- Nadine: [She walks into the garden, carrying a toolbox] Is this Mr. Grimm's house?
- Jolly Grimm: That's right.
- Nadine: Well, do you know where I can find Mr. Grimm?
- Jolly Grimm: You're looking at him.
- Nadine: Oh! I'm sorry... wow, you look thinner. Oh, well I didn't mean... it's just on the screen you look gigantic!
- Jolly Grimm: Who are you?
- Nadine: Oh gosh, I'm sorry. My sister said I should come. You know, Grace. Grace Jones. She came with Eddie Mangione.
- Jolly Grimm: What's your name?
- Nadine: Nadine. Nadine Jones.
- [she smiles]
- Jolly Grimm: [He takes her hand] Welcome Nadine. How did you get here?
- Nadine: I hitchhiked. Thumbed all the way from Burbank. See, I'm a dancer. Acrobatics, ballet... like that. And I'm good too, Mr. Grimm. I thought maybe you like to let me entertain all these movie people and...
- Jolly Grimm: Not tonight. It's not a good time.
- Nadine: Oh no... really?
- Jolly Grimm: You must be starved. Why don't you go to the kitchen and get some chow. I think there's some sasparilla in the icebox. Ask for Wilma. Go on now, it's right through there.
- Nadine: Thanks, Mr. Grimm... but maybe later?
- Jolly Grimm: We'll see.
- Nadine: [referring to Queenie] Did you put her in your pictures, Mr. Grimm?
- Jolly Grimm: Nah. But I took care of her, Nadine. Real good care.
- [He reaches out and touches Nadine's hair]
- Nadine: Grace says I should be nice to you. Says maybe you'll put me in your pictures.
- Jolly Grimm: You sure do... remind me of Queenie...
- Nadine: Listen... Grace says if you want... you can kiss me and stuff like that.
- Kate: You gotta be philosophical about these things. I understand why my best friend would run off with Dale. I mean, everyone knows what kind of life she has with Jolly. It's no secret.
- James Morrison: We've got to find them, Katie.
- Kate: Aww, Jiminy...
- [Kate crosses to the bed and puts her arms around Jim]
- Kate: I understand. You've been stuck on her for years, plain as day. But hey, sometimes you win, and sometimes you lose. Like tonight. Okay, we both lost. But that doesn't mean a souple of losers aren't entitled to a little fun, right?
- [She kisses Jim, he doesn't respond]
- Kate: Okay loser. You win.
- Queenie: I remember this one photo I took, in a dress with clusters of lemons on the skirt and this great big feather hat. I must have sent that photo to every director and producer in this town. I waited by the phone for days. Nothing ever happened.
- Jolly Grimm: [about Queenie] I want to give her something... some kind of feeling of security. I don't know... that's what most girls want, isn't it?
- Tex: She asked for that?
- Jolly Grimm: Nah. You know her. She's too proud.
- Bertha: It's been swell meetin' ya, Miss True...
- Madeline True: Madeleine, please.
- [She takes Bertha's hand]
- Bertha: Ok, well, I'll catch ya later, maybe. I gotta drum up some business if ya gather my meaning.
- Madeline True: Oh I'll be here, if you ever need a shoulder.
- Fruit Dealer: [to his daughter] Rosa, give Mr. Jolly a nice kiss.
- Jolly Grimm: No, that's alright.
- Fruit Dealer: No, no, no. Rosa, she will bring you luck. She is like a saint.
- James Morrison: [narrating] The cast was assembled, all the actors: beggars and beauties and benefactors. Millionaires and zeroes; lovers, clowns, and heroes. Met on set. They rushed to their places in the grand salon, the curtain was rising, the show was on. Starring loners and owners of Babylon; phonies and cronies and hangers-on. The whole freeloading pantheon. The wheel was spinning, the course was charted. Comedy was beginning, and tradgedy had started.
