Daily Dialogue — March 13, 2019

Geisler: Wuddya got for me — what the hell happened to your face? 
Barton: Nothing. It’s just a mosquito bite. 
Geisler: Like hell it is; there are no mosquitoes in Los Angeles. Mosquitoes breed in swamps — this is a desert town. Wuddya got for me? 
Barton: Well I… 
Geisler: On the Beery picture! Where are we? Wuddya got? 
Barton: Well, to tell you the truth, I’m having some trouble getting started– Geisler: Getting STARTED! Christ Jesus! Started?! You mean you don’t have ANYthing?! 
Barton: Well, not much.

Geisler leaps to his feet and paces.

Geisler: What do you think this is? Hamlet? Gone With the Wind? Ruggles of Red Gap? It’s a goddamn B picture! Big men in tights! You know the drill! Barton: I’m afraid I don’t really understand that genre. 
Geisler: Understand, shit! I thought you were gonna consult another writer on this! 
Barton: Well, I’ve talked to Bill Mayhew — 
Geisler: Bill Mayhew! Some help! The guy’s a souse! 
Barton: He’s a great writer —
Geisler: A souse! 
Barton: You don’t understand. He’s in pain, because he can’t write — 
Geisler: Souse! Souse! He manages to write his name on the back of his paycheck every week! 
Barton: But… I thought no one cared about this picture. 
Geisler: You thought! Where’d you get THAT from? You thought! I don’t know what the hell you said to Lipnik, but the sonofabitch LIKES you! You understand that, Fink? He LIKES you! He’s taken an interest. NEVER make Lipnik like you. NEVER!

Some puzzlement shows through Barton’s weariness.

Barton: I don’t understand — 
Geisler: Are you deaf, he LIKES you! He’s taken an interest! What the hell did you say to him? 
Barton: I didn’t say anything — 
Geisler: Well, he’s taken an interest! That means he’ll make your life hell, which I could care less about, but since I drew the short straw to supervise this turkey, he’s gonna be all over me too! Fat-assed sonofabitch called me yesterday to ask how it’s going — don’t worry, I covered for you. Told him you were making progress and we were all very excited. I told him it was great, so now MY ass is on the line. He wants you to tell him all about it tomorrow. Barton: I can’t write anything by tomorrow. 
Geisler: Who said write? Jesus, Jack can’t read. You gotta TELL it to him-tell him SOMEthing for Chrissake. 
Barton: Well, what do I tell him?

— Barton Fink (1991), written by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen

The Daily Dialogue theme for the week: Hollywood Insiders.

Trivia: The Coens were stuck writing Miller’s Crossing. To clear their minds, they went to see the rom-com Baby Boom. Walking out of the theater, they hit on the idea to write Barton Fink. That is such a classic Coen brothers story.

Dialogue On Dialogue: The complex web which is the Hollywood studio system collapses onto Barton in this scene proving how much of an outsider he is compared to Geisler, the consummate insider.