Design for Living (1933)

Miriam Hopkins: Gilda Farrell

Photos 

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Quotes 

• Gilda Farrell : It's true we had a gentleman's agreement, but unfortunately, I am no gentleman.

• Max Plunkett : Do you love me?

  Gilda Farrell : Oh, Max, people should never ask that question on their wedding night. It's either too late or too early.

• Gilda Farrell : A thing happened to me that usually happens to men. You see, a man can meet two, three or four women and fall in love with all of them, and then, by a process of interesting elimination, he is able to decide which he prefers. But a woman must decide purely on instinct, guesswork, if she wants to be considered nice. Oh, it's quite all right for her to try on a hundred hats before she picks one out, but...

  Tom Chambers : Very fine. But, which chapeau do you want, Madam?

  Gilda Farrell : Both.

• Tom Chambers : It's amazing how a few insults can bring people together in three hours.

  Gilda Farrell : It was certainly good to hear all the names you called me. I haven't heard them since I left father and mother.

• Gilda Farrell : We have to tell him the truth, no matter what happens to the furniture.

• Gilda Farrell : The only thing we can do: let's forget sex.

  George Curtis : Okay.

  Tom Chambers : Agreed.

  George Curtis : It may be a bit difficult in the beginning.

  Tom Chambers : But, it can be worked on.

  Gilda Farrell : Oh, it'll be grand!

  George Curtis : Save lots of time.

  Tom Chambers : And confusion.

• Gilda Farrell : Now listen, Plunkett, Incorporated. You go to those customers of yours and give 'em a sales talk. Sell them anything you want, but not me. I'm fed up with underwear, cement, linoleum, I'm sick of being a trademark married to a slogan!

  Max Plunkett : Gilda...

  Gilda Farrell : Don't you tell 'em I've got hiccups. Tell them I've got the advertising blues. The billboard collywobbles! Slogans and sales talks morning, noon, and night, and not one human sound out of you and your whole flock of Egelbaurs!

• Gilda Farrell : You see, George, you're sort of like a ragged straw hat with a very soft lining. A little bit out of shape, very dashing to look at, and very comfortable to wear. And you, Tom, piquant, perched over one eye, and has to be watched on windy days. And both so becoming.

• Gilda Farrell : I'm sick of being a trademark married to a slogan.

• Gilda Farrell : Max, have you ever been in love?

  Max Plunkett : This is no time to answer that.

  Gilda Farrell : Have you ever felt your brain catch fire? And a curious grateful thing go through your body? Down, down to your very toes, and leave you with your ears ringing?

  Max Plunkett : That's abnormal.

  Gilda Farrell : Well, that's how I felt just before you came in.

  Max Plunkett : Yeah? How'd you feel yesterday after your promenade with Tom?

  Gilda Farrell : Just the opposite. It started in my toes, and came up, up, up very slowly till my brain caught fire. But the ringing in the ears was the same.

• Gilda Farrell : Oh, nuts!

• Gilda Farrell : You exhibited a painting at the Charlez Gallery.

  George Curtis : True.

  Gilda Farrell : Let me see, oh, "Lady Godiva" wasn't it?

  George Curtis : Did you like it?

  Gilda Farrell : I saw it with a friend of mine. She loved it. We haven't spoken since.

• George Curtis : Why didn't you like my picture?

  Gilda Farrell : It's smart aleck. You're wisecracking with paint. It simply creaks with originality. Lady Godiva riding a bicycle!

  Tom Chambers : I know what she means. A bicycle seat is a little hard on Lady Godiva's historical background.

  George Curtis : Shut up! I see, Lady Godiva doesn't belong on a bicycle; but, it's okay to put Napoleon in a Kaplan & Maguire, non-wrinkling, two-fifty, union suit!

  Tom Chambers : Quite right. That's not history. And if may say so,, they do wrinkle.

  Gilda Farrell : I'm a commercial artist. I'm being paid to tell the world that if Napoleon were alive today, he would wear Kaplan & Macquire's two-fifty, non-wrinkling underwear.

  George Curtis : Pure hooey!

  Gilda Farrell : You're wasting your time painting for art galleries. You should get in contact with some bicycle manufacturer. You'd clean up. I'll give you a good slogan: Join Lady Godiva on our tandem.

