Groot Nadine If I was you, Colonel, I'd ponder on lettin' him be. He's a mighty set man when his mind's made up. Even you can't change him. Now he'll be headin' South. Mind he don't stomp on you on the way out.
Played by Walter Brennan 
Red River (1948) · 73 quotes
Red River (1948) · 73 quotes
3rd most-quoted character in Red River (1948): in 15 of its 73 quotes
Most scenes with: Matt Garth (4), Tom Dunson (3), Cherry Valance (2)
Your sweet tooth is almost as bad as having a whiskey tongue or liking a woman.
More lines from Groot Nadine
7 quotes Groot Nadine Groot Nadine Colonel, me and Dunson...well, it's me and Dunson.
Groot Nadine Why do Indians always want to be burnin' up good wagons?
Groot Nadine Never liked seein' strangers. This is 'cause no stranger ever good news'd me.
Groot Nadine [about Matt and Cherry]
They was having some fun - peculiar kind of fun, sizing each other up for the future. Them two's gonna tangle for certain and when they do, it ain't gonna be pretty because they got a thousand miles to do it in.
Groot Nadine [to Bunk]
I could take the end of your nose off just as easy. A man in your age stealin' sugar!
Groot Nadine It's all right. For fourteen years, I've been scared, but it's gonna be all right.
Scenes with Groot Nadine
7 scenes
He's afraid.
Groot Afraid? Why you're crazy, you're looney.
Am I?
Groot Sure, sure, I'm scared too. But I've been here, watchin' and seein'...seein' a man fightin', fightin' with his soul and gut to hang onto this place. Fourteen years of it. And it cost him dear too. It cost him a woman. The only woman he ever wanted...You knew about that. It cost him the killin' of them seven graves, men who tried to take the place away from him. But that weren't hard. Not that.
No, he knows that kind of fighting. What else?
Groot And then come the war when you was away. He learned a lot of things for hisself. He learned that a ranch ain't only beef but it's money. But the war took all the money out of the South. He didn't know about money, Matt. He never had none. He didn't know what to do.
You mean he just doesn't know who to fight.
Groot Yeah.
That's all right.
Groot He's just been waitin' for you to head the herd north and drive. A full drive that's never been done before. Nine, ten thousand head of cattle clear to Missouri.
We could make it.
Groot We...well Matt, I'm glad you come home, cause, well, I'm glad you come home.
Why drive 'em to Missouri? Why not turn west at the Red and head 'em for Kansas?...There's a railroad in Kansas, too...I saw the one in Topeka, and there's one in Abilene...
Buster McGee Abilene, that's further west!
Did you see it in Abilene?
I didn't get there. I met a girl in Kansas City. She fancied she could sing. She had...
You know, if we could head west at the Red...
Groot We'd save ourselves a heap of...
We're goin' to Missouri. I've seen buyers and cash in Sedalia. [To Cherry] What have you seen in Abilene?
Not a thing. Just the girl told me...
We're goin' to Missouri. [Dunson walks off]
You'll find him a handful by himself.
Groot [about his false teeth, that he lost playing cards]
If you was half-human, you'd give 'em back to me. You can see I could use 'em. Besides, it would help keep the dust out of my mouth.
Quo Keep mouth shut. Dust not get in.
Groot Bet I ate ten pounds in the last sixteen days. Before this shenanigan is over, I'll probably eat enough land to incorporate in the Union. The state of Groot.
Groot That's awful good, Tom. Boys did all right.
Yeah.
Groot Why don't you tell 'em so, Tom?
That's their job.
Groot They're awful tired.
I'll bet we won't have to count noses in the morning.
Buster He's gettin' worse every day. Sometimes, I think he's goin' plum out of his head.
Groot You know, Matt, things ain't right. It's him. He's gotta get some sleep and if he don't, somethin's gonna happen.
Give me that gun. Somebody give me - I'll kill him. Let me go! He was gonna kill me! He wasn't gonna give me a chance - [Matt slaps him]
Turn him loose. Cherry, give me that gun. Here's what you've been trying for. All right, use it! Go on, you got what you wanted. What are you waiting for? If you don't want to live, all you have to do is - You're a lucky man, Teeler. This is how close it came.
Matt, we're gettin' as crazy as he is. [Teeler returns the gun to Matt]
Keep it. You want to finish the drive?
Where are we goin'?
Abilene.
Who's headin' it?
I am.
Buster What about Dunson?
He stays here. We're takin' the herd.
That's good enough for me.
Groot? How about you?
Groot You was wrong, Mr. Dunson. I've been with ya a lot of years. And up till now, right or wrong, I've always done like ya said. Got to be kind of a habit with me, I guess, 'cuz that's why I'm stayin' with ya.
Go on with 'em.
Groot Thanks. Thanks for makin' it easy on me. All right, men, I'll be comin' with you.
Throw 'em on the trail, start driving. Buster, you wait here till I get back. [He rides off to help round up the herd]
If you come lookin' for me, Mr. Dunson, I'll be in Abilene.
We can't take her with us, can we?
Groot Well we could, uh...
What?
Groot No, no, I don't suppose we could.
