"Live fast,die young,have a good-looking corpse"
Madhu Krishnaswamy
Taradash in 1949. I saw it for the first time today and couldn't help
wondering if those allegations of plagiarism against Quentin Tarantino
have some merit. As far as I recall, Christian Slater doesn't refer to this
film when he utters the same line in "True Romance". I suppose an argument
could be made that Clarence was an avid movie fan and was simply parroting
lines from films that he saw. Still, since much of the accolades QT receives
are for his screenplays, it doesn't look good if some good lines even appear
to have been "borrowed".
Jason Forrest
: This line was in a film called "Knock on Any Door", written by Daniel
: Taradash in 1949. I saw it for the first time today and couldn't help
: wondering if those allegations of plagiarism against Quentin Tarantino
: have some merit.
God, and you think he was the first person to ever have said it? You
think there was a copyright on the term? Maybe every author should sue
every other author. Maybe Tarantino should sue Slater for using it in his
Playboy interview while talking about his own life...!
Jay
Ted Thompson
(Madhu Krishnaswamy) wrote:
> This line was in a film called "Knock on Any Door", written by Daniel
> Taradash in 1949. I saw it for the first time today and couldn't help
> wondering if those allegations of plagiarism against Quentin Tarantino
> have some merit. As far as I recall, Christian Slater doesn't refer to this
> film when he utters the same line in "True Romance". I suppose an argument
> could be made that Clarence was an avid movie fan and was simply parroting
> lines from films that he saw. Still, since much of the accolades QT receives
> are for his screenplays, it doesn't look good if some good lines even appear
> to have been "borrowed".
The line actually came from the original book, "Knock on Any Door", by
Willard Motley.
J.D. Baldwin
<kri...@ee.ualberta.ca> wrote:
>This line was in a film called "Knock on Any Door", written by Daniel
>Taradash in 1949. I saw it for the first time today and couldn't help
>wondering if those allegations of plagiarism against Quentin Tarantino have
>some merit. As far as I recall, Christian Slater doesn't refer to this film
>when he utters the same line in "True Romance". I suppose an argument could
>be made that Clarence was an avid movie fan and was simply parroting lines
>from films that he saw. Still, since much of the accolades QT receives are
>for his screenplays, it doesn't look good if some good lines even appear to
>have been "borrowed".
This phrase has, as they say, "entered the language." It (or close
variations thereon) appears in a few different rock songs: "Live fast, love
hard, die young . . . [and leave a beautiful memory]" by Nick Lowe springs
to mind.
If characters in movies had to give credit every time they used a line like
this, screenplays would get pretty awkward. Imagine Dennis Hopper in
"Speed," operating under this restriction:
"'"Be prepared," that's the Boy Scouts' marching song.' Copyright 1959 by
Tom Lehrer, man."
--
From the catapult of: |+| "If anyone disagrees with anything I
_,_ J.D. Baldwin |+| say, I am quite prepared not only to
_|70|___:::)=}- |+| retract it, but also to deny under
\ / bal...@netcom.com |+| oath that I ever said it." --T. Lehrer
~~~~~~~~~---------------------------------------------------------------------
Edward Johnson-ott
>
>Madhu Krishnaswamy (kri...@ee.ualberta.ca) wrote:
>: This line was in a film called "Knock on Any Door", written by Daniel
>: Taradash in 1949. I saw it for the first time today and couldn't help
>: wondering if those allegations of plagiarism against Quentin Tarantino
>: have some merit.
>
> God, and you think he was the first person to ever have said it? You
>think there was a copyright on the term? Maybe every author should sue
>every other author. Maybe Tarantino should sue Slater for using it in
his
>Playboy interview while talking about his own life...!
> Jay
Jay,
Actually, I believe the first person to ever say that was Jesus.
Ed Johnson-Ott
Ian A. Martin
: Jay,
: Ed Johnson-Ott
On a more serious note... <g> Tom Waits used the line on his album
_Heartattack_And_Vine_. I can't remeber which song, the tile cut I think.
I'm too lazy to check it.
--
The Ropiest Guy on the 'Net
****************************************************************
* Ian Alexander Martin * ro...@freenet.vancouver.bc.ca *
****************************************************************
* "Those without dreams will sleep forever" - me *
****************************************************************
Paul Friedland
>This line was in a film called "Knock on Any Door", written by Daniel
>Taradash in 1949. I saw it for the first time today and couldn't help
>wondering if those allegations of plagiarism against Quentin Tarantino
>film when he utters the same line in "True Romance". I suppose an argument
>could be made that Clarence was an avid movie fan and was simply parroting
>lines from films that he saw. Still, since much of the accolades QT receives
>are for his screenplays, it doesn't look good if some good lines even appear
>to have been "borrowed".
