Endicott quotes from His Girl Friday (1940)

Hildy

I have to do a yarn on Williams. Did he know what he was doing when he fired that gun?

Murphy

If you ask us, 'No.' If you ask the state alienist, the answer is 'Yes.'

Hildy

Who is he? What's he do?

Jake McCue

He was a bookkeeper. He starts out at twenty dollars a week and after fourteen years, he gradually works himself up to seventeen fifty...Plus the company goes out of business and Williams loses his job...

So he starts hangin' around the park, listenin' to a lot of soapbox spellbinders makin' phony speeches and begins to believe 'em.

Endicott

And makes some of his own.

Murphy

Why can't you hang this guy at five o'clock instead of seven?

Bensinger

Sure, it won't hurt you, and we'd make the city edition.

Oh well now, that's, that's kind of raw, Roy. After all, I can't hang a man in his sleep just to please the newspaper.

Newsman

No, but you can reprieve him twice so the hanging's three days before election, can't ya?

Endicott

You can run on a law and order ticket. You can do that all right.

Honest boys, I had absolutely nothing to do with those reprieves. He's just as sane as I am.

Mayor

Have you seen Sheriff Hartwell?

Endicott

It's hard to tell, your Honor. You see, there's so many cockroaches around here.

Hildy

Mrs. Baldwin - Mother!

Don't you 'Mother' me! Playing cat and mouse with my poor boy, keeping him locked up, making us miss two trains and you supposed to be married tomorrow.

Hildy

I'll be with you in five minutes.

You don't have to go with me at all. Just give me Bruce's money and you can stay here forever as far as I'm concerned - you and that murderer you caught...Which one of these men is it? They all look like murderers to me.

Endicott

Wait a minute, Hildy. What murderer did you catch?...

Hildy

I don't know what she's talking about. I haven't said any such thing.

I am quoting my son, and he has never lied to me.

Hildy

That's ridiculous. In the first place, I never said anything like that.

Yes you did.

Hildy

No, I didn't. I said I was trying to find the murderer. [To the news-hungry reporters] She got it all balled up. Can't you see that?