Context

This famous line is spoken by Alvy Singer, played by Woody Allen, in Annie Hall (directed by Woody Allen, 1977).

If you're sitting down to watch Annie Hall, you won't have to wait too long before you get to hear this gem. The movie opens with a monologue, delivered by our protagonist straight to the camera. He wants you to hear what he has to say, and he doesn't give you much of a choice in the matter.

Even Shakespeare let his characters get into the swing of things with some back-and-forth dialogue before launching into the soliloquies. Sheesh.

Alvy delivers the line as a quote itself, attributing it to either Groucho Marx or Sigmund Freud (oh, this one was definitely Groucho's, although it sounds a tad Freudian), although he admits he's paraphrasing.

Basically, it's his way of saying that if there's a club with such low standards that it's willing to accept someone of his low standing…then it's probably not a club worth joining. A real Debbie Downer, this guy.

The line is repeated later in the film when action pauses and Alvy breaks the fourth wall to once again address the camera. Any time a line in a movie is repeated in multiple scenes, you can bet the screenwriter (in this case, Allen himself), was trying to make a significant point with it. 

The line stuck, has become more associated with Woody than with Groucho, and has become a part of Hollywood movie quote lore.

Where you've heard it

Well, if you're a Groucho Marx fan, you've probably heard him say it, since he was the first to do so. It wasn't from one of the Marx Brothers' movies, but rather from a letter Groucho sent to an actual club. The specific details of the story—as well as the exact wording of the quote—are in question, but there's no doubt he's the one who first spouted the witticism.

The line is borrowed extensively, although there aren't really any clear examples where a regurgitation of the quote has gained any notoriety on its own. But you'll find references to it in personal blogs, articles, political websites, and everywhere else on the Interwebs.

If you're one of the millions of the people who have heard this quote in passing, then join the club. Unless, of course, you don't care to be a member.

Pretentious Factor

If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.

A couple of things move this quote into the upper echelon of pretension. First, it's uttered by Woody Allen, which already makes this at least an automatic 5. Referencing Groucho Marx downgrades it to about a 3, but then mentioning Freud and his Wit and Its Relation to the Unconscious vaults it all the way up to a 9.

The only thing keeping it from being a 10 is that Allen didn't deliver the line while puffing on a pipe and wearing a smoking jacket.