22 quotes
Struggle Between Hollywood and Real Life
John L. Sullivan
It's a funny thing how everything keeps shoving me back to Hollywood or Beverly Hills, or this monstrosity we're riding in. Almost like, like gravity as if some force were saying, Get back where you belong. You don't belong out here in real life, you phony you.!'... Maybe there's a universal law that says, Stay put. As you are, so shall you remain. Maybe that's why tramps are always in trouble. They don't vote. They don't pay taxes. They violate the law of nature... But nothing is gonna stop me. I'm gonna find out how it feels to be in trouble, without friends, without credit, without checkbook, without name. Alone.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
A Journey Toward Happiness and Unexpected Love
Taglines
A Happy-Go Lucky Hitch-Hiker on the Highway to happiness! He wanted to see the world . . . but wound up in Lover's Lane!
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Artistic Vision vs. Commercial Appeal
John L. Sullivan
I want this picture to be a commentary on modern conditions. Stark realism. The problems that confront the average man!
LeBrand
But with a little sex.
John L. Sullivan
A little, but I don't wanna stress it. I want this picture to be a document. I wanna hold a mirror up to life. I want this to be a picture of dignity! A true canvas of the suffering of humanity!
LeBrand
But with a little sex in it.
John L. Sullivan
With a little sex in it.
[reluctantly]
Hadrian
How bout a nice musical?
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Preferences and Identity in Relationships
The Girl
I liked you better as a bum.
John L. Sullivan
I can't help what kind of people you like.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Inquiring About Train Schedules and Passengers
Burrows
Hello. Information? Eh, have you any freight trains going East this afternoon or early this evening?.. 5:48... Uh, thank you very much indeed, sir. Oh, and could you tell me, does that train carry tramps? And if so, where to they get on?
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Exploring Poverty for Authentic Storytelling
Burrows
Good morning, sir. I don't like it at all, sir. Fancy dress, I take it?
John L. Sullivan
What's the matter with it?
Burrows
I have never been sympathetic to the caricaturing of the poor and needy, sir.
John L. Sullivan
Who's caricaturing? I'm going out on the road to find out what it's like to be poor and needy and then I'm going to make a picture about it.
Burrows
If you'll permit me to say so, sir, the subject is not an interesting one. The poor know all about poverty and only the morbid rich would find the topic glamorous.
John L. Sullivan
But I'm doing it for the poor. Don't you understand?
Burrows
I doubt if they would appreciate it, sir. They rather resent the invasion of their privacy, I believe quite properly, sir. Also, such excursions can be extremely dangerous, sir. I worked for a gentleman once who likewise, with two friends, accoutered themselves as you have, sir, and then went out for a lark. They have not been heard from since. May I close, sir, by warning you against the entire expedition, which I envision with deep apprehension and gloomy foreboding.
John L. Sullivan
Thanks, same to you.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
The Impact of Art on Society
John L. Sullivan
You see? You see the symbolism of it? Capital and labor destroy each other. It teaches a lesson, a moral lesson, it has social significance.
Hadrian
Who wants to see that kind of stuff? It gives me the creeps.
John L. Sullivan
Tell him how long it played at the Music Hall.
LeBrand
It was held over a fifth week.
Hadrian
Who goes to the Music Hall? Communists!
John L. Sullivan
Communists? This picture's an answer to communists. It shows we're awake and not dunking our heads in the sand like a bunch of ostriches!
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
The Value of Laughter in Life
John L. Sullivan
There's a lot to be said for making people laugh. Did you know that that's all some people have? It isn't much, but it's better than nothing in this cockeyed caravan.
[last lines]
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Veronica Lake's Involvement in Corruption
Taglines
Veronica Lake's on the take!
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Sullivan's Travels - Taglines
Taglines
The Creator of "Lady Eve" brings you his latest and most lilting laugh-fest!
