Robert Cummings Quotes

Barry Kane Pat, this moment belongs to me. No matter what happens, they can never take it away from me.

Mark Halliday Darling, I understand now, but that doesn't stop me from loving you.

Barry Kane Why is it that you sneer every time you refer to this country? You've done pretty well here. I don't get it.

Mac, Truck Driver I've been thinkin for long time I'm gonna get out of this truckin game.

Barry Kane Why don't you?

Mac, Truck Driver One of my neighbors told my wife it's stylish to eat three meals a day.

Joe O'Brien A woman's place in the world is to tend the male.

Mary Jones Not this woman and not this male.

Mary Jones I wish you'd marry me, just like it is. I'm not afraid.

Joe O'Brien Marriage? You're not afraid? Women are never afraid. How long do you think you'd be in love with me living off your salary?

Mary Jones That's nothing to be ashamed of. You can't help it.

Joe O'Brien Not to you; but it is to me.

Parris Mitchell Stick your chin out, Drake.

Drake McHugh Why?

Parris Mitchell You're gonna get the worst wallop you ever had.

Drake McHugh Yeah? Who's gonna do it?

Parris Mitchell I am.

Drake McHugh Start swingin'.

Parris Mitchell It's something about you and Louise Gordon and her father.

Randy Monaghan Parris!

Parris Mitchell She was here today, Louise was. She wanted to tell you and I wouldn't let her.

Randy Monaghan Parris, you can't. You said yourself...

Parris Mitchell I've just come from the Gordons. I've sent Louise out to tell anyone she pleases. But saying it to you I've saved for myself.

Randy Monaghan I won't let you Parris, please, if you have any heart.

Parris Mitchell I'm not your friend now, you're not mine. I'm your doctor. And you're my patient. It's as if I'd taken you in the operating room and I had the scalpel in my hand which may make you - or destroy you.

Drake McHugh What's this all about, kid?

Parris Mitchell My grandmother used to say, Some people grow up and some people just grow older. I guess it's time we found out about us, you and me. Whether I'm a doctor, and whether you're a man. You know the kind of man I mean, Drake.

Patricia "Pat" Martin Barry, why couldn't I have met you a hundred years ago? On a beach somewhere?

Barry Kane Bathing suits looked awfully funny a hundred years ago. I bet you'd look beautiful though.

Parris Mitchell I don't know if you can take it, Drake.

Drake McHugh Give it to me.

Parris Mitchell Dr. Gordon cut off your legs. I don't know if it was necessary. He was that kind, a butcher, who thought he had a special ordination to punish transgressors. With you he had a double incentive because of Louise. Heaven knows what else. The caverns of the human mind are full of strange shadows, but none of that matters. The point is he wanted to destroy you, oh, not literally. He wanted to destroy the Drake McHugh you were. He wanted to see you turn into a life-long cripple, mentally as well as physically. That's all there is, Drake. Now, if you turn your face to that wall...

Drake McHugh That's a hot one, isn't it? Where did Gordon think I lived, in my legs? Did he think those things were Drake McHugh? Spout that poetry again, Parris. I never was any good at poetry. What was it you wanted, honey? To build a house? We'll move into it in broad daylight. And we'll invite the folks in, too. For Pete's sake, let's give a party. I feel swell.

Patricia "Pat" Martin I'm afraid we're not behaving very well.

Barry Kane What's the difference, we're not invited anyway.

Dr. Alexander Q. Tower In the 13th Century, man was happier and more comfortable in his world than he is now. I'm speaking of psychic man and his relationship with his whole universe.

Parris Mitchell I get it, sir. Everything was so simple then

Dr. Alexander Q. Tower That was it, Parris. That was it. But in this modern complicated world, man breaks down under the strain, the bewilderment, disappointment, and disillusionment. He gets lost, goes crazy, commits suicide. I don't know what's going to happen to this world in the next hundred years or so, but I can guarantee you life isn't going to get any simpler. Worry and doubt bring on a bellyache. Mankind's building up the biggest psychic bellyache in history.

Parris Mitchell Well, you were saying that man gets lost. It seems to me that these lost people have kind of fooled themselves clear out of the world of reality. And the right way is to fool them right back in again, like catching a rabbit that's strayed out of its pen. You get his attention on something else and he doesn't see the gate and the first thing he knows, he's back home again.

Louise Gordon My father cut his legs off, Parris...I was there...I was too late. If I hadn't been too late - I'm not crazy, Parris...You must find out about it. There was a man who helped my father, maybe he'd know. I don't believe it was necessary. My father did it on my account.

Parris Mitchell Do you realize what you're saying? A horrible accusation.

Louise Gordon You've got to believe me, I kept a list. He always talked about his operations, other doctors don't do that. He thought it was his duty to punish wickedness wherever he found it. He was a fanatic like my mother, he used to talk to her. I think she knew, too...Nearly always he'd say their hearts were too weak for chloroform. But their hearts were not too weak to be cut to pieces. And with Drake, he had a double purpose. He hated him because of me.

Parris Mitchell But your father's dead, it's all over and done with.

Louise Gordon I want to tell. I want them all to know...I want to destroy his memory!

