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Warden: If you disobey the rules of society, they send you to prison; if you disobey the rules of the prison, they send you to US. Alcatraz is not like any other prison in the United States. Here, every inmate is confined ALONE... to an individual cell. Unlike my predecessors, Wardens Johnson and Blackwell, I don't have good conduct programs, I do not have inmate counsels. Inmates here have no say in what they do; they do as they're told. You're not permitted to have newspapers or magazines carrying news; knowledge of the outside world is, ah, what we tell you. From this day on, your world will be everything that happens in this building.
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Warden: Alcatraz was built to keep all the rotten eggs in one basket, and I was specially chosen to make sure that the stink from the basket does not escape. Since I've been warden, a few people have tried to escape. Most of them have been recaptured; those that haven't have been killed or drowned in the bay. No one has ever escaped from Alcatraz. And no one ever will!
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Wolf: I'm lookin' for a new punk!
Frank Morris: Good luck.
Wolf: You don't understand. I just found her!
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Wolf: When I get out, you're dead!
Prison Guard: You might be dead before you get out.
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Charley Butts: I turned 35 today. Some birthday! When's your birthday?
Frank Morris: I don't know.
Charley Butts: Geez, what kind of childhood did you have?
Frank Morris: Short.
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Prison Guard: Do you like the Hole Wolf? Because you are going to rot in there for a long time.
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Frank Morris: Goodbye, boy.
English: So long, boy.
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Frank Morris: Here. Put that in your report!
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Frank Morris: You looking at something?
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Doc: [sadly] But, painting's all I have!
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English: Sometimes I think that's all this place is. One... long... count. The prisoners count the hours, the bulls count the prisoners and the king bulls count the counts.
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Litmus: What's your name kid?
Charley Butts: Charley Butts.
Litmus: Charley's Butt? Hahahah, you got a pretty friggin' funny name kid.
Charley Butts: Oh yeah? What's yours?
Litmus: Al Capone.
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Frank Morris: Something special about those steps?
English: The higher you sit, the more status you got. So we kind of play King of the Mountain. Except here we don't play for fun, man.
Frank Morris: And you're King?
English: Yeah.
[Morris walks down the steps]
English: Now I figure there's two reasons why you didn't sit down on my step. Either you're too scared, or you just hate niggers. Now which is it, boy? You too scared? Hmm?
Frank Morris: [Morris climbs back up and sits next to English] Nah. I just hate niggers.
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Prison Guard: Welcome to Alcatraz.
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Frank Morris: Tell me, you stopped killing white people?
English: Why?
Frank Morris: Well, next time I wouldn't turn my back on ya.
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Frank Morris: No forks. Hey, no forks?
Litmus: You see any? You want your pasta? Hey fresh fish, do you want your pasta?
Frank Morris: You see any?
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English: Ten years ago, I was in this bar in Alabama when two dudes started hassling me. That was their first mistake. They pulled knives. That was their second mistake. They didn't know how to use them. That was the last mistake they ever made. I got two 99-year sentences, back to back.
Frank Morris: Seems like you could've pleaded self-defense.
English: The dudes were white, man. Just like you.
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John Anglin: Hey, how's it going, Frank?
Frank Morris: Well, the Anglins. What are you guys doing, just dropping by?
Clarence Anglin: Yeah, thought we'd pay you a visit.
Frank Morris: Gonna stay long?
John Anglin: Nah, not long. Only about fifteen or twenty years.
Frank Morris: Why the Rock?
Clarence Anglin: We were going over the wall in Atlanta when we encountered a minor problem.
Frank Morris: Such as?
Clarence Anglin: They saw us.
Frank Morris: Yeah, that do present problems.
Clarence Anglin: So they shipped us to Leavenworth.
John Anglin: Yeah, but we didn't like the accommodations there, either. Warden said he knew just the place for us. Alcatraz.
Clarence Anglin: Is it true no one's ever busted out of here?
Frank Morris: So they tell me.
John Anglin: Jesus. I wonder what I'd be like after fifteen years here.
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Wagner: What'd you order this stuff for? You don't look like the painting type to me.
Charley Butts: You wouldn't know talent if it looked you in the face.
Wagner: Well I'm looking you in the face and I don't see jack shit.
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Frank Morris: Wolf wanted to get friendly. I didn't.
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Warden: Some men are destined never to leave Alcatraz... alive.
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Warden: [examining Frank's accordion] Been playing this thing long?
Frank Morris: Couple of months.
Warden: You any good?
Frank Morris: Terrible.
Warden: You'll get better. That's one of the benefits of Alcatraz - lots of time to practice.
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Prison Guard: Is something burning?
Frank Morris: What? I don't smell nothing.
Prison Guard: It must be my imagination. Working nights really gets to you.
Frank Morris: You should try it from my side.
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Litmus: I'm Litmus. Like Litmus paper. When it gets cold, my face gets blue. And when it's hot, my face gets red.
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Prison Guard: [to Frank] Warden wants to see you.
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Wolf: I'm Wolf. Where did they transfer you from?
Frank Morris: Atlanta.
Wolf: Nice town, Atlanta.
Frank Morris: I never saw it.
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Prison Guard: D-Block, Morris!
Frank Morris: But he came at me!
Prison Guard: I said, D-Block!
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Charley Butts: How you doing neighbor? I'm Charlie Butts.
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Warden: I want painting privileges taken away from Chester Dalton.
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Prison Guard: Your painting privileges have been removed.
Doc: Why?
Prison Guard: I don't know.
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English: [after Doc chopped off his fingers] I heard about Doc, and I know why he did it. Somebody took away his painting privileges.
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Frank Morris: There's always the possibility that some asshole will be offended. Isn't there?
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Frank Morris: I may have found a way out of here.
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Clarence Anglin: What movie is playing this week?
John Anglin: Some cowboy piece of shit.
[goes into Italian-American voice]
John Anglin: 'ey, least dey could show was a gangsta movie!
[laughs]
Frank Morris: I may have found a way out of here.
[the group stops and stares at him]
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Frank Morris: [to Litmus' mouse] Yeah. You're going too.
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Frank Morris: [when Butts hasn't started climbing up yet] Goddamn it, Butts.
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Medical Technical Assistant: Strip down.
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Frank Morris: Hey guard! Any chance of me exchanging this spoon? This one looks like it's been stickin' in someone's ass.
Escape from Alcatraz Quotes
Extended Reading
