakers (it was one of my first DVD purchases) I know it's not from there...
Posted by Beren One Hand (Member # 3403) on :
I am *THIS CLOSE* to losing it people. Must .... find .... answer ....
[ April 04, 2003, 11:52 PM: Message edited by: Beren One Hand ]
Posted by ssywak (Member # 807) on :
I keep thinking "Real Genius," when Knight is showing off that Radio-Controlled sphere thing to Mitch...
I'm going to have to go check this tonight. I'll post Saturday with the skinny on RG.
Posted by WmLambert (Member # 2509) on :
How about this skit from Saturday Night Live?
Posted by Javert (Member # 3076) on :
No, wasn't on SNL. Was definitely a TV show that gives closeups or a movie.
Grrrrrrr...I'm not gonna get to sleep tonight because of this.
Posted by Frisco (Member # 3765) on :
Another email vote...this time for "Something from Kramer, on Seinfeld".
Posted by Kayla (Member # 2403) on :
Javert, you make it sound like it not for the fact that you can't think of this movie, you acually would be getting sleep. Could this be true? People actually sleep around here?
Posted by Frisco (Member # 3765) on :
Kayla's awake? The forum's gonna get a little rowdy, I can tell.
Posted by Javert (Member # 3076) on :
Of course I sleep Kayla. I just keep different hours than you normal humans.
**Gets his coffin ready for when the sun comes up**
Posted by Kayla (Member # 2403) on :
I'm pretty sure that is the first time anyone ever called me a "normal" human!!
Posted by Frisco (Member # 3765) on :
Another online vote for Big, and one for Catch-22.
Posted by Javert (Member # 3076) on :
Sorry Kayla, I was talking about Frisco. Posted by Frisco (Member # 3765) on :
Me?? Man, I'm the only one here at night when Khavanon goes to bed at 5am EST, and I'm the only one groaning when Juniper posts at 7am Eastern.
Crawl in your coffin and sleep...sleep is for weenies. Posted by Kayla (Member # 2403) on :
Fine. Be that way Javert.
::wanders off behind the forum with Frisco::
Posted by Frisco (Member # 3765) on :
Oh, no you don't, you randy wench. You're gonna have to buy me dinner and a movie first.
Posted by Jeni (Member # 1454) on :
quote:Man, I'm the only one here at night when Khavanon goes to bed at 5am EST, and I'm the only one groaning when Juniper posts at 7am Eastern.
I used to be that person. Then I signed up for morning classes.
Posted by FlyingCow (Member # 2150) on :
Well, I just watched it again, and it is definitely not Real Genius. The dialogue for the spherical whirlygig was this:
quote:Chris Knight: You didn't touch anything, did you? Mitch: No. Chris Knight: Good. Because all of my filth is arranged in alphabetical order. This, for instance, is under 'H' for "toy. Mitch: What is it? Chris Knight: It's a penis stretcher. Do you want to try it? Mitch: No. Chris Knight: I'm just kidding. It's yet another in a long series of attempts to avoid responsibility.
Posted by Beren One Hand (Member # 3403) on :
Maybe it is something from a Douglas Adams novel or Futurama. Google, don't fail me now.
[ April 05, 2003, 02:57 AM: Message edited by: Beren One Hand ]
Posted by ssywak (Member # 807) on :
Another vote for not "Real Genius."
Not the whirlygig scene (see above)
Not the ice-skating scene
And, most surprising of all, not the "realization" scene in the bar, after the laser and phase-conjugate mirror go missing.
Sorry; we'll all have to redouble our efforts until we find an answer. No sleep for anyone until this is resolved. Now get back to work, people!
--Steve (cruel taskmaster)
Posted by cyruseh (Member # 1120) on :
I guessed neverending story before... and now Im guessing The Time Machine... but just guesses.
Posted by pooka (Member # 5003) on :
Maybe it was in a preview to a movie nobody say, like "Striptease" or "Showgirls". So we all saw the line but no one saw the actual movie. I'm not trying to out anyone who may have actually seen those, by the way.
My current vote goes for a sitcom episode. I'll have to check with my brother in law who is way into Seinfeld. It's like we've all been neuralyzed or something.
Posted by Javert (Member # 3076) on :
First of all, Kayla, I didn't call myself a normal human being, so I don't see why you thought of it as an insult.
And just so everyone knows, I told my roomate this line and he swears he's heard it too. Just thought I'd say that so we know this isn't contained just in Hatrack. No mass halucinations here! Posted by Thalia (Member # 3891) on :
Mad, random guess from my roommate that seems unlikely...
Short Circuit?
Thalia
Posted by T_Smith (Member # 3734) on :
Wow... this is probably totally off but Im going to need someone to tell me it is because it seems as if it would fit.
Labyrinth?
Posted by Dreamwalker (Member # 4189) on :
I see it as being from an episode of Third Rock from the Sun.
Posted by Fitz (Member # 4803) on :
I could definitely see that.
Posted by Beren One Hand (Member # 3403) on :
[ April 06, 2003, 09:30 PM: Message edited by: Ayelar ]
Posted by porcelain girl (Member # 1080) on :
definitely NOT labyrinth.
Posted by Wonko The Sane (Member # 2945) on :
anyone figure it out?
Posted by Vána (Member # 3262) on :
Just for the record, I asked Lime, and he said, "Oh, I know that movie...what's it called?"
Yeah. I can't believe we haven't figured it out yet!
Posted by pooka (Member # 5003) on :
Okay, I'm shifting my vote to the mass hallucination camp. This is like those psychological traumas that are elicited so consistently from victims such as alien abduction and satanic ritual abuse. The line probably gets put in scripts all the time and then rejected with "trite" or "awk".