Parris Mitchell Have you thought what terrible harm you would do? Perhaps someone you love. You used to love Drake. To be crippled is terrible enough, but to find out it was unnecessary...We'll not say a word about this to anyone. For a little while. We'll keep it a secret between us, you know, until we're sure. I'll come and talk to you every day, whenever you want. If you want me to help you, you must put yourself entirely in my hands.

Mark Halliday When did you find out, sir?

Chief Insp. Hubbard Well, the first clue came quite by accident. We discovered that your husband had been spending a large number of pound notes all over the place - it ran into over three hundred pounds - and it appeared to have started at about the time you were arrested. Now, I had to find out where he got that money, and how. Then I remembered that after you were arrested we searched this flat, and I saw a copy of his bank statement in that desk. So yesterday afternoon, I went to the prison and asked to see your handbag. While I was doing this, I managed to lift your latchkey. Highly irregular, of course, but my blood was up. And then this morning when your husband was out, I came back here to look at his statement. I never saw it... because I never got through that door. You see, the key that I'd taken from your handbag didn't fit the lock!

Barry Kane That's the only good part. I'm with you.

Patricia "Pat" Martin I wish it was somewhere else - the North Pole - I wouldn't care.

Barry Kane We might wind up there too, chasing Fry over an old glacier.

Patricia "Pat" Martin Fry. He seems so small now. I'd forgotten about him.

Tony Wendice How do you go about writing a detective story?

Mark Halliday Well, you forget detection and concentrate on crime. Crime's the thing. And then you imagine you're going to steal something or murder somebody.

Tony Wendice Oh, is that how you do it? It's interesting.

Mark Halliday Yes, I usually put myself in the criminal's shoes and then I keep asking myself, uh, what do I do next?

Margot Mary Wendice Do you really believe in the perfect murder?

Mark Halliday Mmm, yes, absolutely. On paper, that is. And I think I could, uh, plan one better than most people; but I doubt if I could carry it out.

Tony Wendice Oh? Why not?

Mark Halliday Well, because in stories things usually turn out the way the author wants them to; and in real life they don't... always. Hmm. I'm afraid my murders would be something like my bridge: I'd make some stupid mistake and never realize it until I found everybody was looking at me.

Tony Wendice As you said Mark, it might work out on paper, but... Congratulations, Inspector. Oh, by the way... How about you, Margot?

Margot Mary Wendice Yes, I could do with something.

Tony Wendice Mark?

Mark Halliday So could I.

Tony Wendice I suppose you're still on duty, Inspector.

Barry Kane Right now, they're probably haggling over the price for us with Murder, Incorporated.

Parris Mitchell Something's gonna happen, Drake. Something bad, I don't know what. It's just a feeling I've had lately. Something I can't stop happening, that maybe I'm even responsible for in some way.

Joe O'Brien Lock me up - you've got enough charges.

Police Sergeant I'll lock you up when I'm good and ready!

Randy Monaghan Trouble is your pants are too tight. Take em off, why don't you?

Parris Mitchell I can't. I haven't got anything on under them.

Dr. Alexander Q. Tower Oh, have you read this?

Parris Mitchell Yes, sir. I didn't understand it entirely, I'm afraid.

Dr. Alexander Q. Tower Well, it's a new field. They've even a new word for it: psychiatry.

Parris Mitchell It's something I never thought about. I mean, for a doctor to want to cure diseases of people's minds instead of their bodies. I suppose it's a pretty big field, sir.

Dr. Alexander Q. Tower Maybe too big. Maybe a hundred years off.

Randy Monaghan She'll come again or someone else will. That kind of news always gets home. Then what?

Parris Mitchell If it should ever enter Drake's mind that this whole catastrophe was anything but an accident...

Randy Monaghan What would happen?

Parris Mitchell I think the whole structure we built up for him would topple down again. This time we couldn't rebuild it. He'd be gone.

Randy Monaghan Louise has got to be kept quiet, Parris.

Parris Mitchell I can silence her, Randy.

Parris Mitchell Of course, Randy, it is a ghastly and terrible tragedy, particularly to have happened to Drake. He lived by his freedom and independence. He will feel, probably already feels, that he's lost both. It'll be your problem to restore them to him. The repairs to the body can sometimes be made in a short space of time. The injury to the mind, to what is called the psyche, this takes longer. The psychic injuries strike at his pride, his initiative, and we shall have to save them if we're to save Drake. Never when I decided to become a psychiatrist did I imagine I'd be writing my first prescription for my dearest friend. As soon as he's well enough, he must find an interest outside of himself. Some job to do that will force him to depend upon himself and make his own decisions. The helpless invalid complex must be avoided at all cost. In fact, he must be made to feel that since he was making a living for himself he will, of course, go on making a living. I've written to the bank instructing them to turn over to you the small Tower estate that was left me. Use it to make some sort of a new beginning for you. I don't care if it's real estate or chicken farming, so long as it is something that will take his mind off himself and make him realize that he's still some use in this world. I feel so helpless being way over here. I rely on you. You must obey my instructions faithfully.

Chief Insp. Hubbard Sooner or later, he'll come back here. As I've pinched his latch key, he'll try the one in the handbag. When that doesn't fit, he'll realize his mistake, put two and two together, and look under the stair carpet.

Mark Halliday If he doesn't do that, all of this is pure guess work. We can't prove a thing.

Chief Insp. Hubbard That's perfectly true. But once he opens that door, we shall know everything.