Boom Town (1940)

Clark Gable: Big John McMasters

Photos 

Quotes 

• Big John McMasters : I'm not blaming you, maybe. But you aren't walking out with him or anybody else, understand?

  Elizabeth Bartlett McMasters : Him? What are you...?

  Big John McMasters : Sand. He told me all about it. I had to give him a licking to show him that's out. You're my girl, see? And you always will be. Even if I have to lick you to prove it.

  Elizabeth Bartlett McMasters : I'm your girl. You can lick me if it'll help.

  Big John McMasters : Well, I'll save it for when you need it.

• Big John McMasters : [walking up the saloon stairs to wash up]  Hey, Whitey, I'll be back down like a spring breeze. Don't let those apes steal all your peaanuts.

  Whitey : They say that with diamonds where I come from.

  Big John McMasters : Yes, sir, Whitey, a brass band in a bathtub.

  [she laughs] 

• Big John McMasters : [to Elizabeth]  You sure can talk straight to a fella and ball him up at the same time.

• Big John McMasters : This is an old-time barroom fight. The man who hits first wins, and that's me.

• Luther Aldrich : Now don't fly off halfcocked.

  Big John McMasters : I'll fly a kite down your windpipe!

• Big John McMasters : Hey, wait a minute little man. Ive been pulling oil out of the ground when your ma was givin' it to ya for your health.

• Spanish Eva : [working the register, Big John walks up behind her and slaps her behind]  Hey, what do you...? John!

  Big John McMasters : Hi, Evie! How's my barrel of sweet Spanish crude?

• Big John McMasters : I'm here for laughs and then checking out on the morning train.

  Spanish Eva : You darn prairie jack. Where you hopping to now?

  Big John McMasters : I hear they brought in a big wildcat out in California.

  Spanish Eva : Wildcats. Always looking for wildcats. When you gonna settle down, darling?

  Big John McMasters : What the heck, Evie? Travel and brag, brag and travel. Maybe I'll hit oil where there ain't.

• Jonathan Sand : Don't call me Shorty.

  Big John McMasters : Why not, Shorty?

• Big John McMasters : Come on, Whitey, honey, throw your little derrick up right here. And happy days!

• Harry Compton : Who's your cheerful friend, John?

  Big John McMasters : Him? That's Shorty.

  Jonathan Sand : Name is Sand. John Sand.

  Harry Compton : Well, John. Two Johns. Oh, we gotta do something about that. Get all mixed up. But, first, I've got to find a nice girl for you to talk to.

  Jonathan Sand : If you don't mind, I'll just stick to whiskey.

• Jonathan Sand : I'm an oil man too, you know. I haven't been drilling all my life for gophers.

  Big John McMasters : Wait, I was pulling oil out of the ground when your ma was giving it to you for your health.

• Harmony Jones : Nice day for the race, ain't it?

  Big John McMasters : What race?

  Harmony Jones : The human race

  [busts out laughing] 

• Big John McMasters : If you're so interested in cooking, why do you want to go around killing people for?

• Big John McMasters : Come on, you wild kitty. Spit.

  Jonathan Sand : Begins to get you about now, don't it?

  Big John McMasters : Yeah. Yeah, like when you're sparking around some dame. Oh, I forgot about that gal of yours, Shorty. Well, don't worry. She'll be walking' around in platinum garters.

• Big John McMasters : Forget it. Pick up your chin. We'll spud in over there someday. Somehow.

• Big John McMasters : [at the craps table]  I can't lose. I'm knee-deep in clover. Just for luck, Shorty. Come on, babies, once more. Oh, yeah.

• Elizabeth Bartlett McMasters : I thought it was Galahad. Galahad in boots and a Stetson, come to rescue the fair Elaine from the dragons. Underneath you're just Modred, aren't you?

  Big John McMasters : What do you mean, Modred?

  Elizabeth Bartlett McMasters : Sir Modred! Of all the knights, he was the wicked one.

• Elizabeth Bartlett McMasters : How's the chicken?

  Big John McMasters : Don't order fried chicken, it's three-year-old jackrabbit.

  Elizabeth Bartlett McMasters : Saved again from a fate worse than death.

  Big John McMasters : Come on, Lena, tell her John McMasters is just a babe in the woods.

  Lena, the waitress : I bring your soup, but don't go in no woods.

• Big John McMasters : What are you doing here, at that? Are you one of those lady drummers?

  Elizabeth Bartlett McMasters : Oh, no. I'm much more important than that. If I like it here, I might open a shop.

  Big John McMasters : What kind of a shop?

