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Chinatown (1974 film) Quotes

Chinatown (1974 film) is a TV show that was first aired in 1970 . Chinatown ended its run in 1970.

It features Robert Evans as producer, Jerry Goldsmith in charge of musical score, and John A. Alonzo as head of cinematography.

Chinatown (1974 film) is recorded in English and originally aired in United States. Each episode of Chinatown (1974 film) is 131 minutes long. Chinatown (1974 film) is distributed by Paramount Pictures.

The cast includes: Joe Mantell as Walsh, Diane Ladd as Ida Sessions, Jack Nicholson as Jake Gittes, Faye Dunaway as Evelyn Mulwray, Richard Bakalyan as Loach, John Huston as Noah Cross, John Hillerman as Yelburton, Perry Lopez as Lt. Escobar, Roy Jenson as Mulvihill, and Darrell Zwerling as Mrs. Mulwray.

Chinatown (1974 film) Quotes

Jack Nicholson as Jake Gittes

  • (Jack Nicholson) "May I speak frankly, Mrs. Mulwray."
  • (Faye Dunaway) "You may if you can, Mr. Gittes."
  • (Jack Nicholson) "How do you like them apples?"
  • (Jack Nicholson) "Let me explain something to you, Walsh. This business requires a certain amount of finesse."
  • (Jack Nicholson) "What the hell is going on here, Lou?"
  • (Perry Lopez) "I don't know. What's going on? What's happening with you?"
  • (Jack Nicholson) "Maid's night off?"
  • (Faye Dunaway) "Why?"
  • (Jack Nicholson) "What do you mean, why? Nobody's here, that's why."
  • (Faye Dunaway) "I gave everyone the night off."
  • (Jack Nicholson) "Easy. It's an innocent question."
  • (Faye Dunaway) "No question from you is innocent, Mr. Gittes."
  • (Jack Nicholson) "I guess you're right."
  • (Jack Nicholson) "There's no point in getting tough with me. I'm just --"
  • (Faye Dunaway) "I don't get tough with anyone, Mr. Gittes. My lawyer does."
  • (Jack Nicholson) "But, Mrs. Mulwray, I god**** near lost my nose. And I like it. I like breathing through it. And I still think you're hiding something."
  • (Jack Nicholson) "Do you accept people of the Jewish persuasion?"
  • (Mr. Palmer) "I'm sorry, we do not."
  • (Jack Nicholson) "Don't apologize; neither does Dad."
  • (Jack Nicholson) "So there's this guy Walsh, do you understand? He's tired of screwin' his wife -- So his friend says to him, "Hey, why don't you do it like the Chinese do?" So he says, "How do the Chinese do it?" And the guy says, "Well, the Chinese, first they screw a little bit, then they stop, then they go and read a little Confucius, come back, screw a little bit more, then they stop again, go and they screw a little bit -- then they go back and they screw a little bit more and then they go out and they contemplate the moon or something like that. Makes it more exciting." So now, the guy goes home and he starts screwin' his own wife, see. So he screws her for a little bit and then he stops, and he goes out of the room and reads Life Magazine. Then he goes back in, he starts screwin' again. He says, "Excuse me for a minute, honey." He goes out and he smokes a cigarette. Now his wife is gettin' sore as hell. He comes back in the room, he starts screwin' again. He gets up to start to leave again to go look at the moon. She looks at him and says, "Hey, what's the matter with ya? You're screwin' just like a Chinaman.""
  • (Jack Nicholson) "Son of a bitch. god**** Florsheim shoe."
