The Honey Pot (1967)

Edie Adams: Merle McGill

Photos 

Quotes 

• Merle McGill : I guess it must be hard for you to understand, Inspector, a man like me and Cecil Fox.

  Inspector Rizzi : Not hard at all.

  Merle McGill : But how can I say it, Inspector... He was my first... man. Somehow you just never forget your first man.

  Inspector Rizzi : I remember mine - vividly.

  [Merle throws him a curious glance] 

  Inspector Rizzi : He also got away.

• William McFly : And there's a hot rumor you've got money problems.

  Merle McGill : There's a hot rumor Sophia Loren's a boy.

• Merle McGill : Another thing, Dominque the Queen.

  Cecil Fox : Royalty. Not like us. Not like you and me. Proud of our basic animal emotions. Where we feel, they pretend.

  [embraces Merle] 

  Cecil Fox : God, you're basic. You even smell basic. What's that perfume?

  Merle McGill : It comes from the jungle. The natives dip their arrows in it.

• Merle McGill : After all, honesty is the best policy, right?

  Inspector Rizzi : Debatable. But, at the moment I would appreciate it.

• Cecil Fox : Who am I to complain? Others have dead without knowing true gratitude. Others like me: Genghis Khan, Attila the Hun, Hitler.

  Merle McGill : [seductively]  Silly boy! I wouldn't look twice at Hitler.

• Merle McGill : [seeing the elaborate Renaissance clock on Fox's mantelpiece]  That one looks like the old days, when they used to wind the clocks by hand.

  Cecil Fox : At one time it belonged to Lucrezia Borgia.

  Merle McGill : Oh? She give it to ya?

• Merle McGill : I might need your help here. Anything you can do for me, I'd certainly appreciate.

  William McFly : I'll be sure to keep it in mind, Miss McGill.

  Merle McGill : Make it Merle.

  William McFly : Or even Myrtle?

• Cecil Fox : Lone Star was insatiable. A beautiful bottomless pit. There was never enough of anything: money, possessions, food, sex. I thought I had an exorbitant appetite for that particular pastime, but, Lone Star... Imagine if you can, a 17 year old combined Venus and giant squid.

  Merle McGill : I'm trying very hard.

  Cecil Fox : Four fantastic years it lasted. It wore me ought.

• Merle McGill : We're way up the creek. You know what that means? Just take my word for it. We've got to come up with a paddle real quick.

• Merle McGill : Mr. Fox, both of those broads are basically after your dough.

  Cecil Fox : And you, Bunny?

  Merle McGill : You know money never meant anything to me.

• Inspector Rizzi : Miss McGill, I understand the necessity of you to arrive in Venice incognito.

  Merle McGill : I wouldn't go anywheres uninvited.

  Inspector Rizzi : I must have used the wrong word. My English is uh... .

• Merle McGill : When you do talk to Princess Dominique, you know what she's gonna tell ya?

  Inspector Rizzi : If I had such capability, I would never get out of bed.

  Merle McGill : She's gonna say that she and I were here, in my room, all night, playing gin rummy together. That'll be a lie. For one thing, she can't even play gin rummy.

  Inspector Rizzi : Fascinating! Now, why would she choose a game she could not play?

  Merle McGill : [with a "caught" look on her face]  Yeah, that was stupid of her, but the name of the game isn't important.

• Merle McGill : OK, shamus, so what's on your mind? Or, to be exact, on both your minds?

  Inspector Rizzi : Shamus? You use too many American idioms I do not know.

• Mrs. Sheridan : You get outta here. But, don't leave the house, I just might want to search your luggage.

  Merle McGill : You're not giving any orders yet. Mr. Fox isn't even dead yet.

  Mrs. Sheridan : He looks stiff as a mackerel to me.

• Merle McGill : You know what would be wonderful? If life was like a movie script.

  Princess Dominique : Even they have so few happy endings, these days.

  Merle McGill : You want. Dissolve. You got. You can't say the world wouldn't be better off.

• Merle McGill : If you swallow the bullocks given off by that royal deep freeze, you could wind up the biggest jerk cop that ever swam a beat in downtown Venice.