Heroes for Sale (1933)

Richard Barthelmess: Thomas 'Tom' Holmes

Photos 

Quotes 

• Thomas 'Tom' Holmes : I thought you hated all employers and capitalists.

  Max Brinker : I despise them! I spit on them! But, I'm villing to get rich vith them.

• Mr. Winston : After 25 years of public confidence, I find myself with a drug addict in my employ. A drug addict handling the depositors' money. An employee of mine with this loathsome, cowardly habit. I can't understand it. I know how careful your mother brought you up. The sacrifices she made sending you to school, fitting you for a good, clean Christian life. This is a nice...

  Thomas 'Tom' Holmes : Oh, wait a minute. How do you think I started taking that stuff, for fun or pleasure? Well, I'll tell you how. They gave it to me in a German hospital to keep me from going mad with pain. Pain, agony, continual torture. Day after day, like a million ants eating me alive. You know what that means? No, you don't. Because when I was being blown to bits, you were sitting here, safe and comfortable. And you're still sitting here in judgment.

• Roger Winston : Tom, I can't believe it. You were killed. I saw you die.

  Thomas 'Tom' Holmes : Well, they had me out there among the clouds, but I bounced back just to fool them.

• Thomas 'Tom' Holmes : Listen. Listen, Roger. I've been in the shadow of death for so long, that nothing in life seems very important anymore.

• Thomas 'Tom' Holmes : Maybe you know where I could get a good cheap room?

  Mary Dennis : Why, Pa and me rent rooms in our flat upstairs. We got a nice empty now.

  Thomas 'Tom' Holmes : Bedbugs?

  Mary Dennis : Only if you bring 'em.

• Ruth Loring : That's the inventor.

  Thomas 'Tom' Holmes : He's kind of cracked, isn't he?

  Ruth Loring : Yeah, a little bit.

  Thomas 'Tom' Holmes : I guess we're all kind of cracked one way or another.

• Thomas 'Tom' Holmes : Where do you work?

  Ruth Loring : In a laundry.

  Thomas 'Tom' Holmes : That ought to be a nice clean job.

• Thomas 'Tom' Holmes : Funny, here I was down in the dumps, disgusted with everything. And then you came along and...

  Ruth Loring : And what?

  Thomas 'Tom' Holmes : Well, I'm a new man.

  [snaps his fingers] 

  Thomas 'Tom' Holmes : Just like that.

  Ruth Loring : Why don't you tie a hook on that line and go fishing.

  Thomas 'Tom' Holmes : I will if you'll go with me.

• Thomas 'Tom' Holmes : I need every penny I make. I'm gonna have a baby.

  Ruth : We're going to have a baby.

  Max Brinker : What good is a baby? Anybody can have a baby.

  Mary Dennis : Yeah? Well, you just try it sometime.

  Max Brinker : Increase and multiply like rabbits. Make more poor people for the rich to prey upon, starve and exploit.

  Thomas 'Tom' Holmes : Max, you're daffy. If everybody felt like that - there wouldn't be any people left, only machines.

  Max Brinker : Vouldn't it be a better vorld?

• Thomas 'Tom' Holmes : I think we all ought to celebrate. Let's go out and get some chop suey!

  Ruth Loring : Oh, I'd love it.

  Mary Dennis : No, you kids go ahead. I haven't got a thing to wear.

• Thomas 'Tom' Holmes : It takes more than one sock in the jaw to lick 120 million people.

• Thomas 'Tom' Holmes : Who you calling Reds or hobos? We're ex-service men!

• Thomas 'Tom' Holmes : Funny, isn't it? You started way up high and I started pretty low. And we end up here in the rain, together.

• Max Brinker : You enjoy this prison? You like to sit here and rot? Blood on the money? Vho asks you vhat's on the money vhen you spend it? There's only one ting important in the vorld. To have money. Vithout it, you are just garbage. Vith it, you are a king.

  Thomas 'Tom' Holmes : And you used to hate the capitalists.

  Max Brinker : Naturally, that was before I had money.