The Big Sleep (1946)
Humphrey Bogart: Philip Marlowe
Photos
Quotes
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Philip Marlowe : She tried to sit on my lap while I was standing up.
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General Sternwood : How do you like your brandy, sir?
Philip Marlowe : In a glass.
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Philip Marlowe : My, my, my! Such a lot of guns around town and so few brains! You know, you're the second guy I've met today that seems to think a gat in the hand means the world by the tail.
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Carmen Sternwood : You're not very tall, are you?
Philip Marlowe : Well, I, uh, I tried to be.
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Vivian : I don't like your manners!
Marlowe : I'm not crazy about yours. I didn't ask to see you. I don't mind if you don't like my manners. I don't like 'em myself. They are pretty bad. I grieve over them long winter evenings, and I don't mind your ritzing me, or drinking your lunch out of a bottle. But don't waste your time trying to cross-examine me.
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Taxi Driver : If you can use me again sometime, call this number.
Philip Marlowe : Day and night?
Taxi Driver : Uh, night's better. I work during the day.
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Carmen Sternwood : Is he as cute as you are?
Philip Marlowe : Nobody is.
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Eddie Mars : Convenient, the door being open when you didn't have a key, eh?
Philip Marlowe : Yeah, wasn't it? By the way, how'd you happen to have one?
Eddie Mars : Is that any of your business?
Philip Marlowe : I could make it my business.
Eddie Mars : I could make your business mine.
Philip Marlowe : Oh, you wouldn't like it. The pay's too small.
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Vivian : Speaking of horses, I like to play them myself. But I like to see them workout a little first, see if they're front runners or come from behind, find out what their hole card is, what makes them run.
Marlowe : Find out mine?
Vivian : I think so.
Marlowe : Go ahead.
Vivian : I'd say you don't like to be rated. You like to get out in front, open up a little lead, take a little breather in the backstretch, and then come home free.
Marlowe : You don't like to be rated yourself.
Vivian : I haven't met anyone yet that can do it. Any suggestions?
Marlowe : Well, I can't tell till I've seen you over a distance of ground. You've got a touch of class, but I don't know how, how far you can go.
Vivian : A lot depends on who's in the saddle.
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[last lines]
Vivian : You've forgotten one thing: me.
Philip Marlowe : What's wrong with you?
Vivian : Nothing you can't fix.
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General Sternwood : Do you like orchids?
Philip Marlowe : Not particularly.
General Sternwood : Nasty things. Their flesh is too much like the flesh of men. Their perfume has the rotten sweetness of corruption.
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Carmen Sternwood : You're cute.
Philip Marlowe : I'm getting cuter every minute.
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Vivian : What will your first step be?
Philip Marlowe : The usual one.
Vivian : I didn't know there was a usual one.
Philip Marlowe : Well, sure there is. It comes complete with diagrams, on page 47 of 'How to be a Detective in 10 Easy Lessons,' correspondence school text-book and, uh, your father offered me a drink.
Vivian : You must've read another one on how to be a comedian.
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Vivian : So you're a private detective? I didn't know they existed, except in books, or else they were greasy little men snooping around hotel corridors. My, you're a mess, aren't you?
Philip Marlowe : I'm not very tall either. Next time I'll come on stilts, wear a white tie and carry a tennis racket.
Vivian : I doubt if even that would help.
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Norris : Are you attempting to tell me my duties, sir?
Philip Marlowe : No, just having fun trying to guess what they are.
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Marlowe : You know what he'll do when he comes back? Beat my teeth out, then kick me in the stomach for mumbling.
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Carmen Sternwood : You're cute. I like you.
Philip Marlowe : Yeah, what you see's nothing, I got a Balinese dancing girl tattooed across my chest.
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Philip Marlowe : Get up, angel, you look like a Pekingese.
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General Sternwood : You knew him too?
Philip Marlowe : Yes, in the old days, when he used to run rum out of Mexico and I was on the other side. We used to swap shots between drinks, or drinks between shots, whichever you like.
General Sternwood : My respects to you, sir. Few men ever swapped more than one shot with Sean Regan.
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[in a bookstore]
Philip Marlowe : You do sell books, hmm?
Agnes Lowzier : What do those look like, grapefruit?
Philip Marlowe : Well, from here they look like books.
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Agnes Lowzier : Is Harry there?
Philip Marlowe : Yeah, yeah, he's here.
Agnes Lowzier : Put him on, will you?
Philip Marlowe : He can't talk to you.
Agnes Lowzier : Why?
Philip Marlowe : Because he's dead.
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Agnes Lowzier : A half-smart guy, that's what I always draw. Never once a man who's smart all the way around the course. Never once.
Philip Marlowe : I hurt you much, sugar?
Agnes Lowzier : You and every other man I've ever met.
