The V.I.P.s (1963)

Maggie Smith: Miss Mead

Photos 

Quotes 

• Les Mangrum : Well, let's have another go at this.

  [Grabs a bottle of champagne] 

  Miss Mead : Well, I'll be squiffy!

  Les Mangrum : Marvelous! That, I should like to see, Miss Mead. Just once. What am I talking about, just once? If I don't see it tonight, I don't suppose I ever will.

• Les Mangrum : Oh well, ha-ha, here's to better days.

  Miss Mead : Better days.

• Miss Mead : Mm, Mr. Andros?

  Paul Andros : Hm?

  Miss Mead : I don't suppose you've ever before been approached by a perfectly strange woman in a hotel lounge asking you for 153,750 pounds?

  Paul Andros : No, I don't think I have.

  Miss Mead : My name is Miss Mead. I'm the personal private secretary of Mr. Les Mangrum.

  Paul Andros : Who's he?

  Miss Mead : The President of Mangrum Tractors. You've heard of Mangrum Tractors?

  Paul Andros : Yes, I have, I think. That's the firm that's been taken over by Amalgamated Motors.

  Miss Mead : They haven't, not yet, they will tomorrow. Of course, it's not a very big firm, as far as your standards are concerned, but it's a wonderful firm, and it... makes wonderful tractors.

  Paul Andros : I have no reason to doubt what you're telling me. If Mangrum Tractors wasn't a good firm, Amalgamated Motors would hardly have wanted to take it over.

  Miss Mead : This is... this is the last balance sheet

  [handing it to him] 

  Miss Mead : .

  Paul Andros : [looking at it]  Yes, very impressive. I can see well why Mr. Mangrum wishes to keep it as his own.

  Miss Mead : And he should keep it as his own! He built it from nothing into this, and these big monopoly combines should be fought!

  Paul Andros : Yes, I agree. They should be fought.

  Miss Mead : If only you knew the fight he put up these last three months.

  Paul Andros : I can well imagine. To fight Amalgamated Motors would be quite a battle, Miss Mead, even for me.

  Miss Mead : And until today - well, a few hours ago even - he'd won it. And then someone let him down, and he had to write a check, and there's no money to cover it. And now this fog.

  [getting her handkerchief] 

  Miss Mead : I feel so sorry for him, Mr. Andros, he's, he's such a wonderful man, and he's so young, and I'm sorry, you must think I'm mad, it's just that

  [wiping her nose] 

  Miss Mead : we've been through so much, and tonight I had some champagne...

  Paul Andros : Does he know how much you love him?

  Miss Mead : [stunned]  Who... who said I loved him? It's the company.

  Paul Andros : Yes... they make wonderful tractors.

• Miss Mead : Mr, Mr, Andros? I-I don't suppose you've ever before been approached by a perfectly strange woman in a hotel lounge asking you for 153,750 pounds?

  Paul Andros : No, I, don't think I have.