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Houston we have a problem: Most misquoted movie lines of all time

One of the most famous scenes in the 1980 hit, "Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back," is also commonly misquoted.

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(Photo by Pixabay via Pexels)

By Mustafa Mirreh, 72Point via SWNS

The most misquoted movie line of all time has been revealed as the iconic “Houston, we have a problem,” from Universal Pictures’ "Apollo 13."

Despite this being one of the most memorable scenes from the movie, less than half of the 2,000 adults polled knew the true sentence from the astronaut in real life is “Ah Houston, we’ve had a problem."

Other famous lines to feature in the top 10 misquoted phrases included “Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who is the fairest of them all,” from "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs."

In fact, the correct line is actually “Magic mirror, on the wall, who is the fairest of them all."

And many didn’t realize the real quote in "Casablanca," is “Play it Sam, play 'As Time Goes By,'" rather than simply “Play it again, Sam” – which is commonly quoted.

Another line often repeated incorrectly is “Twas Beauty killed the beast,” from the final line of "King Kong," when it should actually be “Oh, no, it wasn’t the airplanes, it was Beauty killed the beast."

The research was commissioned by Clipology, a brand new board game that streams real content clips, which has you guessing the most iconic quotations from popular films and television shows.

“When there are so many brilliant movie quotes to remember, it’s understandable for people to get some muddled up, even some of the classics from the golden era of world cinema," said TV and film expert Boyd Hilton.

“Even when a line has only been slightly altered, it can change the context of the whole movie. For example, 'Oh, no, it wasn't the airplanes, it was Beauty killed the beast' is the final line from the 'King Kong' film.

“You need to remember the whole sentence to get the full effect. There are many ways to remember the classic movie quotes of all time – whether that’s through games such as Clipology, online, or simply watching them on television.”

Furthermore, “Fasten your seat belts, it’s going to be a bumpy night,” from "All About Eve," is often quoted wrong as “Fasten your seat belts, it’s going to be a bumpy ride."

And “Take your stinking paws off me, you damn dirty ape,” from "Planet of the Apes," is often incorrectly recited as “Get your stinking paws off me, you damn dirty ape."

One of the most famous scenes in the 1980 hit, "Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back," is also commonly misquoted – the real line is “No, I am your father,” but many say “Luke, I am your father."

The study also found almost a third (29 percent) have fallen into arguments over misheard movie quotes, with 37 percent resorting to searching the lines online to check what the actual quote was.

What’s more, nearly half (56 percent) of those who get things wrong will ask people to repeat themselves to hear it a second time.

It also emerged 38 percent of those polled, via OnePoll, use film quotes in real life – with “Here’s Johnny” from horror classic "The Shining," and “If you build it, he will come” from "Field of Dreams," among the most popular.

Other lines regularly recited include “You’re going to need a bigger boat” from "JAWS," “Do I feel lucky? Well, do you punk?” from "Dirty Harry," and “I’m the king of the world!” from "Titanic."

But despite referencing such movie quotes to others, 41 percent never understood what they were saying to them.

General manager David Norman said: “There is a whole collection of films that relate to real-life scenarios, so it’s completely normal for people to use or remember the famous lines during their daily lives.

“We’re excited to launch Clipology, so why not test your movie knowledge against your friends and family to see who comes out on top.”

Top 10 Correct Movie Lines Which are Often Misquoted:

1. Ah Houston, we’ve had a problem – "Apollo 13"
2. If you build it, he will come – "Field of Dreams"
3. Magic mirror, on the wall, who is the fairest of them all – "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs"
4. Play it Sam, play “As Time Goes By” – "Casablanca"
5. You’re going to need a bigger boat – "JAWS"
6. Oh, no, it wasn't the airplanes, it was Beauty killed the Beast – "King Kong" (1933)
7. No, I am your father – "Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back"
8. “Do I feel lucky?” Well, do ya punk? – "Dirty Harry"
9. Fasten your seat belts, it’s going to be a bumpy night – "All About Eve"
10. Take your stinking paws off me, you damn dirty ape – "Planet of the Apes"

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