Funny Quotes to Brighten Your Day Quiz

Answer: My Fair Lady

There is no shortage of humour in the 1964 film version of the Lerner and Loewe musical "My Fair Lady", based in turn on George Bernard Shaw's play "Pygmalion". The battle of wills between Cockney flower girl Eliza Doolittle (Audrey Hepburn) and phonetics professor Henry Higgins (Rex Harrison) is rife with hilarious moments, as are the scenes featuring Eliza's opportunistic father, Alfred (Stanley Holloway). However, the scene that contains the above quote has been a personal favourite of mine ever since I watched the movie for the first time.

Clad in a stunning black and white dress designed by Cecil Beaton, Eliza is taken by Higgins and his friend, Colonel Pickering (Wilfrid Hyde-White), to the famed Ascot Racecourse, where she is introduced to various members of the English upper crust. The whole scene is extremely amusing, as poor Eliza has finally gained a perfect upper-class accent after months of practice, but has clearly no idea of what to say in that particular social context. While her beauty and poise do not fail to impress one of the young men present, Freddy Eynsford-Hill (Jeremy Brett), during the race she lapses into Cockney while cheering on a horse - causing a lady to faint in shock.

Answer: The Blues Brothers

Picking a funny quote from a movie such as John Landis' "The Blues Brothers" (1980) is not easy, as the film is jam-packed some of the most uproariously funny scenes ever committed to a screen. The two titular characters, Jake (John Belushi) and Elwood (Dan Aykroyd) each have their distinctive acting styles - Aykroyd excelling in deadpan delivery, and Belushi relying more on physical gags. The supporting cast - which includes guest appearances by iconic musicians such as James Brown, Aretha Franklin and Ray Charles - prove to be as apt at comedy as they are at music.

The above quote is spoken during the breathtaking car chase leading to the film's climax at the Chicago City Hall. Among those in hot pursuit of the two main characters in their battered Bluesmobile, there are the Head of the Illinois Nazis (Henry Gibson) and the Gruppenführer (Eugene J. Anthony) - who, as their car is plummeting off an unfinished bridge in slow motion, declares his love to his superior. The scene is made even more hilarious by its musical accompaniment - quite fittingly, Richard Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries".

Answer: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

The first episode in Peter Jackson's "The Lord of the Rings" film trilogy (released in 2001) contains various funny moments that provide light relief in a story that is anything but comical. Along with Gimli the Dwarf (John Rhys-Davies), the dynamic hobbit duo of Peregrin "Pippin" Took (Billy Boyd) and his cousin Meriadoc "Merry" Brandybuck (Dominic Monaghan) are responsible for injecting a measure of humour in this epic tale.

The scene that contains this snippet of dialogue between Pippin and Merry takes place after the four hobbits' meeting with the mysterious Strider at the Prancing Pony inn in Bree. While the party are walking through wild country in the direction of Rivendell, the hobbits try to stop to cook some food, but Strider urges them on. That is when a disappointed Pippin wonders whether he is acquainted with the string of meals hobbits love to indulge in during an average day. The scene ends with Strider tossing apples to the two hobbits - one of them, to add insult to injury, hitting Pippin on the head.

Answer: Some Like It Hot

Billy Wilder's "Some Like It Hot" (1959) is widely regarded as one of the greatest films of all time - as well as one of the funniest. The irresistible antics of cross-dressing Joe (Tony Curtis) and Jerry (Jack Lemmon) - two jazz musicians who accidentally witness a Mafia massacre - are coupled with one of Marilyn Monroe's most endearing screen appearances as archetypal ditzy blonde Sugar Kane. The movie's well-deserved critical and commercial success is believed to have been one of the factors behind the retirement of the Hays Code, which set guidelines on the depiction of a number of taboo topics on screen.

"Some Like It Hot" is a veritable trove of hilarious quotes. However, the one mentioned here also enjoys the distinction of being one of the greatest movie endings ever - in which Jerry (still disguised as Daphne) unsuccessfully tries to convince aging millionaire Osgood Fielding III (Joe E. Brown) to break off their engagement.

Answer: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Many of the funniest moments in the "Harry Potter" series of films come courtesy of the Weasley twins, Fred and George (portrayed by identical twins James and Oliver Phelps) - a duo of merry pranksters whose quips and practical jokes are a constant source of amusement. Such is their dedication to the art of the prank that, in the course of the story, they set up their own joke shop, Wesley's Wizard Wheezes, which becomes a big hit with the wizarding community.

Like the book on which it is based, the fourth of the "Harry Potter" movies, directed by Mike Newell and released in 2005, revolves around the Triwizard Tournament hosted by Hogwarts. The first part of the above quote is taken from the solemn speech given by Professor Minerva McGonagall (Maggie Smith) to the members of the house of Gryffindor (whose head she is) prior to the Yule Ball hosted by the school on Christmas Eve. The twins, of course, cannot refrain from commenting on this rather impressive use of alliteration.

