i've fallen and i can't get up

"I've fallen... and I can't get up!" was a popular catchphrase of early 1990s popular culture based upon a line from a United States-based television commercial. The phrase is still occasionally used today, though not nearly with the frequency it was around 1990.

The source of the line

The line was originally spoken in a television commercial for a medical service called Lifecall, in 1990. The idea behind Lifecall was that many senior citizens today live at home alone, and may find themselves suddenly in medical danger with no one near to help them. Lifecall consists of a small radio badge worn around the wrist or neck; when the button on the badge is pressed, the senior is immediately put into contact with a dispatcher who can send a paramedic, fireman, or other emergency assistance. The TV advertisement specifically featured a fictional elderly lady named "Mrs. Fletcher" who has fallen, with her walker, in the bathroom. Sprawled helplessly, she says the famous line, and a dispatcher informs her that "help is being sent immediately". On its face, the commercial illustrates a serious situation for a senior with dire consequences (elderly people with no one to care for them may fall in their homes and be on the floor for hours or even days, unable to get help). The Lifecall ad, however, had the double misfortune of being unintentionally campy - and being shown often on cable and daytime television. The combination made "I've fallen... and I can't get up!" a recognized, universal punchline that applied to any number of comedic situations. Lifecall for the United States has since gone out of business, although it may still exist in Canada by the same name. A number of other medical emergency services continue to provide help to senior citizens and disabled persons. According to business records, the largest company that provides this kind of service is Lifeline. According to the United States Patent and Trademark Office, after first applying in October 1990, Lifecall registered the phrase "I've Fallen And I Can't Get Up" as a trademark in September 1992 until its status was cancelled in 1999. http://tarr.uspto.gov/servlet/tarr?regser=serial&entry=74108242 In October 2002, the phrase "Help, I've Fallen And I Can't Get Up!" became a registered trademark of Life Alert Emergency Response, Inc., which produces Life Alert, another radio badge product. http://tarr.uspto.gov/servlet/tarr?regser=serial&entry=76233401

The actress

Mrs. Fletcher was played in the commercial by Dorothy McHugh. The commercial's "Mrs. Fletcher" and her catchphrase became so famous that when Dorothy McHugh died on July 19, 1995, her death was newsworthy based on her appearance in the Lifecall commercial alone.

Notable uses

Jay Leno used this catchphrase after a motorcycle accident he had on September 14, 1991. He came back to The Tonight Show on crutches, and got one of the biggest laughs of the evening with the line. The line was used by Steve Urkel in the sitcom 'Family Matters' after some of his many mishaps. The line was also uttered by the droid Star Wars character C-3PO in a comedic moment during the opening battle of the Clone Wars after a large robot fell and pinned him to the ground.