Movies

Alfonso Bedoya in Treasure of Sierra Madre

"Badges? We ain't got no... stinking badges!" is one of the most frequently quoted, misquoted and parodied movie quotations in history. It was chosen recently as #36 on the American Film Institute list, AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movie Quotes.

Contents 1 Origin 2 Quotes and spoofs 3 External links

Origin

The original quotation comes from the 1948 film The Treasure of the Sierra Madre with Humphrey Bogart. One of the most memorable scenes in the movie is where a Mexican bandit leader (Gold Hat, played by Alfonso Bedoya) is trying to convince Fred C. Dobbs (played by Bogart) and company that they are the Federales.

Dobbs: "If you're the police, where are your badges?"

Gold Hat: "Badges!? We ain't got no badges. We don't need no badges! I don't have to show you any stinking badges!!"

This in turn was adapted from B. Traven's 1927 novel upon which the movie was based:

"Allright," Curtain shouted back. "If you are the police, where are your badges? Let's see them."

"Badges, to god-damned hell with badges! We have no badges. In fact, we don't need badges. I don't have to show you any stinking badges, you god-damned cabrón and ching' tu madre! Come out from that shit-hole of yours. I have to speak to you."

Quotes and spoofs

In an episode of The Monkees from 1967, the band members play at being banditos. Michael (El Nesmito) wonders whether they should carry a club card or some badges. Micky (El Dolenzio) replies sneeringly with the line, "Badges? We don't need no steeenking badges!"
In the 1974 Mel Brooks film Blazing Saddles, probably the most famous parody of the line is delivered. Hedley Lamarr (Harvey Korman) is interviewing a line of criminals in order to deputise them so that they can terrorize a town. The line is filled with stereotypical criminals, from bikers to robed Klansmen. A group of Mexicans dressed in sombreros and bandoleros step up to him. He speaks to them briefly, hires them and tries to hand them deputy badges: "Badges? We don't need no stinking badges!"
In the Stephen King novel It, the character Richie Tozier repeatedly says "Batches? We don't need no steenking batches!"
In the 1984 film The Brother From Another Planet, two "men in black" (alien bounty hunters) enter the bar where the alien was supposedly found. The bartender, suspicious of their intentions, demands to see some I.D. John Sayles, the director of the movie, delivers the line "Badges? What badges? We don't have to show you any badges."
In an episode of the television series The A-Team (c. 1985), Hannibal hatches a plan for the team to dress as cops, but Face observes that they don't have any badges, to which Murdock responds "Badges? We don't need no steeenking badges!"
In the 1989 Shelley Long film Troop Beverly Hills, when the troop's achievement patches are taken away, Rosa, the maid of Long's character (played by Shelley Morrison) says, "Patches? We don't need no stinkin' patches!"
In the 1989 "Weird Al" Yankovic film UHF, the host of Raul's Wild Kingdom receives a shipment of badgers in error: "Badgers? Badgers?!? BADGERS?!? We don't need no stinking BADGERS!!!"
In an episode of The Super Mario Brothers Super Show!, a Koopa Troopa (played by John Stocker) snaps "Caterers? We don't need no stinking caterers!"
In the 1989 Jim Jarmusch film Mystery Train, a young Japanese tourist obsessed with Carl Perkins and American culture says, "Matches? We don't need no stinking matches!" upon lighting a cigarette with a Zippo lighter.
The children's animated company Nelvana has parodied the quote in such cartoons as Care Bears, Fievel's American Tails and Babar.
In an episode of the sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun (c. 1996), Harry (French Stewart) exclaims, "Bagels? We don't need no stinking bagels!"
In 1996, a recording of the University of Kentucky Mega-Sax Quartet in mostly-unaccompanied tracks was released called We Don't Need No Stinkin' Rhythm Section (Seabreeze 4516).
In the 2001 film Bubble Boy, When offered patches to fix his bike the character Slim says, "Patches? I could use some stinking patches."
In an episode of Trial by Jury, Detective Lennie Briscoe responds to a woman who asks to see his and his partner's badge with, "Badges? We don't need no stinking badges." When the woman opens the door and asks what he said, he replies "I said yes, yes, of course you need to see our badges."
In the "Ghost in the Machine" episode of the cartoon Transformers, Octane, possessed by Starscream's ghost, is intercepted by a couple of other Decepticons, who ask him for an entry pass. Starscream's ghost materialises and says "Passes? Passes? I don't need no stinking passes!".
In Eldest, the second book of the Inheritance series by Christopher Paolini, Loring the cobbler says "Barges? We don't want no stinking barges!"
On the X-Men TV Show Archangel (Stephen Ouimette) exclaims "Cities? They don't need no stinking cities!"
In the 1985 Anthony Edwards film Gotcha! when Jonathan's friend "Carlos", along with his friends 'surrounded' the FBI agents who then proceeded to flash their badges, "Carlos" retorted "Badges...we don't need no stinking badges"
In an episode of The Simpsons in which Homer Simpson becomes a food critic, Marge Simpson warns him that the typewriter he is using has a faulty E key. Homer replies, "We don't need no stinkin' E!"
In an episode of the 1990s Nickelodeon show, Salute Your Shorts, Z.Z. finds a 'Junior Park Ranger's Badge' while the kids are digging for treasure. She shows it to Michael, who replies "Badges? We don't need no stinking badges!"
UK band The Flaming Stars use samples of this dialogue on the song "Bandit Country," from the album Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia
Podcasting has adopted the variation, "Transmitters? We don't need no stinkin' transmitters!" as one of its slogans. It's currently used in several podcasts, most notably Adam Curry's Daily Source Code and was recorded by Craig Patchett from the Godcast Network.
In a fourth-season episode of Farscape, when the Scarran emperor asks John Crichton how he obtained the codes to a secret chamber, Crichton effects a Mexican accent and responds, "Codes? We didn't need no stinkin' codes!"
In an episode of The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, the main characters are being chased by self-appointed poilice officers, and when one of the characters asks to see their badges, the "officers" shoot at them wildly. The character Sheen remarks, "I don't think they need no stinking badges."
Real Life Comics uses the quote in this comic strip.
In the webcomic The Adventures of Dr. McNinja, the leader of a group of "raptor banditos"" cries "Latches? Latches? We don't need no stinking latches!"

External links

• Stinking Badges Home Page
• "Transmitters? We don't need no stinkin' transmitters!" MP3 (public domain)