Daily Dialogue — May 29, 2012
TERRY: Pardon me, sir, but I lost my I.D. in–in a flood and I’d like to get some Old Harper, hard stuff. Would you mind buying a bottle for me?
The bum is still trying to focus on Terry and smiles.
BUM: Why certainly, I lost my wife, too– her name wasn’t Idy, though, and it wasn’t in a flood–but I know what
ya–
TERRY: Thanks, here’s enough for a pint.
The old man takes the money and falls into the store. Terry watches and then waves to Debbie in the car that everything is cool.
As he waits for the bum to come back out, the first man in the suit exits. Terry smiles at him again.
TERRY: Hi. Still quarter to twelve.
MAN: Right-o. Night.
TERRY: Night.
The man gets into the car and backs out. Terry goes over to the window of the liquor store and looks to see how the wino’s doing with his booze. Terry sees the liquor store owner setting four bottles of cheap wine on the counter.
TERRY: (gesturing through the window from outside) Hey, no. Not wine. Ssss–hey!
The owner turns and sees Terry waving. Terry ducks out of sight. When he looks back again, Terry sees the old bum is gone! Terry can’t believe it. He finally enters the store.
INSIDE THE LIQUOR STORE
Terry tries to look very casual as he sidles up to the counter. Country-Western music hums over the liquor in hi-fi.
TERRY: (smiling at the owner) Hi there–ah, say–was there an old man in here a minute ago?
OWNER: Yeah. He went out the back.
Terry is destroyed.
OWNER: You want something?
Terry looks at the man and the endless rows of liquor behind him.
TERRY: Yeah–ah–let me have a Three Musketeers, ah, and a ball point pen there, a comp, a pint of Old Harper,
couple of flashlight batteries and some of this beef jerky.
The owner puts everything into a bag and starts to ring it up.
OWNER: Okay, got an I.D. for the liquor?
TERRY: A what? Oh, sure– (feeling his pockets) Oh nuts, I left it–I left it in the car.
OWNER: Sorry, you’ll have to get it before–
TERRY: Well, I can’t. I also ah, forgot the car.
The owner takes the liquor out of the bag and puts it back on the shelf. Terry stands there. The owner takes the money from him and gives him his change.
OUTSIDE THE LIQUOR STORE
Terry comes back to the Chevy with the bag full of junk. Debbie smiles at him excitedly and scoots over to the window.
DEBBIE: Hey, did ya get it? Ya get it, ya get it?
He hands her the bag.
DEBBIE: You got it. You got it!
She goes through the bag and finds a comb and the batteries.
DEBBIE: You didn’t get it. Why didn’t you get it?
TERRY: Ah, well, I needed some things and I thought as long as I was in there– look, Debbie, can you loan me a
dollar?
DEBBIE: What? Are you for real? Come on. Girls don’t pay. Guys pay.
TERRY: Yeah, well, see–I’ve only got a fifty and he doesn’t have change.
DEBBIE: Well, I can’t believe this… I really cannot believe this. Here.
She takes the money from a squeeze-open plastic change purse and hands it to him. Terry smiles weakly and goes back to try his luck again at the liquor store.
He stops in front of the door as a young guy with numerous tattoos on his bulging arms approaches the liquor store.
TERRY: Hi–excuse me. I was wondering–could you, ah–
GUY: Buy you a bottle of booze. Yeah, I know. You lost your I.D. What kind do you want?
TERRY: (amazed) Gee, that’s terrific. Ah, just some ah–Old Harper.
He takes Terry’s money and enters the store. The clerk hands the man a bottle of Old Harper. Terry waves excitedly to Debbie, lowering his pants a bit. Suddenly, there’s a gunshot! Terry whirls to see the young man stuffing cash from the register into his pockets, backing away with a smoking gun. He rushes out of the store, tossing the bottle to Terry and running off into the night. Suddenly, the owner emerges from behind the counter, shooting wildly. Terry ducks and heads for the car with his pint of Old Harper.
— Terry (Charlies Martin Smith), Bum (George Meyer), Owner (William Niven), Debbie (Candy Clark), American Graffiti (1973), written by George Lucas and Gloria Katz & Willard Huyck
The Daily Dialogue theme for the week is lies, suggested by BillieJeanVK. Today’s suggestion by Def Earz.
Trivia: The scene at the liquor store in which Terry asks Debbie for money was shot in one take. Candy Clark wanted to do a second take because she flubbed her “Did you get it?” line, but Lucas said that was it, they were printing that first take.
Dialogue On Dialogue: All sorts of lying going on here. Terry lies to Bum. Bum lies to him. Terry lies to the Owner. Terry lies to Debbie. It’s only when Terry tells the truth that he ends up with the liquor… but only after Guy robs the store. Note: All the lies are conveyed by characters with one purpose — to get some booze.
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