Marge Gunderson [on the phone]
Oh my. Where? Yeah? Aw geez. Okay, there in a jif. Real good, then.
Played by Frances McDormand 
Fargo (1996) · 67 quotes
Fargo (1996) · 67 quotes
3rd most-quoted character in Fargo (1996): in 15 of its 67 quotes
Most scenes with: Lou (3), Jerry Lundegaard (2)
So that was Mrs. Lundegaard on the floor in there. And I guess that was your accomplice in the wood chipper. And those three people in Brainerd. And for what? For a little bit of money. There's more to life than a little money, you know. Don't you know that? And here ya are, and it's a beautiful day. Well, I just don't understand it.
More lines from Marge Gunderson
3 quotes Marge Gunderson Marge Gunderson [when her husband, Norm, kisses her]
Ya got Arby's all over me.
Marge Gunderson Mind if I sit down? I'm carrying quite a load here.
Scenes with Marge Gunderson
11 scenes Marge Okay, so we got a trooper pulls someone over, we got a shooting. These folks drive by, there's a high-speed pursuit, ends here, and then this execution-type deal. I'd be very surprised if our suspect was from Brainerd.
Yeah.
Marge And I'll tell you what, from his footprint he looks like a big fella.
Marge Oh, I just think I'm gonna barf.
Geez. You okay there, Margie?
Marge Yah, I'm fine. [She stands up straight] It's just morning sickness. Well, that passed.
Lou: Oh yeah?
Marge Yeah, now I'm hungry again.
The last vehicle that the trooper cited was a tan Ciera at 2:18 am. Under the plate number, he put DLR--I figure they stopped him or shot him before he could finish fillin' out the tag number. So I got the state lookin' for a Ciera with a tag startin' DLR. They don't got no match yet.
Marge I'm not sure that I agree with you a hundred percent on your policework there, Lou.
Yeah?
Marge Yah. I think that vehicle there probably had dealer plates. DLR?
Oh geez.
Marge Say Lou. Did ya hear the one about the guy who couldn't afford personalized plates, so he went and changed his name to J3L 2404?
Yeah, that's a good one.
Marge Okay, I want you to tell me what these fellas looked like.
Hooker #1 Well, the little guy, he was kinda funny-looking.
Marge In what way?
Hooker #1 I dunno, just funny-lookin'.
Marge Can you be any more specific?
Hooker #1 I couldn't really say. He wasn't circumcised.
Marge Was he funny lookin' apart from that?
Hooker #1 Yeah.
Marge So, you were having sex with the little fella, then?
Hooker #1 Uh-huh.
Marge Is there anything else you can tell me about him?
Hooker #1 No. Like I say, he was funny lookin'. More n' most people even.
Marge And what about the other fella?
Hooker #2 He was a little older. Looked like the Marlboro man.
Marge Yeah?
Hooker #2 Yeah. Maybe I'm sayin' that cause he smoked Marlboros.
Marge Uh-huh.
Hooker #2 A subconscious-type thing.
Marge Yeah, that can happen.
Hooker #2 Yeah.
Hooker #1 They said they were goin' to the Twin Cities?
Marge Oh, yeah?
Hooker #2 Yeah!
Hooker #1 Yeah. Is that useful to ya?
Marge Oh, you betcha, yeah.
Marge So do you remember getting a call last Wednesday night?
Nope.
Marge Well, you do reside their at 1425 Fremont Terrace?
Yep.
Marge Anyone else residing there?
No.
Marge Well, Mr. Proudfoot, this call came in past three in the morning. It's just hard for me to believe you can't remember anyone calling. Now, I know you've had some problems, struggling with the narcotics, some other entanglements, currently on parole...
So?
Marge Well, associating with criminals, if you're the one they talked to, that right there would be a violation of your parole and would end with you back in Stillwater. Now, I saw some rough stuff on your priors, but nothing in the nature of a homicide. I know you don't want to be an accessory to something like that. So you think you might remember who those folks were who called ya?
Marge Mr. Lundegaard?
Huh? Yeah?
Marge I wonder if I could take just a minute of your time here--
What--What is it all about?
Marge Huh? Do you mind if I sit down? I'm carrying quite a load here. You're the owner here, Mr. Lundegaard?
Naw, I--Executive Sales Manager.
