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.

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

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

1 The source of the line
2 The actress
3 Notable uses
4 External link

[edit] 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 (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.

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.

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 as well as in their commercials [3].

[edit] The actress

Mrs. Fletcher was played by Bea Marcus as pictured on this page. 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].)

[edit] 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."
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.
In the TV series Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, Dr. Robotnik says the phrase in the episode "Sonic Breakout" after falling off a wall in a similar fasion to Humpty Dumpty.
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. [2]
Characters in the popular webcomic Bob and George typically use the line as an excuse when they have been gruesomely injured.