"I've fallen… and I can't get up!" was a popular catchphrase of early 1990s popular culture based upon a line from a United States-based television commercial. A catch phrase is a phrase or expression that is popularized, usually through repeated use, by a real person or fictional character. ... For the band, see 1990s (band). ... Popular culture, sometimes called pop culture, consists of widespread cultural elements in any given society. ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ...

Mrs. Fletcher: "I've fallen, and I can't get up!"

Dispatcher: "We're sending help immediately, Mrs. Fletcher."

Image File history File links Lifecall-1. ... Image File history File links Lifecall-1. ... Image File history File links Lifecall-2. ... Image File history File links Lifecall-2. ...

The source of the line

This line was spoken in a television commercial for a medical alarm and protection company called LifeCall, in ads that began running in 1987. The motivation behind these medical alarm systems is that many senior citizens today live at home alone, and may find themselves suddenly in medical danger with no one (and no phone) nearby to help them. The product addressed this concern by providing its subscribers with a small pendant, worn around the wrist or neck; when needed, the wearer presses the button on it, and he or she is immediately put into contact with a dispatcher who can send a paramedic, fireman, or other emergency assistance. Old age consists of ages nearing the average lifespan of human beings, and thus the end of the human life cycle. ...

The TV advertisement featured, in part, a fictional elderly lady named "Mrs. Fletcher" who has fallen, with her walker, in the bathroom.

On its face, the commercial illustrates a serious situation for a senior with dire consequences (elderly people with no one to care for them may fall in their homes and be on the floor for hours or even days, unable to get help).

The "I've fallen and I can't get up" ad had the double misfortune of being unintentionally campy and appearing often on cable and daytime television. The combination made "I've fallen... and I can't get up!" a recognized, universal punchline that applied to many comedic situations. All of these factors made the ad memorable, ensuring the line's place in pop culture history. Camp is an aesthetic in which something has appeal because of its bad taste or ironic value. ...

According to the United States Patent and Trademark Office, after first applying in October 1990, LifeCall registered the phrase "I've fallen and I can't get up" as a trademark in September 1992 until its status was cancelled in 1999. [1] In October 2002, the similar phrase "Help, I've fallen and I can't get up!" became a registered trademark of Life Alert Emergency Response, Inc. [2] In June 2007, the phrase "I've fallen and I can't get up!" also became a registered trademark of Life Alert. Both phrases are currently used on their website as well as in their commercials. [3] PTO headquarters in Alexandria The United States Patent and Trademark Office (PTO or USPTO) is an agency in the United States Department of Commerce that provides patent and trademark protection to inventors and businesses for their inventions and corporate and product identification. ... “(TM)” redirects here. ... Life Alert is a company that provides services that help the elderly contact emergency services. ...

The Actress

Mrs. Fletcher was portrayed by Bea Marcus. Mrs. Fletcher is referenced as being played by Edith Fore[4][5]. However, there are also references to one Dorothy McHugh [6], a former Ziegfield Follies dancer, playing the part. The commercial's "Mrs. Fletcher" and her catchphrase became so famous that when McHugh died of a stroke on July 19, 1995, her death was newsworthy based on her appearance in the commercial alone. (Edith Fore died on July 31, 1997[7].) The Ziegfeld Follies were a series of elaborate theatrical productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 through 1931. ... is the 200th day of the year (201st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full 1995 Gregorian calendar). ...

Notable uses

• After Shep (Hulk Hogan) smashes a car alarm in the movie Suburban Commando, the broken car alarm says the catchphrase.
• Late Night with Conan O'Brien used this catchphrase in a skit where an actress resembling "Mrs. Fletcher" sings the phrase while surrounded by four Broadway actors.
• Jay Leno also used this catchphrase after a motorcycle accident he had on September 14, 1991. He came back to The Tonight Show on crutches, and got one of the biggest laughs of the evening with the line.
• The line was used by Steve Urkel in the sitcom Family Matters after some of his many mishaps.
• Will Smith uses this line many times in the The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
• The line was also uttered by the droid Star Wars character C-3PO in a comedic moment during the opening battle of the Clone Wars after a large robot fell and pinned him to the ground.
• In the movie, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III, the line is satirically referenced by Donatello after he has fallen (shell first) into some mud, "Help! I'm a turtle and I can't get up."
• Michael J. Fox uses the line in For Love or Money when he's fallen out of his bed.
• The comedy program Mystery Science Theater 3000 referenced the line frequently while parodying various movies, such as adapting it to "I've fallen to my death and I can't get up!" in episode 208.
• The original Mrs. Fletcher voice clip was mixed into a series of commercials that was used in the "Weird Al" Yankovic parody song "I Can't Watch This."[8]
• The line was one of the many 1990s fads recounted in the VH1 special series I Love the 90s.
• A popular T-shirt inspired by the clip stated "I've Fallen and I Can't Reach My Beer!"
• The line has also appeared a number of times in the improv show Whose Line is it Anyway?. Most memorably is when Ryan Stiles falls into the neon light on the front of the desk of host Drew Carey.
• The chorus of the song "Fallen" by Mýa contains the popular phrase.
• Wyclef Jean included the line in his song "Street Jeopardy", from the album The Carnival
• A musical group, Slant 6 and the Jump-Starts, recorded a song about the character titled "Mrs. Fletcher" in the 1990s, using her voice uttering the line in between verses. The song became popular with listeners to radio's Dr. Demento Show, frequently getting enough requests to make the show's weekly "Funny Five" of most requested songs, and also was on the annual "Funny 25" list of most requested songs for the entire year of 1990. [http://www.drdemento.com/playlists/funny25/funny25.90l.shtml 2
• Richard Dreyfuss' character, a policeman impersonating an elderly neighbour of a crime suspect, uses the line in "Another Stakeout" (1993), for comedic effect.

