Famous Last Words

The other day, my Daniel and I watched Sunset Blvd., the classic of all classic movies from 1950 starring William Holden and Gloria Swanson. Weaving mystery and melodrama with witty remarks to form high film noire entertainment, this one is a must-see. At the conclusion, the final line is given with flourish: Alright, Mr. DeMille, I’m ready for my close up.

We got to thinking about last lines. So many movies wrap up with something punchy, memorable, particularly identifying. You don’t even have to be a film buff to know some of them, for example – There’s no place like home.

It is the same with our words. The things we say leave impressions, and if we think about it – which we rarely do – every word we say could quite possibly be our last. So… shouldn’t we take more care in what we say on a regular basis?

I know, we get mad, our emotions spike and dive, we go with the flow – and our words suffer for it. That’s the human side we all can relate to. Sometimes, we can’t help but get in the last word, and it leaves a punchy, memorable impression for sure.

However, perhaps giving it thought might help, and our words can become punchy and memorable for good reasons – encouragement, love, kindness, forbearance, forgiveness.

Just as easily as some of us who know them the best can identify films by their last lines, people can identify me by the things they’ve heard me say. May those words, if they be my last or not, bring smiles instead of pain.

In the spirit of this idea, I have a little game for you. Following are a couple of last lines from of my favorite films. Can you guess what they are?

1. After all, tomorrow is another day.

2. Louie, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful relationship.

3. I will see you again, but not yet. Not yet.

4. We’ve all got our health and as far as anything else is concerned, we still leave that up to You.

5. Eliza! Where the devil are my slippers?

Let me know your guesses and I’ll post the answers on Friday.

Hope you’re having a good week, Dry Ground friends!

(photo by photobucket.com)