Marge Well, you can help me. My name's Marge Gunderson--
My father-in-law, he's the owner.
Marge Okay. Well, I'm a police officer from up Brainerd investigating some malfeasance and I was just wondering if you've had any new vehicles stolen off the lot in the past couple of weeks? Specifically a tan Cutlass Ciera?
[Jerry looks at her] '
Marge Mr. Lundegaard?
Brainerd?
Marge Yeah. Yeah. Home a Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox.
Babe the Blue Ox. [laughs]
Marge Yeah, ya know we've got the big statue there. So you haven't had any vehicles go missing, then?
Nope. No, ma'am.
Marge Okey-dokey, thanks a bunch. I'll let you get back to your paperwork, then.
Marge!
Marge Mike!
Geez! You look great! [Mike hugs Marge]
Marge Yeah, easy there, you do too! I'm expecting, ya know.
I see that! That's great! What can I get ya?
Marge Just a Diet Coke, please. This is a nice place.
Yeah, ya know it's the Radisson, so it's pretty good.
Marge So, you're livin' in Edina, now?
Oh, yeah, couple years now. It's actually Eden Prarie, that school district. So Chief Gunderson, then! So ya went and married Norm Son-of-a-Gunderson!
Marge Oh, yeah, a long time ago.
Great. So, uh, what brings ya down. Are ya down here on that homicide if you're allowed, ya know, to discuss that?
Marge Oh, yah, but there's not a heck of a lot to discuss. So what about you, Mike? Are you married? You got kids?
Well, uh, I was married. I was married to--You mind if I sit over here? [Mike slides out of his side of the booth and eases in next to Marge] I was married to Linda Cooksey.
Marge No, I--Mike, why don't ya sit over there, I'd prefer that.
Huh? Oh, okay. [Mike slides back to his original seat across from Marge] I'm sorry.
Marge No, just so I can see ya, ya know. Don't have to turn my neck.
Oh, sure, I understand, I didn't mean to--
Marge No, no, that's fine.
Yeah, sorry, so I was married to Linda Cooksey--ya remember Linda? She was a year behind us.
Marge Yah, I think I remember Linda, yeah. Oh yeah. So things didn't work out, huh?
And then I, and then I been workin' for Honeywell for a few years now.
Marge Well, they're a good outfit.
Yeah, if you're an engineer, yeah, you could do a lot worse. Of course, it's not, uh, it's nothin' like your achievement.
Marge It sounds like you're doin' really super.
Yah, well, I, uh--it's not that it didn't work out. Linda had leukemia. She passed away.
Marge Oh, no.
It was a tough, uh--it was a long. She fought real hard.
Marge I'm sorry, Mike.
Oh, ya know, that's, uh--what can I say? Better times, huh?
Marge Better times.
And, oh, then I saw you on the news and I remembered. I always liked you.
Marge Well, I always liked you, Mike.
I always liked ya so much!
Marge [Pause]
So, Mike, should we get together another time, ya think?
No! No, I'm sorry! It's just-- shouldn't a done this. I thought we'd have a really terrific time, and now I've--
Marge It's okay, Mike.
You were such a super lady! And then I--I been so lonely--
Marge It's okay.
Marge Mr. Lundegaard? Sorry to bother you again. Can I come in?
Yah, no, I'm kinda--I'm kinda busy here.
Marge I understand. I'll keep it real short, then. I'm on my way out of town, but I was just--Do you mind if I sit down? I'm carrying a bit of a load here.
No, I--
Marge Yah, it's this vehicle I asked you about yesterday. I was just wondering--
Yah, like I told ya, we haven't had any vehicles go missing.
Marge Okay, are you sure, cause, I mean, how do you know? Because, see, the crime I'm investigating, the perpetrators were driving a car with dealer plates. And they called someone who works here, so it'd be quite a coincidence if they weren't, ya know, 'connected'.
Yah, I see.
Marge So how do you--have you done any kind of inventory recently?
The car's not from our lot, ma'am.
Marge But do you know that for sure without--
Well, I would know. I'm the Executive Sales Manager!
Marge Yah, but--
We run a pretty tight ship here.
Marge I understand. Do you do a count, or what kind of a routine do you have here?
Ma'am, I answered your question!
