The Last Picture Show Quotes

Jacy Oh Duane, hurry. What's wrong, honey?

Duane Uh, I don't know.

Jacy That tickles. You know I can't stand to be tickled. Well, what's the matter? Aren't you gonna do it?

Duane I don't know what's wrong.

Jacy What do you mean? How could anything be wrong? Just go on and do it. Oh! What's the matter with you?

Duane I don't know. I don't know. Somethin's happened.

Jacy Well, get off a minute, for goodness sake. You might fall and mash me. It's cause you and Sonny went down to Mexico. No telling what you got down there. I just hate you. I don't know why I ever went with you. Put some clothes on! You think I wanna sit around here and look at you nekkid? I might never get to not be a virgin. I think you're the meanest boy I ever saw. My mother was dead right about you. You better not tell one soul - you just pretend it was wonderful.

Genevieve One thing I know for sure - a person can't sneeze in this town without somebody offerin him a handkerchief...it's an awful small town for any kinda carryin on...And some people got a lotta guns.

Sonny Nothin's really been right since Sam the Lion died.

Lois No, no it hasn't. Oh God, I get sad if I think of Sam for long. Did you know he had beautiful hands?

Sonny I guess you liked him, didn't you? Aw, I guess everybody did.

Lois Well, I tell you, it was different with me, Sonny. I loved him. He loved me, too.

Sonny Are you - are you the one he used to take swimmin'? Out at the tank?

Lois He told you about that, huh? Yeah, I was the one. I guess if it wasn't for Sam, I'd just about have missed it, whatever it is. I'd have been one of them Amity types that thinks that playin bridge is about the best thing that life has to offer. Old Sam the Lion. Sam the Lion - you know, nobody knows where he got that name. I gave it to him. One night, well, it just came to me. He was so pleased. I was 22 years old then. Can you imagine? I'll tell you, Sonny, it's terrible to only meet one man in your whole life who knows what you're worth. Just terrible. I've looked, too. You wouldn't believe how I've looked.

Sonny Well, now I know why Sam liked you.

Lois Loved me.

Sonny Loved ya, I mean.

Lois Do you? Well, I can kinda see what he saw in you, too. Nope, I'll just go on home. Go on, get out.

Sonny Think I can - think I can learn to drink?

Lois You might. You'd better keep on practicing.

Jacy Why can't I just stay here and go to college in Wichita Falls?

Lois Because everything is flat and empty here, and nothin to do. Just remember, beautiful, everything gets old if you do it often enough. So if you wanna find out about monotony real quick, marry Duane.

Sam You wouldn't believe how this country's changed. First time I seen it, there wasn't a mesquite tree on it, or a prickly pear neither. I used to own this land, you know. First time I watered a horse at this tank was - more than forty years ago. I reckon the reason why I always drag you out here is probably I'm just as sentimental as the next fella when it comes to old times. Old times. I brought a young lady swimmin out here once, more than 20 years ago. Was after my wife had lost her mind and my boys was dead. Me and this young lady was pretty wild, I guess. In pretty deep. We used to come out here on horseback and go swimmin without no bathing suits. One day, she wanted to swim the horses across this tank. Kind of a crazy thing to do, but we done it anyway. She bet me a silver dollar she could beat me across. She did. This old horse I was ridin didn't want to take the water. But she was always lookin for somethin to do like that. Somethin wild. I'll bet she's still got that silver dollar.

Sonny Whatever happened to her?

Sam Oh, she growed up. She was just a girl then, really...

Sonny Why didn't you ever marry her after your wife died?

Sam She was already married. Her and her husband was young and miserable with one another like so many young married folks are. I thought they'd change with some age, but it didn't turn out that way.

Sonny Bein married always so miserable?

Sam No, not really. About eighty percent of the time, I guess. We oughta go to a real fishin tank next year. Aw, too late to think about things like that too much. If she was here, I'd probably be just as crazy now as I was then in about five minutes. Ain't that ridiculous? Naw, it ain't really. Cause bein crazy bout a woman like her's always the right thing to do. Bein a decrepit old bag of bones - that's what's ridiculous - gettin old.

Sonny Sure, I been goin with her, why not?

Duane I never said I blamed you for it. I don't blame you much. I just never thought you'd do me that way. I thought we was still best friends.

