Staying Alive (1983)

John Travolta: Tony Manero

Photos 

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Quotes 

• [last lines] 

  Tony Manero : Do you know what I wanna do? You know what I wanna do?

  Jackie : What?

  Tony Manero : Strut.

• Tony Manero : You hear the way she talks? It's so intelligent, like I love it.

  Jackie : An accent doesn't make someone intelligent, Tony. If it did, you'd be Einstein.

• Doorman : Are you expected?

  Tony Manero : To do what?

• Carl : Is everything alright?

  Tony Manero : [defensive]  Everything's fine, she's in good hands.

  Carl : Hey, what are you Allstate, pal?

  Tony Manero : Yeah, you want disability?

• Tony Manero : Oh wow, this is a flash I can't

  [shocked, smiling] 

  Tony Manero : I've never been asked to leave before.

  Laura : Oh, don't take it personally.

  Tony Manero : Well I've got to, there's nobody else here in the room!

• Joy : [addressing the dancers]  Hi I'm Joy.

  Tony Manero : [showing off for Laura]  I'm happiness.

• Tony Manero : I don't believe it! Did you see the way you said goodnight to him?

  Jackie : [laughing]  Oh god, how did I say it?

  Tony Manero : It was sweet, it was like syrup. I-I-I had a cavity just listening to it.

• Mrs. Manero : Tony, why did you come here today?

  Tony Manero : I don't know, I got a lotta things on my mind.

  Mrs. Manero : Like what?

  Tony Manero : Like the way I acted around here, the way I treated everybody. I was very hard on you.

  [he pauses, not sure what to say] 

  Tony Manero : I just - I just want you to know that's not me, alright? That wasn't me.

  Mrs. Manero : [she doesn't understand]  What, are you kiddin' me?

  Tony Manero : No I'm apologizing to you.

  Mrs. Manero : Apologizing for what? What, that wasn't the real you back then?

  Tony Manero : Yeah... Look I just had a lotta attitude and I didn't like it.

  Mrs. Manero : [exhales]  I don't believe this.

  Tony Manero : [getting mad]  Well believe it!

  Mrs. Manero : Well I don't believe it, now don't get fresh with me! This - this attitude you're talkin' about: that's what got you outta this damn neighbourhood. So don't apologize, you don't have to apologize to anybody, because you must've been doing something right.

• Tony Manero : I didn't think you was the musician type, I-I-I never thought that.

  Jackie : Oh come on Tony, you know he plays rhythm guitar at the club...

  Tony Manero : [cutting her off]  That guy plays rhythm guitar? Oh, that's the worst! That's the absolute worst. Everybody in the world you knows you can't trust a guy who plays rhythm guitar.

  Jackie : [laughing]  Oh god...

  Tony Manero : Look, underneath them curls is a pervert, I can feel it.

• Tony Manero : Whose limo is this? Anybody know whose limo this is?

• Tony Manero : Last time I came over, I almost got brain damaged. You guys party too hard; you ought to be a tag team.

• Jackie : Look, if it happens, good. If it doesn't, it's not gonna bother me.

  Tony Manero : How could you think that way?

  Jackie : You know a woman's career as a dancer is half as long as a man's. So that means I have half as many chances as you do of making it. Right? I've gotta be real with myself.

• Tony Manero : Everybody uses everybody, don't they?

  Jesse : Go to hell, Manero!

• Laura : What did you do that for? You nearly broke my face with this door. I didn't even give you my best come-ons, and you try to mangle my face.

  Tony Manero : Well Jimmy, you see...

  Laura : Tony.

  Tony Manero : [huffy]  Uh, whatever. You seem to take pleasure in treating women as if they were incredibly stupid.

  Laura : Hey look if you're mad at me, I apologize for that alright, I thought I was being sort of charming. I mean you did try to damage my head. But, look the thing is that I amazingly respect your dancing talent, alright, and I respect your womanhood. I didn't always respect womanhood, but since I moved into Manhattan I got this mature outlook on life. I don't smoke. I don't drink. I don't curse. Anyway, look if you're still interested, I would like to take you out and maybe we could go someplace, relax, have a drink, maybe have some dinner and uh...

  [he notes the change in her demeanour. He smiles trying to lighten the mood] 

  Laura : We got to go someplace informal because my suits are all being pressed.

• Tony Manero : [peering through her door]  I just wanted to tell you, I think you're an incredible dancer.

  Laura : [smiling, then turning away]  Thank you very much.

  Tony Manero : I'm a friend of Jackie Cole's, I'm Tony Manero.

  Laura : [smiling, disinterested]  It's important to have friends.

  Tony Manero : [opening the door, trying to be suave]  Yeah I was just saying that this morning over breakfast.

• Tony Manero : [motioning to Jackie, who leans back onto stage]  I just wanted to tell you, if I don't see you again you got beautiful legs.

  Jesse : [to the dancers]  You gotta improvise...

  Jackie : [giggling, to Tony]  So do you.

  Jesse : [to Jackie]  Listen up! If you're finished dancing, move off stage!