Posted by firebird (Member # 1971) on :
I have been racking my brains trying to figure out what type of character would be impressed by something that doesn't actually do anything. Although the intonation of the quote, as it gets played back in my head sounds similar to the lilt of Willy Wonka or Doc I don't actually think they would be impressed by something that does nothing. Can anyone think of any character that might??
One character and situation that does spring to mind ... and I don't know where this comes from and I could be being ludicrous is Whoopi Goldburd in the Star trek film with the nexus.
Can someone go and check it out for me. My connection is far too sloth like at a meager 18,000 bps.
Posted by dangermom (Member # 1676) on :
OK, I'm gonna vote for Ghostbusters or something similar. For some reason, I'm seeing Dan Ackroyd delivering that second line.
Posted by Carrie (Member # 394) on :
A friend claims this was said by Danny DeVito, but was unsure of the movie...
Posted by Mrs.M (Member # 2943) on :
Could it possibly be from Matilda? I am thinking of the part where Danny DeVito is explaining how he puts sawdust in the engines.
Does anyone own that movie?
Posted by Jaiden (Member # 2099) on :
What about Flubber?
For some reason I'm thinking Robin Williams... Patch Adams?
[ April 08, 2003, 08:55 AM: Message edited by: Jaiden ]
Posted by Jaiden (Member # 2099) on :
My take on it... Matilda and Flubber are both too obscure (which is my own bias since *I* haven't seen them ). No, really, I doubt any of my friends with whom I first discussed this would have seen either.
Thalia
Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
Thalia, you should really see Matilda. It's wonderful My roommates made me watch it in hopes of sparking some self-recognition.
Posted by Thalia (Member # 3891) on :
*bump*
Posted by Vána (Member # 3262) on :
Ack. Still no answer?
Posted by Thalia (Member # 3891) on :
I just used the new Yahoo search to try and find this quote. I got a hit that looked like it... only to find it was this.
So which one of you was that?
Thalia
P.S. kat, to my credit I have read Matilda. Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
From Big:
quote:BILLY Get out of here! ...What is this? (Holds up a Barbie.)
JOSH Oh, well, this is just...They just put this in here...it doesn't mean anything.
Crap. Not Big, then. That was the scene I was thinking.
Posted by Beren One Hand (Member # 3403) on :
That priceless Thalia. Posted by Wonko The Sane (Member # 2945) on :
Ok, who is cheating?
Posted by T_Smith (Member # 3734) on :
Some pwebbers (if you want to trust them) suggest that it might be a movie with Eddie Murphy in it about where he is a politician. They even provided a close quote to it.
What do we do? (in reference to being a politician) We don't do anything, thats the beauty of the job.
Its really close, but I think we are looking for something else.
Posted by pooka (Member # 5003) on :
The Tick posted this on the ST:TNG fan thread:
What will that do? Geordi: Not a damn thing, but it sure as hell *sounds* impressive! ------------------------------------------------------------------------
I think this is from a relatively early episode where the Enterprise is outgunned by some folks who gained warp travel by some means other than their native intellect.
Posted by G'noot (Member # 1723) on :
Yeah, that Eddie Murphy movie A Distinguished Gentleman was already mentioned - I've seen it, too... but the quote isn't exact.
Posted by Carrie (Member # 394) on :
A friend's father and friend both swear it's Willy Wonka...
Posted by Beren One Hand (Member # 3403) on :
OK, I'm quitting my job to work on this full time.
Posted by Primal Curve (Member # 3587) on :
I grew up on Willy Wonka. I've seen it many, many times. It's not that. Everything in the chocolate factory did something. THAT was the beauty of it.
Other than that. I'm betting it's not even a movie quote. If you, as a girl, cannot come up with more than a couple of lines... it's just some kind of memory bug. Some kind of cultural experience that we all have. I don't actually think it's a movie.
Posted by saxon75 (Member # 4589) on :
I had a friend swear that it was in Flight of the Navigator, which she had just recently seen. I haven't gotten around to checking that yet.
Posted by kwsni (Member # 1831) on :
::laughs insanely:: My sister heard this quote from a teacher, who heard it from another student, who got it from a website. SHe thought it was in one of those IBM commercials.
Six degrees of hatrack. hehehe
Ni!
Posted by Beren One Hand (Member # 3403) on :
Does this quote exist, or is it just a glitch in the Matrix?
Posted by Vána (Member # 3262) on :
Holy cow! We never figured this out? Darn!
Posted by Leonide (Member # 4157) on :
CURSE YOU AND ALL YOUR DESCENDANTS FOR BUMPING THIS THREAD WHICH CONSUMED SO MUCH OF MY FREE TIME BACK IN APRIL.
CURSE YOU ETERNALLY!!!!!!!
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
Damn straight.
Posted by Beren One Hand (Member # 3403) on :
Thalia's fault! Thalia's fault! Posted by Ryuko (Member # 5125) on :
I can't believe this is four pages of people NOT knowing where this quote came from... I read them all in search of an answer!!
Posted by filetted (Member # 5048) on :
you know, it does sound familiar, but it seems a little silly to spend too much time thinking about it without any assurances it actually came from a movie.
i'm thinking "gulllible isn't a word", over here.
funny gag though.
Posted by Avadaru (Member # 3026) on :
Ok, it's definitely two American guys, because the local college radio station plays this quote every once in awhile in its ads. But...um....I still don't know where it came from. *frustrated*
Posted by Beren One Hand (Member # 3403) on :
That sounds like a lead. What's the name of the station and the show?
Posted by Avadaru (Member # 3026) on :
It's KLSU, but the quote isn't from a particular show - it goes something like..."'What does it do?' 'It doesn't DO anything - that's the beauty of it.' '91.1 KLSU!!!'" They have a whole bunch of little blurbs like that, with various movie quotes, that they play in between songs, etc.