Sonny We are. What's you so mad for? I never done nothin to you.

Duane I guess screwin my girl ain't nothin to you.

Sonny I ain't screwin her.

Duane The hell you ain't.

Sonny Well, I ain't. But she's not your girl anymore, anyway.

Duane She is my girl. I don't care if we did break up.

Bobby You a virgin?

Jacy I guess I am.

Bobby Too bad.

Jacy I don't wanna be, though.

Bobby I don't blame ya. Come see me when you're not.

Jacy Oh, he's just awful, Momma. Why do you fool with him? Daddy's a nicer man than him, isn't he?

Lois He sure is, beautiful. Your Daddy's a very nice man. I oughta been givin Abilene hell, instead of him.

Jacy I don't know what I'm gonna do. Bobby was the last one - I'm just gonna be an old maid.

Lois Oh no, honey, that's just the way it goes sometimes, you know. You win a few, you lose a few.

Jacy What do you do? Nothin's ever the way it's supposed to be at all.

Lois You're right, come on. I wanna tell you somethin'. What I've done has not worked out too well. I think maybe we better think of somethin else for you.

Ruth Popper What am I doing apologizin to you? Why am I always apologizin to you, ya little bastard? Three months I been apologizing to you, without you even bein here. I haven't done anything wrong - why can't I quit apologizin'? You're the one oughta be sorry. I wouldn't still be in my bathrobe if it hadn't been for you. I'da had my clothes on hours ago. You're the one made me quit carin if I got dressed or not. I guess just because your friend got killed you want me to forget what you did and make it all right. I'm not sorry for you. You'd've left Billy, too, just like you left me. I bet you left him plenty a nights, whenever Jacy whistled. I wouldn't treat a dog that way. I guess you thought I was so old and ugly you didn't owe me any explanation. You didn't need to be careful of me. There wasn't anythin I could do about you and her - why should you be careful of me? You didn't love me. Look at me. Can't you even look at me? Y'see? You shouldn't have come here. I'm around that corner now. You've ruined it and it's lost completely. Just your needing me won't make it come back. Never you mind, honey, never you mind.

Miss Mosey Nobody wants to come to shows no more. Kids got baseball in the summer, television all the time. If Sam had lived, I believe we could've kept it goin'. But I just didn't have the know-how.

Duane Won't be much to do in town with the picture show closed.

Sonny Yeah.

Sonny Coulda been worse...

Sam Yeah. You can say that about nearly everything, I guess.

Genevieve She doesn't have a good disposition - what are you blue about then?

Sonny Ain't nobody to go with in this town. Jacy's the only pretty girl in school and Duane's got her.

Genevieve I'd call that his tough luck...Jacy'll bring him more misery than she'll ever be worth.

Jacy You just can't believe how famous we are. We're all anybody talks about in this town now...I want us to get married...Just as soon as you want to. Don't you want to?...I bet the whole town'll be knocked for a loop if we do. They'll never forget it.

Sonny But ain't you goin to college?

Jacy Oh, I don't care about that. I love you, and that's more important. You were so dear to fight for me. My folks won't like it, but we can run off.

Sonny They'll kill us.

Jacy Oh, no they won't.

Sonny Kill me, anyhow.

Jacy They'll get over it. You're workin for Daddy now anyway, and pretty soon they'll love you just as much as I do. Can we?

Sonny Sure. I just hope I can see to drive.

Jacy Don't you worry. I can drive.

Lois I'd just hate to see you marry him, that's all. You wouldn't be rich anymore, and in about two months...

Jacy I don't care about money...

Lois ...he'd quit flattering you.

Jacy Not at all.

Lois Well, you're pretty stupid then.

Jacy Well, you married Daddy when he was poor. And he got rich, didn't he?

Lois I scared your Daddy into gettin rich, beautiful.

Jacy Well, if Daddy could do it, Duane could too.

Lois Not married to you. You're not scary enough.

Jacy Well, you're rich and you're miserable. I sure don't want to be like you.

Lois Not much danger of that.

Charlene We've been goin steady a year tonight.

Sonny Yeah? Seems like a lot longer.

Charlene You shoulda got me some anniversary present.

Sonny You can have another stick of gum - that's all I got on me.