Original artwork, not a still
Flies are where men are most vulnerable!
— Clue • 1985
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
The joke turns a stock insult into innuendo, and Mrs. White delivers it with perfect poise, which is Kahn's whole comic method. It caps the film's running gag about her dead husbands. Fans quote it as one of the cheekiest lines in a PG mystery.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for ClueShow the scene
In Clue (1985), the guests are arguing over who killed the cook, and Mrs. White admits she has had five husbands. Husbands should be like Kleenex, she says: soft, strong and disposable. Another guest accuses her of luring men to their deaths like a spider with flies. Mrs. White answers with this line, turning the spider's flies into the kind on trousers. Madeline Kahn plays the widow Mrs. White.
Sources (2)
- Springfield! Springfield Clue scriptDialogue about the five husbands and the spiderReference checked
- Cluedo Wiki: Mrs. White/filmClue the Movie paragraphReference checked
Context reviewed
