Pop Cultural Osmosis / Live-Action Films

• The Chest Burster scene from Alien and the power loader scene from Aliens are two of the most widely referenced and parodied moments in modern film. Even if you haven't seen the movies, you know those scenes, or at the very least the line:
  Ripley: Get away from her, you bitch!
• The 1925 Russian film Bronenosets Potyomkin, usually called Battleship Potemkin in English-language sources, is generally considered hugely influential in later cinema. There is a particular scene set on some stairs leading down to the harbour in Odessa which has been imitated several times, including in The Untouchables (1987) and one of the Naked Gun films. It is reasonable to assume that, in modern times at least, more people who are not cineasts will have seen these homages/parodies than have seen the original film.
  • Battleship Potemkin is parodied with the title Battleship Kotemkin in the 1976 Italian comedy movie Il Secondo Tragico Fantozzi (the second of a long series based on a few corporate satire / dark humor books with protagonist accountant Ugo Fantozzi) and it's portrayed as overly long and overly boring artsy film. In this chapter of the Fantozzi series, one of the new executives of the company that employs Fantozzi is a fanatic cineast who forces everyone in his department to attend film screenings and discussions after work hours. When he sets up one of those screenings the same night of the final European Cup football match, Fantozzi opens the debate after the screening with the iconic line "Battleship Kotemkin is crazy bulls**t!" and everyone revolts. Hilarity ensues and the exec is forced to screen loads of terrible B-movies as punishment. To this day most Italians think that Battleship Potemkin is a movie that lasts several hours, it's hard to understand and generally liked only by snobs.
  • In some versions, Fantozzi and the other "revolutionaries" eventually burn the copy of the film Battleship Kotemkin and are then sentenced by the court to re-enact the Odessa stairs sequence every week, the exec ('dottore') posing as the director and Fantozzi literally appearing as the baby in the pram.
• By now, a notable percentage of the people who reference Citizen Kane as a cinema classic and could recognize the opening scene from any one second of footage have actually never seen the film and wouldn't be able to identify any other line, shot or sequence from the whole movie (okay, maybe one).
  • Similarly, Orson Welles has reached more Internet notoriety through out-takes of his 1970s TV commercials where he is audibly drunk and complaining about the bad lines he has to recite. His voice too will probably have many fans of Pinky and the Brain think of The Brain, which was a direct vocal parody of Welles' voice.
• People these days seem to think that "Klaatu Barada Nikto" is that funny nonsense line from Sam Raimi's horror comedy Army of Darkness (1992) (aka The Evil Dead 3) or the names of three 1983 Star Wars toys. Actually, the phrase comes from the black-and-white sci-fi classic The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951), where the sentence is used to stop Gort, the powerful invincible robot of the alien Klaatu, from destroying the Earth as punishment for the humans killing his peaceful master.
• Many Turn of the Millennium Internet users will be familiar with the Scary Maze Game, a Screamer Prank presented as an Unwinnable Joke Game that ends with a girl's Nightmare Face suddenly appearing with a bloodcurdling scream. Many of these same users will be unfamiliar with the girl and her origin — Regan MacNeil from The Exorcist.
• As famous as the 1932 classic Freaks is, many more people are familiar with the parodies and allusions to its "One of us! One of us!" scene out of context. What's more, in these parodies, the phrase often comes off as threatening, the direct opposite of how it's played in the film (although the recipient sees it as such). Parodists also don't seem to remember the "Gooble-gobble" part most of the time, although that's arguably for the best.
• Due to his habit of pastiching rather obscure movies, Quentin Tarantino is perhaps responsible for more Popcultural Osmosis than any other mainstream filmmaker.
  • The light-producing suitcase in Pulp Fiction is a homage to a similar item in the 1955 Film Noir Kiss Me Deadly.
  • When people hear Bobby Womack's "Across 110th Street" nowadays they will probably associate it quicker with the opening scene of Jackie Brown rather than the movie Womack originally wrote it for: Across 110th Street (1972).
  • The yellow track-suit Uma Thurman wears in Kill Bill during the climatic fight scene against O-Ren Ishii will probably remind more people of this film than the movie this costume originally homaged: Game of Death (people tend to associate it more with star Bruce Lee than the film itself). Similarly the song "Flower of Carnage" was originally used in Lady Snowblood and the character Gogo Yubari (played by the same actress in the same outfit) is a direct reference to Battle Royale.
  • The opening of Django Unchained may lead many people into thinking it was written for this movie, while in reality, it is the opening theme of Sergio Corbucci's spaghetti western classic Django.
  • Not too many people know that "pulp fiction" is a term that has been in use long before Tarantino's film. It referred to the hard-boiled crime fiction (i.e. Phillip Marlowe and Sam Spade) that appeared in magazines made from wood-pulp paper throughout the early 20th century.
• Edward G. Robinson's distinct facial features and speech mannerisms have been used for every stereotypical mob boss in animated cartoons, including Rocky and Mugsy in Looney Tunes and the Mob boss of the Ant Hill Gang in Wacky Races.
