I've fallen and I can't get up
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"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.
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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 approximately 1989. 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 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.
The TV advertisement featured, in part, a fictional elderly lady named "Mrs. Fletcher" who has fallen, with her walker, in the bathroom.
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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; it was voted one of TV Land's top 20 catch phrases of all time Template:Citeneeded.
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], and is currently used on their website[3].
The actress
Mrs. Fletcher was played in the commercial by Dorothy McHugh[4], a former Ziegfield Follies dancer. 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.
Notable uses
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. 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.
Once on The Tonight Show, Johnny Carson told the audience he had done an experiment to find out whether a tree makes a sound if it falls in a forest and there's no one there to hear it. He said he found a tree that was about to fall and set up a tape recorder. He took out a portable tape player, placed it on his desk, shushed the audience and hit "play." Several seconds went by with no sound, and the audience started to titter. Carson shushed them again, and several more seconds went by. Suddenly, someone in the audience shouted, "I've fallen . . . and I can't get up!" This was followed by a few minutes of uproarious laughter. Carson later admitted that he had no idea how the bit would end when he started it - he just wanted to see what would happen.
In the movie, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: Turtles in Time, the line is satirically refrenced by Donatello after he has fallen (shell first) into some mud, "Help! I'm a turtle and I can't get up."
In the movie-length episode Scooby Doo and the Witch's Ghost, Velma uses the line as a lure to catch a ghost.
The official station ID jingle for Dementia Radio uses the phrase.
The original Mrs. Fletcher voice clip was also mixed into a series of commercials that was used in the "Weird Al" Yankovic parody song "Can't Watch This."[5]
On Roseanne, Roseanne, played by Roseanne Barr, throws out her back, and goes to the couch and states that she has fallen and can't get up. She then remakrs that "she didn't have one of those things" and "now I'm sorry I laughed at that woman on TV." (alternative quote: "Oh, I shouldn't have made fun of that old lady in the commercial!")
In an episode of Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog: Sonic Breakout, Dr. Robotnik is featured in a talking comicbook as Humpty Dumpty and says the line "Help! I've fallen and I can't get up!" Later, Sonic uses the line while laughing at the sketch.