Carmen Jones (1954)

Dorothy Dandridge: Carmen Jones

Photos 

Quotes 

• Carmen Jones : I always did want to see the big town.

  Frankie : You got your wish, honey. Somethin' tells me Chicago's gonna be real good for you.

  Myrt : Somethin' tells me you gonna be real *bad* for Chicago.

• Carmen Jones : 'Scuse my dust, gentlemen. The air's gettin' mighty unconditioned 'round here.

• Joe : Thanks, but I don't drink.

  Carmen Jones : Boy, if the army was made up of nothin' but soldiers like you, war wouldn't do nobody no good.

• Carmen Jones : [singing]  Dat's love, You go for me, And I'm taboo, But if you're hard to get, I go for you, And if I do, Den you are through, Boy, my baby, that's the end of you...

• Carmen Jones : You blabbermouth witch!

• Carmen Jones : Let the old buzzard flap his wings right over me. Till he comes down and gets me, I got a lotta livin' to do.

• Carmen Jones : What's the matter? You still don't trust me, huh? Or don't you trust yourself?

• Dink Franklin : Look, baby, let's talk turkey. Tomorrow mornin', I gotta produce you in Chicago. I don't care what it costs. Husky Miller will sign the bill. When he goes crazy for a chick, that chick starts lookin' like a neon sign, all lit up with diamonds.

  Carmen Jones : Diamonds ain't what I want of a man. If I love him, he don't need no checkbook. If I don't, a checkbook ain't gonna do him no good.

• Carmen Jones : I want to go someplace where you're the last thing I see at night, first thing I see in the morning.

• Joe : I'm busted. I gave the last of my pay to the landlady.

  Carmen Jones : I got some jingly stuff.

  Joe : I ain't gonna let you shell out.

  Carmen Jones : We gotta eat, growin' boy.

  Joe : Not on your dough.

  Carmen Jones : What's mine's yours, Joey, and that goes right down the line.

• Carmen Jones : I don't account to no man.

  Joe : You're accountin' to me. I love you and that gives me the right to...

  Carmen Jones : That don't give you no right to own me. There's only one that does - and that's me. Myself.

• Carmen Jones : Maybe you ain't got the message yet, but Carmen's one gal nobody puts on a leash. No man's gonna tell me when I can come and go. I gotta be free.

• Joe : I could stay in this place the rest of my life and never go out - as long as you're here. But when you ain't, it's worse than jail. Ain't no light, no air.

  Carmen Jones : Suppose I never come back?

  Joe : You'd never get away from me. I'd follow you down the rivers, across the sea, to hell or up to heaven. Why'd you ask?

  Carmen Jones : Just to hear you say it.

• Carmen Jones : I'd like to toss a party for you tonight at Billy Pastor's. Give you a real send-off. Pick me up at eight. We'll have ourselves a ball.

  Joe : Sorry. I got a date.

  Carmen Jones : Honeybee, if you change your mind, you know where to buzz me.

• Carmen Jones : Prune-puss, you make sounds I don't like.

• Carmen Jones : You're wastin' time right now, Sergeant. Wind's blowin' me in another direction. Ain't no use arguin' with the wind.

• Carmen Jones : Sugar, you ain't gonna take me to the cooler, are ya? Can't do you much good once I'm in jail. What you say we drive to a place I know on the edge of town? I'll show you more fun than you ever had.

• Carmen Jones : [singing]  How can a lady drink alone? How can a lady dance alone? No lady can romance alone, I oughta have a sweetie-pie...

• Carmen Jones : Okay, honey. Accelerate me all you want. The harder I get bumped, the more of me bounces.

• Carmen Jones : That little candy-faced gal I seen you with in the canteen, is she your steady?

• Carmen Jones : Go to flyin' school. Take off right now! Then lay in your bunk, look up at them pin-up gals! See what that gets you, droopy drawers.

• Carmen Jones : When Carmen takes you home with her. Carmen will unlace your shoes.

• Carmen Jones : Boy, if you ain't a lover red-hot for Carmen. You just burnin' up with passion. You sizzle like a fish on ice!

• Carmen Jones : Blow on 'em, sugar.

• Carmen Jones : You can turn the heat off now. Oh, man, that tickles. You some harmonica player.

• Carmen Jones : Can you let me have a couple of bills?

  Frankie : You talkin' to the wrong party. There's your bank, with all the doors wide open. You just tell Husky what you want. He's just percolatin' to take care of you real good.

• Frankie : Keep your soldier boy. But, that don't mean you gotta walk out on a convertible, gold-lace nightgown - oh, everything.

  Carmen Jones : You know two-timin' ain't my speed.

  Frankie : Well, just shift gears and join the female race. Keep one man for the ride and one for the money.

• Carmen Jones : [singing]  If you wanna start a fire, Where a fire was before, De coal you burn must be new coal, Our flame is out, Cold as the snow, We had ourselves some fun, Didn't we? And now it's done...

• Carmen Jones : [singing]  I won't fill my pretty eyes with salty tears, 'Cause I ain't got de time...

• Carmen Jones : Go on home. Forget him. Bait your hook for fish you can fry.

• Carmen Jones : Can't you get it through your head? We're done. Now let me go.

  Joe : I'd sooner kill ya.

  Carmen Jones : Then here's your chance.

  Joe : [singing]  But all I wanna do, Is love you...

• Husky Miller : Heat-Wave!

  Carmen Jones : Easy, boy. Don't K.O. me in round one. Give the fans their money's worth.