MovieChat Forums > The Great Race (1965) Discussion > Favorite lines/parts?

Favorite lines/parts?

posted 15 years ago by billgh4
52 replies | jump to latest

Here are mine.

1. Jack Lemmon telling the dog on his bed 'I hate you.' xD
2. 'I won't do it!' 'Then you leave us with no alternative.' 'I'll do it!'
3. Where Jack Lemmon (as the prince) startles himself with his hand, the 'snake,' hahaha
4. When Hezekiah gets hit right on the the head while walking into the cell.

In fact it seems like there were DOZENS of getting-hit-right-on-the-head shots, and all hilarious.

Very good comedy, those were some of the best moments to me. Yours?

[–] Hypatia42 14 years ago

I love the line

Professor Fate yelling "You cheated! I hate you. You I hate!"
After he won the race, of course.

[–] MissSugarKane 14 years ago

[speaking about their kidnapping of Maggie, as she swims in the lake in her underwear]
Max: I say we should have dumped her a long time ago.
Professor Fate: I say we shall dump her when I say we'll dump her!
Max: She's playing you for a sucker!
[the Professor chucks a bucket of water of Max]

[Professor Fate and Max join Leslie and Maggie under a blanket in Leslie's car in freezing Alaska]
Professor Fate: Max! Don't push! The foot! The foot! Watch THAT foot!
Maggie: Oh!
Professor Fate: I beg your pardon.
Maggie: Champagne, Professor?
Professor Fate: Ah, thank you.
Max: This is terrific.
Professor Fate: May I propose a toast?
[Maggie starts to laugh]
Professor Fate: What's so funny? Something wrong?
Maggie: What happened to your mustache?!
Max: I broke it off.
The Great Leslie: You what?
Max: I broke it off, it was frozen. Look.
[snap!]
Professor Fate: Ow!

Love this film.
Marilyn Monroe: I don't want to be rich. I just want to be wonderful.

[–] le_mag_pereira 13 years ago

I can't believe that nobody mentioned the ball in the Prince's castle! Jack Lemmon is so funny dancing in it, he made me laugh a lot.

[–] shandy8 13 years ago

On the ice floe after Maggie yells "Come and get it!" and Max says to Fate : "Maybe she's not talking about us."

"What do you want me to do, draw a picture? Spell it out!"

[–] Sandoz 12 years ago

wow, all those replies and no-one mentioned one of my favs by Jack Lemmon as The Prince:

"It's a huge castle and quite exhausting getting from one room to another...but when I was a young boy, I used to ride my pony up and down these halls, and then I grew up, got drunk, and fell off!"

And, I just watched this on TCM again last week and noticed an insult Prof. Fate calls Max that never registered with me before:

"You thimble-headed gerkin!"

This is very hard to read, isn't it?

[–] w22nuschler 12 years ago

So Many cool parts from the movie. I will try to cover them all.

The musical score is wonderful thru the whole movie.

"Push the Button Max"

Dorothy Provine singing "You should'na had'na out'na swang on me"

"I ain't no native, I was born here!"

I love all the main 5 characters plus Dorothy Provine. I think Jack Lemmon and Peter Falk steal this movie.

"Fidle-e-dee!"

"Now Will you give me some fightin' room"

The fight in the bar. I loved the part where the sheriff leans out of the picture to place his badge on another person and a guy comes up and hits him because he is wearing a badge.

The Pie fight is my favorite part. I loved how Leslie stay clean until the end.

"Hey Professor"

The waltz part. I love waltz music.

All the stunts Professor fate does at the beginning are funny.

"I'd like to see Leslie try that one!"

The only part I did not care for was the women's right part. That was kinda weak.

I would say that The Great Race, It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World and Murder, He Says are my favorite all out comedic movies of all time. Anyone who loves the Great Race will love the other two films.

[–] TabbyS 12 years ago

This film never gets old!

Or maybe it's just Jack Lemmon. Cannot wait until TCM does another Jack marathon!

Tabby S.

[–] rjrray 11 years ago

1. On the ice float when Max reaches over and breaks off a piece of Professor Fate's frozen mustache

2. Also on the float when Leslie tells Fate not to tell anyone that they're sinking and Fate says he will keep it to himself but then says "when the water reaches my lower lip well then I'm going to tell Somebody about it.

[–] pamurchu 11 years ago

Fate plays the typical scary music on the pipe organ at his home until dinner is served. When he gets up from the bench, the organ continues playing without him. Only then do we realize that it is a "player piano" type pipe organ...

"More cowbell!"...Christopher Walken

[–] Blueghost 11 years ago

Can I get me some fightin' room?!

[–] Flight_of_Fantasy 11 years ago

1. "I have a boat waiting."

2. The player organ. I want one!

3. The pie fight (!)

4. "Rise and shine?! RISE AND SHINE?! YOU rise, YOU shine!" (I want that as my alarm.)

5. "I hate you."

And of course, "Push the button, Max!"

Really, this entire movie is just filled with great moments.

"He's already attracted to her. Time and monotony will do the rest."

[–] elena-28 11 years ago

Max and Leslie preparing to rescue the prisoners and revealing their NY roots:

Leslie: Are you sure dare dare? ("Are you sure they're there?")
Max: "Dare dare! Dare dare! ("They're there! They're there!")

When Fate spills wine on himself because his hands are bandaged, Max, in solidarity, pours wine on himself. Of course, later on, when he fills Fate's pants with foam in retaliation for Fate filling his, well, that's a little different.

[–] grstmc 11 years ago

I've always liked the vastly underated Larry Storch, who peaked with "F Troop", and has been known for very little since. All in all, still not too bad of a legacy since his Cpl. Agarn will remain a hilarious character forever.

The arrival of his Texas Jack character in "Great Race" is warily anticipated, supposedly the baddest, meanest, most dangerous dude for miles around.

He finally shows up, and the mayor (I think) tells him that they don't want no trouble. And what does the dangerous Texas Jack say?

"Fiddle dee dee"

Makes me laugh every single time.