The Swimmer (1968)

Bill Fiore: Howie Hunsacker

Photos 

Quotes 

• Ned Merrill : How's the family, Howie?

  Howie Hunsacker : My oldest boy just won the American Legion Scholarship Award. Straight A's this year.

  Ned Merrill : That's wonderful...

  Lillian Hunsacker : [Butting in]  Yeah, then we bring our kids up to behave themselves. We don't let *our* kids run around drunk, wrecking cars.

  Jack Finney : He kept his daughters' names outta' the paper *that* time.

  Sylvia Finney : I'll bet *that* check didn't bounce!

  Ned Merrill : [Getting agitated]  You leave my daughters out of this!

  Sylvia Finney : Well, why didn't you teach 'em some manners?

  Lillian Hunsacker : Ah, those girls never paid no attention to him.

  Howie Hunsacker : You, shut up...

  Lillian Hunsacker : Look, I'm not blaming the girls. It's him. Always chummin' around with the kids, tryin' to be "one of the gang."

  Ned Merrill : My daughters worship me. The love me and respect me. Because I'm their father. And they respect me. They respect me!

  Lillian Hunsacker : [Sarcastically]  Yeah?

  Ned Merrill : My girls love me.

  Lillian Hunsacker : How many times we heard those girls talkin' in our place. We heard your girls givin' you the raspberry.

  Ned Merrill : You're a liar.

  Howie Hunsacker : Come on, Mr. Merrill, don't talk to my wife that way.

  Ned Merrill : She's a goddamned liar!

  Howie Hunsacker : Wanna' know what your girls thought of you, Mr. Merrill? Your girls laughed at you. I heard them. They thought you were a great big joke!

  [Ned, disgusted, angrily shoves Howie aside and runs off] 

• Ned Merrill : Howie!

  Howie Hunsacker : Hi, Mister Merrill.

  Ned Merrill : Oh Howie, lend me fifty cents.

  Lillian Hunsacker : Don't you do it, Howie.

  Ned Merrill : Howie, for Christ's sake.

  Howie Hunsacker : What's fifty cents, more or less? I mean - considering.

  Ned Merrill : Thanks, Howie. Thanks a lot, chum. Thanks an *awful* lot.

• Lillian Hunsacker : Well, are you gonna ask him or not?

  Howie Hunsacker : [embarrassed]  Will you shut up?

  Lillian Hunsacker : Okay, then I'll ask him. When are you going to pay your bill, Mr. Merrill?

  Jack Finney : Yeah, how about that? We're decent people trying to make a living.

  Sylvia Finney : We got bills to pay too, you know.

  Lillian Hunsacker : You want to know something? You're the first deadbeat we ever got in our place.

  Howie Hunsacker : Tone it down, Lil!

  Ned Merrill : Wait a minute. Listen. I'm going to send the both of you a check tomorrow.

  Lillian Hunsacker : That's a laugh alright.

  Howie Hunsacker : Alright.

  Lillian Hunsacker : Oh listen, what's the matter with you? He's no friend of yours. His check isn't worth the paper it's written on.

• Howie Hunsacker : Ain't seen you in a dog's age, Mr. Merrill. Too bad you don't get into town anymore.

  Ned Merrill : We sure had a lot of good times, didn't we, Howie?

  Howie Hunsacker : Yeah, I used to count on seeing you 4 or 5 times a week in my place. Few drinks, a hamburger maybe.

  Ned Merrill : How was the series?

  Lillian Hunsacker : [irritated over Ned's unpaid bills]  What are you waiting for? Go on, ask him.

  Howie Hunsacker : What series, Mr. Merrill?

  Ned Merrill : The World Series!

  Howie Hunsacker : Oh, you mean 2 years ago.