Answer: Singin' in the Rain

Another bona-fide classic of musical cinema, "Singin' in the Rain" (1952) is a treat for lovers of humour as well as top-notch singing and dancing. The story is set at the time of the transition between silent movies and "talkies" - when previously successful actors needed to adapt to the change, or else see their career founder. Much of the hilarity quotient in the film hinges on the character of Lina Lamont (Jean Hagen), a beautiful but rather inept actress, regularly cast in romantic movies with her screen partner Don Lockwood (Gene Kelly) - who can barely stand her, though she believes him to be in love with her.

The unexpected success of "The Jazz Singer" forces the producers of the next Lockwood and Lamont film to convert it into a talkie - which leads to a string of problems, including Lina's unpleasantly high-pitched voice and questionable diction. The above quote - uttered by Don's best friend, Cosmo Brown (Donald O'Connor) - immediately follows one of the movie's key dance numbers, "Good Morning", performed by Cosmo, Don and Kathy Selden (Debbie Reynolds). The latter, a young actress and Don's love interest, is eventually recruited to dub Lina's voice to save the production.

Answer: Four Weddings and a Funeral

One of the funniest movies released towards the end of the 20th century, Mike Newell's "Four Weddings and a Funeral" made a star out of Hugh Grant, who portrays the lovable bachelor Charles bumbling his way through the titular five ceremonies and dealing with his feelings for beautiful American Carrie (Andie McDowell). The film is also a showcase for a number of talented English actors, both upcoming and established names.

The above quote is uttered by Gareth (Simon Callow), one of Charles' close circle of friends, and a larger-than-life character, during the third of the four titular weddings - in which Carrie weds wealthy Scotsman Hamish (Corin Redgrave) in his sumptuous Highland castle. At the reception, Gareth takes it upon himself to make fun of the American guests and their ignorance - here exemplified by the belief that Oscar Wilde (who died in 1900) may still be alive.

Answer: Arsenic and Old Lace

Based on the play of the same name by Joseph Kesselring, "Arsenic and Old Lace" (1944) combines black humour with screwball comedy - a subgenre of the romantic comedy in which leading man Cary Grant excelled. The title refers to Abby (Josephine Hull) and Martha Brewster (Jean Adair), two darling old ladies whose life mission is ending lonely old men's "suffering" by serving them elderberry wine spiked with various poisons. After his marriage to the lovely Elaine Harper (Priscilla Lane), Mortimer Brewster (Grant), the ladies' nephew, is forced to confront his dysfunctional family - with hilarious results.

Mortimer utters the above quote when he visits Elaine at her parents' home, and - deeply upset by all that has transpired during his own visit to his family home - shares with her his worry about their marriage because of his family's insanity. Thinking that Mortimer is referring to his delusional but harmless younger brother, Teddy (John Alexander), who believes himself to be Theodore Rosevelt, Elaine shuts him up with a passionate kiss.

Answer: Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope

Released in 1977, the very first movie of the "Star Wars" saga may be mainly known as a grandiose space opera with cutting-edge special effects, but it does also contain its fair share of funny moments to relieve the tension of its epic good-versus-evil plot. Along with the droid duo of C-3PO (Anthony Daniels) and R2-D2 (Kenny Baker), much of the humour in the film is due to the charismatic presence of Han Solo (Harrison Ford), a galactic smuggler that eventually joins the cause of the Rebel Alliance.

The above quote is one of the many examples of the banter between cynical tough-guy Solo and Princess Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher), whose abrasive relationship slowly turns into mutual attraction. Rescued from execution by Solo, his co-pilot Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew) and Luke Skywalker, Leia initially objects to Han's independent nature, while he finds her overbearing and is less than impressed by her lineage.

Answer: The Sound of Music

Released in 1965, the enduringly popular film adaptation of the Rodgers-Hammerstein musical based on the memoir of Maria von Trapp (though with considerable artistic license) is a quintessential feel-good movie brimming with great acting performances, iconic musical numbers and humorous quotes. As well as receiving a number of accolades such as Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Director, the film reinforced Julie Andrews' star status after her Oscar-winning turn in "Mary Poppins" (1964).

Maria (portrayed by Andrews as a delightfully free-spirited young woman) utters the above quote at the beginning of the movie, when - following her performance of the song "The Sound of Music" - she is summoned by the Mother Abbess (Peggy Wood). Maria profusely apologizes for her constant lapses from discipline, which Sister Berthe tries to curb by having her kiss the floor as a form of penance. Then the Abbess tells Maria about her upcoming appointment as a governess for the von Trapp children, impressing that it will provide her with a way to do the will of God outside the walls of the convent.