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TV'S 50 FUNNIEST PHRASES: A PALEY CENTER FOR MEDIA SPECIAL (TV)

Summary

This comedy special, produced by The Paley Center for Media, examines the all-time funniest phrases on television as voted by the viewers. Examined through clips and brief interviews with the actors who spoke them and others, the program counts down the top fifty favorite lines: number 50 is “Hello, Newman” from “Seinfeld.” Number 49 is “Missed it by that much” from “Get Smart,” featuring comments from “Will and Grace” actor Eric McCormack. Number 48 is “Yeah, that’s the ticket” from the “Pathological Liars Anonymous” sketch on “Saturday Night Live,” as spoken by Jon Lovitz, who offers comments. Number 47 is “God’ll get you for that” from “Maude,” featuring comments from producer Norman Lear. Number 46 is “Hey, hey, hey!” from “What’s Happening!!”, originally from “Fat Albert,” featuring comments from “That ‘70s Show” actor Ashton Kutcher. Number 45 is “Holy crap!” from “Everybody Loves Raymond.” Number 44 is “Let me show you something!” from the “Fire Marshall Bill” sketch on “In Living Color,” featuring comments from creator Keenan Ivory Wayans. Number 43 is “Nip it!” from “The Andy Griffith Show.” Number 42 is “Thank you beddy much” from “Taxi,” originating from Andy Kaufman’s stand-up comedy routine, as explained by co-star Judd Hirsch. Number 41 is “Do you wanna hug it out?” from “Entourage.” Number 40 is “Watch it, sucka!” from “Sanford and Son,” featuring comments from Wayans.

Number 39 is “Jane, you ignorant slut!” from the “Weekend Update” sketch on “Saturday Night Live.” Number 38 is “Mom liked you best!” from “The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.” Number 37 is “Sit on it!” from “Happy Days,” featuring comments from actor Henry Winkler. Number 36 is “Now cut that out!” from “The Jack Benny Comedy Program.” Number 35 is “I’m Larry, this is my brother Darryl, and this is my other brother Darryl” from “Newhart.” Number 34 is “What you see is what you get” from Flip Wilson’s drag persona “Geraldine” on “The Flip Wilson Show.” Number 33 is “I’ve made a huge mistake” from “Arrested Development.” Number 32 is “I know nothing!” from “Hogan’s Heroes.” Number 31 is “Here come de judge!” from “Laugh In,” featuring comments from producer George Schlatter. Number 30 is “You look mahvelous!” from the “Fernando’s Hideaway” sketch on “Saturday Night Live.”

Number 29 is “I’m comin’ to join ya, Elizabeth!” from “Sanford and Son,” featuring comments from Lear. Number 28 is “Would you believe…?” from “Get Smart.” Number 27 is “Up your nose with a rubber hose!” from “Welcome Back Kotter,” featuring comments from actor Gabe Kaplan. Number 26 is “Ohhhh, Rob!” from “The Dick Van Dyke Show,” featuring comments from Schlatter. Number 25 is “Kiss my grits!” from “Alice,” featuring comments from actress Polly Holliday. Number 24 is “Nanu, nanu” from “Happy Days” spinoff “Mork and Mindy,” featuring comments from Winkler. Number 23 is “Don’t be ridiculous” from “Perfect Strangers,” featuring comments from actor Mark Linn-Baker. Number 22 is “I’m Gumby, dammit!” from “Saturday Night Live.” Number 21 is “No soup for you!” from “Seinfeld,” featuring comments from McCormack. Number 20 is “One of these days, pow! Right in the kisser!” from “The Honeymooners,” featuring comments from Kaplan.

Number 19 is “Did I do that?” from “Family Matters.” Number 18 is “Will you stifle?!” from “All in the Family,” featuring comments from Lear. Number 17 is “Eat my shorts!” from “The Simpsons.” Number 16 is “Hated it!” from the “Men on Film” sketch on “In Living Color,” featuring comments from Wayans. Number 15 is “Well, isn’t that special?” from the “Church Chat” sketch on “Saturday Night Live,” featuring comments from Lovitz. Number 14 is “Sock it to me” from “Laugh In,” featuring comments from Schlatter. Number 13 is “We were on a break!” from “Friends.” Number 12 is “That’s what she said!” from “The Office,” featuring comments from actor Rainn Wilson. Number 11 is “It’s going to be legendary!” from “How I Met Your Mother.”

Number ten is “Homey don’t play dat” from the “Homey the Clown” sketch on “In Living Color,” featuring comments from Wayans. Number nine is “Excuuuuse me!” from “Saturday Night Live.” Number eight is “Lucy, you’ve got some ‘splainin’ to do” from “I Love Lucy,” although it is explained that the phrase was never spoken exactly on the show, the closest versions being “Lucy, ‘splain!” and “All right, start ‘splanin’.” Number seven is “Oh my god! They killed Kenny!” from “South Park.” Number six is “Burn!” from “That ‘70s Show,” featuring comments from Kutcher. Number five is “We are two wild and crazy guys!” from the “Two Wild and Crazy Guys” sketch on “Saturday Night Live.” Number four is “Ayyyy!” from “Happy Days,” featuring comments from Winkler. Number three is “How you doin’?” from “Friends.” Number two is “D’oh!” from “The Simpsons.” And the number-one funniest phrase in television history is “Yada, yada, yada” from “Seinfeld.”

Other genre-specific phrases are listed in increments through the program, including: the top three phrases from reality shows: “The tribe has spoken” from “Survivor”; “That’s hot” from “The Simple Life”; and “You’re fired” from “The Apprentice.” The top three phrases from game shows: “Come on down!” from “The Price is Right”; “Deal or no deal?” from the titular show; and “Is that your final answer?” from “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?”. The top three science fiction phrases: “You’ve just crossed over into the Twilight Zone” from the titular show; “Trust no one” from “The X-Files,” and the oft-misquoted “Scotty, beam us up” from “Star Trek.” The top three action-adventure phrases: “One other thing…” from “Columbo”; “De plane! De plane!” from “Fantasy Island”; and “Who loves ya, baby?” from “Kojak.”

Details

  • NETWORK: NBC
  • DATE: May 26, 2009 8:00 PM
  • RUNNING TIME: 1:26:00
  • COLOR/B&W: Color
  • CATALOG ID: 100158
  • GENRE: Specials; Comedy
  • SUBJECT HEADING: Comedy; Women's Collection - Comedy
  • SERIES RUN: NBC - TV, 2009
  • COMMERCIALS: N/A

CREDITS

  • Pat Mitchell … Executive Producer
  • Diane Lewis … Executive Producer
  • John Wolters … Executive Producer
  • Brad Lachman … Executive Producer, Director
  • Danette Herman … Coordinating Producer
  • Bill Bracken … Supervising Producer
  • Garry Bormet … Producer, Writer
  • Brian Rhodes … Line Producer
  • Lisa Kane … Media Producer
  • Matt Lachman … Segment Producer
  • James Tumminia … Segment Producer
  • Paul Raff … Writer
  • Judd Hirsch
  • Polly Holliday
  • Gabe Kaplan
  • Andy Kaufman
  • Ashton Kutcher
  • Norman Lear
  • Mark Linn-Baker
  • Jon Lovitz
  • Eric McCormack
  • George Schlatter
  • Keenan Ivory Wayans
  • Flip Wilson
  • Rainn Wilson
  • Henry Winkler