BEST ONE LINERS FROM A MUSICAL MOTION PICTURE

[NZ]

What is your favorite bit of dialogue from a musical. It can be humorous, poignant, spiteful...whatever. Tell me what you think is really great writing. My picks are below.

 

Judy Garland from For Me And My Gal. When Gene Kelly meets her character on a snowy train and chirps, "Hello, Spring time!" Garland's glib retort is "Aren't you a little out'a season?"

 

Nancy Walker from Best Foot Forward. When asked by a chaperone at the prom, "Young lady! Do you think it very lady-like to be throwing handkerchiefs at the stag line?" Walker replies in deadpan - "No...that's why I use Kleenex."

 

Rosano Brazzi from South Pacific. After listening to Lt. Cable and his commanding officers give him ten good reasons why he should risk his life to partake in the war against the Japanese, Brazzi's Emile DeBecque replies, "I know what you are against. What are you for?"

 

Leslie Caron in An American in Paris. When Gene Kelly informs her that he grabbed her away from her table of friends in a nightclub because he thought she looked bored, Caron tells him, "They should see me now."

 

Jane Powell in Luxury Liner. After rattling off a half dozen names of famous classical composers to band leader Xavier Cugat that she would like to sing arias from, and receiving a curt "No" from Cugie, Powell innocently asks, "Mr. Cugat, don't you know any good music at all?"

 

Fred Astaire from Silk Stockings. When Cyd Charisse tells him that the waiters in their restaurant are terrible, Astaire replies: "Yes I know. I spoke to the manager. He says he can't do a thing about them." "Why not?" asks Charisse. "They're communists!" Astaire replies.

 

Gene Kelly from Summer Stock. When confronted by Eddie Bracken as to staying away from his fiancee, played by Judy Garland, Bracken says, "Miss Falbury happens to be my fiancee! We've been engaged for four years!" to which Kelly acknowledges, "Well, don't rush into anything."

 

Marilyn Monroe from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. When the skeptical father of her fiancee, Gus confronts her with, "Young lady! Can you honestly stand there and tell me that you don't want to marry my son for his money?" Monroe quickly interjects, "It's true. I don't!" "Then what do you want to marry him for?" asks the father. "I want to marry him for your money!" is Monroe's reply.

 

Gloria Grahame from Oklahoma! When the peddler man (Eddie Albert) suggests that the two of them go into town, to a hotel, into the lobby and upstairs to "paradise" - the naive Grahame curiously replies, "I thought they was just bedrooms upstairs?" to which the peddler replies, "Maybe for everybody else. But for you and me, baby - paradise!"

 

Tell me your favorite ones. I look forward to the read.

[genetikci]

I would suggest taking a look at quotes from Fred-Ginger movies. An example:

 

From The Gay Divorcee

Fred Astaire: [after crashing into Ginger's car] Hello, hello! I've been looking for you!

[sandykaypax]

Nancy Walker to Virginia Wiedler in Best Foot Forward (Virginia's date has ditched her before the big dance for Lucille Ball): "Why don't you sue him for breach of prom?"

 

Sandy K

[mrsl]

"Let your brother out of there, young Lockinvar locked himself in the closet."

 

Dan Dailey to Mitzi Gaynor in 'There's No Business Like Show Business', when Donald O'Connor was talking to Marilyn M. on the phone. That movie was loaded with one-liners though. "Ma, stop, you're drowning me!" when Ethel Merman dunks Donalds' head in the sink after he comes home drunk.

 

Anne