- James Morrison: [narrating as Jolly and Queenie make their entrance down the main stairway] As they made their exhibition, did I feel something, a premonition? Poor beast, with fair beauty by his side. Fragile hope strangled by jealous pride?
- Jolly Grimm: [introducing his new movie] My friends, when I first thought about how to introduce "Brother Jasper" to you, I thought to myself, "Jolly, be humble!" That's the ticket this time. Then I thought about it some more. Me be humble? Why, that's like Calvin Coolidge dancing the Black Bottom.
- [audience laughs]
- Jolly Grimm: If you saw it, you wouldn't believe it! Me saying, all coy like: "Ladies and gentlemen, I do sincerely hope you like my latest picture." When what I really want to tell you - is how proud I feel. Proud for me, because I wrote it, directed it, and naturally I star in it. Plus putting up all the money for it!
- Jackie: [as Queenie makes a belated entrance] Hey Queenie, I haven't seen your beautiful face all night. Where have you been hiding?
- Queenie: [shrugs]
- Jackie: How about doing a little number for us, Queenie?
- Queenie: Nah, Jackie, I ain't danced in years. You know that!
- Phil D'Armano: Hey, Queenie, how about "Singapore Sally?" Me and Oskie know it!
- Madeline True: [as the crowd erupts into encouragement] Jackie! Make her do it, Jackie!
- Jackie: Come on Queenie! You're beautiful, come on!
- Queenie: I'm a little rusty, but Singapore Sally it is.
- [Jackie takes her drink, two men in front of Queenie kneel down and Queenie uses them as a footstool to climb onto the piano]
- James Morrison: Christ, what a crew. Take a look at Madeleine True. People flocked to the movies she made, loving the cutie-pie parts she played. She was every man's sweetheart, every woman's guide. Venus... and Adonis, which she never tried to hide. Men dreamed of a real-life wife like this adorable thespian.
- [Madeleine makes her way over to two women and begins to dance with them]
- James Morrison: Poor fools they.
- James Morrison: The typical pair of minor movie producers stood engrossed, bewailing high production cost, each of which had suffered most. In twenty minutes each had lost the sum of 60 million dollars. With gestures, after which they sighed - and drank, panting, tragic-eyed, mopping at sadly wilted collars.
- James Morrison: Then Jackie, perfect of form and face. In his veins flowed the blood of more than one race. He left a subtle trail of scent, floating behind him as he went. An Apache dancer, with a special act, New York or Paris, his house was packed. He'd brought marijuana for all to puff, and later he'd bring out the stronger stuff. Cocaine, morphine, Turkish hash, everything for a proper bash.
- James Morrison: Poor Bertha. Now Jackie's ex-partner in dance. He'd tossed her around on his last tour of France 'till she fractured a leg, now she walks with a limp. But she still works for Jack. She's his whore, he's her pimp.
- Queenie: I'm a little rusty. But "Singapore Sally" it is.
- [singing]
- Queenie: Singapore Sally, Lived in an alley, Down by Maleno Bay, The story of her life, Her trouble and her strife, She happened to tell me one day, Sing, sing, Singapore Sally, Life gave her quite a - shove, Sing, sing, Singapore Sally, She was waiting for her long lost love. Sally was stuck, On a sailor named chuck, A stoker who worked on an oiler, His face was kind of dumb, And manner kind of glum, But, she liked the way he stoked her boiler...
- [Dale is leading Queenie out to the garden to dance, James catches Queenie and pulls her aside]
- Dale Sword: For God's sakes, Queenie, you're asking for trouble, don't you know that?
- Queenie: [She places her finger on his mouth] Oh hush, honey, Queenie knows what she's doing.
- Dale Sword: She's got my name in her little book for this dance, old man. You can have the next one.
- James Morrison: I just want to talk to her.
- Dale Sword: My God, look at the glint in his eye! En garde, monsieur! En garde!
- Jolly Grimm: [referring to Dale Sword, who is upstairs with Queenie] That son-of-a-bitch had better come down here and watch a great actor doing a great scene!