Posted by filetted (Member # 5048) on :
make a recording and post it. I reckon an audio would help someone place it.
Posted by Avadaru (Member # 3026) on :
I'll try. It's just a matter of catching it - I listen to the station all the time, and I only hear it once a week, maybe - so it'll be difficult to record, but I'll do my best Posted by Beren One Hand (Member # 3403) on :
Thanks Avadaru! I sent them an email, hopefully they can shed some light on the subject. Posted by filetted (Member # 5048) on :
good thinking BOH. when in doubt, ask.
Posted by Avadaru (Member # 3026) on :
Yes, good thinking indeed! Hopefully they'll give you an answer and this will resolve the issue! Posted by Beren One Hand (Member # 3403) on :
I know when I'm beaten. My girl friend said it is my best quality. Posted by Avadaru (Member # 3026) on :
Posted by Taalcon (Member # 839) on :
Just thought you'd like to know that I was actually asking people this question in my DREAM last night. Curse you all.
Posted by Olivet (Member # 1104) on :
Not Neverending story, either. Trust me.
Posted by SirReal (Member # 5257) on :
I'm thinking "My Science Project" but no proof as of yet.
Posted by Strider (Member # 1807) on :
for some reason when i hear the second line in my head i picture Booger from revenge of the nerds saying it.
I'm pretty positive he never says it there.
Maybe Better off Dead?
Posted by Strider (Member # 1807) on :
Slash wrote:
quote:Who was the guy that played the druggy buddy in 'Better off dead"?
When I say that line in my head, I picture that guy saying it.
Holy Crap! I totally didn't read Slash's post before I posted the same thing. The only possible explanation is that we're right!
Thinking about it more i not only hear him saying it, but i can also see him saying it. I can't think of what part of the movie it would be in though. that movie is so random. I know there's some better off dead fans here. Maybe they can help. Or i'll just have to watch the movie.
[ June 19, 2003, 12:48 PM: Message edited by: Strider ]
Posted by sndrake (Member # 4941) on :
quote:CURSE YOU AND ALL YOUR DESCENDANTS FOR BUMPING THIS THREAD WHICH CONSUMED SO MUCH OF MY FREE TIME BACK IN APRIL.
This was my initial reaction too. Who wants to be reminded of their research failures?
I suppose there's a bright side - it should disabuse any notion that the internet is inexhaustible source for information of pop culture! In a weird way, it's kind of comforting to find the internet reources letting us down on that one. I'm hoping that contacting the radio station provides the answer, though.
Because I'm obsessing again. And I've got no place left to looking for answers. Posted by Kayla (Member # 2403) on :
Good Lord. Did y'all read the IMDB forum where ssywak posted this?!?
I think this means that it's used in similar contexts in more than one medium. Someone on IMDB mentioned Santa Claus the movie, with Dudley moore and John Lithgow? I'm almost positive that's correct, i can picture the scene where Dudley's elf character suggests the lollipop idea to Lithgow's nasty businessman, and Lithgow's hilarious open-mouthed gape at the thought of a toy not Doing Anything. I think Moore says something afterwards like "it's just to bring joy to children at Christmas" i have the movie, i'm gonna put it on and FIGURE THIS OUT
Posted by Taalcon (Member # 839) on :
An internet phenomenon has begun...
Posted by Taalcon (Member # 839) on :
Now wait...if this was heard sampled on the radio, could the station be called up? Could we ask THEM if they know?
Posted by SirReal (Member # 5257) on :
They may have "created" the quote by combining lines from different sources.
Posted by Leonide (Member # 4157) on :
To clarify: i'm almost positive that's where *I* heard it...but, like i said, i have a feeling its a series of lines that've been said in more than one movie. Especially if Avadaru says two american guys say the lines on her radio station...because dudley moore is decidedly not american Posted by Avadaru (Member # 3026) on :
Ok...next time I hear it, I'll call the radio station and ask them where the quote came from. Or maybe I'll just call and ask them anyway. I've asked all my friends about the quote, and THEY can't figure it out, either. Arrggghhh!
Posted by Leonide (Member # 4157) on :
*bangs head into wall*
Not Santa Claus the Movie.
*continues banging head*
Posted by Leonide (Member # 4157) on :
Okay, people, we're just going to have to accept the fact that's not from any one movie in particular!
I just remembered this exchange from French Kiss, where Kate and Luc surprise Charlie and the "goddess" on the beach:
"Kate, what does he do?" "Do? You mean, besides what we do together? I don't think he does anything. Huh."
Posted by sndrake (Member # 4941) on :
quote:Okay, people, we're just going to have to accept the fact that's not from any one movie in particular!
Well, there's at least one other possibility. Others might be afraid to mention this as a possibility, but I have a high embarrassment threshold, a healthy degree of paranoia, and a good imagination.
We could be the victims of careless meddlers in the timestream.
I reckon something like the following could have happened.
In our original timestream, there was a very popular movie that most of us watched. The most memorable line of the movie was the one we've all been trying to track down. Maybe it won an Oscar (probably just for soundtrack, costume, or special effects, though.).
That was the original timestream. Here's where it gets dicey. I figure some irresponsible traveller from our future (maybe even our present - I don't read too many technical journals) made trip into our collective pasts and did something - something that - either by accident or design, resulted in this movie never being shown or maybe even made.
So this movie that made an impression on so many of us no longer exists. But the memory of our favorite line, like a ghost track on a poorly rerecorded casette tape, still rings in our memory.
Looks like the future is much the same as the present - there's never a Time Cop around when you need one. Posted by Taalcon (Member # 839) on :
That's actually a very interesing concept for story...
Posted by Beren One Hand (Member # 3403) on :
I have another idea.
