“You’d Look Great In A Shroud”

I just love made up book titles in movies.  In ‘The Lavender Hill Mob’ the main character (Alec Guiness) is reading a book to an elderly lady.  The title of the book is, “You’d Look Great In A Shroud.”  I love it.  That whole movie has such an air of absurdity and off-the-wall humor about it that I just love.  They are re-making it for 2009; I am tres amused!  (It originally came out in 1951.)

Then in the movie “Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang” there are a whole slew of made up book titles.  An essential part of the plot has to do with a series of cheesy, old detective novels with names like “Die Job” and “Straighten Up And Die Right.”  Those are the two I can remember off the top of my head.

Another thing I like is fake quotes from fake books in movies.  Like one in “Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang” - The girl is reading aloud from one of the books and says, “She poured herself into a seamless dress, and from the looks of it, she spilled some.”  Priceless.

Then there is the quote on top of a (literally) bloody manuscript that John Cusack is looking at in the movie “1408.”  Apparently it’s something that one of the former guests of the Dolphin Hotel was writing when he died in the room.  There is no title and no other portion of the book is visible, but the quote on top is “My brother was eaten by wolves on the Connecticut turnpike.”  Stephen King, who wrote the story that movie based on, is king of the priceless non-sequitr, in my opinion.  And of the levels of absurdity my sense of humor seems to thrive on.

That’s all I can think of at the moment.  If anyone has any more, I’d love to see them - please comment!  I’ll append if I think of any more.