• The archetypal monocle-wearing German military officer is always a caricature of Erich von Stroheim's stock roles.
• Any imitation of Count Dracula (and often of vampires in general) nowadays is a reference to Bela Lugosi's portrayal of him in the 1931 classic Dracula, down to his Hungarian accent. Similarly, any pop culture appearance of Frankenstein's Monster will be modeled after Boris Karloff's make-up in Frankenstein (1931).
• How many are aware that Bugs Bunny's catchphrase "Of course, you realize this means war!" was lifted from Groucho Marx saying this in Duck Soup and "Ain't I a stinker?" from Lou Costello in Abbott and Costello.
• The voice of puppet character Mortimer Snerd by Edgar Bergen likewise also inspired the dimwitted voice of many cartoon characters.
• The line "Monkeys is the cwaziest peoples [sic]" is heard in a lot of animated cartoons, but actually came from film comedian Lew Lehr's catchphrase.
• When characters in old Looney Tunes or MGM cartoons use the term "Come with me to ze casbah" they are actually referencing the 1937 film Algiers, where Charles Boyer's "Pépé Le Moko" used this line. Note that people will probably not realize this, even if they HAVE seen this movie because it was only used in the trailer, which unfortunately, is lost.
• "Badges? We don't need no stinking badges!" Despite being quoted (albeit, incorrectly) and parodied in pop culture for decades, most people have no idea this line is a reference to the Humphrey Bogart film The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, often attributing its origins to Blazing Saddles instead. However, without the understanding that the line in the latter film is intended to be a parody of the former, the joke itself does not make sense. (The actual, original quote from the film goes, "Badges? We ain't got no badges. We don't need no badges! I don't have to show you any stinkin' badges!")
• Star Trek (2009) has instantly recognizable characters, themes and objects — even for those who have never seen a Star Trek episode in their life.
• Many people associate the line "I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass...and I'm all out of bubblegum." with Duke Nukem rather than with "Rowdy" Roddy Piper's character in They Live!.
• The Valkyries rode helicopters (Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now, Richard Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries"). Also, the famous scene in Apocalypse Now where Colonel Kilgore says, "I love the smell of napalm in the morning," is actually a lot longer than people care to remember making it a cause of Beam Me Up, Scotty!.
• That melody that everybody associates with clown cars and elephants? The one that goes doot-doot-doodle-doo-dah-doot-doot-doo-dah? Enter the Gladiators by Julius Fucik.
  Hypothetical Roman announcer at the Coliseum: And now, in this corner, Brutus the Destroyer! (calliope music)
• Any time-lapse footage of city life is likely to be a reference to Koyaanisqatsi, either directly or indirectly.
• You know how the canonical sound of lasers firing is a sort of "pew pew pew" effect? You can thank Ben Burtt, the audio designer for Star Wars, for that. The original sound effect was created by holding a microphone up to a taut wire while hitting the other end.
• Friday the 13th: Lots of Jason Voorhees expies and parodies have a hockey mask and a chainsaw, despite the "real" Jason not putting the mask on until the third film of the series, and never once using a chainsaw, which probably comes from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
• Mike Myers' line "You put the wrong emPHAsis on the wrong sylLAble" is the one and only reason View From The Top has any kind of lasting pop cultural significance. The saying itself is much older than the 2003 movie.
• Casablanca: Not many people could tell you the plot, but everybody knows "Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine", "Here's looking at you, kid" and "Play it, Sam" (even if, due to all the parodies of that scene, they always misquote that last one as "Play it again, Sam"). And of course, even people who've never seen it still associate "As Time Goes By" with the film even though the song is a good decade older.
• Groundhog Day: Many viewers probably assume the filmmakers thought up the annual event where a groundhog sticking his head up from the ground is celebrated by local people. It is, in fact, a very real tradition. Today, however, the term "Groundhog Day" has become a concept that describes a feeling of having to relive the same day over and over again.
• The Simpsons:
  • The exclamation "D'oh!" is nowadays more closely associated with Homer Simpson's catchphrase than Laurel and Hardy actor James Finlayson, from whom it originated.
  • The theme music of Cape Fear (1962) will be recognized by most Simpsons fans as the leitmotif of Sideshow Bob.
  • Nowadays, people are likely to associate Paint Your Wagon with the Simpsons episode "All Singing, All Dancing" and would probably be amazed that this 1969 film starring Clint Eastwood and Lee Marvin actually exists. In reality, though, the plot is more than just characters singing and dancing about painting a wagon.
• Opening scrolls at the start of a film are now attributed to Star Wars, but they actually originated in the 1930s film serials Flash Gordon.
