Nightmare Alley Quotes

Pete Krumbein: Throughout the ages man has sought to look behind the veil that hides him from tomorrow. And through the ages certain men have looked into the polished crystal and seen. Is it some quality of the crystal itself? Or does the gazer merely use it to turn his gaze inward? Who knows? But visions come. Slowly shifting their form. Visions come. Wait. The shifting shapes begin to clear. I see fields of grass, rolling hills, and a boy. A boy is running barefoot through the hills. A dog is with him. A *dog* - is - with - him.

Stanton Carlisle: Yes, go on. His name was Gyp. Go on!

Pete Krumbein: [with choked laughter] Humph. See how easy it is to *hook* 'em!

[last lines]

McGraw: Well, he certainly fooled me. I never recognized him. Stanton. Stanton the Great.

Roustabout at Final Carnival: How can a guy get so low?

McGraw: He reached too high. Good night, boys. Lock up.

Roustabout at Final Carnival: Good night.

McGraw: Wait. I just happened to think of something. I might have a job you can take a crack at. Course it isn't much and I'm not begging you to take it, but it's a job.

Stanton Carlisle: That's all I want.

McGraw: And we'll keep you in coffee and cake. Bottle every day, place to sleep it off in. What do you say? Anyway, it's only temporary, just until we can get a real geek.

Stanton Carlisle: Geek?

McGraw: You know what a geek is, don't you?

Stanton Carlisle: Yeah. Sure, I... I know what a geek is.

McGraw: Do you think you can handle it?

Stanton Carlisle: Mister, I was made for it.

Stanton Carlisle: You've got a heart as big...

Zeena Krumbein: Sure, as big as an artichoke, a leaf for everyone.

Stanton Carlisle: What kind of deck is this?

Zeena Krumbein: This is the tarot. Oldest kind of cards in the world. Pete says the gypsies brought them out of Egypt. They're a wonder for giving private readings.

Stanton Carlisle: I'd say. They look plenty weird.

Stanton Carlisle: Well, you're a fine one. Runnin' off in the middle of the show. Zeena was sore.

Pete Krumbein: I couldn't help it. She's got me on a diet. One shot a day.

Hoatley: Nice work, kid. You kept your head. You're a real carny, no mistake.

Molly: You ought to have heard Stan spout the gospel to that old hypocrite. It was like being in Sunday school.

Zeena Krumbein: You must have been raised pretty religious.

Stanton Carlisle: Yeah, in a county orphanage.

Molly: Didn't you have any folks?

Stanton Carlisle: If I did, they weren't much interested.

Zeena Krumbein: Where'd you learn all this gospel?

Stanton Carlisle: In the orphanage. That's what they used to give us on Sunday after beating us black-and-blue all week. Then when I ran away, they threw me in the reform school. But that's where I got wise to myself. I let the chaplain save me, and got a parole in no time. Boy, how I went for salvation! Comes in kind of handy when you're in a jam.

Stanton Carlisle: [to the other hobos] See how easy it is to hook them? Stock reading. Fits anybody. Never misses. What's youth? Happy one minute, hungry and heart broken the next. Every boy has a dog. Every boy has a beautiful old gray haired mother. Everybody, except maybe me.

Hobo at Stan's Left Hand: What happened to her?

Stanton Carlisle: What do you care?

Hobo by Stan's Right Hand: Hey, don't cry in that good liquor.

Hobo by Stan's Right Hand: [grabbing and drinking from the bottle before passing it to the other hobos] You know, I had a mother once. She wasn't so good looking but she was mighty good to me.

Stanton Carlisle: Hey. Hey. You fellas take it easy. There's not going to be any left for me.

Hobo at Stan's Left Hand: Buddy, you're sure a good mind reader.

[the hobo passes the bottle back to Stan who knocks it back discovering it is indeed empty]

[first lines]

Hoatley: Hey, lookie, lookie, lookie.! This way for the monster! Right through here! Step right this way, folks! The show is about to begin!

Hoatley: Kind of a surprise to see you hanging around that act, young man.

Stanton Carlisle: Why?

Hoatley: Hasn't got a skirt in it.

Stanton Carlisle: How do you get a guy to be a geek? Is that the only one? I mean, is a guy born that way?

Hoatley: Let me tell you something, kid. When you've been around this carny a little longer, you'll learn to quit asking questions.

Stanton Carlisle: I can't understand how anybody could get so low.

Zeena Krumbein: That can happen.

Zeena Krumbein: You like this racket, don't you?

Stanton Carlisle: Oh, lady, I was made for it. I had all kinds of jobs before this one came along; but, none of 'em were anything but jobs. But this gets me. I like it. All of it. The crowds, the noise, the idea of keeping on the move. You see those yokels out there, it gives you sort of a superior feeling, as if you were in the know and they were on the outside looking in. Kinda hard to explain, but I like it.

Stanton Carlisle: Zenna's going good. She sure knows how to put on an act.

Molly: Sure does.

Stanton Carlisle: Too bad she's tied up with that rum-dum.

Molly: Why?

Stanton Carlisle: Well she could grab herself a smart guy and make the big time in no time.

