Tag: mel brooks

“You have the ring. And I see your Schwartz is as big as mine. Now, let’s see how well you handle it.”

From: Spaceballs

Genre: Movies

Who said it?: Dark Helmet

The story behind the quote: This quote comes from the 1987 Mel Brooks comedy parody Spaceballs. A clear satirical take on Star Wars, Spaceballs generally follows the plot of the sci-fi epic but done in a much more silly tone, poking fun at sci-fi tropes.

The quote comes from near the end of the film. Dark Helmet (played by Rick Moranis) stops Lone Starr (played by Bill Pullman) from pushing the self-destruct button on Spaceball One/Mega Maid, which is in the process of sucking off all the air from the planet Druidia. Dark Helmet then activates his Schwartz, a ring analogue version of Star Wars’ lightsaber. Lone Starr activates his Schwartz and this is when Dark Helmet delivers the quote before the two get into a comedic battle with each other.

Geek wisdom: Having anything, be it a talent, skill or object, is useless unless it’s, well, used. If it’s not, then there’s no point of having that talent, skill or object.

“Maybe if you tell me the bad news in a good way, it won’t sound so bad.”

From: Robin Hood: Men in Tights

Genre: Movies

Who said it?: Prince John

The story behind the quote: This week’s quote comes from the 1993 Mel Brooks comedy parody film, Robin Hood: Men in Tights. The film has all the general beats of a traditional Robin Hood story but told in a more comedic and silly way. While not a critical success upon release, the movie was a financial success and has developed a strong cult following.

The quote comes somewhat in the middle of the film. The Sheriff of Rottingham (played by Robert Rees) reports back to Prince John (played by Richard Lewis) regarding Robin Hood’s return and how he and his troops were beat up by his band. Prince John, unwilling to take any bad news as he’s having a good day, delivers the quote in the hopes to soften the blow. The Sheriff does try to oblige by giving the “bad news in a good way” but to no avail…

Geek wisdom: No matter how you slice it, good news will always be good news and bad news will always be bad news. You can try to sugarcoat bad news but it doesn’t change the fact that it’s still bad.