Daily Dialogue — April 20, 2012

REGGIE: What’s your first name today?

CRUIKSHANK: Brian.

REGGIE: Brian Cruikshank — it would serve me right if I got stuck with that one.

CRUIKSHANK: Who asked you to get stuck with any of them?

REGGIE: Is there a Mrs. Cruikshank?

CRUIKSHANK: Yes.

REGGIE: But you’re — divorced?

CRUIKSHANK: No.

REGGIE (crestfallen): Oh.

CRUIKSHANK: My mother — she lives in Detroit. Come on now — give me those stamps.

REGGIE: Only if you can prove to me that you’re really Brian Cruikshank.

CRUIKSHANK: How about if next week some time I put it on a marriage license — that ought to –

REGGIE: Quit stalling — I want to see some identification — now!

CRUIKSHANK: I wouldn’t lie on a thing like that — I could go to jail.

REGGIE: You’d lie about anything.

CRUIKSHANK: Well, maybe we’d better forget about it, then.

REGGIE: You can’t prove it, can you? You’re still trying to — (the coin drops into the slot) marriage license! Did you say —

CRUIKSHANK: I didn’t say anything. Will you give me those stamps?

REGGIE: You did too say it — I heard you. Oh, I love you Adam — I mean Alex — er, Peter — Brian. I hope we have lots of boys — we can name them all after you.

CRUIKSHANK: Before we start on that, do you mind handing over the stamps?

— Reggie (Audrey Hepburn), Cruikchank (Cary Grant), Charade (1964), screenplay by Peter Stone

http://static.movieclips.com/embedplayer.swf?shortid=rkxS

The Daily Dialogue theme for the week is marriage proposals, suggested by Teddy Pasternak, who also suggested Charade.

Trivia: Seven studios rejected the original screenplay. Peter Stone turned it into a novel which was serialized in Redbook, and it was then turned back into a screenplay — which had interest from all 7 studios.

Dialogue On Dialogue: Want to know how to spice up a denouement? Toss in a marriage proposal!