  • (Jack Nicholson) "All right, Curly. Enough's enough. You can't eat the Venetian blinds. I just had them installed on Wednesday."
  • (Mulwray's Gardener) "Bad for glass."
  • (Jack Nicholson) "Yeah, sure. Bad for the glass."
  • (Jack Nicholson) "A memorial service was held at the Mar Vista Inn today for Jasper Lamar Crabb. He passed away two weeks ago."
  • (Faye Dunaway) "Why is that unusual?"
  • (Jack Nicholson) "He passed away two weeks ago and one week ago he bought the land. That's unusual."
  • (Jack Nicholson) "Hello, Claude. Where'd you get the midget?"
  • (Jack Nicholson) "What can I tell you, kid? You're right. When you're right, you're right, and you're right."
  • (Jack Nicholson) "How much are you worth?"
  • (John Huston) "I have no idea. How much do you want?"
  • (Jack Nicholson) "I just wanna know what you're worth. More than 10 million?"
  • (John Huston) "Oh my, yes."
  • (Jack Nicholson) "Why are you doing it? How much better can you eat? What could you buy that you can't already afford?"
  • (John Huston) "The future, Mr. Gittes. The future. Now, where's the girl? I want the only daughter I've got left. As you found out, Evelyn was lost to me a long time ago."
  • (Jack Nicholson) "Who do you blame for that? Her?"
  • (John Huston) "I don't blame myself. You see, Mr. Gittes, most people never have to face the fact that at the right time and the right place, they're capable of ANYTHING."
  • (Jack Nicholson) "He's rich. Do you understand? He thinks he can get away with anything."
  • (Jack Nicholson) "Mulvihlll, what are you doing here?"
  • (Roy Jenson) "They shut my water off, what's it to you?"
  • (Jack Nicholson) "How'd you find out? You don't drink it, you don't take a bath in it, maybe they sent you a letter. Ah, but then you'd have to be able to read. Relax, Mulvihill, glad to see you."
  • (Jack Nicholson) "Do you know Claude Mulvihill here?"
  • (John Hillerman) "I hope so. He's working for us."
  • (Jack Nicholson) "Doing what?"
  • (John Hillerman) "Well frankly, there's been some threats to blow up the city reservoirs."
  • (Jack Nicholson) "Any particular reason?"
  • (John Hillerman) "Well, it's this darn drought. We've had to ration water in the valley and the farmers are desperate. But what can we do? The city needs drinking water."
  • (Jack Nicholson) "Well, you're in luck, Mr. Yelburton."
  • (John Hillerman) "How's that?"
  • (Jack Nicholson) "When Mulvihill here was sheriff of Ventura County the rum runners landed hundreds of tons of booze on the beach and never lost a drop. He ought a be able to hold on to your water for ya."
  • (Jack Nicholson) "Have you ever heard the expression "Let sleeping dogs lie"? Sometimes you're better off not knowing."
  • (Jack Nicholson) "Mulvihill. What are you doing here?"
  • (Roy Jenson) "They shut my water off. What's it to you?"
  • (Jack Nicholson) "How'd you find out about it? You don't drink it; you don't take a bath in it -- They wrote you a letter. But then you have to be able to read."
  • (Jack Nicholson) "What makes you certain that your husband is, um, involved with someone?"
  • (Darrell Zwerling) "A wife can tell."
  • (Jack Nicholson) "Mrs. Mulwray, do you love your husband?"
  • (Darrell Zwerling) "Yes, of course."
  • (Jack Nicholson) "Then go home and forget everything."