Why don't have ask Uncle Orson to put this line in Ender's Game. This way, we will know for sure where this line "comes" from.
Perhaps Thalia saw the movie in the future and traveled back in time to torment us. If that's the case, can you tell me who dies in the next Harry Potter book? You better! Posted by sndrake (Member # 4941) on :
quote:That's actually a very interesing concept for story...
Thanks, it's probably inspired by the works of R. A. Lafferty (and I find there's a lot of stuff of his I didn't know existed I can now buy through the web). It feels like a Lafferty plot, anyway.
Of course, Lafferty's plot would have involved any possible combination of an australipithecus, a ghost, a seminal genius, a two-bit con-man, and Ktistec machine. There are other character possibilities, but those were some of my favorites.
Posted by Boon (Member # 4646) on :
I found this : "A perceptual notion machine," explained Moffat. "It's based on the theory of relatives actually, mostly uncles and aunts. "I see," said Jennifer but she didn't, not really. "I wish it was more economical though, the way it is now it takes a great deal of entropy to make it go." "Oh," said Jennifer. "What does it do, exactly?" "I'm not really sure," Moffat admitted. "That's the beauty of it! It might do any number of things and it probably does! I won't really know until afterwards, and even then it might be hard to tell!"
This is the first few lines of chapter 5 in a book called "Search for the New-Moon Stones" by Allen Morgan. I'll keep looking.
Posted by Avadaru (Member # 3026) on :
My sister reminded me of the Seinfeld episode about the show about nothing:
"What it is about?" "It's not about anything. That's the beauty of it!"
That really does sound right, but then what is the quote on KLSU from?!
Posted by Leonide (Member # 4157) on :
oh my god, avadaru.
i think she's got it!!
At least, Seinfeld would definitely be the most mainstream movie/tv show we've seriously considered before. I *still* steadfastly stand by my theory that variations on this theme have appeared in numerous other things. And i can still picture a guy saying "It doesn't DO anything" Posted by Avadaru (Member # 3026) on :
I mean, I can definitely hear this quote - hmm....what if I'm just misquoting the KLSU thing?!?! Argh! That would make so much sense....now if I can just catch it on the radio....
Posted by newfoundlogic (Member # 3907) on :
Maybe its actually a very common line and its derivations are found in many movies. Or it could be Men in Black II. That's what I've been thinking.
Posted by filetted (Member # 5048) on :
There must be a way to put this thread to rest.
Come on!
Posted by ssywak (Member # 807) on :
Kayla,
I know. I've destroyed lives. So many lives...
--Steve
Posted by Kayla (Member # 2403) on :
Well, at least you accomplished something! Posted by Strider (Member # 1807) on :
Anyone on Better off Dead? I don't own it so i can't prove or disprove.
Anyone? I think I remember Papa Moose being a fan. I may be wrong...
Posted by FlyingCow (Member # 2150) on :
For my 666th post, I decided to do something evil... (thanks to Ryuko for the inspiration... )
...so has anyone figured out where this quote's from yet?
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
--I--
Posted by filetted (Member # 5048) on :
"sweet jebus! it's ALIVE!"
Posted by Ethics Gradient (Member # 878) on :
From Steve's IMDB thread (what a monster - congragulations):
quote:Of course, the other pssobility is that five million years ago, primitive man was visited by aliens who said that constantly. And so, it's worked its way into our collective subconscious, with the result that we all recognise it, even though we haven't heard it anywhere ourselves.
Posted by Eaquae Legit (Member # 3063) on :
I keep hearing John Cleese saying it. I'm not sure why, but it seems to fit his many twitchy personas, especially Basil Fawlty. But since apparently it's an American quote, that shoots my theory down the tubes.
Posted by Jeffrey Getzin (Member # 1972) on :
HHGTTG?
Posted by Kasie H (Member # 2120) on :
Jeff Getzin??
Hi!
On another note....what about M*A*S*H? The quote is familiar to me too, and I don't watch Seinfeld...I'll try to ask my sister, she knows almost all of the M*A*S*H episodes by heart.
Posted by FlyingCow (Member # 2150) on :
Ya know, Jeff, that sounds about right... though I swear I remember hearing it spoken. Maybe I just have a vivid imagination.
Unfortunately I don't have time to go reread that whole series... and about 30 pages into it, I'd likely forget that I was reading to find that quote, anyway.
Welcome back for however long you decide to stay, too. Whether this is just a short visit or the start of a series of short visits or whatever, it's good to see you posting.
Posted by MrSquicky (Member # 1802) on :
Has anyone checked out Real Genius? I'm getting really strong feelings about it from there.
Posted by FlyingCow (Member # 2150) on :
Yeah, I did. I think someone else may have, too. Not from there.
Posted by MrSquicky (Member # 1802) on :
Well, poop.
Posted by saxon75 (Member # 4589) on :
FlyingCow, you are now on my list.
Posted by Jeffrey Getzin (Member # 1972) on :
quote:Ya know, Jeff, that sounds about right... though I swear I remember hearing it spoken. Maybe I just have a vivid imagination.
Don't forget that HHGTTG was also a television and radio program.
Jeff
Posted by Jeni (Member # 1454) on :
That sounds like it could be right to me too. I'll see if I can find it later.
Posted by FlyingCow (Member # 2150) on :
True... but it's a television and radio program I've never heard. Posted by Ryuko (Member # 5125) on :
My lord. I'm sorry my inadvertant post of petty evils has ressurected this monster. ;_; Why God, why?
Posted by Ryuko (Member # 5125) on :
I don't mean to ressurect this hateful thing, but one of my RL friends seems to think it's a line in K-Pax... Any takers?
