John Converse Quotes in Who'll Stop the Rain (1978)

John Converse: [about his wife] If you really want to know, I think she's pretty moral, basically.

Antheil: "Pretty moral, basically"? Oh, Jesus. What a couple of yo-yo's.

John Converse: You see, in a world where elephants are pursued by flying men, people are just naturally going to want to get high.

John Converse: I've been waiting my whole life to screw up this badly.

John Converse: I can't believe we did this.

Bender: Sense of unreality is not a legal defence.

Antheil: I was just reading your play. I liked a lot of it. I don't like the main character, though. This Marine. Sounds like a real jellyfish. I guess you're supposed to like him because he's against the Marine Corps. Is that it?

John Converse: Something like that.

Antheil: Why doesn't he *do* something? I mean, go over the hill, refuse an order. I couldn't sympathize with a character like that.

John Converse: Not everyone did.

Antheil: The Marine in the play, that supposed to be you?

John Converse: No.

Antheil: Maybe a little?

John Converse: Maybe on some level.

Antheil: Um-hmn. You know what I think, "on some level"? I think you're the kind of wise cocksucker that writes a tear-jerk play against the Marines and then turns around and smuggles a shitload of heroin into this country.

John Converse: What about Danskin. He want a job with the agency, too?

Smitty: He's a brute, man. A psycho. Dude like that, he can't deal with the public.

John Converse: [about Vietnam] Don't they say this is where everybody finds out who they are?

Ray Hicks: Yeah? What a bummer for the gooks.

John Converse: Why'd you send her to Canada?

Bender: I sent her there because her parents are criminals.

Danskin: [Converse is singing] Shut up! What the hell is the matter with you?

John Converse: I don't know. But pretty soon I'm either going to be away from you, or dead. And either way, it's fine with me.

Danskin: You want odds?

John Converse: On what?

Danskin: On dead?

John Converse: [as Danskin retches with exhaustion] You okay?

Danskin: I could beat you to death, you know that?

John Converse: Absolutely!

Ray Hicks: That head guy. Who is he?

John Converse: He's some kind of cop. He's not straight.

Ray Hicks: No shit.

John Converse: [realizing his wife is a drug addict] When did you start?

Marge Converse: It's *your* wonderful smack.

[last lines]

John Converse: If we stay here with Ray, we'll be just as dead as he is.

Charmian: What are you going to do with your money, Johnny? Such a dedicated non-swinger as you are.

John Converse: I don't know.

Charmian: [teasingly laughing] Shit, you don't know, do you? You just know you want it, right?

John Converse: [emoting] "I desire to serve God and to grow rich like all men."

Charmian: Who said that?

John Converse: Oh, I don't know. Some great hustler of the past.