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
A Humorous Take on Social Interactions
The Girl
You know, the nice thing about buying food for a man is that you don't have to listen to his jokes. Just think, if you were some big shot like a casting director or something, I'd be staring into your bridgework saying Yes, Mr. Smearcase. No, Mr. Smearcase. Not really, Mr. Smearcase! Oh, Mr. Smearcase, that's my knee! Give Mr. Smearcase another cup of coffee. Make it two. Want a piece of pie?
John L. Sullivan
No thanks, kid.
The Girl
Why, Mr. Smearcase, aren't you getting a little familiar?
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Identity and Appearance in Taxation Context
Policeman at Beverly Hills station
Are you sure this is Sullivan?
Sullivan's Valet
Oh, quite, sir.
Policeman at Beverly Hills station
What are you doing in these clothes?
John L. Sullivan
I just paid my income tax.
[wearing rags from a studio wardrobe]
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
The Role of Women in Film
Policeman at Beverly Hills station
How does the girl fit in this picture?
John L. Sullivan
There's always a girl in the picture. Haven't you ever been to the movies?
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Questioning Identity and Consequences in Filmmaking
John L. Sullivan
Look they don't sentence picture directors to a place like this... for a little disagreement with a yard bull.
Trustee
Don't they?
John L. Sullivan
No.
Trustee
Well, then, maybe you ain't a movie director. Maybe that idea just come to you... - when you got hit on the head, maybe.
John L. Sullivan
Huh?
Trustee
Maybe that idea just come to you... when you got hit on the head, maybe.
John L. Sullivan
Now look...
Trustee
We used to have a fella here once that thought he was ]. He used to fly away every night... but he was always back in the morning.
[[w:Charles Lindbergh|Lindbergh]
John L. Sullivan
Don't I look like a picture director?
Trustee
Course I never seen one. You look more like a soda jerk, or maybe a plasterer, maybe.
John L. Sullivan
But... If ever a plot needed a twist, this one does.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Discussion about the swimming pool location
The Girl
Where's the swimming pool? You must have a swimming pool.
[Sullivan and the girl are walking through his palatial mansion]
John L. Sullivan
Right out here.
John L. Sullivan
Outside dining room, barbecue.
The Girl
Hmm.
John L. Sullivan
Pretty, isn't it?
The Girl
Yeah.
John L. Sullivan
There's the tennis court up there, grape arbor there, and the grove there. Well, I guess that's about all. What are you looking at me that way for?
John L. Sullivan
Ooh!
[falls into the swimming pool]
The Girl
Hey, you big fathead!
John L. Sullivan
What's the big idea?
The Girl
That's for your swimming pools and your tennis courts and your limousines and your barbecues. That's for making fun of a poor girl who only tried to help you, you big faker!
John L. Sullivan
Who made fun of you?
The Girl
You did, with your stories of being a washed-up director, you big clunk!
John L. Sullivan
Oh I did, did I?
Burrows
Breakfast is served, sir.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Finding Trouble in Simplicity
The Girl
You're so simple, you're apt to get into a lot of trouble.
John L. Sullivan
What do ya think I'm out here for?
The Girl
Gee, I like that about you. You're like those knights of old who used to ride around looking for trouble.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Different Perspectives on Hardship and Experience
John L. Sullivan
What do you mean, what do I know about hard luck? Don't you think I've...
Hadrian
No.
John L. Sullivan
What?
Hadrian
You have not. I sold newspapers till I was 20, then I worked in a shoe store and put myself through law school at night. Where were you at 20?
John L. Sullivan
I was in college.
LeBrand
When I was 13, I supported three sisters, two brothers and a widowed mother. Where were you at 13?
John L. Sullivan
I was in boarding school. I'm sorry!
LeBrand
Well, you don't have to be ashamed of it, Sully. That's the reason your pictures have been so light, so cheerful, so inspiring.
Hadrian
They don't stink with messages.
LeBrand
That's why I paid you five hundred a week when you were 24.
Hadrian
Seven hundred and fifty when you were 25.
LeBrand
A thousand when you were 26.
Hadrian
When I was 26, I was getting 18.
LeBrand
Two thousand when you were 27!
Hadrian
I was getting 25 then!
LeBrand
I'd just opened my shooting gallery. Then three thousand after "Thanks for Yesterday.