Posted by Jeffrey Getzin (Member # 1972) on :
It might be. I can half-visualize Kevin Spacey saying it.
Jeff
Posted by FlyingCow (Member # 2150) on :
I feel as though it's older than that. Has anyone ruled out older sitcoms? Somehow it smacks of pre-1992... I don't know why. But I feel like I've had that line in my head for longer than 10 years. What makes me think that? I have no idea.
Gene Wilder maybe?
Posted by sndrake (Member # 4941) on :
Why? I've managed to live without this particular fixation for weeks now! Why didn't you let this die??? Posted by Jeni (Member # 1454) on :
I am much too lazy to look through all the pages of this thread again, but has anyone suggested this quote from Office Space?
quote:Samir: But that’s not much money, I -
Peter: That’s the beauty of it. Each withdrawal is a fraction of a cent. That’s too small to notice. Take a thousand withdrawals a day, space it out over a few years, that’s a couple hundred thousand dollars.
That could very well be what this quote has been reminding me of, at least.
Posted by Vána (Member # 3262) on :
We still haven't figured this one out?
Why is this one challenge too much for the great minds here at Hatrack?
I am perplexed.
Posted by saxon75 (Member # 4589) on :
FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS GOOD AND PURE, PEOPLE, STOP BUMPING THIS THREAD!!!!! Posted by Beren One Hand (Member # 3403) on :
There is a glitch in the Matrix.
Posted by Narnia (Member # 1071) on :
Wow. This is hilarious. I didn't know Thalia had started one on this very subject!!
It's Seinfeld. Posted by Book (Member # 5500) on :
Yeah, that sounds like some serious Seinfeldian stuff to me.
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
Is it? How come I know it then. I have seen a grand total of one Seinfeld...
I think it's just a phrase that is used a lot in various places and configurations.
Posted by Frisco (Member # 3765) on :
I have every Seinfeld on my hard drive, and I've seen them all. I even went through last night and watched the likely suspects--the ones where Kramer invents stuff--and nothing.
Posted by sndrake (Member # 4941) on :
Well, I'm not surprised. I was never a fan of Seinfeld. I probably haven't seen most of the episodes. So it's really improbable that it would come from there.
I'm beginning to wonder if there was ever an exchange between Mr. Green Jeans and Captain Kangaroo that went something like this. Posted by Xavier (Member # 405) on :
Just let it die...
Posted by Taalcon (Member # 839) on :
Never.
Posted by vwiggin (Member # 926) on :
Just making a reference to this deadly meme in my Xanga journal. Since I'm here, might as well bump it for fun. Posted by Shigosei (Member # 3831) on :
I think we've just developed the perfect weapon for fending off the Borg should they ever invade us. This is a much more deadly and insidious idea than that stupid unanalyzable picture.
Posted by vwiggin (Member # 926) on :
Don't forget the descolada. Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :
Hmmm - I keep expecting to see this discussion in a Kevin Smith movie. If the line showed in a movie as part of a discussion about what movie the line had been in, would it count as being in the movie which had the discussion?
Ouch. That hurt.
Dagonee
Posted by kinglear (Member # 6211) on :
...you go in the cage, cage goes in the salsa, sharks in the salsa. Our shark...
gotta love Smith's Jersey flicks....
Posted by AvidReader (Member # 6007) on :
I know Seinfeld has been shot down before, but my friend Dan swears it's on the DVD of Kramer's Invention. George asks what it does and Kramer responds. It isn't in the script, so he thinks it must have been an ad-lib.
If anyone has Seinfeld on DVD, maybe you could check it?
Posted by Suneun (Member # 3247) on :
Someone said that it's from Hitchhiker's Guide (I guess they mean the BBC mini-series version?). Can anyone try to confirm that if they own the BBC mini-series?
I can get a friend of mine to check Seinfeld next time I see him (my apartmentmate), he has all of them.
Posted by sarcasticmuppet (Member # 5035) on :
I keep thinking it's from an episode of Saved by the Bell. Where Zack steals money or something in order to buy this huge boom box and he's telling Screech about the little red light that's on it. Prove me wrong!
[ April 17, 2004, 09:13 PM: Message edited by: sarcasticmuppet ]
Posted by CaySedai (Member # 6459) on :
somebody mentioned MASH. There's an episode where Hawkeye builds a tower out of tongue depressors and some guy wants to do an article on it for Stars and Stripes or something - to promote enlistment. Hawkeye has the tower blown up just before the photographer gets a picture.
I can almost picture Hawkeye talking to the guy from Stars and Stripes with that being part of the conversation.
Posted by ReikoDemosthenes (Member # 6218) on :
gah! I know that episode...and I should be able to confirm or deny it...but I can't! it would fit perfectly though...*mutters and makes note to pay closer attention next time it's on*
Posted by Beren One Hand (Member # 3403) on :
I think you almost got it. All you need is just a little bit more work. Good luck! Posted by Cashew (Member # 6023) on :
It's definitely Big. It's when tom Hanks is sitting in the meeting and the geek is demonstrating the new season's whizzbang toy, and Tom Hanks (the big kid) asks "What does it do...". Definitely, absolutely, nodoubtaboutit: BIG!!!
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
I don't think it is the MASH ep -- I'm firmly in the "it doesn't actually exist!!!" camp at this point -- but the episode in question is from season 9, and is called, "Depressing News."
Posted by Suneun (Member # 3247) on :
Hey, Avidreader: what's the name of the episode in Seinfeld it's supposed to be in? Doesn't seem to be an episode called Kramer's Invention?
Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
Beren: In the quest for world domination, no fair distracting your rivals with an endless loop.
Posted by Beren One Hand (Member # 3403) on :
*Indignant*
I'm completely serious about us getting closer to the answer. Come on guys, work hard. Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
Did we already try Doctor Who?
