Worst Movie Bosses Throughout the Decades

June 13, 2016

From the majestic acres of Tara to the magical lots in Hollywood movie studios, these seriously bad bosses of the silver screen take the term “power trip” to an entirely new level:

1930s

Vivien Leigh in Gone with the Wind (1939)

Scarlett O’Hara (Gone with the Wind – 1939)
“If I have to lie, steal, cheat or kill. As God is my witness, I’ll never be hungry again.”

1940s

Orson Welles in Citizen Kane (1941)

Charles Foster Kane (Citizen Kane – 1941)
“Sure, we’re speaking, Jedediah. You’re fired.”

1950s

Gloria Swanson and William Holden in Sunset Boulevard (1950)

Norma Desmond (Sunset Boulevard – 1950)
“Without me, there wouldn’t be any Paramount studio.”

1960s

Paul Newman in Cool Hand Luke (1967)

Boss (Cool Hand Luke – 1967)
“That ditch is Boss Kean’s ditch. And I told him that dirt in it’s your dirt. What’s your dirt doin’ in his ditch?…You better get in there and get it out boy.”

1970s

Louise Fletcher in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)

Nurse Mildred Ratched (One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest – 1975)
“If Mr. McMurphy doesn’t want to take his medication orally, I’m sure we can arrange that he can have it some other way. But I don’t think he would like it.”

1980s

Jonathan Silverman, Terry Kiser, & Andrew McCarthy in Weekend at Bernie’s (1989)

Bernie Lomax (Weekend at Bernie’s – 1989)
“What the hell are you doing here? I fired you last week? You drank all my liquor and the toilets still don’t work. I don’t want to see you. [kicking his employee] Get out of here! [kicking his employee].

1990s

Jack Nicholson in A Few Good Men (1992)

Colonel Nathan R. Jessup (A Few Good Men – 1992)
“John, you’re in charge. Santiago doesn’t make 4646 on his next Proficiency and Conduct Report, and I’m going to blame you. And then, I’m going to kill you.”

2000s

David Carradine in Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004)

Bill (Kill Bill: Vol. 1 – 2003 / Kill Bill: Vol. 2 – 2004)
“Now if you don’t settle down, I’m gonna have to put one in your kneecap. And I hear tell that’s a very painful place to get shot in.”

2010s

Jeremy Piven in Entourage (2015)

Ari Gold (Entourage – 2015)
“I’m telling you. Because it is your job, along with going over budget and being short, to tell him these things.”

Tune in on Friday, June 17th, for the HDNET MOVIES Bad Bosses triple, featuring:

Weekend at Bernie’s – 8/7c
Three to Tango – 9:45/8:45c
Down Periscope – 11:30/10:30c

Watching from the west coast? The triple feature will repeat immediately following the first air times:

Weekend at Bernie’s – 11:05/10:05pt
Three to Tango – 12:45a/11:45pt
Down Periscope – 2:25a/1:25pt

Repeat airing on Tuesday, June 28th starting at 8/7c.