Audrey Hepburn in 'Charade' tops pick-up line survey

In the survey, organized by the dating website Badoo.com, over one thousand females were given the chance to select which of ten lines from Hollywood movies they would use as "ice-breakers" to start online conversations. In the end, the preferred line was one first delivered by Audrey Hepburn to Cary Grant in "Charade" (1963): "I don't bite, you know... unless it's called for."

British behavioral psychologist Jo Hemmings, who is also a relationship and dating coach, analyzed this choice: "It's slightly quirky, with an element of naughtiness and sexuality about it -- but in a fun way not a sleazy one."

The next most popular line came from "To Have and Have Not" (1944), when Lauren Bacall tells Humphrey Bogart, "You don't have to say anything... Oh, maybe just whistle. You know how to whistle don't you?" Sexy Jessica Rabbit came in third with a line from "Who framed Roger Rabbit?" (1988): "You don't know how hard it is being a woman looking the way I do."

Differences between the sexes

The study also analyzed the response rate of such lines. The pick-up line chosen by women only came in fifth place in terms of replies that peaked interest.

Men preferred a line delivered by Bette Davis in "The Cabin in the Cotton" (1932): "I'd love to kiss you, but I just washed my hair." The second most popular was a line spoken by Shirley MacLaine in the 1983 movie "Terms of Endearment," which women in the sample ignored: "Don't worship me till I've earned it."

"A lot of it is because women are still not practised at making the first approach. It's a skill that they've yet to learn." said Hemmings. According to her, "The trouble with pickup lines is that they've become a bit of a cliché. So the ones that work best are those with some humor, irony and self-deprecation."

A different view of couples

From the survey, one can see that the chosen lines come from older Hollywood movies. "No Strings Attached" (2011) starring Natalie Portman was the only recent film with a line in the list. Badoo.com also admits it found it tough to find more recent examples of good lines. "[Scriptwriters] don't seem to write them like they used to," explained Louise Thompson, Badoo's Director of PR.

Producer and screenwriter Josh Golding agrees. "In the 1940s, 50s and even early sixties, women characters got sharper, funnier lines because it was judged funny to see women get the upper hand over men." But today in Hollywood movies, women have to face commitment-phobic men clinging to delayed adolescence. "Men are too soft a target for the sharp women of today and so it’s no longer funny when they shoot their verbal arrows at us," he explained.

The Lines Most Picked By Women To Approach Men

1. "I don't bite, you know... unless it's called for." - Audrey Hepburn to Cary Grant in "Charade" (1963)

2. "You don't have to say anything... Oh, maybe just whistle. You know how to whistle don't you?" - Lauren Bacall to Humphrey Bogart in "To Have and To Have Not" (1944)

3. "You don't know how hard it is being a woman looking the way I do." - Kathleen Turner to Bob Hoskins in "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" (1988)

4. "Was that cannon fire, or is it my heart pounding?" - Ingrid Bergman to Humphrey Bogart in "Casablanca" (1942)

5. "You give me premature ventricular contractions... You make my heart skip a beat." - Natalie Portman to Ashton Kutcher in "No Strings Attached" (2011)

6. "Would you be shocked if I put on something more comfortable?" - Jean Harlow in "Hell's Angels" (1930)

The Lines Getting The Best Response From Men

1. "I'd like to kiss you, but I just washed my hair." - Bette Davis in "The Cabin in the Cotton" (1932)

2. "Don't worship me till I've earned it." - Shirley MacLaine in "Terms of Endearment" (1983)

3. "You don't have to say anything... Oh, maybe just whistle. You know how to whistle don't you?" - Lauren Bacall to Humphrey Bogart in "To Have and To Have Not"

4. "Was that cannon fire, or is it my heart pounding?" - Ingrid Bergman to Humphrey Bogart in "Casablanca" (1942)

5. " I don't bite, you know... unless it's called for." - Audrey Hepburn to Cary Grant in "Charade" (1963)