It felt time for another installment of “The Quotable Librarian” (click here for a previous Quotable post), but this round, the following are quotations describing or referring to reel librarians, plus one librarian’s AWESOME comeback. Enjoy!
Forbidden (1932)
 Barbara Stanwyck in Forbidden |
“Old lady four-eyes!“
~ Young boys making fun and taunting Lulu Smith (Barbara Stanwyck), the local public librarian |
You’re a Big Boy Now (1966)
 Rip Torn in 'You're a Big Boy Now' |
“I’ll thank you to keep your incunabulum to yourself.”
~ Miss Thing (Julie Harris) freaking out at I.H. Chanticleer (Rip Torn), an archives librarian, when they get locked in the archives vault |
UHF (1985)
 Conan the Librarian in 'UHF' |
“Never before in the history of motion pictures has there been a screen presence so commanding, so powerful, so deadly. He’s… Conan the Librarian!“
~ TV ad for UHF series “Conan the Librarian” |
That Touch of Mink (1962)
 The librarian and her would-be lover in 'That Touch of Mink' |
“You librarians live it up pretty good!“
~ Mr. Smith (John Fiedler) in a funny hotel scene with librarian Barbara Collentine |
Foul Play (1978)
 Goldie Hawn in 'Foul Play' |
“Ever since the divorce, you lock yourself in that library and hide behind those glasses. Look at you! You used to be a cheerleader! You used to show some cleavage! Let’s see some skin, shake your booty, take some chances. What are you playing, old maid?“
~ A friend gives a pep talk (!) to Gloria Mundy (Goldie Hawn), a librarian at the San Francisco Public Library |
Party Girl (1995)
 Parker Posey in 'Party Girl' |
“I may have made a mistake, but that is no reason to patronize me. It is dismaying that your expectations are based on the performance of a lesser primate, and also revelatory of a managerial style that is sadly lacking. Is it any wonder then, that I have chosen not to learn the intricacies of an antiquated and idiotic system? I think not!“
~ Mary (Parker Posey) reacts to the Dewey Decimal system and “Re-code it!” instructions from godmother Judy (Sasha von Scherler), a librarian at the New York Public Library |
The Librarian: Quest for the Spear (TV, 2004)
 Mom, you're embarrassing me |
Margie Carsen [speaking to a group of ladies]: “Flynn is a librarian now. But he’s capable of so much more. Just needs the right woman to push him.” Flynn Carsen: “Mom, you don’t understand. Being a librarian is actually a pretty cool job.” ~ Flynn’s mom (Olympia Dukakis) describing her son (Noah Wyle), a special archives librarian/adventurer/Indiana Jones admirer |
Related articles
- The Quotable Librarian (reel-librarians.com)
- Letting Our Hair Down (reel-librarians.com)
- Comic Relief librarians (reel-librarians.com)
