The origins behind Jack Nicholson’s iconic “Here’s Johnny!” line from ‘The Shining’
American filmmaker Stanley Kubrick never confined himself to one specific genre. Throughout his career, the director explored dark comedies, historical epics, war, sci-fi, dystopia and horror, excelling in every category.
Kubrick, who began his career as a photographer before making a series of documentaries and short films, made his debut film, Fear and Desire, in 1952, completing most of the production alone, setting himself up for a career like no other.
While Fear and Desire was far from cinematic brilliance, it signalled Kubrick’s dedication to the medium. Within ten years, he had racked up several more directorial credits, including Paths of Glory, Spartacus and Lolita, proving himself to be a brilliantly skilled filmmaker. Kubrick’s success continued on with Dr Strangelove, 2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange and Barry Lyndon, cementing him as one of cinema’s most groundbreaking voices.
For his next project, Kubrick decided to adapt Stephen King’s 1977 novel The Shining, a story which followed the success of Brian De Palma’s adaptation of King’s debut novel, Carrie, a few years earlier. While King hated Kubrick’s cinematic version of his book, it became one of his most popular movies, as well as one of the most beloved King adaptations.
The movie stars Jack Nicholson in the leading role as Jack Torrance, a writer who descends into insanity during his stay at the Overlook Hotel, putting the lives of his wife, Wendy (Shelly Duvall) and son, Danny, at risk. As the movie progresses, supernatural events transpire, with Danny seeing psychic visions and ghostly beings, such as the iconic Grady twins.
However, one of the most memorable moments comes nearer the movie’s end, when Jack has lost all signs of sanity and pursues his family with an axe. Wendy and Danny find themselves trapped in the bathroom, although Danny manages to climb out the window. Wendy, portrayed excellently by Duvall, screams uncontrollably as her husband recites nursery rhymes before taking several hits at the wooden door. It doesn’t take long for his axe to slice through and leave enough space for Jack to stick his head between the panels and say menacingly, “Here’s Johnny!!”
But where did the oft-quoted line come from? The quip wasn’t in the script, rather, Nicholson improvised it while filming, and Kubrick liked it enough to keep it in the film. However, the line’s origins are much less sinister than Jack’s use – perhaps making the scene even more chilling. Nicholson borrowed the line from Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show. Before Carson walked on stage, Ed McMahon would introduce the show’s guests, ending with, “And here’s Johnny!”
Somehow, Nicholson transformed an innocent catchphrase, beloved by television audiences for decades, into something truly terrifying. The seemingly arbitrary nature of Jack’s phrase within the context of the film only emphasised the character’s descent into madness. Subsequently, The Shining became one of the most terrifying films of the ‘80s, quotable thanks to Nicholson’s clever improvisation.