Capturing a Golden Moment #20: The Big Sleep

The Big Sleep (1946)

Director: Howard Hawks

Scene: "Acme Book Shop"

In honour of the late Dorothy Malone (January 30, 1925 - January 19, 2018), here is her brief but sizzling scene as the Acme book store proprietress in The Big Sleep with Humphrey Bogart as private detective Philip Marlowe. Malone's on screen moments may be few, nevertheless, she matches Bogart's tenacity line for line, while managing to make quite a stylishly lasting impression of her own. 

The Big Sleep is available on Blu-ray here:

The Big Sleep [Blu-ray]

Starring Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, John Ridgely, Martha Vickers, Dorothy Malone

Buy on Amazon

It is also available on DVD here:

The Big Sleep (1946)

Starring Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, John Ridgely, Martha Vickers, Dorothy Malone

Buy on Amazon

Sterling Silver Dialogue #23

Sterling Silver Dialogue From The Movies: 

Do you know where they're from?

Special Film Noir Edition

"You know how it is, early in the morning, on the water. Everything’s quiet, except for the seagulls, a long way off. And you feel great. Then you come ashore, and it starts. And in no time at all, you’re up to your ears in trouble. And you don’t know where it began."

"You ever been locked up?"

(response) "Not the way you mean."

(reply) "I don't care what way it is. Some people can stand it and some people can't. The ones who can't would kill themselves and anybody else just to get out for five minutes."

"You don't think very much of people, do you?"

(response) "I don't think very much of anything."

"In this world, you turn the other cheek and you get hit with a lug wrench."

"Don’t ever change Tiger. I don’t think I’d like you with a heart."

"She looked like a very special kind of dynamite, neatly wrapped in nylon and silk. Only I wasn't having any. I'd been too close to one explosion already. I was powder shy."

"Too bad Nick took the car."

(response) "Even if the car were here we couldn't take it, not unless we'd want to spend the first night in jail. Stealing a man's wife, that's nothing... but stealing his car, that's larceny."

"I don't like this place."

(response) "It's a good spot. I used to come here with my girl when I was a kid.

(reply) It's more frightening than romantic.

(response) It's the way love is when you're young... life is when you're older."

"What’s happened to business, anyway? Got nothin’ to do but sit here dopin’ the horses. How do you like Killie in the 7th?"

(response) "Eh, she’ll still be runnin’ when they start the 8th."

"Oh, your breakfast is on the table, darling."

(response) "Where else would it be?"

"They tried to get her last night."

(response) "They. A wonderful word. And who are they? They're the nameless ones who kill people for the great whatsit. Does it exist? Who cares. Everyone everywhere is so involved in the fruitless search for what. Why don't you turn her over to Pat? It's his job to protect her, if she needs protection. Or to question her if that's what's needed. Why are you always tryin' to make a noise like a cop?"

"I never met Parry... but I know psychologically he's no killer. He was just dumb.

(response) "What makes you think you're so smart. All you know is T-squares and drafting boards and not even much about them or anything else!"

(reply) "We've been through all of that before! A couple of hundred thousand times. A couple of hundred thousand years ago when I was a monkey and thought I wanted to marry you."

(To the partygoers) "Seems I've lost my manners or would anyone here know the difference?"

"What do you know about anything? You probably had your bread buttered on both sides since the day you were born. Safe. Safe on first, second, third, and home."

"You're dead, son. Get yourself buried."

"Don't remove the gangplank, Sidney, you may wanna get back onboard."

"The cat's in the bag and the bag's in the river."

Answers to Sterling Silver Dialogue #23 are here.