Posted by Cashew (Member # 6023) on :
I'm telling you it's BIIIIIIIIIIIGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by Jon Boy (Member # 4284) on :
What about this? Anyone have that Simpsons episode on DVD or something?
Posted by Cashew (Member # 6023) on :
Posted by CaySedai (Member # 6459) on :
the quote sounds familiar to me and I don't watch Simpsons, Futurama, Seinfeld, and a couple of the movies mentioned ...
Posted by ssywak (Member # 807) on :
I'm re-reviewing Hithhiker's Guide all this week (snippets late at night, as I get ready for bed)
I'll know by Friday!
Posted by Chris Bridges (Member # 1138) on :
It's not Big.
Here's the scene you were thinking of:
PAUL These tests were conducted over a six month period using a double-blind format of eight over-lapping demographic groups. Every region of the country was sampled, the focus testing showed a solid base in the 9 to 11-year old bracket, with a possible carry-over into the 12-year olds. When you consider that Nobots and Transformers pull over 37 percent market share, and that we are targeting the same area, I think that we should see one quarter of that and that is one fifth of the total revenue from all of last year. Any questions? Yes? Yes?
JOSH I don't get it.
PAUL What exactly don't you get?
JOSH It turns from a building into a robot, right?
PAUL Precisely.
JOSH Well, what's fun about that?
PAUL Well, if you had read your industry breakdown, you would see that our success in the action figure area has climbed from 27 percent to 45 percent in the last two years. There, that might help.
JOSH Oh.
PAUL Yes?
JOSH I still don't get it.
PAUL What?!
MR. M What don't you get Josh?
JOSH Well, there's a million robots that turn into something. And this is a building that turns into a robot. So what's so fun about playing with a building? That's not any fun!
PAUL This is a skyscraper.
JOSH Well, couldn't it be like a robot that turns into something like a bug or something?
PAUL A bug?
JOSH Yeah! Like a big prehistoric insect with maybe like giant claws that could pick up a car and crush it like that!
Posted by vwiggin (Member # 926) on :
If nothing else, this thread has given us a good excuse to revisit some of our favorite movies. Posted by Hobbes (Member # 433) on :
I think we should just agree it's Sienfeld and then drop it.
And then we should all go out for pizza, I'm buying.
Hobbes Posted by Hobbes (Member # 433) on :
Scratch that, Chris is buying. Ahh yes, that's more like it.
Hobbes Posted by ReikoDemosthenes (Member # 6218) on :
if I actually watched Sienfeld I would go with that...but...but...it just doesn't gratify a non-Sienfeld watcher who is driven insane by it...
Posted by Storm Saxon (Member # 3101) on :
anyone read the 5th book in the trilogy of 4? Oriphus AfterDawn Addict 12 December 2003 07:28 Its confirmed. Rewinded the DVD and played it again. A straight quote from that film.
True?
Posted by vwiggin (Member # 926) on :
This is an evil plot by Amazon to drum up sales in their geek demographics. Posted by ReikoDemosthenes (Member # 6218) on :
I'd agree with it being in Mostly Harmless...but my dad knows this quote and he hasn't read that yet...
[ April 19, 2004, 02:54 AM: Message edited by: ReikoDemosthenes ]
Posted by Frisco (Member # 3765) on :
Once and for all, I'd like to shoot down the Seinfeld, Simpsons, and H2G2 guesses. I have every Seinfeld(the episodes in which Kramer invents are called "The Opposite" and "The Cigar Store Indian) and Simpsons episode, and it's not there. I've checked.
And I have the book, radio, and BBC miniseries of the Hitchhiker's Guide, and it's not in any of them.
Thank you. Carry on.
Posted by A Rat Named Dog (Member # 699) on :
I don't think it's a quote from any particular place. It's just a common idiom in the English language to say "That's the beauty of it" about something useless.
But check out what you get when you Google the quote:
A million forums having this same debate. Plus a Hentai site that has the quote in its random search-engine-cheating string. I guess it's just that popular a phrase ...
Posted by Frisco (Member # 3765) on :
A million forums, maybe, but Hatrack and P-Web are in the top-ten matches. Posted by Anna (Member # 2582) on :
Means we are the bests.
Posted by vwiggin (Member # 926) on :
What's a "hentai"
If we cannot find this phrase in pop culture, can we find the first appearance of this phrase (or close variant of it) in a work of literature.
Posted by Cashew (Member # 6023) on :
I'm shattered! I was so sure it was Big... Posted by Anna (Member # 2582) on :
Hentaï I don't know, isn't there Mentai in Dune ?
Posted by Chris Bridges (Member # 1138) on :
I'm willing to serve as Chief Debunker for all the "I'm sure it's in" theories. I don't think it's ever ben said, not that precise quote. No one has yet been able to provide an exact quote, in context, for verification.
Similar quotes that could contribute to the familiarity of this one:
Moe: What's yer watch say? Curly: It don't say nuthin', you gotta look at it. any number of Three Stooges movies
Charlie: What's it do? Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, said in several different ways, but never with an answer resembling our puzzle
Colin Pillock: So, which of them is it, Mr. Perrin? A social venture for the benefit of mankind? Purely a commercial venture? Or a con trick? Reginald Perrin: Yes. It's all three of them. That's the beauty of it. The Rise and Fall of Reginald Perrin
Mrs. Peacock: What does your husband do? Mrs. White: Nothing. Mrs. Peacock: Nothing? Mrs. White: Well, he just lies around on his back all day. Miss Scarlet: Sounds like hard work to me. Clue
Homer: What does it do? Marge: It doesn't do anything. Homer: No really, come on. Marge: If it does anything, it's doing it right now. The Simpsons
Janet: What have you done to Brad! Frank: Nothing. Why, do you think I should? Rocky Horror Picture Show
Spock: Weren't those a gift from Dr. McCoy? Kirk: And they will be again. That's the beauty of it. Star Trek IV, The Voyage Home
It invokes the kind of internally-consistent, bizarre-from-the-outside logic we're familiar with these sources and from Hitchhiker's Guide, The Animaniacs, Cheers, Monty Python, and a zillion other places. But I don't think that quote, as it's listed, has been said.
