Carousel (1956)

Gordon MacRae: Billy Bigelow

Photos 

Quotes 

• [last lines] 

  Dr. Selden : [at Louise's graduation ceremony]  It's the custom at these graduations to pick out some old duck like me to preach at the kids. Well, I can't preach at you. I know you all too well. I brought most of you into the world, rubbed linament on your backs, poured castor oil down your throats. I only hope that now I got you this far that you'll turn out to be worth all the trouble I took with you. I - I can't tell you any sure way to happiness. I only know that you've gotta go out and find it for yourselves. You can't lean on the success of your parents. That's their success. And don't be held back by their failures.

  Billy Bigelow : [to Louise]  Listen to him. Believe him.

  Dr. Selden : Makes no difference what they did or didn't do. You just stand on your own two feet. The world belongs to you as much as to the next fella, so don't give it up. And try not to be scared of people not liking you, just you try liking them. And just keep your faith, and your courage, and you'll turn out all right. It's like what we used to sing every morning when I was a boy. Maybe you still sing it: "When you walk through a storm, hold your head up high." You know that one?

  Singers at graduation : [singing]  And don't be afraid of the dark.

  [they continue with the rest of the song] 

  Billy Bigelow : [to Louise, as the singing is still going on]  Believe him, darling. Believe.

  [Louise joins in the singing, and puts her arm around the girl sitting next to her, who reciprocates] 

  Billy Bigelow : [Walks over to Julie]  I loved you, Julie. Know that I loved you.

  [Julie smiles and joins in singing. As the song reaches its climax, Billy and the Heavenly Friend walk away from the graduation and up a hill. Billy then takes a last look toward the schoolyard and follows the Heavenly Friend] 

  Singers at graduation : [singing]  Walk on, walk on, with hope in your heart/ And you'll never walk alone,/ You'll never walk alone!

• Billy : I couldn't get work, and I couldn't bear to see her... to see her...

  Starkeeper : You couldn't bear to see her cry? Why don't you come right out and say it? Why are you ashamed you loved Julie?

  Billy : I ain't afraid of anything. Look, if I can't go back, just say so.

  Starkeeper : I didn't say you couldn't go back.

  Billy : No, but you didn't say I could, either. You're just trying to make me sweat.

  Starkeeper : No. I'm just trying to figure out what good you could do if I let you go back. You know... your daughter's down there. She's unhappy, she needs help.

  Billy : My daughter? My baby is a girl? My-my baby's a girl?

  Starkeeper : She isn't a baby anymore. She's fifteen years old.

  Billy : And she ain't happy, huh?

  Starkeeper : No, she ain't, Billy. You know, she's a lot like you. I think maybe that's why you could help her.

  Billy : Can I see her from here?

  Starkeeper : Sure, you can, if you want to.

  Billy : If she ain't happy, I don't want to look.

  Starkeeper : Right now, she appears to be having a fine time. There she is, running along the beach there, got her shoes and stockings off.

  Billy : Like I used to do, huh?

  Starkeeper : Yeah. Do you want to take a look at her?

  Billy : What do I have to do to see her?

  Starkeeper : Just look, and wait, and the power to see her will come to you.

• Billy : [singing]  Longing to tell you, but afraid and shy / I let my golden chances pass me by. / Now, I've lost you / Soon I will go in the mist of day / And you never will know / How I loved you / How I loved you.

• Billy Bigelow : I just couldn't get the hang of being married.

  Starkeeper : Was that Julie's fault?

  Billy Bigelow : No, but maybe it wasn't my fault either.

• Billy Bigelow : To be perfectly honest with you...

  Starkeeper : I WOULD be, if I were you.

  Billy Bigelow : All right - I didn't mind livin' off her

  [Julie's] 

  Billy Bigelow : cousin Nettie. It was just having nothin' to do that drove me crazy.

• Billy Bigelow : You're a funny kid. I don't remember ever meetin' a girl like you.

• Billy Bigelow : Hey! You tryin' to get me to marry ya?

  Julie Jordan : No!

  Billy Bigelow : Well then what's puttin' it into my head?

• Billy Bigelow : I wonder what it'd be like?

  Julie Jordan : If you loved me? But you don't.

  Billy Bigelow : No I don't.

• Billy Bigelow : [to the Heavenly Friend]  Well, now ain't that just dandy! Here you take the trouble to tell me there's trouble down there but you don't even know what kind of trouble it is!

• Mister Snow : [greeting Billy for the first time]  Mr. Bigelow, I feel like I know you.

  Billy Bigelow : Ohhh, yes - the man who owns the herring boat. You smell it over there, Jigger?

  Jigger Craigin : Nope. Wind's in the wrong direction.

  Carrie Pipperidge : It's a good honest smell!

  Billy Bigelow : It's a powerful honest smell!

• Jigger Craigin : 'Course, if you've got all the money you want, and you...

  Billy Bigelow : I ain't got a cent! Money thinks I'm dead.

• Billy Bigelow : Yeah, I could still live here with Julie and...

  Mrs. Mullin : Holy Moses!

  Billy Bigelow : Well, what's wrong?

  Mrs. Mullin : Well, can you imagine how the girls'd love that, a barker who runs home to his wife every night! Why, people would laugh themselves sick! Well, I know I would!

  [laughs] 

  Billy Bigelow : Yeah, I can hear you laughing.

  Mrs. Mullin : Don't be so stuck on yourself.

• [first lines] 

  Heavenly Friend : Bigelow...

  Billy Bigelow : [impatiently]  Well, what'd I do now?

  Heavenly Friend : Nothing. I just thought you'd wanna know - there's trouble.

  Billy Bigelow : Huh! Thought you said I didn't do nothin'.