Sonny Crawford quotes from The Last Picture Show (1971)

Sonny Crawford

We ain't done nothin' wrong. Ain't we got a right to get married? How can you arrest us, just like that?

Sonny

Coulda been worse...

Sam

Yeah. You can say that about nearly everything, I guess.

Charlene

We've been goin' steady a year tonight.

Sonny

Yeah? Seems like a lot longer.

Charlene

You shoulda got me some anniversary present.

Sonny

You can have another stick of gum - that's all I got on me.

Genevieve

She (Charlene) doesn't have a good disposition - what are you blue about then?

Sonny

Ain't nobody to go with in this town. Jacy's the only pretty girl in school and Duane's got her.

Genevieve

I'd call that his tough luck...Jacy'll bring him more misery than she'll ever be worth.

Genevieve

I don't know. You and Duane - both in a boardinghouse - him with a mother, and you with a father. Don't seem right. And your dad's takin' too many pills, you know...But then I'm no one to talk. I never did get on with Mama - I still don't.

Sonny

Say, I hear Dan's goin' back to work soon. I guess you'll be quittin' before long.

Genevieve

Honey, we got four thousand dollars worth of doctor bills to pay. I will probably be makin' cheeseburgers for your grandkids.

Sonny

I guess you'll be glad when basketball season is over.

Ruth

Why?

Sonny

Well, Coach probably don't get to stay home much during football and basketball season.

Ruth

My God. You don't know a thing about it, do you?

Sam

Now you boys can get on outta here. I don't wanna have no more to do with ya. Scarin' an unfortunate creature like Billy, just so's you could have a few laughs. I've been around that trashy behavior all my life. I'm gettin' tired of puttin' up with it. And you can stay outta this poolhall, outta my cafe and my picture show too. I don't want no more of your business.

Sonny

We didn't mean for anything bad to happen, Sam. We...

Sam

You didn't even have the decency to wash his face.

Ruth

I'm sorry I cried. I was just so scared, I guess...I was scared I could never do this, I guess. I can't seem to do anything without crying about it - how could you like me?

Sonny

Oh, I like you.

Ruth

I'm glad. [He kisses her]

Sonny

How come you've stayed with the Coach - you don't like him much?

Ruth

I wasn't brought up to leave a husband. I guess that's why. Or maybe I was just scared to. I never noticed how ugly this room is. What's your favorite color?

Sonny

I don't know - blue.

Ruth

Maybe I'll re-paper it.

Sonny

Why'd you marry him?

Ruth

I don't know. My mother didn't like him. Maybe that was it. When I was 20 years old, I thought hairy-chested football coaches were about it. I'm gonna buy us a new quilt - a blue one.

Sonny

What do ya think he'd do if he found us?

Ruth

Shoot us, probably. He's always glad to have an excuse to use his deer rifle.

Sam

You wouldn't believe how this country's changed. First time I seen it, there wasn't a mesquite tree on it, or a prickly pear neither. I used to own this land, you know. First time I watered a horse at this tank was - more than forty years ago. I reckon the reason why I always drag you out here is probably I'm just as sentimental as the next fella when it comes to old times. Old times. I brought a young lady swimmin' out here once, more than 20 years ago. Was after my wife had lost her mind and my boys was dead. Me and this young lady was pretty wild, I guess. In pretty deep. We used to come out here on horseback and go swimmin' without no bathing suits. One day, she wanted to swim the horses across this tank. Kind of a crazy thing to do, but we done it anyway. She bet me a silver dollar she could beat me across. She did. This old horse I was ridin' didn't want to take the water. But she was always lookin' for somethin' to do like that. Somethin' wild. I'll bet she's still got that silver dollar.

Sonny

Whatever happened to her?

Sam

Oh, she growed up. She was just a girl then, really...

Sonny

Why didn't you ever marry her after your wife died?

Sam

She was already married. Her and her husband was young and miserable with one another like so many young married folks are. I thought they'd change with some age, but it didn't turn out that way.

Sonny

Bein' married always so miserable?

Sam

No, not really. About eighty percent of the time, I guess. We oughta go to a real fishin' tank next year. Aw, too late to think about things like that too much. If she was here, I'd probably be just as crazy now as I was then in about five minutes. Ain't that ridiculous? Naw, it ain't really. 'Cause bein' crazy 'bout a woman like her's always the right thing to do. Bein' a decrepit old bag of bones - that's what's ridiculous - gettin' old.

