Prancer (1989)

Rebecca Harrell Tickell: Jessica Riggs

Photos 

Quotes 

• Carol Wetherby : The problem is, Jessie... I don't believe in Santa Claus anymore.

  Jessica Riggs : What?

  Carol Wetherby : I mean, think about it. How could one man climb down all the chimneys in the world in one night?

  Jessica Riggs : He's magical, Carol!

• Jessica Riggs : Alright for you, Carol Wetherby! You're not my friend anymore!

  Carol Wetherby : What did I say?

  Jessica Riggs : That there was no Heaven!

  Carol Wetherby : So?

  Jessica Riggs : [tears up]  What about my mother, then?

• Jessica Riggs : See you later!

  Steve Riggs : Not if I see you first!

• Jessica Riggs : Look, Steve. I'm not going to ever, ever live with Aunt Sarah.

  Steve Riggs : Aunt Sarah?

  Jessica Riggs : Dad wants to send me there, and I really don't want to go.

  Steve Riggs : He does? Why is everyone keeping me in the dark about everything?

  Jessica Riggs : I didn't think you'd care.

  Steve Riggs : Of course I do.

  Jessica Riggs : I thought maybe you might be glad.

  Steve Riggs : Of course not. Now come on back, Jess. We'll work this out.

• Jessica Riggs : I don't think all of this is necessary. He's probably used to being around people.

  Orel Benton : What am I, an elf?

• [last lines] 

  Jessica Riggs : I wish I could keep you for just my own pet. I'll always remember you, Prancer. I love you. Thanks, Prancer, for everything.

  [Prancer runs through the forest, and Jessica follows him to Antler Ridge] 

  John Riggs : [joining his daughter on the cliff]  Look.

  Jessica Riggs : [seeing Prancer's tracks on the ledge]  Where did he go?

  John Riggs : I don't know. He just disappeared.

  Jessica Riggs : He couldn't have jumped and live.

  John Riggs : Maybe he flew. This would be a good place for Santa to come and get him.

  Jessica Riggs : The moon is full.

  John Riggs : And it is Christmas Eve. Listen. Maybe you'll hear his bells.

  Jessica Riggs : [bells ring in the distance]  I hear them. I hear them, daddy, I do.

  [notices the presence of Prancer] 

  Jessica Riggs : Goodbye, Prancer. Good bye. Remember me.

  [as Jessica waves goodbye, Prancer appears in a streak of light as Santa's sleigh flies by; Prancer joins it, and flies away into the night] 

• Steve Riggs : It's a bird! It's a plane! It's a hat rack!

  Jessica Riggs : It's a reindeer, you nerd.

• Minister : You have added inspiration to my day, young lady.

  Steve Riggs : [leans over to Jessica, joking]  What'd you do, hand out money?

  Jessica Riggs : I don't have any idea what they're talking about!

• Aunt Sarah : Nancy Hooper works over at the hospital, and she says whenever there's a full moon, the patients on the eighth floor, you know, the mental patients, they all start acting up like crazy.

  Jessica Riggs : Really? How?

  Steve Riggs : Why don't you go there on Christmas Eve and find out? They'll show you magic.

• Jessica Riggs : [tearfully]  I didn't really want to run away. I just... I just wanted you to find me and... bring me back here, and tell me things were gonna be okay. Like they used to be.

  John Riggs : Oh, Jessie. I can't tell ya everything's gonna be alright. I wish I could. But I know things are always gonna be hard around here. Could even be we'll lose this farm one day. I can bear that. What I can't bear is...

  [begins to tear up himself] 

  John Riggs : when you were gone last night, I saw what it'd be like around here not to have you around. I love you, Jessie.

  Jessica Riggs : [whispers]  Sorry. I'm sorry, Daddy. I'm sorry.

  Jessica Riggs : [hugs John as she cries]  I love you, too, Dad.

  John Riggs : Oh, baby.

  [cries as he holds her] 

  John Riggs : It's okay, don't cry. You're home, honey. And that's where you're gonna stay.

• Jessica Riggs : [as John finds out about Prancer]  Oh, no. He's gone. Daddy, where is he? Did you kill him?

  John Riggs : You had that deer out in that shed all week, didn't you?

  Jessica Riggs : Tell us, daddy.

  John Riggs : That's why you skipped school. You gave him food from the barn, telling lies. Then I find a 40 pound sack of oats out there with a Christmas bow on it! Do you wanna tell me where that came from? Did you steal that, too?

  Steve Riggs : No, she bought it with...

  John Riggs : You were in on this, too, huh? I'll get to you later.

  [Steve leaves] 

  Jessica Riggs : Daddy!

  John Riggs : Sit down to read the newspaper for a change and all heck breaks loose. Darned deer lets the stock out then comes into the house! I got too much on my mind for all this. You kids are making me nuts.

  Jessica Riggs : Daddy, you didn't shoot him. Tell me you didn't shoot him.

  John Riggs : I didn't shoot it.

  Jessica Riggs : You didn't?

  John Riggs : No, I didn't.

  Jessica Riggs : Really?

  John Riggs : No, I didn't.

  Jessica Riggs : Oh, thank you, daddy. Did he run away? Which way did he go? Did he go to Antler Ridge?

  John Riggs : Down at Three Oaks. I sold him.

  Jessica Riggs : Sold him?

  John Riggs : To Herb Drier. He offered me $200 to take him off my hands.

  Jessica Riggs : Mister Drier, the butcher? Daddy, he'll eat him!

  John Riggs : No, he won't.

  Jessica Riggs : He's a butcher, daddy. He'll cut him up and sell the pieces.

  John Riggs : Now stop it.

  Jessica Riggs : No, I won't. You don't understand what you've done. He's one of Santa's.

  John Riggs : Oh, come on, Jessie!

  Jessica Riggs : Mom would've never done this.

  John Riggs : Look, a reindeer don't fly, okay? I hate to be the one to tell you that, but they don't.

  Jessica Riggs : I'll shoot her instead of you.

  [collapses on her bed in tears, having had enough of her father's racism] 

  Jessica Riggs : Die, I'm gonna die.

  Aunt Sarah : [feeling sorry for Jessica]  Oh, John, you really didn't do that, did you?