Hadrian
Four thousand after "Ants in Your Plants.
John L. Sullivan
I suppose you're trying to tell me I don't know what trouble is.
Hadrian
Yes!
LeBrand
In a nice way, Sully.
John L. Sullivan
Well, you're absolutely right. I haven't any idea what it is.
Hadrian
People always like what they don't know anything about.
John L. Sullivan
I had a lot of nerve wanting to make a picture about human suffering.
LeBrand
You're a gentleman to admit it, Sully, but then, you are anyway.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Reflection on Wealth and Human Connection
Las Vegas Diner Counterman
I'll never get rich.
[Giving the obviously broke Sully and girl each coffee and a donut]
The Girl
Oh, gee.
John L. Sullivan
You're a little richer than you were. Hundreds of miles from everything. Cut off from the world, a taste of human kindness. I'll never forget it as long as I live. What town is this?
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Artistic Ambitions in Film Creation
John L. Sullivan
Of course I'm just a minor employee here, Mr. LeBrand...
LeBrand
He's starting that one again.
John L. Sullivan
I wanted to make you something outstanding... something you could be proud of, something that would realize the potentialities of film... as the sociological and artistic medium that it is. With a little sex in it. Something like...
Hadrian
Something like ]. I know.
[[w:Frank Capra|Capra]
John L. Sullivan
What's the matter with Capra?
LeBrand
Look, you want to make O Brother, Where Art Thou?
Hadrian
Now, wait a minute!
LeBrand
Then go ahead and make it! For what you're getting, I can't afford to argue with you.
John L. Sullivan
That's a fine way to start a man out on a million-dollar production.
LeBrand
You want it, you've got it! I can take it on the chin. I've taken it before.
John L. Sullivan
Not from me you haven't.
LeBrand
Not from you, Sully, that's true. Not with pictures like So Long Sarong, Hey, Hey, In the Hayloft, Ants in Your Plants of 1939... But they weren't about tramps, lockouts, sweatshops, people eating garbage in alleys and living in piano boxes and ash cans.
Hadrian
And phooey!
LeBrand
They're about nice, clean young people... who fell in love... with laughter and music and legs. Now take that scene in Hey, Hey, In the Hayloft...
John L. Sullivan
But you don't realize conditions have changed. There isn't any work. There isn't any food. These are troublous times.
Hadrian
What do you know about trouble?
John L. Sullivan
What do I know about trouble?
Hadrian
Yes, what do you know about trouble?
John L. Sullivan
Well, what do you mean, what do I know about trouble?
Hadrian
Just what I'm saying. You wanna make a picture about garbage cans. What do you know about garbage cans? When did you eat your last meal out of one?
Hadrian
Well, what's that got to do with it?
John L. Sullivan
He's asking you.
Hadrian
You wanna make an epic about misery. You wanna show hungry people sleeping in doorways.
LeBrand
With newspapers around them!
Hadrian
You wanna grind out ten thousand feet of hard luck - and all I'm asking you is, what do you know about hard luck?
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
The Paradox of Seeking Solitude Together
John L. Sullivan
But nothing is going to stop me. I'm going to find out how it feels to be in trouble. Without friends, without credit, without checkbook, without name. Alone.
The Girl
And I'll go with you.
John L. Sullivan
How can I be alone if you're with me?
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Value of Genius and Foolishness
Hadrian
We'd better insure him for a million.
LeBrand
He's worth more.
Hadrian
The bonehead.
LeBrand
Yes, but what a genius.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
The Nature of Poverty and Its Impact
Burrows
You see, sir, rich people and theorists - who are usually rich people - think of poverty in the negative, as the lack of riches - as disease might be called the lack of health. But it isn't, sir. Poverty is not the lack of anything, but a positive plague, virulent in itself, contagious as cholera, with filth, criminality, vice and despair as only a few of its symptoms. It is to be stayed away from, even for purposes of study. It is to be shunned.
John L. Sullivan
You seem to have made quite a study of it.
Burrows
Quite unwillingly, sir. Will that be all, sir?
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.