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What’s My Line?

Last night my 2-year-old daughter came up to me and asked to shake my hand (wait, there’s more) as we were shaking she looked up and said: “You touching my hand, Chuck. You sly dog.” Huh? My mind made like a computer searching for a context application–finally it dawned on me—-she was reciting a line she had heard on “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving,” which aired on television a few nights ago. UGH! My baby is reciting lines from TV shows! I wasn’t sure if I should be worried or impressed.

The more I thought about it the more I rationalized that often it takes only a word, or just a few, to become immortalized in television history. To prove my point I offer up the TV Land cable network’s newest project. It has compiled a list of the 100 greatest catchphrases in TV, from the serious – Walter Cronkite’s nightly signoff “And that’s the way it is” – to the silly: “We are two wild and crazy guys!”

The network will air a countdown special, “The 100 Greatest TV Quotes & Catch Phrases,” over five days starting December 11th.

According to the network’s list, the greatest numbers of moments, 26, are from the 1970s. Nine moments from this decade also made the list.

Here are a few examples:

“Aaay” (Fonzie, “Happy Days”)

“Bam!” (Emeril Lagasse, “Emeril Live”)

“Book ’em, Danno” (Steve McGarrett, “Hawaii Five-O”)

“Come on down!” (Johnny Olson, “The Price is Right”)

“De plane! De plane!” (Tattoo, “Fantasy Island”)

“Dyn-o-mite” (J.J., “Good Times”)

“Good grief” (Charlie Brown, “Peanuts” specials)

“Good night, John Boy” (“The Waltons”)

“Heh heh” (Beavis and Butt-head, “Beavis and Butthead”)

“Here’s Johnny!” (Ed McMahon, “The Tonight Show”)

“Hey hey hey!” (Dwayne Nelson, “What’s Happening!!”)

“How you doin’?” (Joey Tribbiani, “Friends”)

“I’m Larry, this is my brother Darryl …” (Larry, “Newhart”)

“Is that your final answer?” (Regis Philbin, “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire”)

“No soup for you!” (The Soup Nazi, “Seinfeld”)

“Norm!” (“Cheers”)

“Say good night, Gracie” (George Burns, “The Burns & Allen Show”)

“Smile, you’re on ‘Candid Camera'” (“Candid Camera”)

“The tribe has spoken” (Jeff Probst, “Survivor”)

“Two thumbs up” (Siskel & Ebert, “Siskel & Ebert”)

“Would you believe?” (Maxwell Smart, “Get Smart”)

“Yabba dabba do!” (Fred Flintstone, “The Flintstones”)

“You rang?” (Lurch, “The Addams Family”)

“You’re fired!” (Donald Trump, “The Apprentice”)

Can you think of others? Which is your favorite?

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About Michele Cheplic

Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin. Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism. She spent the next ten years as a television anchor and reporter at various stations throughout the country (from the CBS affiliate in Honolulu to the NBC affiliate in Green Bay). She has won numerous honors including an Emmy Award and multiple Edward R. Murrow awards honoring outstanding achievements in broadcast journalism. In addition, she has received awards from the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association for her reports on air travel and the Wisconsin Education Association Council for her stories on education. Michele has since left television to concentrate on being a mom and freelance writer.