Molly: But she's already been in the big time. She and Pete used to be one of the biggest headliners in vaudeville.

Stanton Carlisle: Come on, you lovely little freak.

Molly: [laughs] Thanks for the pop, Stan.

Stanton Carlisle: Next time I'll bring you a Kewpie doll.

Zeena Krumbein: I did everything I could to make it up to him, but you see how it is. The more I try, the worse he gets. And I'm not gonna give up on him. It's the least I can do.

Stanton Carlisle: Zeena, you're a real woman.

Zeena Krumbein: I'm gettin' top carny dough right now.

Stanton Carlisle: I wasn't talking about doing it in this mouse menagerie.

Zeena Krumbein: Oh, Stan. You think I can make the big time again?

Stanton Carlisle: You'd know more about that than I would. How about it, baby?

Zeena Krumbein: Don't rush me. Let me think about it.

Stanton Carlisle: Listen, honey. I don't want to make you unhappy. You know that. If you want to forget about the whole thing, it's all right with me.

Zeena Krumbein: You won't get sore, Stan?

Stanton Carlisle: What do you think I am?

Zeena Krumbein: [after Stan gives her a long kiss] Let me alone for a minute. I've got to think.

Zeena Krumbein: [after Stan gives her an even longer kiss] You're terrible!

Bruno: Where's Molly?

Zeena Krumbein: She's in there pounding her pretty little ear.

Stanton Carlisle: Got a quart you can spare?

Charlie: Stan, when did you start nibblin'?

Stanton Carlisle: I get around.

Charlie: That'll be four bucks.

Stanton Carlisle: It'll have to wait until payday.

Stanton Carlisle: [after taking a swig] Oh, oh. Moonshine.

Stanton Carlisle: You seem to be doing all right.

Pete Krumbein: No. Just a sip here and there. Zeena's tipped everybody off. I seem to have the dropsies tonight.

Stanton Carlisle: Yeah, I heard you the first time. Look. Pete, I'd like to help you, but I don't wanna get in Dutch with Zeena.

Stanton Carlisle: [handing Pete a bottle] Here. You need that worse than I do.

Stanton Carlisle: [as Pete takes a swig from the bottle Stan gave him] How is it?

Pete Krumbein: Awful. But I wish I had a barrel of it.

Pete Krumbein: He used to be plenty big-time.

Stanton Carlisle: Mental act?

Pete Krumbein: What difference does it make? It's all smoked meat now. Just a bottle-a-day rum-dum, and he thinks this job is heaven - as long as he has his bottle a day and a dry place to sleep it off in.

Pete Krumbein: There's only one thing this stuff'll make you forget.

Stanton Carlisle: What's that?

Pete Krumbein: How to forget. Have a drink.

Stanton Carlisle: What are you gonna do now?

Pete Krumbein: Take a little snooze. Drink a little drink. Dream and drink. Drink and dream.

[Pete strolls off, whistling]

Hoatley: Hello, Chief. My name is Hoatley. I own this attraction.

Rural Marshal: You're the man I'm looking for.

Hoatley: You're welcome to inspect every inch of the place, Chief. We've no girl shows, no games of skill or chance.

Rural Marshal: I've got orders from the mayor to close you down and arrest who I see fit. Send somebody for that geek fella.

Rural Marshal: [pointing to Molly] I'm taking him and you and that girl there.

Hoatley: What for?

Rural Marshal: Indecent exposure. That's what I'm arresting her for.

Hoatley: She didn't do anything wrong.

Rural Marshal: We've decent women in this town, daughters and growing girls.

Stanton Carlisle: Now you can see the reason, Marshal, for the costume this young lady is forced to wear. The electricity would ignite any ordinary fabric. And only by wearing the thinnest covering can she avoid bursting into flames.

Hoatley: That's right, Chief. Thousands of volts of current cover her body like a sheet.

Rural Marshal: You can't pull the wool over my eyes with a lot of sparks. I've done business with you carnival crooks before. Get that geek in here. You can talk to the judge.

Stanton Carlisle: Are you crazy?

Molly: No, I'm not crazy. Just plain scared.

Stanton Carlisle: Scared?

Molly: What's the matter, darling? What's happened to you?

Stanton Carlisle: A lot of things, baby. A lot of things. Zeena wasn't so far off after all. Zeena and her boob-catchers.

Stanton Carlisle: [to the bellhop] Say, uh, you know where I can get a drink?

Joe: No, not at this hour in this state. Unless you want gin.

Stanton Carlisle: Sure, sure. Anything. Anything.

Joe: Two bucks.

Stanton Carlisle: Allow me to introduce myself. I'm - I'm Sheik Abracadabra. A top-money mint reader.

McGraw: Sorry, brother. I'm all full up. Anyway, I don't hire no boozers.

Stanton Carlisle: Me?

McGraw: You smell like you just climbed out of a beer vat. Go on, beat it.

Stanton Carlisle: Give me a chance, mister. I'm an old carny hand and I'll tackle anything.

McGraw: Come here. Sit down. Would you like a snort?

Stanton Carlisle: Oh, yeah.

Stanton Carlisle: [after downing a shot] Oh, that's very refreshing. Thank you, sir.