John Huston as Noah Cross

  • (John Huston) "Exactly what do you know about me? Sit down."
  • (Jack Nicholson) "Mainly that you're rich, too respectable to want your name in the newspapers."
  • (John Huston) "Of course I'm respectable I'm old. Politicians ugly buildings and whores all get respectable if they last long enough."
  • (John Huston) "Well, Mr. Gittes, you don't look too much the worse for wear, I must say. Now where's the girl?"
  • (Jack Nicholson) "I've got her."
  • (John Huston) "Is she all right?"
  • (Jack Nicholson) "She's fine."
  • (John Huston) "Well, where is she?"
  • (Jack Nicholson) "With her mother."
  • (John Huston) "I hope you don't mind. I believe they should be served with the head."
  • (Jack Nicholson) "Fine -- long as you don't serve the chicken that way."
  • (John Huston) "You may think you know what you're dealing with, but, believe me, you don't."
  • (John Huston) "Why is that funny?"
  • (Jack Nicholson) "That's what the District Attorney used to tell me in Chinatown."
  • (John Huston) "You've got a nasty reputation, Mr. Gittes. I like that."
  • (John Huston) "Either you bring the water to L.A. or you bring L.A. to the water."

Perry Lopez as Lt. Escobar

  • (Perry Lopez) "How'd you get past the guard?"
  • (Jack Nicholson) "Well, to tell you the truth, I lied a little."
  • (Perry Lopez) "Go home, Jake. I'm doing you a favor."
  • (Perry Lopez) "Isn't that your phone number?"
  • (Jack Nicholson) "Is it? I forget. I don't call myself that often."
  • (Perry Lopez) "You must really think I'm stupid, don't you, Gittes."
  • (Jack Nicholson) "I don't think about it that much, but gimme a day or two and I'll get back to yuh. Now I'd like to go home."
  • (Perry Lopez) "I want the other pictures, Gittes."
  • (Jack Nicholson) "What pictures?"
  • (Perry Lopez) "THIS broad hired you, not Evelyn Mulwray."
  • (Jack Nicholson) "Yeah?"
  • (Perry Lopez) "Yeah. Somebody wanted to shake Mulwray down; she hired you. That's how come you found out he was murdered."
  • (Jack Nicholson) "I heard it was an accident."
  • (Perry Lopez) "C'mon, Gittes. The hell d'you think you're dealing with? A bunch of assholes? Mulwray had salt water in his lungs. You were following him day and night; you SAW who killed him. You even took pictures of it. It was Evelyn Mulwray, and she's been payin' you off like a slot machine ever since."
  • (Jack Nicholson) "You accusin' me of extortion?"
  • (Perry Lopez) "Absolutely."
  • (Jack Nicholson) "I don't think I need a day or two; you're dumber than you think I think y'are."

Richard Bakalyan as Loach

  • (Richard Bakalyan) "What happened to your nose, Gittes? Somebody slammed a bedroom window on it?"
  • (Jack Nicholson) "Nope. Your wife got excited. She crossed her legs a little too quick. You understand what I mean, pal?"

John Hillerman as Yelburton

  • (John Hillerman) "My goodness, what happened to your nose?"
  • (Jack Nicholson) "I cut myself shaving."
  • (John Hillerman) "You ought to be more careful. That must really smart."
  • (Jack Nicholson) "Only when I breathe."
  • (John Hillerman) "After you've worked with a man a certain length of time, you come to know his habits, his values; you come to know him; and either he's the kind who chases after women or he isn't."
  • (Jack Nicholson) "Mulwray isn't?"
  • (John Hillerman) "He never even kids about it."
  • (Jack Nicholson) "Well, maybe he takes it very seriously."

Faye Dunaway as Evelyn Mulwray

  • (Faye Dunaway) "Tell me, Mr. Gittes: Does this often happen to you?"
  • (Jack Nicholson) "What's that?"
  • (Faye Dunaway) "Well, I'm judging only on the basis of one afternoon and an evening, but, uh, if this is how you go about your work, I'd say you'd be lucky to, uh, get through a whole day."
  • (Jack Nicholson) "Actually, this hasn't happened to me for a long time."
  • (Faye Dunaway) "When was the last time?"
  • (Jack Nicholson) "Why?"
  • (Faye Dunaway) "It's an innocent question."
  • (Jack Nicholson) "In Chinatown."
  • (Faye Dunaway) "What were you doing there?"
  • (Jack Nicholson) "Working for the District Attorney."
  • (Faye Dunaway) "Doing what?"
  • (Jack Nicholson) "As little as possible."
  • (Faye Dunaway) "The District Attorney gives his men advice like that?"
  • (Jack Nicholson) "They do in Chinatown."
  • (Faye Dunaway) "I see you like publicity, Mr. Gittes. Well, you're going to get it."
  • (Faye Dunaway) "She's my daughter."
  • (Jack Nicholson) "I said I want the truth."
  • (Faye Dunaway) "She's my sister --"
  • (Faye Dunaway) "She's my daughter --"
  • (Faye Dunaway) "My sister, my daughter."
  • (Jack Nicholson) "I said I want the truth."
  • (Faye Dunaway) "She's my sister AND my daughter."

Diane Ladd as Ida Sessions

  • (Diane Ladd) "Are you alone?"
  • (Jack Nicholson) "Isn't everybody?"

Joe Mantell as Walsh

  • (Joe Mantell) "Forget it, Jake. It's Chinatown."

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