Are you sure that _Knock on Any Door_ originated the quote? If
not, could it be that the quote is public domain? I know that
I've been hearing for years and years. It sounds like something
Oscar Wilde would have said.
LOTS of things get said again and again and again. They're called
cliches. Sometimes the origins are obscure, sometimes they can
be attributed, but either way, it's only plagerism if you claim
you wrote it, and you didn't. Does Tarantino claim it was original?
I gotta go now. Paul
Kevin Cole
Madhu Krishnaswamy
>In article <3n7d3d$j...@rover.ucs.ualberta.ca>, Madhu Krishnaswamy
><kri...@ee.ualberta.ca> wrote:
>>This line was in a film called "Knock on Any Door", written by Daniel
>>Taradash in 1949. I saw it for the first time today and couldn't help
>>wondering if those allegations of plagiarism against Quentin Tarantino have
>>some merit. As far as I recall, Christian Slater doesn't refer to this film
>>when he utters the same line in "True Romance". I suppose an argument could
>>be made that Clarence was an avid movie fan and was simply parroting lines
>>from films that he saw. Still, since much of the accolades QT receives are
>>for his screenplays, it doesn't look good if some good lines even appear to
>>have been "borrowed".
>This phrase has, as they say, "entered the language." It (or close
>variations thereon) appears in a few different rock songs: "Live fast, love
>hard, die young . . . [and leave a beautiful memory]" by Nick Lowe springs
>to mind.
>If characters in movies had to give credit every time they used a line like
>this, screenplays would get pretty awkward. Imagine Dennis Hopper in
>"Speed," operating under this restriction:
>"'"Be prepared," that's the Boy Scouts' marching song.' Copyright 1959 by
>Tom Lehrer, man."
With Dennis Hopper saying it, it just might have worked. This is a movie where
the height of eloquence was "Hold on" and "What do you do? (in duplicate)".
The scrutiny wasn't exactly on plagiarism. On the question of "live fast....",
I yield. I didn't realize that this expression had become a cliche. I will
maintain that QT should have steered clear of it. A series of rip-offs is
what leads to a cliche. Somebody deserves credit for this line (whether
it is Taradash or Motley or Jesus) and chances are that it is fairly recent
(they didn't throw around the word "corpse" so freely back in the B.C).
Come to think of it, it isn't even all that good of a line. So, i wont waste
any more cyberspace on this thread.
Dan Hartung
><kri...@ee.ualberta.ca> wrote:
>>This line was in a film called "Knock on Any Door", written by Daniel
>>Taradash in 1949. I saw it for the first time today and couldn't help
>>wondering if those allegations of plagiarism against Quentin Tarantino have
>
>This phrase has, as they say, "entered the language." It (or close
>variations thereon) appears in a few different rock songs: "Live fast, love
>hard, die young . . . [and leave a beautiful memory]" by Nick Lowe springs
>to mind.
Basically, you're right.
>If characters in movies had to give credit every time they used a line like
>this, screenplays would get pretty awkward. Imagine Dennis Hopper in
>"Speed," operating under this restriction:
>
>"'"Be prepared," that's the Boy Scouts' marching song.' Copyright 1959 by
>Tom Lehrer, man."
No, it would be.
"'Be prepared," that's the Boy Scouts' marching song.' Copyright 1959 by
TOM FUCKING LEHRER, man."
--
* Daniel A. Hartung * dhar...@mcs.com * http://www.mcs.net/~dhartung/ *
* rmgroup misc.activism.militia * Check out the new hierarchy *
* rmgroup them about 20 feet deep * for the arts & humanities! *
* rmgroup them under a ton of rubble. * Read humanities.misc! *
Michael Daviduke
: bal...@netcom.com (J.D. Baldwin) wrote:
: ><kri...@ee.ualberta.ca> wrote:
: >>This line was in a film called "Knock on Any Door", written by Daniel
: >>Taradash in 1949.
(deletoids)
Spoken, by the way, by a very young John Derek.
regards,
michael
Opinions espresso'd have been forced through a premium Gaggia machine at
a pressure of several atmospheres.
Ian A. Martin
: Dan Hartung (dhar...@mcs.com) wrote:
: : bal...@netcom.com (J.D. Baldwin) wrote:
: : ><kri...@ee.ualberta.ca> wrote:
: : >>This line was in a film called "Knock on Any Door", written by Daniel
: : >>Taradash in 1949.
: (deletoids)
: Spoken, by the way, by a very young John Derek.
: regards,
: michael
It was also quoted in an song on Tom WAit's album
_Hollywood_And_Vine_ I'm to lazy to figure out which one. It seems to
fit so well in his cynical view of the world while enjoying himself.
Ted Thompson
> : : >>This line was in a film called "Knock on Any Door", written by Daniel
> : : >>Taradash in 1949.
This line was not written by Daniel Taradash. The line is from the book
"Knock on Any Door", written by Willard Motley.