Charlie Newton (Teresa Wright) We just
sort of go along and nothing happens. We're in a terrible rut. It's been on
my mind for months. What's gonna be our future?
Joe Newton (Henry Travers) Oh, come now,
Charlie. Things aren't as bad as that. The bank gave me a raise last
January.
Charlie Money? How can you talk about money when I'm talking about souls? We eat and sleep and that's about all. We don't even have any real conversations. We just talk.
Charlie to a telegraph operator Mrs. Henderson,
do you believe in telepathy?
Mrs. Henderson (Minerva Urecal) Well, I ought to. That's my
business.
Charlie Oh, not telegraphy. Mental telepathy.
Like, well, suppose you have a thought, and suppose the thought's about
someone you're in tune with, and then across thousands of miles, that person
knows what you're thinking about and answers you, and it's all mental.
Mrs. Henderson I don't know what you're talking about. I only send telegrams the normal way.
Joe Don't put the hat on the bed.
Charles Oakley (Joseph Cotten) Superstitious,
Joe?
Joe No, but I don't believe in inviting trouble.
Ann Newton (Edna May Wonacott) The ones that say they don't want anything, always get more in the end.
Charlie We're not just an uncle and a niece.
It's something else. I know you. I know that you don't tell people a lot of
things. I don't either. I have a feeling that inside you somewhere there's
something nobody knows about.
Charles Something nobody knows?
Charlie Something secret and wonderful and I'll
find it out.
Charles It's not good to find out too much, Charlie.
Charles I can't face the world in the morning. I must have coffee before I can speak.
Charles What's the use of looking backward? What's the use of looking ahead? Today's the thing. That's my philosophy: today.
Charles visiting a bank Hello, Joe. Can you stop
embezzling a minute and give me your attention?
Joe Oh, uh, Charles, we don't joke about such
things here.
Charles Aw, what's a little shortage in the
books at the end of the month? Any good bank clerk can cover up a little
shortage. Isn't that right, Charlie?
Charlie Uncle Charlie, you're awful. Everyone
can hear you.
Charles Good thing they can. We all know what banks are. Look all right to an outsider, but no one knows what goes on when the doors are locked. Can't fool me, though.
Charles Forty thousand dollars is no joke, not to him, I bet. It's a joke to me. The whole world's a joke to me.
Charles I got in the habit of carrying a lot of
cash with me when I was traveling.
Mr. Green (Edwin Stanley) Dangerous habit, Mr. Oakley.
Charles Never lost a penny in my life, Mr. Green. I guess heaven takes care of fools and scoundrels.
Mrs. Poetter (Frances Carson) There's one good thing in being a widow, isn't there? You don't have to ask your husband for money.
Jack Graham (Macdonald Carey) I believe you told
me you own the house?
Emma Newton (Patricia Collinge) Oh, no, it owns us. It seems to me no sooner do I get one thing fixed than something else gets broken, and then it needs fresh paint, and th--
Emma What does he do? Oh, he's just in business, you know, the way men are.
Charlie Your picking us as an average family
kind of gave me a funny feeling.
Graham What kind of a funny feeling?
Charlie Oh, I don't know. I guess I don't like
to be an average girl in an average family.
Graham Average families are the best. Look at
me. I'm from an average family.
Charlie As average as ours?
Graham Sure. Besides, I don't think you're average.
Charlie What time does the library close?
Ann If you'd read as much as you should, you'd know it closes at nine.
Emma Don't whisper. When you whisper, anyone could hear you a block away.
Charles Women keep busy in towns like this. In
the cities it's different. The cities are full of women, middle-aged widows,
husbands dead, husbands who've spent their lives making fortunes, working
and working. And then they die and leave their money to their wives, their
silly wives. And what do the wives do, these useless women? You see them in
the hotels, the best hotels, every day by the thousands, drinking the money,
eating the money, losing the money at bridge, playing all day and all night,
smelling of money, proud of their jewelry but of nothing else, horrible,
faded, fat, greedy women.
Charlie They're alive! They're human beings!
Charles Are they? Are they, Charlie? Are they human or are they fat, wheezing animals, hmm? And what happens to animals when they get too fat and too old?
Charlie What's the matter with you two? Do you
always have to talk about killing people?
Joe We're not talking about killing people.
Herb's talking about killing me, and I'm talking about killing him.
Emma It's your father's way of relaxing.
Charles You think you know something, don't you? You think you're the clever little girl who knows something. There's so much you don't know, so much. What do you know, really? You're just an ordinary little girl, living in an ordinary little town. You wake up every morning of your life and you know perfectly well that there's nothing in the world to trouble you. You go through your ordinary little day, and at night you sleep your untroubled ordinary little sleep, filled with peaceful stupid dreams. And I brought you nightmares. Or did I? Or was it a silly, inexpert little lie? You live in a dream. You're a sleepwalker, blind. How do you know what the world is like? Do you know the world is a foul sty? Do you know, if you rip off the fronts of houses, you'd find swine? The world's a hell. What does it matter what happens in it? Wake up, Charlie. Use your wits. Learn something.
Ann Step on a crack, you'll break your mother's back.
Ann I never make up anything. I get everything from my books. They're all true.
Ann I wish I'd been born in the South. Southern women have a lot of charm.
Charles How was church, Charlie? Did you count
the house? Turn anybody away?
Charlie No. Room enough for everyone.
Charles Well, I'm glad to hear that. The show's been running such a long time, I thought maybe attendance might be falling off.
Herb Hawkins (Hume Cronyn) He ran plunk right
into the propeller of an airplane.
Joe Ooh boy!
Herb Cut him all to pieces. Had to identify him by his clothes. His shirts were all initialed.
Graham All mothers lose things. Someday she'll
be losing you.
Charlie Mothers don't lose daughters. Don't you remember? They gain sons.
Graham It seems to go crazy every now and then, like your Uncle Charlie.