The Ghost Breakers (1940)

Paulette Goddard: Mary Carter

Photos 

Quotes 

• Larry Lawrence : No, my name is Lawrence.

  Mary Carter : Lawrence what?

  Larry Lawrence : Lawrence.

  Mary Carter : [in mocking/sarcastic tone]  Lawrence Lawrence.

  Larry Lawrence : Yeah, and my middle name is Lawrence too. My folks had no imagination.

• Larry Lawrence : The girls call me Pilgrim, because every time I dance with one I make a little progress.

  Mary Carter : You may be a Pilgrim, but I can see you're no Puritan.

• Larry Lawrence : Maybe you know what a zombie is.

  Mary Carter : A what?

  Larry Lawrence : Well, Parada just told me about a caretaker on Black Island. A negro woman, lives in a little shack with a zombie son.

  Geoff Montgomery : Yes, that's more voodooism, and not very pleasant. When a person dies and is buried, it seems there are certain voodoo priests who - who have the power to bring him back to life.

  Mary Carter : How horrible!

  Geoff Montgomery : It's worse than horrible because a Zombie has no will of his own. You see them sometimes walking around blindly with dead eyes, following orders, not knowing what they do, not caring.

  Larry Lawrence : You mean, like Democrats?

• [last lines] 

  Francisco Mederes : He wasn't playing. That was the real ghost!

  Larry Lawrence : Now we have something to worry about on our honeymoon.

  Mary Carter : Our what?

  Larry Lawrence : Our honeymoon. Didn't I tell ya?

  Mary Carter : No, but I'd like to hear about it.

  Larry Lawrence : You would?

• [first lines] 

  Mary Carter : Hello, operator? Operator? Operator, the lights in my room. What? The lightning? Well, do you suppose you could send up some sort of light? I'm leaving for Cuba tonight and I still have packing to do.

• Mary Carter : Who are you?

  Alex : I'm Alex, the old family detainer.

• Havez : The lights are out all over the city. New York has had many storms, but never has the whole place gone dark. It's very strange.

  Mary Carter : Exciting, isn't it.

• Mary Carter : The ghosts have to find their way around in the dark? How depressing.

• Mary Carter : Outside of the ghosts, are there any new reasons why I shouldn't sail tonight?

  Parada : Now, maybe this is a good reason. I just received this cablegram giving me the authority to offer you $50,000 for your castle.

  Mary Carter : $50,000! This doesn't make sense. Why should anyone offer so much for a castle full of secondhand spooks?

• Havez : Let me wish you good luck.

  Mary Carter : Thank you, Mr. Havez, and you've been swell.

  Havez : As you Americans say, "watch yourself".

• Mary Carter : Don't worry about me. Poor working girl, honest but tough. I can take care of myself.

• Alex : Where's the trunk going, Miss?

  Mary Carter : To the pier. I'm sailing for Cuba tonight.

  Alex : Cuba? Hot Congo!

• Mary Carter : Who'd you shoot?

  Larry Lawrence : I have no idea. Is it murder to kill a perfect stranger?

• Larry Lawrence : I got a little excited when I read your fan mail.

  Mary Carter : I don't mind saying that it did something to my girlish morale.

• Mary Carter : You can't discourage me. I'm going to have fun in Cuba. A daiquiri at the Florida, a rumba at the Nacional, and the beer-barrel polka at Sloppy Joe's.

• Larry Lawrence : Well, what'll you take with your aspirin? Scotch or rye?

  Mary Carter : What are you having?

  Larry Lawrence : I think I'll start with an Old-Fashioned and bring it up to date.

• Mary Carter : Oh, where did you learn to dance so divinely?

  Larry Lawrence : Oh, didn't you know? I used to dance with Sally Rand.

  Mary Carter : Oh.

  Larry Lawrence : It's quite a feather in my cap, too.

• Larry Lawrence : Are you all right?

  Mary Carter : A lot of cold chills are running up and down my back.

  Larry Lawrence : Yeah. They must've run over from mine.

• Larry Lawrence : Well, lovely. I beg your pardon. Are you engaged for this dance, Lady Wimplesnood?

  Mary Carter : Dance?

  Mary Carter : Yes. Lovely party the vice president is giving. Ah, good old vice. Shoot the chassis to me, lassie.

• Mary Carter : [on the phone]  Larry, there's somebody outside my window!

  Larry Lawrence : What? Oh, that's only Alex. Yeah, he'll be there all night and I'll be there all day. We tossed a coin for the night shift and I lost.

• Mary Carter : Are you sure you should stay on board?

  Larry Lawrence : Oh, I won't be too much trouble. Just one meal a day and put me out for a few minutes at night and in the morning.

• Mary Carter : When was it built?

  Larry Lawrence : I've got the facts right at my fingertips.

  [reading from a brochure] 

  Larry Lawrence : "Completed in 1597, Morro Castle stands grimly guarding the beautiful harbor of Havana, with its history of piratical plundering, slave traders, and buccaneers." Sounds like a Cecil B. DeMille script.

• Mary Carter : It's all so lovely, so romantic. Just what I expected Havana to be like.

  Geoff Montgomery : May I say that it's never seemed more lovely to me than at this moment.

• Geoff Montgomery : Would you like to leave? Go somewhere else?

  Mary Carter : Only to one place, and you won't take me there.

• Mary Carter : Listen, let's find a keyhole, then look for a key to fit it.

• Mary Carter : Gesundheit.

  Raspy Kelly : What'd you say, boss?

  Mary Carter : I always say "Gesundheit" when anybody sneezes.

  Raspy Kelly : I didn't sneeze. I ain't got the strength.

  Mary Carter : You didn't sneeze? Well, if you didn't sneeze and I didn't sneeze, something smells around here.

  Raspy Kelly : It ain't fried chicken.