CHINATOWN: Why A Famous Last Line Almost Never Happened

CHINATOWN: Why A Famous Last Line Almost Never Happened

From The Writers Hangout by Sandy Adomaitis

May 17, 2026 · 18 min · Season 1 · Episode 197

About this episode

Sandy and Terry discuss the iconic last line from the film CHINATOWN and the story behind its creation.

Rewind. Spend some time with Sandy and Terry as they explore one of the most iconic last lines in cinema, "Forget it, Jake. It's Chinatown," from the 1974 film CHINATOWN, written by Robert Towne, directed by Roman Polanski, and starring Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway. In this episode, they reveal the fascinating story of how this memorable line nearly didn’t make it and why! Executive Producer Kristin Overn Creator/Executive Producer Sandy Adomaitis Producer Terry Sampson Music by Ethan Stol...

People in this episode

Host: Sandy Adomaitis

Guest: Terry

Topics covered

  • cinema
  • film history
  • screenwriting
  • iconic lines
  • movie analysis

Keywords

  • Chinatown
  • last line
  • Robert Towne
  • Roman Polanski
  • Jack Nicholson
  • Faye Dunaway
  • film analysis
  • screenwriting

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Kristin Overn, Ethan Stol

Books & works: CHINATOWN

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