Posted by Suneun (Member # 3247) on :
I'm pretty sure Thalia's hatrack thread was the first incarnation of this question on the web. The imdb thread by ssywak seems to have spawned many others through the continuing interest in this question =)
Posted by vwiggin (Member # 926) on :
*evil bump* Posted by BlueJacsFan (Member # 6590) on :
Thanks for dragging me into this conundrum! I'm just glad I haven't spent the entire last year dwelling on this.
Here's a couple of items I've found through Google:
quote:It is most definitely from "The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy". I've been watching it and it came up when someone was using a machine. The alien fella says (after being asked 'What does it do') "It doesnt do anything, thats the beauty of it".
When asked if he was sure:
quote:Its confirmed. Rewinded the DVD and played it again. A straight quote from that film.
Louisville Scene says:
quote:Name......: (Anonymous) Question..: "What does it do?" "It doesn't DO anything. That's the beauty of it!" It's from The Simpsons in the episode where Homer's half brother (I think, maybe step brother) Herb Powell is explaining his invention. He is talking about the 'drinking' bird and Homer asks, "What does it do?"
Thank you for answering that question for our readers. Judith Egerton
I don't own either of these, so I can't confirm or deny, but there's too many Hitchhiker fans on here for that first one to be right, aren't there?
Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :
At this point I'll believe an answer when someone gives the position of the quote by minutes-into-the-film and puts a clip on the web. Until then, all answers are suspect.
Dagonee *It wasn't in Bubba Hotep, though. We can cross that off the list. Posted by ClaudiaTherese (Member # 923) on :
*bumped for posterity
This thread should be Landmarked. It is Hatrack's Landmark.
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
I agree, CT .
Posted by Kama (Member # 3022) on :
not until we get the solution.
Posted by ClaudiaTherese (Member # 923) on :
Ah, but Landmark stories never are really over, are they?
Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :
I still say this can easily be added to the Ender's Game script, which would close the loop nicely.
All over the country, people will cheer at that line, and 95% of the people in the theater will have no clue why.
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
Now that would be awesome.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
For the last time, we have a solution.
Repeat after me: The line does not exist. It is a collective delusion. Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
Everyone knows that, I think. The point is that we should put it somewhere, just for fun .
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
Perhaps everyone here knows that.
And it should totally get inserted into EG (or the new Hitchhiker's would work). Confuse the heck out of all those crazy internet people.
Posted by TMedina (Member # 6649) on :
[ March 28, 2005, 11:09 AM: Message edited by: TMedina ]
Posted by TMedina (Member # 6649) on :
Further proof that the programmers of the Matrix do indeed have a sense of humor and reality as we know it is a lie.
-Trevor
Posted by Morbo (Member # 5309) on :
Cool site, Trevor. I think I went there years ago but forgot about it. It's a trivia lover's dreamsite. I liked this node: definition of normal number , which also explains the Infinite Monkeys Theorem.
Posted by Jonathan Howard (Member # 6934) on :
OOO! I know!!!
"Throw Momma off the Train"! I'm almost CERTAIN!
Posted by aiua (Member # 7825) on :
...Have we reached a final, absolute, correct verdict yet?
Posted by Enigmatic (Member # 7785) on :
Better than inserting this quote into some movie in the future, if I ever write a screenplay I will insert quotes that are very very similar but not quite it interspersed throughout several different scenes, to frustrate everyone further. Maybe have the actual quote as a stinger at the end of the credits.
"What does it do?" "Do? I don't know."
"What does it do?" "Do? It's just sort of beautiful."
"What does it do?" "Do? It doesn't DO anything. That's the-" *car crashes through room, speaker is shot, or other sudden violent interruption.*
--Enigmatic
Posted by Miro (Member # 1178) on :
Cruel, cruel man. Posted by Zarex (Member # 8504) on :
Back to the original question of "What does it do? It doesn't do anything, that's the beauty of it." It's from the movie Our Man Flint. An American version of James Bond.
Posted by aiua (Member # 7825) on :
So...that's a 'no', I suppose?
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
No, it isn't.
Posted by human_2.0 (Member # 6006) on :
I googled... head is now dizzy... I try not to be TOO pesimistic, but in this case...
Everyone give up. There is no hope.
It seems people on the net have been trying to find the source of this quote since at least May 2003
Some of the particularly interesting threads that discuss this:
LOL. Ok, I just checked the date on THIS thread and it preceeds the others! Duh.
Well, someone better put the line in a movie soon. Seems like I *did* hear it in the new version of Willy Wonka...
Posted by Zarex (Member # 8504) on :
I have asked the 100 hour board (http://theboard.byu.edu/index.php?area=about) and if they turn up stumped then I am willing to give up.
Posted by aiua (Member # 7825) on :
I too could've sworn I heard it in the new Willy Wonka, but I'm also thinking Red Dwarf or a Mel Brooks film.
Posted by Hamson (Member # 7808) on :
There is a line in the simpsons that sounds familier, this one:
Homer: What does it do? Marge: It doesn't do anything. Homer: No really, come on. Marge: If it does anything, it's doing it right now.
It also sounds like it could've came from Third Rock from the Sun, or Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy though...
Posted by Valentine014 (Member # 5981) on :
The person who bumped this thread should be shot. Jonathan Howard, you are on my list. And I don't mean Christmas.