Terrence Gene Bollea (born on August 11, 1953) is an American actor and semi-retired professional wrestler better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan. ... Suburban Commando is a 1991 science fiction film starring Hulk Hogan (Terry Bollea) and directed by Burt Kennedy. ... Late Night with Conan OBrien is an American late night talk show on NBC that is also syndicated worldwide. ... James Douglas Muir Jay Leno (born April 28, 1950) is an Emmy-winning American comedian who is best known as the current host of NBC televisions long-running variety and talk program The Tonight Show. ... is the 257th day of the year (258th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the 1991 Gregorian calendar). ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Information Nickname(s) Bruce Lee Urkel Gender Male Age 13-22 Date of birth 1976 Occupation Student, inventor Family Mr. ... Family Matters is an American sitcom about a middle-class, black family living in Chicago. ... “W. S.” redirects here. ... The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is an Emmy, BAFTA, and RTS-award winning popular American television sitcom that aired on NBC from September 10, 1990, to May 20, 1996. ... Star Wars is an epic space opera saga and a fictional universe initially developed by George Lucas during the 1970s and expanded since that time. ... C-3PO (pronounced IPA: []., often shortened to Threepio) is a fictional character from the Star Wars universe, who appears in both the original Star Wars films and the prequel trilogy. ... A scene from Attack of the Clones depicting the Battle of Geonosis, the first battle of the Clone Wars The Clone Wars (also known as the Clone War) are a series of fictional intragalactic battles in George Lucass science fiction saga Star Wars. ... Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III is a 1993 live-action film, the second sequel to the 1990 live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film. ... For other persons named Michael Fox, see Michael Fox (disambiguation). ... The name For Love or Money can refer to: The 1963 comedy movie For Love or Money (1963) starring Kirk Douglas The 1993 movie For Love or Money starring Michael J. Fox, The reality TV show called For Love or Money. ... Mystery Science Theater 3000, often abbreviated MST3K, is an American cult television comedy series created by Joel Hodgson and produced by Best Brains, Inc. ... This article is about the musician himself. ... For the band, see 1990s (band). ... VH1 (VH-1: Video Hits One until 1994) is an American cable television channel that was created in January 1985 by Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment, at the time a division of Warner Communications and owners of MTV. VH1 and sister channel MTV are currently part of the MTV Networks division... I Love the 90s is a television mini-series originally produced by the BBC, and later for American audiences by VH1, in which various music and TV personalities reminisce about 1990s culture. ... T-Shirt A T-shirt (or tee shirt) is a shirt with short or long sleeves, a round neck, put on over the head, without pockets. ... Leffe, a Belgian beer, served in branded glasses Schlenkerla Rauchbier straight from the cask Beer brewed from wheat. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Ryan Lee Stiles (born April 22, 1959) is an Emmy-nominated American actor and comedian, whose work is often associated with improvisational comedy. ... Drew Allison Carey (born May 23, 1958) is an American comedian and actor. ... Mýa Marie Harrison (born October 10, 1979 in Greenbelt, Maryland),[1] known professionally as Mýa or Mýa Harrison, is an American R&B and pop singer, songwriter, record producer, model, dancer, and actress who rose to fame during the late 1990s. ... Nelust Wyclef Jean (IPA pronunciation: ) (born October 17, 1972) is a Grammy Award-winning and Golden Globe-nominated Haitian-born American rapper, producer, and member of the hip hop trio The Fugees. ... Wyclef Jean Presents The Carnival Featuring Refugee All Stars, or more simply The Carnival, is the first solo album by Wyclef Jean. ... Dr. Demento (born April 2, 1941 in Minneapolis, Minnesota) is the stage name of Barret Eugene Hansen [1], who has made a successful career as a radio disc jockey specializing in novelty songs and pop music parodies. ... For other uses, see 2 (disambiguation). ...

External links

• Life Call commercial at RetroJunk