T.V. Director Quotes in A Hard Day's Night (1964)

[the Beatles are late for a rehersal]

T.V. Floor Manager: They'll be here.

T.V. Director: Yes, well, if they aren't on this stage in precisely thirty seconds there'll be trouble? Do you hear me? Trouble.

[exactly three seconds after he stops speaking, the Beatles calmly amble on stage]

John: [to director] Standin' around, hey? Some people have it dead easy.

T.V. Director: Get me a bottle of milk and some tranquilizers. I see it all now, it's a plot... a plot...

T.V. Director: We are on in twenty minutes.

George: Can I say something?

T.V. Director: What?

George: I don't think it's very likely that we will go on. The law of averages is against it.

T.V. Director: You don't know what this means to me. If you hadn't come back it would have meant... the epilogue or the news... in Welsh... for life!

T.V. Director: Now, look. If you think I'm unsuitable, let's have it out in the open. I can't stand these backstage politics.

John: Aren't you tending to black-and-white the situation somewhat?

T.V. Director: Well, quite honestly, I wasn't expecting a musical arranger to question my ability picture-wise.

John: [to the others] I could listen to him for hours.

T.V. Director: I won an award.

John: A likely story.

T.V. Director: It's on the wall in my office.

Grandfather: Hey, Paulie, they're trying to fob you off with this musical charlatan. But I gave him the test.

T.V. Director: I'm quite happy to be replaced.

Grandfather: He's a typical buck-passer.