Eli Wallach: Arthur

The Holiday

Arthur

Arthur Abbott: You know what I've been asking myself all night?
Iris: What? Why I'm bothering you with all these questions?
Arthur Abbott: I'm wondering why a beautiful girl like you would go to a strangers' house for their Christmas Vacation, and on top of that spend Saturday night with an old cock-up like me.
Iris: Well, I just wanted to get away from all the people I see all the time!...
[Arthur looks at her incredulously]
Iris: Well, not all the people... one person. I wanted to get away from one... guy.
[she sobs]
Iris: An ex-boyfriend who just got engaged and forgot to tell me.
Arthur Abbott: So, he's a schmuck.
Iris: As a matter of fact, he is... a huge schmuck. How did you know?
Arthur Abbott: He let you go. This is not a hard one to figure out. Iris, in the movies we have leading ladies and we have the best friend. You, I can tell, are a leading lady, but for some reason you are behaving like the best friend.
Iris: You're so right. You're supposed to be the leading lady of your own life, for god's sake! Arthur, I've been going to a therapist for three years, and she's never explained anything to me that well. That was brilliant. Brutal, but brilliant.

Arthur Abbott: I've got something for you.
[picks up a corsage]
Iris: [touched] Oh.
Arthur Abbott: Forgive me. The last time I had a date, this this is what we did.
Iris: It's beautiful.
[kisses Arthur on the cheek]
Arthur Abbott: If it's corny, or if it's going to ruin your outfit, you don't have to wear it.
Iris: [Iris puts the corsage on her wrist] I like corny.
[takes Arthur's hands]
Iris: I'm looking for corny in my life.
Arthur Abbott: That's a nice line.
Iris: It's all those movies!
Arthur Abbott: Okay, let's do it. Let's get this embarassment over with.
Iris: Okay.

Arthur Abbott: Iris, in the movies, we have leading ladies and we have the best friend. You, I can tell, are a leading lady, but for some reason, you're behaving like the best friend.

Arthur Abbott: Say a man and a woman both need something to sleep in and both go to the same men's pajama department. The man says to the salesman, "I just need bottoms," and the woman says, "I just need a top." They look at each other and that's the 'meet cute.'

Arthur Abbott: [Reaches stairs to stage, Miles's theme music comes on] I'll do it.
[Climbs up stairs, give Iris a thumbs up at the top]
Arthur Abbott: [Addressing the audience] Thank you. Thank you, thank you. I'm absolutely overwhelmed... that I could climb those stairs.
[Audience laughs]
Arthur Abbott: I came to Hollywood over 60 years ago, and immediately fell in love with motion pictures. And it's a love affair that's lasted a lifetime. When I first arrived in Tinseltown, there were no cineplexes or multiplexes. No such thing as a Blockbuster or DVD. I was here before conglomerates owned the studios. Before pictures had special effects teams. And definitely before box office results were reported like baseball scores on the nightly news.

Arthur Abbott: I counted. Nine movies opening today. I remember when nine movies used to open in a month. Now a picture has to make a killing the first weekend or it's dead. This is supposed to be conducive to great work?

Arthur Abbott: [Suggesting the group of old men at the Hanukkah party leave the younger folks to enjoy the rest of the evening] Fellas, I think we should leave these young folks and get back to our bed pans.