Day-Time Wife (1939)

Warren William: Bernard Dexter

Photos 

Quotes 

• Bernard 'Barney' Dexter : [Referring to his wife]  Mrs. Dexter's a wonderful woman, but... uh...

  Jane Norton : You mean it gets to be sort of a... routine?

  Bernard 'Barney' Dexter : Hmmm, possibly. After a while a wife gets to be sort of a solved crossword puzzle.

• Bernard 'Barney' Dexter : I'd like you to think of me as a sort of an... an ineligible eligible bachelor.

• Bernard 'Barney' Dexter : Your mouth is very pretty when you say no. Have you heard that before?

  Jane Norton : Yes.

• Bernard 'Barney' Dexter : After a while, a wife gets to be a sort of a solved crossword puzzle.

  Jane Norton : [as Jane Blake]  Oh, she does?

  Bernard 'Barney' Dexter : Mmm, yes. A man likes to be intrigued, likes to fence with someone, someone who's liable to say no.

• Bernard 'Barney' Dexter : I always had trouble with those two words - should and shouldn't. So, I just dropped them from my vocabulary.

• Jane Norton : [as Jane Blake]  Good morning! Oh, I just saw Mrs. Dexter

  Bernard 'Barney' Dexter : Oh, did you? Did she see you?

  Jane Norton : No.

  Bernard 'Barney' Dexter : You get a bonus.

• Bernard 'Barney' Dexter : [Dictating to Jane with gibberish]  Gentlemen, If we want to take the compaction and stataification of the configuration in confirmation to the angiography, it would represent a super structure with splanchforgustic meltadonographicism. Consequently, I will be unable to indulge in these archolinear gradiscopics inasmuch as I am taking Miss Blake to dinner this evening. What do you say?

• Bernard 'Barney' Dexter : [Interviewing Jane]  How long were you at school?

  Jane Norton : [Incognito, as Jane Blake]  Well, I graduated.

  Bernard 'Barney' Dexter : Ah, well that, that's different. How's your typing?

  Jane Norton : Rapid.

  Bernard 'Barney' Dexter : And your shorthand?

  Jane Norton : About 90 words a minute. Would you care to test me?

  Bernard 'Barney' Dexter : No. No, that won't be necessary.

  [Eying her legs] 

  Jane Norton : I've had some training with files too.

• Bernard 'Barney' Dexter : [Interviewing Jane]  Do you play backgammon?

  Jane Norton : [Incognito, as Jane Bake]  Huh?

  Bernard 'Barney' Dexter : Backgammon. Backgammon.

  Jane Norton : Oh, uh, yes. Yes.

  Bernard 'Barney' Dexter : Everybody should pay backgammon. That'll be all, Miss Blake.

• Jane Norton : [as Jane Blake]  I think I'd better get this correspondence out, don't you?

  Bernard 'Barney' Dexter : Oh, you can make up the rest of that any time. He doesn't know what he wants anyway.

• Bernard 'Barney' Dexter : Did you know that the Persian warriors always played backgammon after a hard day on the battlefield?

• Jane Norton : Oh, huh, I forgot to thank you for these orchids, Barney - they're lovely.

  Bernard 'Barney' Dexter : Oh, I saw them in the florist's window and I said, they should see Jane.

  Jane Norton : You put things in the nicest way.

  Bernard 'Barney' Dexter : I mean it.

• Bernard 'Barney' Dexter : Didn't I tell you she'd bowl you over. I want you to meet the most beautiful, the most charming, the most delightful secretary in the world - Miss Jane Blake.

  Ken Norton : Yyyourr, his secretary?

• Bernard 'Barney' Dexter : You can always tell a woman who hasn't known the right man.

• Ken Norton : Uh, well, Barney old boy, are you ready to sign the contract.

  Bernard 'Barney' Dexter : Huh, oh, yes, yes, of course.

  Ken Norton : Good, good, then it's a deal. There we are.

  Bernard 'Barney' Dexter : [Barney looks at the contract before signing, and responds in a love voice just to Ken]  These figures are 20 percent higher than Malory's new bid.

  Ken Norton : [In a low voice]  It's all right, I'm your pal.

• Kitty : Well, I like that. Ken, aren't you going to stick up for me? Hmmm?

  Ken Norton : Uh, uh, I, I, I want you to meet the, uh, second most...

  Kitty : Well! That's a fine thing.

  Ken Norton : No, no, I mean the most competent, the most beautiful...

  Bernard 'Barney' Dexter : The two most charming, most beautiful secretaries in the world.

  Ken Norton : That's right. The two most,,, this is Miss Frazier.

• Bernard 'Barney' Dexter : I have had 954 dinners with here already. Mrs. Dexter's a wonderful woman, but...

  [Interruption] 

• Bernard 'Barney' Dexter : [as the foursome arrive at his penthouse]  Really, Ken, you look awfully tired - and pale too. You shouldn't force yourself to carry on just to be a good sport. We'll understand if ..

  Ken Norton : Oh, no, I'm enjoying every minute of it. Barney: Well, shall we go inside?

  Bernard 'Barney' Dexter : Well, shall we go inside?

• Jane Norton : Is Ken married?

  Bernard 'Barney' Dexter : Yes, but I gather his wife is no ray of sunshine, eh Ken?

  [They all laugh but Ken] 

  Ken Norton : No, no, I didn't say that.

  Bernard 'Barney' Dexter : He was telling me the other day that she's the quiet, mousey type.

  [laughter] 

  Ken Norton : No, Barney, I didn't say that. You know, under the thumb.