Posted by Hamson (Member # 7808) on :
Hmm after searching, I now think it could've also come from Calvin and Hobbes.
So which forum was the first that asked this question anyway?
Posted by Jon_Snow (Member # 8911) on :
I would have to say...the line comes from nowhere. Surely the IMDb would have the quote somewhere, you know they have all the clever and memorable quotes from every movie you could think of. And don't you think at least ONE person in the world would be able to recall EXACTLY where it came from? Once more, for all to hear, THE LINE DOES NOT EXIST outside of the crazed search for its origin.
Posted by FlyingCow (Member # 2150) on :
I take responsibility for linking it in the Juvenile Jokes thread.
Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :
Spiderman: The Lizard Sanction by Diane Duane, G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1995, hardback, p. 143.
quote: Peter looked from it to Kavanagh. "What's it do?" "Do? It doesn't do anything. It just sits there."
Closest I've ever seen, so I thought I'd post it.
Posted by ssywak (Member # 807) on :
My big thread on IMDB is...gone!
I just bought "Mudd's Women" from e-bay. I'll let you all know what I find.
But it's definitely NOT from "I, Mudd," or "Trouble with Tribbles."
Posted by Strider (Member # 1807) on :
I think it's amazing that we started an internet phenomenom over this quote.
Posted by El JT de Spang (Member # 7742) on :
I thought we already settled this.
It's from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.
Spoken by Gene Wilder.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
No it is not.
It is not from anywhere.
And we HAVE settled that, multiple times. Posted by ssywak (Member # 807) on :
Rivka,
Just because we've settled it doesn't mean that we still can't discuss or debate it. Wait, let me call Tresopax in here...
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
He will be offended we said it didn't DO anything.
It exists, that is SOMETHING....
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
It's from Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. Posted by Frisco (Member # 3765) on :
My roommate's best friend's great uncle say's it's from an old Hoppy Turnbow skit called "Once I Ate Seventeen Quarters At A Hotel In Cleveland".
True story. Says he watched it the other day to be sure, and there it was.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
I am going to hunt you two down, and kill you in your sleep.
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
So, SriLankaCon is now a possibility, and even more important, I might become half-real. Cool! Posted by Morbo (Member # 5309) on :
SriLankaCon Activities 3pm Rivka's plane arrives 5pm Ender's Game skits 6pm Miniatures contest 7pm dinner 8pm Sci-fi film 12am sleep 1230am 1am Rivka flees country
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
Oh, please. Asleep at midnight at a HatrackCon? HAH!
Posted by breyerchic04 (Member # 6423) on :
If she takes frisco to Sri Lanka when she kills you, then you are totally real.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
Why would I do that?
(Hit the ball, drag Bill. Hit the ball, drag Bill . . .)
Posted by breyerchic04 (Member # 6423) on :
Just to make her real. For a minute.
Posted by Morbo (Member # 5309) on :
Plus, then she could sing "I left Frisco's heart in Sri Lanka."
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
Maybe not sing, exactly. Warble. Croon. Mumble. Nah. What's a good word for "sings very very badly off-key to the point of hurting ears until they bleed"?
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
Hey! I sing perfectly well, thank you.
You wouldn't be singing, remember? Being dead and all.
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
Oh, alright then. Posted by Papa Moose (Member # 1992) on :
Hey, I just found this old thread and I was wondering... does anyone know what movie the line is from?
<Hijinks ensue. And/or pummeling.>
Posted by lem (Member # 6914) on :
You have reaffirmed my belief in God Papa Moose. If evil personified exists, then I accept that good personified exists. Good personified is God.
You sir are EVIL, ergo God exists! My testimony thanks you.
Posted by Papa Moose (Member # 1992) on :
Anything I can do to help.
Posted by ClaudiaTherese (Member # 923) on :
Papa! I love you!
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
Posted by Sterling (Member # 8096) on :
I think Card should write it into the Ender's Game movie out of sheer spite.
Posted by Reshpeckobiggle (Member # 8947) on :
quote:Originally posted by Kwea:
Just awful.
Posted by Tara (Member # 10030) on :
quote:Originally posted by Sterling: I think Card should write it into the Ender's Game movie out of sheer spite.
Definitely!!!
Posted by Boothby171 (Member # 807) on :
But...In Like Flint, In Like Flint. I remember that movie, it was great fun. Now I have an excuse to see it again...
And, Strider...what do you mean, "We"?
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
Given the number of people who are sure they know the quote but have never seen the movie, it seems doubtful that it is the primary source.
Posted by sylvrdragon (Member # 3332) on :
I vote winner.
Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
I disagree. Merely having found some form of the quote doesn't count; it has to be a quote from a source that could plausibly have been the origin of the meme (i.e. popular with a significant section of the demographic.)
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
I agree with Tom.
Posted by Nighthawk (Member # 4176) on :
With the entire Internet looking for the answer, you figure they'd had found it by now... if it existed.
Heck, they found that Burgess Meredith clip, didn't they? That's pretty out there and obscure to begin with.
Posted by Boothby171 (Member # 807) on :
I hate to say it, but I tend to agree with TomD on this. The Burgess Meredith clip is too...arcane.
Well, I put in a request for "In Like Flint" at my local library...I'll have to let you know what I find.
Posted by jeniwren (Member # 2002) on :
Seriously, when Ender's Game is finally made into a movie, it MUST have these lines in it. Somewhere. I love that.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
quote:Originally posted by Nighthawk: With the entire Internet looking for the answer, you figure they'd had found it by now... if it existed.
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I'm feel dumb for not getting it.... ![[Wink]](wink.gif)
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In the quest for world domination, no fair distracting your rivals with an endless loop.
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