3. Jaws (1975)
The Misquote: "Were gonna need a bigger boat."
The Real Quote: "Youre going to need a bigger boat."
Why It Was Misquoted: If the legends are true, Roy Schneider adlibbed Jaws most iconic line (
and was presumably not inspired by an overly loud stage hand). An adlib is rarely going to be as linguistically coherent as a perfected screenplay, but in this case it perfectly captures the moment. As in many cases, out of context Were makes more sense, but in the moment, given Sheriff Brodys distance from Quint, it couldn't have been anything buy Youre.
2. Casablanca (1942)
The Misquote: "Play it again, Sam."
The Real Quote: "Play it once, Sam, for old times sake, play As Time Goes By."
Why It Was Misquoted: Possibly the most famous misquoted line of all time, 'Play it again, Sam' has become as synonymous with Casablanca as As Time Goes By itself. It comes probably entirely from the simple ease of the misquote, but the film Play It Again Sam, written by and starring Woody Allen cant have helped; presenting an obsessed fan, although the title is itself playing on the misquote, it brings it to a greater audience. This is one of the lines I have the most problem with; there is something sheerly brilliant about how lyrical Ingrid Bergman's line is and to have it altered in any way is a disservice to Casablanca. But it is not quite as henous as the Number 1 misquote on the list. Click next to find out what it is (if you haven't already guessed)...