• Gilda Farrell : We're going to concentrate on work - your work. My work doesn't count. I think you boys have a great deal of talent; but, too much ego. You spend one day working and a whole month bragging. Gentlemen, there are going to be few changes. I'm going to jump up and down on your ego. I'm going to criticize your work with a baseball bat. I'm going to tell you every day how bad your stuff is until you get something good and if it's good I'm going to tell you it's rotten till you get something better. I'm going to be a mother of the arts. - - No sex.

  George Curtis , Tom Chambers : No.

  Gilda Farrell : It's a gentlemen's agreement.

• Gilda Farrell : Don't you tell them I've got hiccups. Tell 'em I've got the advertising blues. The billboard collywobbles! Slogans and sales talks - morning, noon and night and not one human sound out of you and your whole flock of Eaglebauers!

• Max Plunkett : Gilda, I've been your friend for five years.

  Gilda Farrell : And I want you to remain my friend for the next fifty years. So please shut up!

• Gilda Farrell : Are you a painter too?

  Tom Chambers : Oh, no, not me. I'm a playwright. I rewrite unproduced plays and very good at that kind.

• George Curtis : I love you, Gilda.

  Gilda Farrell : That's sweet to hear.

  George Curtis : Gilda, sometimes I wonder what I see in you. You don't appreciate me - and you know nothing about art!

  Gilda Farrell : Maybe you love me because I'm an imbecile.

  George Curtis : It must be something like that.

• Gilda Farrell : I'm so nervous! Couldn't we all be a little bit more - nonchalant.

• Gilda Farrell : George, dear George, when I let you make love to me yesterday, I didn't tell you something. I didn't tell you that the day before, Tom and I had - Did he tell you?

  George Curtis : No.

  Gilda Farrell : Thank you, Tommy.

  Tom Chambers : Very welcome.

• Gilda Farrell : I never forgot you. In fact, you never left me. You haunted me like a nasty ghost. On rainy nights I could hear you moanin' down the chimney.

• Gilda Farrell : What'll we do after lunch?

  Tom Chambers : We'll take a long walk for our digestion.

  Gilda Farrell : Oh, yes! Let's walk and walk until we are dead tired!

  Tom Chambers : Gilda, I've got a better idea. Let's stay home instead.

• Gilda Farrell : What did they do that for?

  Max Plunkett : Why, they want to remember us. I think it's very nice of them.

  Gilda Farrell : This is no time for remembering. It would have been much more tactful of them to forget.

• Max Plunkett : Well, now, that's a closed chapter in your life. Anyhow, you have nothing to worry about on that score. I've forgiven you.

  Gilda Farrell : Forgiven me? For what?

  Max Plunkett : Oh, that's all right.

  Gilda Farrell : Well, I don't want to be forgiven!

  Max Plunkett : Well, I forgive you just the same.

• Gilda Farrell : If you can't believe in yourself, believe in me.

• Gilda Farrell : I'm just wondering if you could as good a work in the midst of all that hullabaloo as you could if you stayed here?

• Tom Chambers : Keep that old typewriter of mine booted and spurred.

  Gilda Farrell : I will.

  Tom Chambers : So long.

• Gilda Farrell : I fancy this - what you might call, tension - will keep up for some weeks. Wouldn't be wise if I moved to a hotel?

• Tom Chambers : [returning from London, looking at the Remington Number 2 typewriter]  You didn't keep it oiled.

  Gilda Farrell : I did for awhile.

  Tom Chambers : The keys are rusty. The shift is broken.

  Gilda Farrell : But it still rings! It still rings.

  Tom Chambers : Does it?

• Max Plunkett : I almost forgot to tell you. Guess who I saw in London?

  Gilda Farrell : The King!

• Tom Chambers : Is George still given to smashing things?

  Gilda Farrell : Well, we have to tell him the truth, regardless of what happens to the furniture.

  Tom Chambers : I wonder if he'll hit? He was never very civilized.

  Gilda Farrell : You're right. He is kind of - kind of - barbaric.

  [smiles] 

• Gilda Farrell : [final lines]  Oh, boys, this is very important. There's one thing that has to be understood.

  George Curtis : I know.

  Tom Chambers : Yes, we know. It's a gentleman's agreement!

• Gilda Farrell : Now we'll have some fun! Back to Paris.

  Tom Chambers : To the same old studio?

  Gilda Farrell : The same old dump! And work!

  Tom Chambers : Great! But, you can't paint in that suit.

  George Curtis : I'll burn it.

  Gilda Farrell : And you can't write in the top hat.

  Tom Chambers : In the ash can with it!

  George Curtis : Let's hear Gilda - can you still say rotten?

  Gilda Farrell : Rotten!