When Gene Tunney defeated Jack Dempsey for the heavyweight championship in 1926, Dempsey quipped to his wife, "Honey, I forgot to duck."

In 1981, Ronald Reagan was hospitalized after being shot by John Hinckley. After surgery, reportedly the first thing he said to Nancy Reagan was Dempsey's line. It was very characteristic of Reagan to borrow lines from movies or popular culture. Many of us wondered if Reagan knew he was quoting or actually thought he was in the movie sometimes...