Sonny

Sure, I been goin' with her, why not?

Duane

I never said I blamed you for it. I don't blame you much. I just never thought you'd do me that way. I thought we was still best friends.

Sonny

We are. What's you so mad for? I never done nothin' to you.

Duane

I guess screwin' my girl ain't nothin' to you.

Sonny

I ain't screwin' her.

Duane

The hell you ain't.

Sonny

Well, I ain't. But she's not your girl anymore, anyway.

Duane

She is my girl. I don't care if we did break up.

Jacy

You just can't believe how famous we are. We're all anybody talks about in this town now...I want us to get married...Just as soon as you want to. Don't you want to?...I bet the whole town'll be knocked for a loop if we do. They'll never forget it.

Sonny

But ain't you goin' to college?

Jacy

Oh, I don't care about that. I love you, and that's more important. You were so dear to fight for me. My folks won't like it, but we can run off.

Sonny

They'll kill us.

Jacy

Oh, no they won't.

Sonny

Kill me, anyhow.

Jacy

They'll get over it. You're workin' for Daddy now anyway, and pretty soon they'll love you just as much as I do. Can we?

Sonny

Sure. I just hope I can see to drive.

Jacy

Don't you worry. I can drive.

Lois

You won't believe this, Sonny, but you're lucky we got you clear of her quick as we did. You'd have been a lot better off staying with Ruth Popper.

Sonny

Does everybody know about that?

Lois

'Course. Sounds like a good deal to me, kiddo. You shouldn't let Jacy turn your head.

Sonny

Well, she's prettier. I guess I shouldn't have, though. I guess I treated her terrible.

Lois

Guess you did.

Sonny

Nothin's really been right since Sam the Lion died.

Lois

No, no it hasn't. Oh God, I get sad if I think of Sam for long. Did you know he had beautiful hands?

Sonny

I guess you liked him, didn't you? Aw, I guess everybody did.

Lois

Well, I tell you, it was different with me, Sonny. I loved him. He loved me, too.

Sonny

Are you - are you the one he used to take swimmin'? Out at the tank?

Lois

He told you about that, huh? Yeah, I was the one. I guess if it wasn't for Sam, I'd just about have missed it, whatever it is. I'd have been one of them Amity types that thinks that playin' bridge is about the best thing that life has to offer. Old Sam the Lion. Sam the Lion - you know, nobody knows where he got that name. I gave it to him. One night, well, it just came to me. He was so pleased. I was 22 years old then. Can you imagine? I'll tell you, Sonny, it's terrible to only meet one man in your whole life who knows what you're worth. Just terrible. I've looked, too. You wouldn't believe how I've looked.

Sonny

Well, now I know why Sam liked you.

Lois

Loved me.

Sonny

Loved ya, I mean.

Lois

Do you? Well, I can kinda see what he saw in you, too. Nope, I'll just go on home. Go on, get out.

Sonny

Think I can - think I can learn to drink?

Lois

You might. You'd better keep on practicing.

Chester

Boy, we finally got us a team. Didn't back in your day, did they, Sonny?

Sonny

No, we wasn't much good.

Chester

Well, you just never learned the fundamentals. You know, blockin' and tacklin'. Not like this team.

Miss Mosey

Nobody wants to come to shows no more. Kids got baseball in the summer, television all the time. If Sam had lived, I believe we could've kept it goin'. But I just didn't have the know-how.

Duane

Won't be much to do in town with the picture show closed.

Sonny

Yeah.

Duane

I ain't over her yet, you know...it's the damndest thing...That's the only reason you and I got into it that time. Reckon she likes it down in Dallas?

Sonny

It's hard to say. Maybe she does. Reckon you and her woulda got it all straightened out if I hadn'ta butted in?

Duane

Aw, now. No. They'd've annulled me too, even if we had. You all, uh, never even got to the motel?

Sonny

No.

What was he doin' out there anyway, carryin' that broom?

Aw, he weren't doin' nothin'. He was just an ol' simple-minded kid - never had any sense.

Sorta ****, you know. It wasn't your fault...

He was just a dumb ol' kid, never was good for much.

Didn't even know enough to keep his ass out of the cold, morning like this...

I'd still like to know what he was doin' luggin' that broom around this time of day.

Sonny

He was sweepin', ya sons of bitches. He was sweepin'.