- Kate: Well, happy Sunday morning to you.
- Jolly Grimm: [referring to Queenie] Why is she doing this to me? I don't understand.
- Kate: Had to happen. She's young and you ain't.
- Jolly Grimm: I don't understand.
- Kate: There were lots of guys before you. There'll be lots of guys after you. That's just how it goes.
- Jolly Grimm: No!
- Kate: Oh, look, Dale probably ain't the first.
- Jolly Grimm: Don't say that.
- Kate: Come on, be a realist! You guys think you got some kind of patent on foolin' around? A woman's got needs too, you know.
- Jolly Grimm: Don't say that. I don't want you to say that.
- Kate: Come on! Dale's probably number 679. Last week the milk man. This week Dale. Next week the bootlegger.
- Jolly Grimm: Shut up!
- [first lines]
- James Morrison: [voice over] It was a typical Hollywood party, I guess, except for the way it ended. Yes, I saw it all. I knew them all. Why they'd come: for easy pickings and bootleg rum. The power - or just the smell of it. For money - or just the hell of it. And everybody was on the make for a piece of someone. Someone's take. They were there for kicks, for bucks, or laughter. But Queenie, what was Queenie after?
- James Morrison: Behold the Brother's D'Armano, otherwise known as Oscar and Phil. They sang, they played the piano, they lisped, their voices were shrill. They reeked of powder, rouge, pomade, piano wasn't all they played. They gave new meaning to the concept of - the old-fashioned virtue of brotherly love.
- Oscar D'Armano, Phil D'Armano: [singing] The little Dutch boy, Taught a lesson that I like
- Oscar D'Armano: If you want to save your country
- Phil D'Armano: Stick your finger in a dyke!
- Queenie: [Talking about her first audition in Vaudeville] In fact, I was starving. You can't believe that, can you?
- Dale Sword: [smiling] No, no I can't believe there wasn't always someone looking after you.
- Kate: [singing] It's funny, it's really funny / How in the moonlight every dream seems real / But when it's sunny, I'll tell ya honey / You wake from the dream, and being the nightmare!
- Singer: [singing] Pour the wine and let the music play low-down / Let me hold you like a loverman would /When I kiss you, babe, don't tell me to slow down / Here's the lowdown / Ain't nothin' bad about feelin' good.
- Queenie: Jolly, listen, I think it's a swell picture. I think it's the best thing you've ever...
- Jolly Grimm: You think? Who gives a flying fart what you think? Murchison's the guy with the moolah.
- Queenie: Now, wait a minute. Kreutzer's still here.
- Jolly Grimm: She's gonna start giving me advice. She's gonna start telling *me* about the picture business. I'm not interested in what you *think*. You're supposed to look good. That's all! Now keep that big, fat trap of yours shut. Do you understand?
- Queenie: [lying on the bed, raising her head and whining] Jolly, love! Queenie is so tired! Pour out a cup of coffee for me?
- Jolly Grimm: [blearily] Get it yourself!
- Queenie: Jol-ly! Queenie is so tired!
- Jolly Grimm: Who do you think you are? The Queen of Sheba?
- Jolly Grimm: SPOILER:
- [as the natives in the silent film are preparing to put Brother Jasper into the stew pot]
- Jolly Grimm: You can't boil me. I'm a Friar!
- Jolly Grimm: Leading me on like a two-bit whore!
- [strikes Queenie]
- Queenie: Oh! You tryin' to rough me up? You touch me again and I'll brain you, you dirty bastard!
- Jolly Grimm: Easy! Easy, Sweetie.
- Jolly Grimm: This jacket is not just a little snug. This jacket is three sizes too small, at least. Now, I would like to inform you of something: l am what is known as a fat person. Not pleasantly plump, not stout, not husky, just fat. A fat person requires a fat suit. All my life I've been convincing skinny tailors to make me fat suits - and what do I get?
