It was so outrageous, so taboo and so frowned upon in its time that it almost never made the film.

But on a CBS special Tuesday night, Rhett Butler’s “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn” was named the most memorable quote ever by the American Film Institute (AFI).

Butler’s timeless last words to Scarlett O’Hara in Gone With the Wind beat the second place quote, Marlon Brando’s “I’m going to make him an offer he can’t refuse,” which was uttered in 1972’s The Godfather.

Brando’s “I coulda been a contender” speech from the 1954 film, On the Waterfront, also made the top ten, coming in at third place.

The AFI polled 1,500 people in Hollywood for the top 100 quotes of all time. The winners were picked out of 400 contenders.

Voting criteria included the quote’s ability to invoke its film and the level of its cultural impact.

“They get into our everyday language,” AFI director Jean Picker Firstenberg said of the quotes. “They become a common language that we can all relate to and empathize with.”

Of all movies, Casablanca had the most top 100 entries with six. Its star, Humphrey Bogart, had the most mentions on the list with 10 quotes.

Also featured in the top 10 were:

-”Toto, I’ve got a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore” from The Wizard of Oz (No. 4).

-”Here’s looking at you, kid” from Casablanca (No. 5).

-”Go ahead, make my day” from Sudden Impact (No. 6).

-”All right, Mr. DeMille, I’m ready for my close-up” from Sunset Boulevard (No. 7).

-”May the Force be with You” from Star Wars (No. 8).

-”Fasten your seatbelts. It’s going to be a bumpy night” from All About Eve (No. 9).

-”You talking to me?” from Taxi Driver (No. 10).






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