Marge [Pause]
I'm sorry, sir?
Ma'am, I answered your question. I answered the darned--I'm cooperatin' here! And, I--
Marge Sir, you have no call to get snippy with me, I'm just doing my job here.
I'm... I'm not arguing here! I'm cooperating. So there's no need to--we're doin' all we can here.
Marge Sir, could I talk to Mr. Gustafson?
Marge [Jerry stares at her]
Mr. Lundegaard?
Well, heck, if you wanna--if you wanna play games here! I'm workin' with ya on this thing, but I--Okay, I'll do a damned lot count!
Marge Sir? Right now?
[Jerry puts on his coat and hat]
Yeah, right now, you're darned tootin'! If it's so damned imporant to ya!
Marge Well, I'm sorry sir.
Ah, what the Christ!
Marge [Jerry leaves, then is seen driving away]
Oh for Pete's sake, he's fleeing the interview! He's fleeing the interview!
Marge The day of our homicides.
Yah.
Marge And this guy is who?
Lundegaard's father-in-law's accountant.
Marge Gustafson's accountant.
Yah.
Marge But we still haven't found Gustafson.
Marge Sorry, didn't copy that Lou.
Still missing. We're looking.
Marge Copy. And Lundegaard too.
Yah. Where are ya, Margie?
Marge Oh, I'm almost back. I'm driving around Moose Lake.
Oh. Gary's loudmouth.
Marge Yah, the loudmouth. So the whole state has it, huh. Lundegaard and Gustafson?
Yah, it's over the wire, it's everywhere, they'll find 'em.
Marge Copy.
We've got a--
Marge There's the car! There's the car!
Whose car?
Marge My car! My car! Tan Ciera! Tan Ciera!
Norm They announced it.
Marge They announced it?
Norm Yeah.
Marge So?
Norm Three-cent stamp.
Marge Your mallard?
Norm Yeah.
Marge Why that's terrific.
Norm It's just the three-cent.
Marge It's terrific.
Norman
Hautman's blue-winged teal got the twenty-nine cent. People don't much use the three-cent.
Marge Oh, for Pete's sake, of course they do. Whenever they raise the postage, people need the little stamps.
Norm Yeah?
Marge When they're stuck with a bunch of the old ones.
Norm Yeah, I guess.
Marge That's terrific. I'm so proud of ya, Norm. Heck, Norm, you know we're doin' pretty good.
Norm I love you, Margie.
Marge I love you, Norm.
Norm Two more months.
Marge Two more months.
Officer Olson
Hiya, Norm. How ya doin' Margie? How's the fricassee?
Marge Pretty darn good, ya want some?
Officer Olson
No, I gotta-- hey, Norm, I thought you were goin' fishin' up at Mille Lacs?
Norm Yah, after lunch.
Officer Olson
Ah.
Marge Whatcha got there?
Officer Olson
The numbers y'asked for. Calls made from the lobby pay phone at the Blue Ox. Two to Minneapolis that night. First one's a trucking company, second one's a private residence. A Shep Proudfoot.
Marge Uh-huh... A what?
Officer Olson
Shep Proudfoot. That's a name.
Marge Oh. Yah, okay, I think I'll drive down there, then.
Officer Olson
Oh, yah? Twin Cities?
Norm [to Marge]
Oh yah?
Marge [on the phone]
No, I'm leavin' this mornin', back up to Brainerd.
Det. Sibert
Well, I'm sorry I won't see ya.
Marge But ya think he's all right? I saw him last night and he's -
Det. Sibert
What'd he say?
Marge Well, it was nothin' specific he said, it just seemd like it all hit him really hard, his wife dyin' -
Det. Sibert
His wife?
Marge Linda.
Det. Sibert
Who?
Marge Linda Cooksey.
Det. Sibert
No! No. No, they weren't - he, uh, he was bothering Linda for about, oh, for a good year. Really pestering her, wouldn't leave her alone.
Marge So, they didn't...
Det. Sibert
No. No, they never married. Mike's had psychiatric problems.
Marge Oh. Oh, my.
Det. Sibert
Yah, he's been struggling. He's living with his parents now.
Marge Oh, geez.
Det. Sibert
Yah, Linda's fine. You should call her.
Marge Gunderson Geez. Well... geez, that's a surprise.
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