  Elizabeth Bartlett McMasters : Lingerie.

  Big John McMasters : Come again?

  Elizabeth Bartlett McMasters : Underwear. Ladies' underwear.

  Big John McMasters : Oh! Ladies' underwear? Well, I don't know. Now, you see... the girls in this town... Well, what I mean is there's not much call for...

  Elizabeth Bartlett McMasters : You'd better order.

  Big John McMasters : Yeah.

• Big John McMasters : Lady Elaine is down here selling women's underwear. I want you to buy till it hurts!

• Elizabeth Bartlett McMasters : Say, this sounds very gay! What's in here?

  Big John McMasters : No, you don't wanna go in there. That's just a dance hall.

  Elizabeth Bartlett McMasters : A bad dance hall?

  Big John McMasters : Well, no, but it's a place where fellas go on payday...

  Elizabeth Bartlett McMasters : Have you been in there?

  Big John McMasters : Well, sure, but...

  Elizabeth Bartlett McMasters : Well, then, you can take me!

  Big John McMasters : No, no, it's liable to be kind of rough.

  Elizabeth Bartlett McMasters : Oh, now look, I'm not really Little Red Riding Hood. I came down here because I want to see if - Well, I want to see all the sights. Now, please.

  Big John McMasters : Well, I'm agin it. So holler when you've had enough.

• Elizabeth Bartlett McMasters : It looks like a church.

  Big John McMasters : Sure. Used to be. Look. When the boom came, the congregation got excited and spudded in a wildcat right under the pulpit. Now there are churches all over the state spreading happy days and hallelujah - right out of these holes.

  Elizabeth Bartlett McMasters : And ye shall rise out of the earth.

• Big John McMasters : Tom, Ed, you long-lost Comanches. I heard you hit it!

  Tom Murphy : Yeah, we hit it, and we're spending it.

• Elizabeth Bartlett McMasters : You go see the Murphy boys and you all sit around and lie a little bit to each other and have a good time, see? Only, just remember, you've got another wildcat waiting for you at home.

  Big John McMasters : Oh, will I!

• Big John McMasters : Oh, you are my gal. Well, wildcatting it is. Our house will be wherever we are. If there's oil at the North Pole, we'll live in an igloo. And you won't freeze to death either.

• Big John McMasters : The old Indian I leased the land from gave a pow-wow dance last night and they all took a bath in it.

• Karen Vanmeer : You're much younger than I thought you'd be.

  Big John McMasters : What'd you expect, stranger? A bald head and a breadbasket?

  Karen Vanmeer : Well, stranger, they told me you were an oil baron.

  Big John McMasters : Is that the way they grow them back East?

  Karen Vanmeer : In spite of all their steam baths.

• Big John McMasters : What's the whole nut?

• Big John McMasters : Hey, I heard about you stumbling onto that big field out there.

  Jonathan Sand : Yeah, I was pretty lucky, I guess. The biggest field in Oklahoma now. I bought out the Murphys.

• Jonathan Sand : What goes on here?

  Big John McMasters : You're buying a couple dozen suits.

  Jonathan Sand : I got two suits.

  Big John McMasters : Two suits? It's New York. You look like a Houston house detective.

• Karen Vanmeer : Looks as if I'm going to be a very lonely girl tonight.

  Big John McMasters : Sorry. But Shorty and I have got a lot of old times to talk over.

  Karen Vanmeer : But you mustn't forget there are new times too.

• Big John McMasters : You've got to learn to take no for an answer once in a while.

  Karen Vanmeer : I wouldn't let you give me that answer.

• Big John McMasters : Get my car hooked onto the first train leaving for Tulsa.

• Big John McMasters : He was a burglar and I licked him down to his size.

• Big John McMasters : You got it all fixed, haven't you?

  Jonathan Sand : Sure I have.

  Big John McMasters : Back-dooring me, that's what you're doing. Sneaking in my back door!

• Big John McMasters : Karen, look, there's something I want to tell you.

  Karen Vanmeer : You don't have to. I'm a high-class eavesdropper, partner. Don't you know that's my business?

• Big John McMasters : You never got very much out of this, did you?

  Karen Vanmeer : I got plenty. All I asked for, except the frosting. And I knew in my heart I'll never get that.

• Big John McMasters : You're high-class.

  Karen Vanmeer : This may not be, but I'm going to do it because I want to.

  [kiss] 

  Karen Vanmeer : High-class or not, I'm going out the back way. Just to begin to see how it feels.

• Karen Vanmeer : Goodbye, stranger.

  Big John McMasters : Okay, stranger.