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Philip Marlowe : [to General Sternwood, after his daughter Carmen had thrown herself at him] You ought to wean her, she's old enough.
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Philip Marlowe : You made a mistake. Mrs. Rutledge didn't want to see me.
Norris : I'm sorry, sir. I make many mistakes.
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Philip Marlowe : Hm.
General Sternwood : What does that mean?
Philip Marlowe : [laughing] It means, "Hm!"
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Philip Marlowe : Don't you know any better than to wake a man up at two o'clock in the afternoon?
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Philip Marlowe : Oh, Eddie, you don't have anybody watching me, do you? Tailing me in a gray Plymouth coupe, maybe?
Eddie Mars : No, why should I?
Philip Marlowe : Well, I can't imagine, unless you're worried about where I am all the time.
Eddie Mars : I don't like you that well.
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Vivian : [Vivian is leaving Mr. Marlowe's office] Goodbye, Mr. Marlowe.
Philip Marlowe : [When Vivian tries to open the door the deadbolt is locked] Well, it wasn't intentional.
Vivian : [Vivian unlocks the deadbolt, turns and smiles] Try it sometime.
[Vivian leaves and closes the door behind her]
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Philip Marlowe : I know he was a good man at whatever he did. No one was more pleased than I when I heard you had taken him on as your... whatever he was.
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Philip Marlowe : Thanks for the drink, general.
General Sternwood : I enjoyed your drink as much as you did, sir.
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Philip Marlowe : You the guy that's been tailing me?
Harry Jones : Yeah, the name's Jones. Harry Jones. I want to see you.
Philip Marlowe : Swell. Did you want to see those guys jump me?
Harry Jones : I didn't care one way or the other.
Philip Marlowe : You could've yelled for help.
Harry Jones : If a guy's playing a hand, I let him play it. I'm no kibitzer.
Philip Marlowe : You got brains.
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Agnes Lowzier : Well, so long, copper. Wish me luck. I got a raw deal.
Philip Marlowe : Hey, your kind always does.
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Librarian : [Marlowe returns book to front desk] Did you find what you wanted?
Philip Marlowe : Yes, thanks.
Librarian : You know, you don't look like a man who'd be interested in first editions.
Philip Marlowe : Well, I collect blondes in bottles, too.
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Vivian : Do you always think you can handle people like, uh, trained seals?
Philip Marlowe : Uh-huh. I usually get away with it too.
Vivian : How nice for you.
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[making a crank call]
Philip Marlowe : I can do what? Where? Oh no, I wouldn't like that. Neither would my daughter.
[hangs up]
Philip Marlowe : I hope the sergeant never traces that call.
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Philip Marlowe : You wanna tell me now?
Vivian : Tell you what?
Philip Marlowe : What it is you're trying to find out. You know, it's a funny thing. You're trying to find out what your father hired me to find out, and I'm trying to find out why you want to find out.
Vivian : You could go on forever, couldn't you? Anyway it'll give us something to talk about next time we meet.
Philip Marlowe : Among other things.
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Philip Marlowe : Did I hurt you much, sugar?
Agnes Lowzier : You and every other man I've ever met.
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Philip Marlowe : How'd you happen to pick out this place?
Vivian : Maybe I wanted to hold your hand.
Philip Marlowe : Oh, that can be arranged.
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Philip Marlowe : Somebody's always giving me guns.
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Eddie Mars : Your story didn't sound quite right.
Philip Marlowe : Oh, that's too bad. You got a better one?
Eddie Mars : Maybe I can find one.
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Philip Marlowe : How bout a cup of coffee, Bernie?
Chief Inspector Bernie Ohls : Uh-uh. I can't afford to be seen with you.
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Philip Marlowe : Let me do the talking, angel. I don't know yet what I'm going to tell them. It'll be pretty close to the truth.
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Philip Marlowe : [speaking into the phone] Bernie? This is Marlowe. I got some more red points for you.
Chief Inspector Bernie Ohls : Who is it this time?
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Philip Marlowe : [speaking into the phone] Hello, let me talk to Mr. Mars.
Eddie Mars : This is Mars.
Philip Marlowe : Oh, hello, Eddie. This is Marlowe.
Eddie Mars : Marlowe?
Philip Marlowe : Yeah, Marlowe. Or what's left of him.
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Vivian : I'll have a scotch, messy, please.
Max - Head Waiter : Yes, ma'am.
Philip Marlowe : Scotch and plain water.
Max - Head Waiter : Yes, sir.
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Acme Book Shop Proprietress : You begin to interest me... vaguely.
Philip Marlowe : I'm a private dick on a case; perhaps I'm asking too much... although it doesn't seem too much to me.
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[repeated line]
Philip Marlowe : Angel.