Tick, Tick, Tick (1970)

George Kennedy: John Little

Photos 

Quotes 

• [Last lines] 

  John Little : Come next November, I'm going to run your legs off.

  Jimmy Price : I'm not going to stand for Sheriff next year

  John Little : Why not?

  Jimmy Price : My brother, he's going to run for Sheriff.

  [pause] 

  Jimmy Price : I'm going to run for Mayor.

• John Little : [after Julia sends their two daughters to bed]  Kinda late, aren't they?

  Julia Little : TV special. The Wizard of Oz.

• John Little : You got a back room here, Junior.

  Junior : So?

  John Little : Has it got a bed in it?

  Junior : Sometimes I sleep.

  John Little : There's a rumor goin' around. This particular rumor has you rentin' it out to teenagers.

  Junior : It ain't so!

  John Little : I'm bettin' it is.

• John Little : Found a colored boy out on the highway, all beat up, last night. Now, somebody had painted a white KKK on his forehead.

• H.C. Tolbert : Hello, John. Gettin' any?

  John Little : I hear your wife had another baby, Tolbert. That makes 10, don't it?

  H.C. Tolbert : Last time I counted. Done run out of fingers to count on.

• Junior : Unless my calendar's a liar, this is your last day in office. You out on your keister, tomorrow noon. How's if feel havin' a nigger take your job?

  John Little : He's voted into office, I was voted out.

• D.J. Rankin : John, some around here, just can't understand how you let that black boy walk in and take your job away from you - you bein' raised around here and all.

  John Little : Because its the law, Rankin.

  D.J. Rankin : You know as well as I do he didn't get a single white vote out of the whole county.

  John Little : According to the law, black or white don't make no difference. A vote's a vote. That's the law.

  D.J. Rankin : Yeah, I reckon it is. Who made that law, you suppose?

• John Little : [calling on the police radio]  Warren, this is Sheriff Little. Where are you? Over.

  Deputy Joe Warren : I'm just sittin' out here on number 10. Scratchin'. Chewin'. Not doin' much of nothin' to speak of. Over.

  John Little : You wouldn't be runnin' a Yankee trap, would you be, Warren? Over.

  Deputy Joe Warren : No, Sheriff. I'm bird watchin'.

  [whistles] 

  Deputy Joe Warren : Over.

  John Little : Rev it up, Warren. Bring it on in. Over.

  Deputy Joe Warren : 10-4.

• John Little : I wasn't voted out of office because I've been a bad sheriff. I was voted out because I ain't colored!

  [Julia starts to laugh] 

  John Little : Did I say something funny?

  Julia Little : I've been meanin' to have a talk with you about your complexion.

  John Little : [laughs]  Oh, you. Julie, I'm the first man in the whole state to get hit over the head with black power.

• John Little : What am I supposed to do?

  Mayor Jeff Parks : That depends.

  John Little : On what?

  Mayor Jeff Parks : On whether you mind being called a nigger-lover.

• Julia Little : You keep sayin' you're not going to do it; but, I know you are.

  John Little : No, I'm not either. There's no chance.

  Julia Little : No chance, my foot. You know I know you like chalk on a blackboard. You're gonna be that nigger's deputy, just as sure as the sun is gonna shine in July.