- Tailor: Maybe you get a fat tailor?
- James Morrison: What's that mark on your face? That's a bruise, Queenie.
- Queenie: It kind of brings a bloom to my cheek, don't you think?
- James Morrison: I can't stand it when he belts you around like that. Queenie, why do you take it? I mean, what do you get out of it?
- Jolly Grimm: We're late. Come on, let's go.
- Queenie: Tex could take me by the beauty parlor after he drops you, okay? Beauty parlor.
- Jolly Grimm: With that face?
- [to Jimmy]
- Jolly Grimm: She must have a thing for the sissy hairdresser.
- James Morrison: The way he beats up on you, Queenie.
- Queenie: But he didn't used to be like that. He was always kind of funny about, you know, the sex stuff. But that didn't matter. Especially at first. He didn't get so violent then. It was only later, when the studios didn't want to back his pictures anymore. And he started boozing real heavy. Then it got bad.
- James Morrison: It's been bad as long as I've known you.
- James Morrison: Queenie, Jolly doesn't need sound. Forget all those prophets of doom. Not in this picture.
- Queenie: Jimmy, what do you see? A body. A female body. Couple of boobies, legs, fine fanny. That's all I was before I met Jolly Grimm. You know, when I danced in vaudeville, I wasn't too nifty in the talent department; but, I got by, mostly on this good equipment. But when Jolly found me, gosh, that was different. He was a big star and all that. Stepping out with Jolly. All the waiters bowing and scraping, everybody staring at us. Me waving to all my friends. I loved it. I wouldn't say I didn't. But then, it got to be something more. What it was, Jimmy, is he was the first guy who ever asked me what I thought.
- Jolly Grimm: Look, I've got two hot numbers coming to you tonight.
- Kreutzer: Is one of them possibly a redhead?
- Jolly Grimm: Yeah, they both have red hair. Kreutzer, they'll play Mozart on your stomach if you want them to.
- James Morrison: Eddie Mangione, here with Grace. A muscular stuntman, with a brutish face. Good-natured, if sober, and gentle enough. But watch if you crossed him, he could get rough.
- Jolly Grimm: You're gonna lecture me on slapstick? I was doing comedy when you were pissing your diapers. What's funny is always funny. From Roman times on down to right now.
- James Morrison: [voice over] As I watched their welcoming exhibition, did I feel something, a premonition? Poor beast with fair beauty by his side, fragile hope threatened by fatal pride. Or, was the tremor I felt inside - just awe for the radiant apparition of Queenie? Exquisite, wending her way, descending, greeting her courtiers along the stairs. She was something you could kneel before in prayer.
- James Morrison: [voice over] Like goes to like. Kind goes to kind. Winners find winners. And losers find - just other losers left behind.
- James Morrison: [voice over] She saw his features, sharp and clean. He looked sporting, he looked keen. He made her think of squash racquets, polo, and yachting and dinner jackets. He had that air of poise, without pose, that only a well-bred person shows.
- James Morrison: [voice over] Cast was assembled. All the actors: beggars and beauties and benefactors, millionaires and zeroes. lovers, clowns, and heroes - met on set. They rushed to their places in the grand salon. The curtain was rising, the show was on, starring loners and owners of Babylon, phonies and cronies, and hangers-on - the whole free-loading pantheon. The wheel was spinning, the course was charted. Comedy was beginning - the tragedy had started.
- Kate: I understand. You've been stuck on her for years, it's plain as day. But look, sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. Like tonight. Okay, we both lost. But that doesn't mean that a couple of losers aren't entitled to a little fun.
- Queenie: I've been through hell, I guess. I know I should be asking myself what I'm heading for. What all this is leading to?
- Jolly Grimm: It's great. It's gonna be hilarious! It's what you call a comedy highpoint. You know, like Chaplin eatin' his shoe or Harold Lloyd hangin' on the clock. Something great like that. Of course, it takes a great actor.