The Secret of My Success (1987)
Margaret Whitton: Vera Prescott
Photos
Quotes
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[after sex]
Brantley Foster : Can I make a personal observation?
Vera Prescott : Um, anything but the thighs.
Brantley Foster : You know, somebody sold you a bill of goods and convinced you you had to be 21 forever. That's bullshit. I think you're terrific; I think the only thing wrong with you is your husband is a jerk. You're beautiful, you're intelligent, you're sensuous...
Vera Prescott : Say that again!
Brantley Foster : Which part?
Vera Prescott : All of it!
[sounds of car]
Vera Prescott : Oh, no.
Brantley Foster : What, what is it?
Vera Prescott : It's the jerk.
[Brantley rushes to the window]
Vera Prescott : My husband.
Brantley Foster : My uncle!
Vera Prescott : Your what?
Brantley Foster : Oh God, that makes you...
Vera Prescott : Auntie Vera?
Brantley Foster : Oh! God!
[Vera laughs]
Brantley Foster : Oh God, oh God, oh God! What's my mother going to say? I've disgraced my whole family!
Vera Prescott : Oh, the hell you did!
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Howard Prescott : Let me get this straight - Brantley is Whitfield?
Brantley Foster : That's right. Brantley is Whitfield; Whitfield is Brantley.
Vera Prescott : And Christy is the bimbo! Well, now that we've all had Mouseketeer roll call, I'm just going to go call my lawyer.
Howard Prescott : [lying] No, wait a minute. Christy is not the bimbo I was screwing around with at the office.
Christy Wills : People better stop calling me bimbo!
Howard Prescott : It was an entirely different bimbo altogether.
Vera Prescott : That's fine; how many bimbos would you say there were?
Howard Prescott : I misspoke myself. There weren't any bimbos at all.
Brantley Foster : Except Christy.
Howard Prescott : Right. No!
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Brantley Foster : No, the question is how many people *did* you sleep with in order to get to the top?
[Christy throws a vase at Brantley, smashing it]
Vera Prescott : That was a very expensive vase, you BITCH!
Christy Wills : *SHUT UP*! What I did was my business, not yours!
Brantley Foster : No, you mean it was *company business*!
Christy Wills : [snarkily] That's right! And that's all it was. Business!
Brantley Foster : I'll tell you something, sweetheart. You're very good at your job.
[Brantley leaves, Christy starts crying]
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Howard Prescott : What you are doing in here?
Vera Prescott : [half naked] Feeling romantic...
Howard Prescott : Oh. What's for dinner?
Vera Prescott : Ohh, Howard! You really know how to sweep a girl back onto her feet.
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Brantley Foster : Look, I like you, I really like you, but I gotta tell you, I have become seriously and emotionally involved with someone who isn't my aunt.
Vera Prescott : I forgive you, Brantley.
[continues trying to seduce him]
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Vera Prescott : I'm going to introduce you to the most powerful money men in New York, and if you can do to them what you've done to me...
Brantley Foster : I can't do that!
Vera Prescott : I mean bowl them over, darling! You're irresistible when you turn on that boyish charm.
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Vera Prescott : Why haven't I met you before?
Fred Melrose : Maybe you ain't been hangin' out in the mailroom.
Vera Prescott : Oooh, the "male room." I like that sound!
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Vera Prescott : [into phone] This is the third weekend in a row he's found an excuse not to come to the country... No, I don't know, but knowing him it's probably some teenage airhead from the steno pool. Hmph. The last one I caught him with was so dumb, she thought "dictation" was some kind of S&M trip.
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Brantley Foster : We have a problem.
Vera Prescott : What?
Brantley Foster : It's your husband: he's my boss.
Vera Prescott : O-oh, him. We won't tell him. Besides, Howard's working late tonight - on whom, I have no idea.
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Vera Prescott : I admit I felt *some* attraction towards Brantley at the beginning. But as you always told me, Howard, "Love is love, but business is business." You've run Daddy's company into the ground, Howard, and I believe these people here can bring it back to where it belongs again. So, UP Howard! Out of that chair!
Howard Prescott : Don't be ridiculous! I'm not about to resign my position!
Vera Prescott : Oh, you don't have to, Howard. You're fired!
Howard Prescott : Vera! You can't!
Vera Prescott : Oh, yes I can!
[to Davenport]
Vera Prescott : You see, Mr. Davenport, as of this afternoon *I* control 50.1% of the voting stock!
[to Art Thomas]
Vera Prescott : You too, Art! You're *history*!
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[security arrives, having been called by Art Thomas at Howard Prescott's order]
Vera Prescott : Ah, gentlemen, just in time. Mr . Prescott and his aide have disrupted an important business meeting. Would you please escort them out of the building?
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[at Brantley's apartment]
Brantley Foster : Oh, God. What are you doing here?
Vera Prescott : Brantley, darling, I heard you calling me telepathically - I'm VERY psychic - so of COURSE I rushed right over.
Brantley Foster : I would've used the phone...
Vera Prescott : Mental telepathy's much more reliable.
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[Vera tries to seduce Brantley at the office]
Brantley Foster : Aunt Vera, listen, since the last time we met there's been a change.
Vera Prescott : Yes... nice suit, Brantley!
[she starts undressing him; he tries to escape]
Brantley Foster : Agh! Ow! Look, what I mean to say is... Oh, Christ! I'm not free any more!
Vera Prescott : What, you're going to charge me? Oh ho, you're getting awfully cynical - does your mother know about this?
Brantley Foster : Ohh, no, I am not available.
Vera Prescott : Oh, good, you're not going to charge me.
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Vera Prescott : [to Brantley] I could spend a week inside those sweet unwrinkled eyes...