Go ahead, make my day
Encyclopedia
"Go ahead, make my day" is a catchphrase written by Joseph C. Stinson and spoken by the character Harry Callahan from the 1983 film Sudden Impact
. In 2005, it was chosen as #6 on the American Film Institute
list, AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movie Quotes
. The "Make My Day Law" passed in most U.S. states, derives its name from this phrase.
) goes into a diner for a morning cup of coffee. When Callahan discovers a robbery in the diner, he kills the robbers in a shootout. However, a surviving robber grabs the fleeing waitress Loretta (Mara Corday
), holds his gun to her head, and threatens to shoot. Instead of backing off, Harry points his .44 Magnum
revolver into the man's face at point-blank range
and dares him to shoot, saying with clenched teeth and in his characteristic rough grumble, "Go ahead, make my day," meaning that if the robber attempts to harm Loretta in any way, Harry would be happy to dispatch the robber. At the end of the film, Harry, again, says "Come on, make my day" just before shooting Mick the Rapist, who aims his stolen shotgun
at Jennifer Spencer.
, Tom Walsh, played by Gary Swanson, says, "C'mon, Scumbag! Make your move, make my day!"
In 2010, Makmende
was turned into an Internet sensation all over Kenya's Internet community when Just a Band
created a superhero character in the music video of their song "Ha He."
Sudden Impact
Sudden Impact is a 1983 American crime thriller and the fourth film in the Dirty Harry series, directed by and starring Clint Eastwood...
. In 2005, it was chosen as #6 on the American Film Institute
American Film Institute
The American Film Institute is an independent non-profit organization created by the National Endowment for the Arts, which was established in 1967 when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act...
list, AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movie Quotes
AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movie Quotes
Part of the AFI 100 Years... series, AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movie Quotes is a list of the top 100 movie quotations in American cinema. The American Film Institute revealed the list on June 21, 2005, in a three-hour television program on CBS...
. The "Make My Day Law" passed in most U.S. states, derives its name from this phrase.
Origins
In one scene of the movie, Harry Callahan (played by Clint EastwoodClint Eastwood
Clinton "Clint" Eastwood, Jr. is an American film actor, director, producer, composer and politician. Eastwood first came to prominence as a supporting cast member in the TV series Rawhide...
) goes into a diner for a morning cup of coffee. When Callahan discovers a robbery in the diner, he kills the robbers in a shootout. However, a surviving robber grabs the fleeing waitress Loretta (Mara Corday
Mara Corday
Mara Corday is a showgirl, model, actress, Playboy Playmate and a 1950s cult figure....
), holds his gun to her head, and threatens to shoot. Instead of backing off, Harry points his .44 Magnum
.44 Magnum
The .44 Remington Magnum, or simply .44 Magnum, is a large-bore cartridge originally designed for revolvers. After introduction, it was quickly adopted for carbines and rifles...
revolver into the man's face at point-blank range
Point-blank range
In external ballistics, point-blank range is the distance between a firearm and a target of a given size such that the bullet in flight is expected to strike the target without adjusting the elevation of the firearm. The point-blank range will vary with the firearm and its particular ballistic...
and dares him to shoot, saying with clenched teeth and in his characteristic rough grumble, "Go ahead, make my day," meaning that if the robber attempts to harm Loretta in any way, Harry would be happy to dispatch the robber. At the end of the film, Harry, again, says "Come on, make my day" just before shooting Mick the Rapist, who aims his stolen shotgun
Shotgun
A shotgun is a firearm that is usually designed to be fired from the shoulder, which uses the energy of a fixed shell to fire a number of small spherical pellets called shot, or a solid projectile called a slug...
at Jennifer Spencer.
Earlier usage
In the 1982 film Vice SquadVice Squad (film)
Vice Squad is a 1982 action/drama film, starring Wings Hauser, Season Hubley, and Gary Swanson, directed by Gary Sherman. The original music score was composed by Joe Renzetti and Keith Rubenstein...
, Tom Walsh, played by Gary Swanson, says, "C'mon, Scumbag! Make your move, make my day!"
Filming location
The diner featured in the scene is now a McDonalds at the corner of 3rd Street and Townsend in San Francisco, California. The original structure still stands. The 3rd Street bridge can be seen in the background of the scene outside the diner.Ronald Reagan
While president of the United States, Ronald Reagan famously used the phrase in his campaign against raising taxes. In March 1985, his address to the American Business Conference is quoted, "I have my veto pen drawn and ready for any tax increase that Congress might even think of sending up. And I have only one thing to say to the tax increasers: Go ahead, make my day."In Kenya
The movie Sudden Impact became popular in Kenya in the early 1990s. Kenyan kids pronounced 'make my day' as "Makmende" probably due to influence of the local dialects. Over time, Makmende was used by kids to refer to a kid who behaved like a know-it-all.In 2010, Makmende
Makmende
Makmende is a fictional Kenyan superhero character which has enjoyed a popular resurgence after an adoptation by Kenya's musical group Just A Band in the music video for their song Ha-He on their second album, 82...
was turned into an Internet sensation all over Kenya's Internet community when Just a Band
Just A Band
Just a Band is a Kenyan house/funk/disco band whose career was launched with their debut album, Scratch To Reveal, in 2008. Their music has explored various musical directions such as, but not limited to jazz, hip-hop, disco and electronica....
created a superhero character in the music video of their song "Ha He."