The Secret of My Success (1987)

Margaret Whitton: Vera Prescott

Photos 

Quotes 

• [after sex] 

  Brantley Foster : Can I make a personal observation?

  Vera Prescott : Um, anything but the thighs.

  Brantley Foster : You know, somebody sold you a bill of goods and convinced you you had to be 21 forever. That's bullshit. I think you're terrific; I think the only thing wrong with you is your husband is a jerk. You're beautiful, you're intelligent, you're sensuous...

  Vera Prescott : Say that again!

  Brantley Foster : Which part?

  Vera Prescott : All of it!

  [sounds of car] 

  Vera Prescott : Oh, no.

  Brantley Foster : What, what is it?

  Vera Prescott : It's the jerk.

  [Brantley rushes to the window] 

  Vera Prescott : My husband.

  Brantley Foster : My uncle!

  Vera Prescott : Your what?

  Brantley Foster : Oh God, that makes you...

  Vera Prescott : Auntie Vera?

  Brantley Foster : Oh! God!

  [Vera laughs] 

  Brantley Foster : Oh God, oh God, oh God! What's my mother going to say? I've disgraced my whole family!

  Vera Prescott : Oh, the hell you did!

• Howard Prescott : Let me get this straight - Brantley is Whitfield?

  Brantley Foster : That's right. Brantley is Whitfield; Whitfield is Brantley.

  Vera Prescott : And Christy is the bimbo! Well, now that we've all had Mouseketeer roll call, I'm just going to go call my lawyer.

  Howard Prescott : [lying]  No, wait a minute. Christy is not the bimbo I was screwing around with at the office.

  Christy Wills : People better stop calling me bimbo!

  Howard Prescott : It was an entirely different bimbo altogether.

  Vera Prescott : That's fine; how many bimbos would you say there were?

  Howard Prescott : I misspoke myself. There weren't any bimbos at all.

  Brantley Foster : Except Christy.

  Howard Prescott : Right. No!

• Brantley Foster : No, the question is how many people *did* you sleep with in order to get to the top?

  [Christy throws a vase at Brantley, smashing it] 

  Vera Prescott : That was a very expensive vase, you BITCH!

  Christy Wills : *SHUT UP*! What I did was my business, not yours!

  Brantley Foster : No, you mean it was *company business*!

  Christy Wills : [snarkily]  That's right! And that's all it was. Business!

  Brantley Foster : I'll tell you something, sweetheart. You're very good at your job.

  [Brantley leaves, Christy starts crying] 

• Howard Prescott : What you are doing in here?

  Vera Prescott : [half naked]  Feeling romantic...

  Howard Prescott : Oh. What's for dinner?

  Vera Prescott : Ohh, Howard! You really know how to sweep a girl back onto her feet.

• Brantley Foster : Look, I like you, I really like you, but I gotta tell you, I have become seriously and emotionally involved with someone who isn't my aunt.

  Vera Prescott : I forgive you, Brantley.

  [continues trying to seduce him] 

• Vera Prescott : I'm going to introduce you to the most powerful money men in New York, and if you can do to them what you've done to me...

  Brantley Foster : I can't do that!

  Vera Prescott : I mean bowl them over, darling! You're irresistible when you turn on that boyish charm.

• Vera Prescott : Why haven't I met you before?

  Fred Melrose : Maybe you ain't been hangin' out in the mailroom.

  Vera Prescott : Oooh, the "male room." I like that sound!

• Vera Prescott : [into phone]  This is the third weekend in a row he's found an excuse not to come to the country... No, I don't know, but knowing him it's probably some teenage airhead from the steno pool. Hmph. The last one I caught him with was so dumb, she thought "dictation" was some kind of S&M trip.

• Brantley Foster : We have a problem.

  Vera Prescott : What?

  Brantley Foster : It's your husband: he's my boss.

  Vera Prescott : O-oh, him. We won't tell him. Besides, Howard's working late tonight - on whom, I have no idea.

• Vera Prescott : I admit I felt *some* attraction towards Brantley at the beginning. But as you always told me, Howard, "Love is love, but business is business." You've run Daddy's company into the ground, Howard, and I believe these people here can bring it back to where it belongs again. So, UP Howard! Out of that chair!

  Howard Prescott : Don't be ridiculous! I'm not about to resign my position!

  Vera Prescott : Oh, you don't have to, Howard. You're fired!

  Howard Prescott : Vera! You can't!

  Vera Prescott : Oh, yes I can!

  [to Davenport] 

  Vera Prescott : You see, Mr. Davenport, as of this afternoon *I* control 50.1% of the voting stock!

  [to Art Thomas] 

  Vera Prescott : You too, Art! You're *history*!

• [security arrives, having been called by Art Thomas at Howard Prescott's order] 

  Vera Prescott : Ah, gentlemen, just in time. Mr . Prescott and his aide have disrupted an important business meeting. Would you please escort them out of the building?

• [at Brantley's apartment] 

  Brantley Foster : Oh, God. What are you doing here?

  Vera Prescott : Brantley, darling, I heard you calling me telepathically - I'm VERY psychic - so of COURSE I rushed right over.

  Brantley Foster : I would've used the phone...

  Vera Prescott : Mental telepathy's much more reliable.

• [Vera tries to seduce Brantley at the office] 

  Brantley Foster : Aunt Vera, listen, since the last time we met there's been a change.

  Vera Prescott : Yes... nice suit, Brantley!

  [she starts undressing him; he tries to escape] 

  Brantley Foster : Agh! Ow! Look, what I mean to say is... Oh, Christ! I'm not free any more!

  Vera Prescott : What, you're going to charge me? Oh ho, you're getting awfully cynical - does your mother know about this?

  Brantley Foster : Ohh, no, I am not available.

  Vera Prescott : Oh, good, you're not going to charge me.

• Vera Prescott : [to Brantley]  I could spend a week inside those sweet unwrinkled eyes...