Quotes from quirky comedy “The Princess Bride” liven up new year

Before January slips away and 2018 slides by, get in some early laughs and bulk up on your “The Princess Bride” quotes at The Grand Opera House.

The famously quote-rich comedy shows at 7:30 p.m. Friday for just $5. Doors open at 7 p.m..

“Princess Bride” enjoyed only moderate success in theaters in 1987, so for those who’ve only seen it on smaller screens via cable, VHS rentals or DVD purchases, it’s — ahem — a grand opportunity to see it on the big screen in regal surroundings.

The movie is a quick-witted, swashbuckling fairytale with wordplay as sharp as swordplay. Or maybe it’s simply a story of true love — or as proclaimed by the late Peter Cook as The Impressive Clergyman: “Wuv, twu wuv.”

Film fans are on a continuum from those who can quote a line or two, such as “We’ll never survive! — Nonsense. You’re only saying that because no one ever has,” or “Death cannot stop true love. All it can do is delay it for a while,” to more complicated Billy Crystal material such as “It just so happens that your friend here is only mostly dead. There’s a big difference between mostly dead and all dead,” and “... true love is the greatest thing in the world — except for a nice MLT. Mutton, lettuce and tomato sandwich, where the mutton is nice and lean and the tomato is ripe.”

Then there are those who can do the whole thing, like a woman who told director Rob Reiner she kept herself and others alert and alive in an avalanche by repeating it line by line.

Here are a few of many “Princess Bride” fun facts:

▪  Renowned French film director Francois Truffaut tried to make “The Princess Bride” but couldn’t. The novel’s author and screenplay writer William Goldman was thrilled when Reiner did. He loved Reiner’s “This Is Spinal Tap” and “The Sure Thing.”

▪  Leading man Cary Elwes told another actor to make a scene more realistic by actually striking him on the head with the butt of a sword. He did, it did, and it sent Elwes unconscious to the hospital. They used that scene.

▪  In a never-produced attempt at the film, a fairly unknown Arnold Schwarzenegger was set to play the giant. It was finally played by Andre the Giant.

▪  Crystal’s elaborate Magic Max makeup came from photos of his grandmother and former Yankees manager Casey Stengel.

So take the opportunity to take in a classic and brush up on the funny lines. You don’t want to get caught this year completely misquoting it or getting a word wrong and have someone come back at you with Mandy Patinkin’s line as Inigo Montoya saying, “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.”

This story was originally published January 17, 2018 at 3:17 PM with the headline "Quotes from quirky comedy “The Princess Bride” liven up new year."