  Tony Manero : [whispering to Jackie]  You're always causin' trouble, now get outta here.

• Fatima : Tony, come on you're late!

  Tony Manero : Oh, Fatima...

  Fatima : Why are you late?

  Tony Manero : [smart-alecky]  Well my Rolls got towed away.

  Fatima : [annoyed]  Don't play, we've got people here.

  Tony Manero : [charming]  Fatima, if I gave a million dollars would you still be mad at me?

  Fatima : Sure.

  Tony Manero : [smirking incredulously]  You would? Still? That's a lovely dress you got on, I can see the

  [motioning to her cleavage] 

  Tony Manero : mmm, sexy.

  [She's unimpressed. Tony gives up] 

  Tony Manero : . Fatima, nothing's workin' today, here, here's a quater

  [hands her the coin] 

  Tony Manero : There's the down payment on that million dollars.

  Fatima : Think I won't keep it? I will keep it.

  [She walks away] 

  Tony Manero : [smirking]  I know you will take it.

• Tony Manero : I got a job on Broadway.

  Mrs. Manero : You got a job on Broadway? Doing what?

  Tony Manero : Dancing! Don't you remember? I dance.

  Mrs. Manero : Hey, no nudity, I hope. Tony, keep your clothes on. You hear me! You hear me?

• Jackie : Come on, Tony. Don't play this competition thing with me.

  Tony Manero : Oh, competition. Just because you're in a show and I'm not. That's a competition thing.

  Jackie : Yeah.

  Tony Manero : That ain't competition.

  Jackie : Well, what is it?

  Tony Manero : Envy.

• Fred : Looks like some of your groupie friends are here tonight.

  Tony Manero : Who?

  Fred : Those "things," those friends of yours.

  Tony Manero : Them? They're acquaintances.

  Fred : So how about sharin' the wealth?

  Tony Manero : What am I, your booking agent, or what?

  Fred : So you don't wanna share? Who cares? I don't need your hand-me-downs anyway.

• Tony Manero : Come on. We're dancin', you love it. Okay, once again. Five, six, seven, eight! Look in the mirror at yourselves. You got attitude, you got strength. You got - attitude. Come on. Molly, watch your line. Be proud. You're dancers! You love dancin'! That's it. We got potential here. We got real potential.

• Tony Manero : In case you don't know this, I used to be pretty incredible myself when I lived in Brooklyn.

  Laura : Really? What happened?

  Tony Manero : I moved to Manhattan.

• Tony Manero : I'd like to get together with you and maybe talk some time. Might that be possible?

  Laura : About what?

  Tony Manero : About how incredible you are.

  Laura : Thank you. But I do already know that.

• Tony Manero : If you appreciate me and I appreciate you, how about let's gettin' together and we could appreciate each other?

  Laura : Appreciate?

  Tony Manero : Yeah, like for many hours.

• Tony Manero : Well, if I don't see you anymore, nice meeting you, and nice being insulted by you.

  Laura : My pleasure.

• Tony Manero : Oh, Manero, you really got a way with words, don't you?

• Tony Manero : Laura, what is all this? Are you rich or somethin'?

• Jackie : Look, if you're hot over somebody, I don't want to always hear about it.

  Tony Manero : I just respect her dancin', that's all!

  Jackie : [sarcastically]  Yeah.

• Tony Manero : Way to go, Manero!

• Tony Manero : When you dance, oh, man! I - I could watch you for hours, really! I mean, it's like watchin' smoke move or somethin'.

  Laura : I know.

• Tony Manero : What can I say?

  Jackie : No. No, you don't have to say anything.

  Tony Manero : But now, don't say that. Because when you say that, I know that you want me to say somethin'.

• Tony Manero : Do you think you can play with people any time you want?

  Laura : Do you?

• Jackie : I'll see you later.

  Tony Manero : Don't go talkin' to strangers, now.

  Jackie : Tony, nobody's stranger than you are.

• Tony Manero : Why did we even start this thing up, huh?

  Laura : Start - look, you came to me, remember?

  Tony Manero : You didn't do nothin', right? It was just me.

  Laura : Whatever.

• Tony Manero : You know, I bought you a ticket for the show. Twenty-six bucks.

  Mrs. Manero : [impressed]  Ooh.

  Tony Manero : I'm a hotshot now.

• Tony Manero : I wouldn't trust him. It looks like some demented paratrooper.

• Tony Manero : I know I treat you bad and I got terrible manners; but the people I grew up with had terrible manners. After a while, you gotta know some of this rubs off on ya. Look, I'm tellin' you that there's a gentleman inside there that is dyin' to get out.

• Tony Manero : So what you're sayin' is, I've always been this bastard, but it's all right, 'cause, like, it comes natural to me?

  Mrs. Manero : Yeah, somethin' like that, yeah.

  Tony Manero : Yeah?

  Mrs. Manero : Yeah. Yeah. Double yeah.

• Tony Manero : I know, and I want you to know, that I coulda never done this tonight without knowin' you.