• The Maurice Chevalier Accent is nowadays used for every French character in English-language comedy. Most people are completely unaware it all originated with Maurice Chevalier's popularity in 1930s Hollywood movies. Chevalier's thick accent made him the stock Frenchman from which all other Frenchmen in comedy and animation are now derived. And if they do not use that accent, they use Inspector Clouseau's. (Peter Sellers)
• Thanks to The Shining the line "Here's Johnny!" has become the thing you shout when you cut your way through a door with an axe and stick your menacing face through the hole. That this line was Ed McMahon's way of introducing Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show is only remembered by older American TV watchers or by The Noddy Shop viewers since some episodes spoof this when Johnny Crawfish tells a joke.
  • Also, scenes of a villain chopping through a door with an axe generally cause viewers to think of The Shining. In fact, the first time it appeared in film was in Broken Blossoms, a 1919 film by D. W. Griffith (yes, the same guy who made The Birth of a Nation).
• Peter Lorre's voice is recognizable, even to those who have never seen any of his movies. This is due (aside from his unique appearance) to his caricature being used in a number of Looney Tunes shorts.
• This article, referencing an utterly hilarious Muppet Show sketch, is all about how parodies of Ingmar Bergman films are immediately recognizable, such as Chess with Death, even by people who have never watched any of his films.
• If you showed most people today stills from The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, they'd think it was some sort of Tim Burton thing. See Looks Like Cesare.
• The word "inception" means the beginning or creation of something. Ever since the film, it's more often used to describe something that's inside something else of the same nature.
• Psycho - "Psycho" Strings and "Psycho" Shower Murder Parody.
• Most people may recognize Pete Postlethwaite's speech at the end of Brassed Off from the start of the album version of Chumbawamba's Black Sheep Hit "Tubthumping".
• The infamous "YOU ARE TEARING ME APART, LISA!" line from The Room (2003) was actually done as an homage to Rebel Without a Cause. Most people don't know this, and think that it originated in The Room. Additionally, the comments sections of most YouTube uploads of the Rebel Without A Cause scene are flooded with references to The Room.
• Many people associate scarecrows in media with The Wizard of Oz. A good example is this website.
  • People tend to associate the quote "How do you like them apples?" with Good Will Hunting, when it actually was first used in The Wizard of Oz.
• Many people who've watched Ted have no idea that Teddy Ruxpin is a real toy. Many comments on commercials (and some videos of the cartoon) for the toy have people stating something about Ted in them.
• The same thing happens with Stretch Armstrong whenever he's mentioned in films, a major example being The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.
• Anchors Aweigh: The scene where Gene Kelly dances with Jerry from Tom and Jerry is better known than the rest of the plot, due to it being featured in many compilations of old musicals and being referenced in Family Guy and Magic Adventures of Mumfie ^note  Britt Allcroft said that the "Gotta Dance, Gotta Whistle, Gotta Sing" scene was based on this scene. .
• Monty Python's Flying Circus has a sketch where a film crew is making a movie called Scott of the Antarctic, about the failed expedition of polar explorer Robert Falcon Scott. Most viewers nowadays would be amazed that there actually is a movie with that title. Scott Of The Antarctic, which is a faithful adaptation of the actual real-life tragedy, but mostly forgotten nowadays.
• The word avatar has become more well known among the general public thanks to Avatar, but most people will rather think of blue aliens (or Airbenders) than what the concept actually means. (That is, when they aren't digitally literate enough to associate it with the little pictures people put near their online pseudonyms; the film's script explicitly played up the Internet associations of the term, even if it's only depicted on screen in a very loosest sense.)
• Many porn actors like Ron Jeremy, John Holmes, Traci Lords, Linda Lovelace, La Cicciolina, Lolo Ferrari... are better known as punch lines in film and TV comedies, stand-up monologues, and/or comedic blogs than the number of people who actually saw one of their movies. Some of them have even moved beyond the porn, consider it an Old Shame, and get tired of people bringing it up as if they're still involved with that scene.
• The Jazz Singer is famous for being the first successful sound film and a milestone in cinematic history. Ask any cinephile what they know about the movie and they'll tell you it stars Al Jolson singing in Blackface. Apart from that most people, even movie fans have never seen this picture in its entirety and it's not difficult to see why. Apart from the novelty of being the first sound picture, it's hardly a cinematic masterpiece and very dated. Jolson himself, by the way, was once one of the biggest singers in the world, but today he is only remembered for appearing in this movie.
• Discussed by David Cronenberg in his DVD Commentary for The Fly (1986): The phrase "Be afraid. Be very afraid" comes from this movie and served as its Tagline, but has been quoted so often that many people don't realize it derives from a specific work. And if kids of The '90s do know it's from a movie, many get what movie it was wrong, thinking it originated in Addams Family Values (and thus missing a layer of the joke in that Wednesday is quoting a notoriously upsetting Body Horror film).
• The Beach Kiss scene from From Here to Eternity everyone mimicked or spoofed was actually an allusion to one from The Blue Lagoon, which was released four years earlier. Viewers today will recognize the scene from parodies or allusions from later movies than the ones that originated it.

---