Column Chronicles: Would-be famous movie quotes, part three

Would-be famous movie quotes, part three

Frank Cotolo
December 7, 2017

Here's even more of what I discovered when searching the archives of edited scenes from famous films. Thanks to a friend I have who has access to the movie archives of a once big time studio, I was able to witness some of the parts edited from famous movies and made a list of great monologue and dialogue that may have become as famous.

RAGING BULL
A powerful few lines that director Martin Scorsese cut from this famous movie was from the scene where Jake LaMotta scorns himself for seducing underaged girls.

JAKE: You know that if a girl has a pack of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Candies in her blouse that she ain't eighteen. What is wrong with you?

THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE
In the original movie with Frank Sinatra, there was another brainwashing scene where actor Lawrence Harvey's character tried to talk Frank Sinatra’s character into choking himself. According to a member of the movie crew, Sinatra's performance was superb and left the crew in awe. However, a consultant for the movie told the director that the scene was unrealistic and would make people laugh, even though he admitted it could have meant another Oscar for Sinatra.

BATMAN
Michael Keaton tried to convince director Tim Burton that Batman should be able to fly on his own. Burton wrote and shot a scene where Batman's alter-ego, Bruce Wayne, explains the power. It was cut from the movie because Jack Nicholson, playing The Joker, threatened to leave the production if The Joker was not able to fly, too.

WAYNE: I don't know how it happened but I remember it was dark and I could see, like a bat can see in the dark, and I put on my new Batman uniform except for my cowl and started flapping my arms quickly, like a bat, and the same sound like bat wings make came from my arms. Suddenly I was airborne and able to fly around in any direction at any time and I flew to the highest point in suburban Gotham City, where I became afraid. I thought, what if I am a carrier of rabies, like real bats?

FAIL SAFE
Most of the movie's scenes including the character of the President of the U.S. were shot, as two actors other than Henry Fonda, who is in the final cut, portrayed the Commander-in-Chief. All of the dialogue was changed when Fonda got the part. Here are some of the lines spoken by actors that were cut from the movie after playing the President.

ART CARNEY (as prexy): Hey hee, what ah ya think those Ruskies are gonna do, shoot down the planes? And why are we worried if we don't even know if anyone armed our jets with nukes?

JACK LEMMON (as prexy): W-w-w-w-what do you mean the soldiers on the plane won't listen to the President? By gawd, I am the P-p-resident. They have to listen... to me... the President.

Frank Cotolo can be found hosting the talk and interview programme Cotolo Chronicles. You can send him an e-mail at this address: frank@148.ca.