Whatever became of Vada Sultenfuss?

This is actually a bit ancient, but still tasty nonetheless. Stephen King, who moonlights as a columnist for Entertainment Weekly, polled readers for the best movie lines ever.

He got thousands of replies from which he selected the Top 12 Best Movie Lines Ever. The links don't show the complete list and EW wants you to register before you can read the actual article, so I'll just paste the list here.

Now Hear This: Top 12 Best Movie Lines Ever!

1. "Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die."
--Inigo Montoya (Mandy Patinkin) in "The Princess Bride"

2. "Inconceivable!" "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means."
--Inigo Montoya (Mandy Patinkin) in "The Princess Bride"

3. "Have fun storming the castle."
--Miracle Max (Bill Crystal) in "The Princess Bride"

4. "As you wish."
--Westley (Cary Elwes) in "The Princess Bride"

5. "I'll have what she's having."
--Female diner (Estelle Reiner) in "When Harry Met Sally"

6. "You had me at hello."
--Dorothy Boyd (Reneé Zellweger) in "Jerry Maguire"

7. "Fasten your seat belts--It's going to be a bumpy night."
--Margo Channing (Bette Davis) in "All About Eve"

8. "You know how to whistle, don't you, Steve? You just put your lips together...and blow."
--Marie Browning (Lauren Bacall) in "To Have and Have Not"

9. "If I'd been a ranch, they would've named me Bar Nothin'."
--Gilda (Rita Hayworth) in "Gilda"

10. "Veda's convinced me that alligators have the right idea: They eat their young."
--Ida Corwin (Eve Arden) in "Mildred Pierce"

11. "You're not too smart, are you? I like that in a man.
--Matty Walker (Kathleen Turner) in "Body Heat"

12. "Get outta here! And don't come back for five to seven days!"
--Vada Sultenfuss (Anna Chlumsky) in "My Girl"

Surprisingly, about 25% of the list are from The Princess Bride, which I don't really remember. Both lists considered, what I really like though is #12. The quote refers to the first time Vada got her period and she shooed away the character played by Macaulay Culkin in the movie. It was from my favorite movie the summer I was around twelve and crushing on Macaulay Culkin. Of course now, both actors have all but almost disappeared off the face of the planet but I really really loved the movie and even went out and got one of my first soundtrack albums ever because, in no particular order, (1) Vada had a crush on her English teacher; (2) She wanted to be a writer; and (3) I heart Mac in glasses.



I suppose, more than anything, certain movies speak to you when you're a particular age, like this did. Consider its tagline: "When your Dad's an undertaker, your Mom's in heaven, and your Grandma's got a screw loose...it's good to have a friend who understands you. Even if he is a boy." Vada Sultenfuss, as played by Anna Chlumsky, was a precocious little girl and obssessed about death. She's a bit of a tomboy who bosses around her best friend Thomas J. All summer they hang out by her front porch, sneak out to bingo games, ride bikes, play bowling. And they also wear Chucks all the time.



The film was set in the early 70s, so I dug out my mother's clothes, and apparently that's not the hot thing to do if you're going to attend high school where the freshmen didn't have any uniforms.

Other My Girl goodies:



Interesting Vada Sultenfuss according to Googlism.
The aformentioned Chuck Taylor Connection.
Scripts: My Girl 1, 2.

And my favorite My Girl quote is actually from the second one, which wasn't really as good as the first: "Don't be a writer, dear girl. Be a tv repair man!" I still don't know how to fix a tv.