Picnic (1955)

William Holden: Hal Carter

Photos 

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Quotes 

• Hal Carter : What's the use, Baby? I'm a bum. She saw through me like an x-ray machine. There's no place in the world for a guy like me.

• Hal Carter : Now, don't you blow your top, ma'am. I'm leaving town.

  [Turning to Madge] 

  Hal Carter : Aren't you gonna say good bye?

  Madge Owens : bye.

  Hal Carter : Are you mad at me?

  Madge Owens : no

  Hal Carter : I gotta know how you feel. Last night I thought you liked me.

  Madge Owens : I did like you. I liked you from the first time I saw you.

  Flo Owens : Madge, are you out of your senses?

  Hal Carter : Look. I, I've been thinking all night. I've never said this before, because it... It'd make me seem like such a freak, but...

  Madge Owens : What?

  Hal Carter : I love you, Madge. Do you hear?

  Flo Owens : Millie, I want you in the house this minute.

  Hal Carter : Do you love me? Do you?

  Flo Owens : I'm gonna call the police and have you put where you belong.

  Hal Carter : [Train horn sounds]  If you please, ma'am. I'm catching that freight. Meet me baby. We'll get married. They'll give me a room in the hotel. It'll be ok until we find something better.

  Flo Owens : Oh, Madge, don't listen.

  Hal Carter : Look, baby. I got a chance with you. It won't be big time, but that isn't important, is it? :

  [Train horn sounds twice] 

  Hal Carter : Come on.

  Madge Owens : oh, Hal, I can't.

  Hal Carter : Why?

  Madge Owens : Don't you see why? Don't you?

  [Train horn sounds several blasts] 

  Hal Carter : Listen, baby, you're the only real thing I ever wanted, ever. You're mine. I gotta claim what's mine, or I'll be nothing as long as I live. You love me. You know it. You love me.

  [as train passes, Hal runs to jump a freighter, shouting] 

  Hal Carter : You love me.

  [Hal turns as he runs for passing freight train] 

  Hal Carter : You love me.

  Flo Owens : oh, Madge...

  [Madge runs up to her room and Flo walks to Mrs. Potts] 

  Flo Owens : You liked him, didn't you Helen?

  Helen Potts : Yes, I did. I got so used to things as they were: Everything so prim, the geranium in the window, the smell of mama's medicines. And then he walked in, and it was different! He clomped through the place like he was still outdoors. There was a man in the place and it seemed good!

• Alan Benson : Where have you been all these years?

  Hal Carter : Oh, I was workin' back home - in the filling station. Then, I was in the Army.

  Alan Benson : Yeah? How long?

  Hal Carter : Until I got out.

• Hal Carter : I gotta get somewhere in this world. I just gotta.

• Helen Potts : It'll be awful hot in that jacket. You better take it off.

  Hal Carter : My shirts awful dirty, ma'am.

  Helen Potts : I'll wash it for ya.

  Hal Carter : You'd think anybody'd mind?

  Helen Potts : Oh, of course not. You're a man! What's the difference?

• Hal Carter : Then I said, "Okay, girls, party's over. Let's get goin'." And one of 'em sticks a gun right in my back and she says, "This party's goin' on until *we* say it's over, Buck!" You'd 've thought she was Humphrey Bogart.

  Alan Benson : Now, wait a minute, now, then what?

  Hal Carter : Well, so finally, I passed out. And when I woke up the dames were gone and so was my 200 bucks. I went to the police and they wouldn't believe me! They said my story was wishful thinkin'. How do you like that? I'm tellin' ya, Benson, women are gettin' desperate.

• Alan Benson : I heard you went to Hollywood to become a big movie hero.

  Hal Carter : I was gonna have a big career. They were gonna call me: Brush Carter.

• Alan Benson : What babe?

  Hal Carter : The babe that got me the screen test. She wasn't exactly a babe. She was kinda beat up. But, eh, not bad.

• Hal Carter : What I was hopin' was that, you and your old man, between ya, might be able to fix me up with a job.

  Alan Benson : Sure! These companies can always use me. I'll talk to Dad. I'm sure he can do something.

  Hal Carter : Maybe, somethin' in a nice office where I can wear a tie and have a sweet little secretary. And talk over the telephone about - enterprises and things.

• Alan Benson : Before you get to be President of the company, you'll have to be - a little patient.

  Hal Carter : Yeah, that's somethin' I gotta learn Patience!

• Hal Carter : I learned something today and it's that, well, there comes a time in a man's life when he's got to quit rolling around like a pinball. Maybe a little town like this is a place to settle down where people are easy-goin' and sincere.

• Hal Carter : I don't know if its such a good idea of me goin' on this Picnic.

• Hal Carter : He said, "Son, there'll be times when the only thing you got to be proud of is the fact that you're a man. So, wear you're boots so people know you're coming and keep your fists doubled up so they know you mean business when you get there." My old man, he was a corker.

• Hal Carter : Beat it, baby! I'm in a pretty bad mood.

• Hal Carter : I stole another guy's motorcycle. I stole it because I wanted to get so far away, so fast, nobody'd ever catch up with me.

• Madge Owens : You're a wonderful dancer.

  Hal Carter : Thanks.

  Madge Owens : Oh, I can tell a lot about a man by dancing with him. You know, some boys, well, when they take a girl in their arms to dance they - well, they make her feel uncomfortable. But, with you, I - I had they feeling you knew exactly what you were doing. And I could follow you every step of the way.

• Madge Owens : The others. We've got to get back to the Picnic.

  Hal Carter : Do we?