Harlem Nights (1989)

Richard Pryor: Sugar Ray

Photos 

Quotes 

• Sugar Ray : I'm gonna take this little boy home to his mother.

  Young Quick : My mama's dead.

  Sugar Ray : Well, your daddy?

  Young Quick : My father's dead, too.

  Sugar Ray : Did you kill 'em?

  Young Quick : No, they just dead.

• Desk Sergeant : OK, let's see. 125 people on a Class A misdemeanor will be about...

  [he smiles, thinking the price will scare Sugar away] 

  Desk Sergeant : $75 hundred.

  Desk Sergeant : $75 hundred?

  Desk Sergeant : [still smiling]  Yep. $75 hundred.

  Sugar Ray : [throws him $10,000]  Gimme a receipt.

• Sugar Ray : Quick, you're not a gangster. We're not. We're club owners. We run a dance hall. Calhoune... he's a cold-hearted killer. He'll have your ass killed. Now, the man probably doesn't know about La Rue yet. But in the morning, he's going to want you really dead. So, we got to find a place where we can lay low. Till we can run the scam and split.

  Quick : You telling me I should hide?

  Sugar Ray : No. I'm telling you you're gonna hide. You don't hide, Quick, they're gonna kill you. I'm not gonna let that happen to you. I didn't come this far with you so you can prove you ain't no punk and die. What are they gonna put on your tombstone? "Here lies a man, 27 years old. He died, but he ain't no punk." Hey man, that's bullshit. OK? You know when you die? When you're 89... got your children and your grandchildren around the bed... that's cool. It ain't cool to die at 27. I'm not gonna let you do that to yourself. I'm not gonna let you do it to me. 'Cause they kill you, they're gonna have to kill me. 'Cause I'm gonna kill them.

• Sugar Ray : The same gentleman who made the pick-up last year is gonna make it this year. Mr. Richie Vento. Vera, I want you to put somebody on him.

  Vera : All right, Sugar.

  Sugar Ray : You got a girl who could turn him out?

  Vera : I have got a girl who's pussy is so good, if you threw it up in the air it would turn into sunshine.

  Sugar Ray : Well, I don't want to meet her.

  Bennie Wilson : I do.

• Sugar Ray : Vera, you know we tally up at 4 o'clock. What is your problem?

  Vera : Kiss my ass, Sugar. I've got to watch my girls until the last trick is gone. And I'm not about to ask no customer to roll over so I can punch some goddamn clock. Now, this is your place, but I am in charge of the girls... and you can just kiss my ass.

  Sugar Ray : [Sugar Ray makes kisses toward Vera]  Oh baby!

  Vera : No, stop it,Sugar, stop doing... Don't do that. Stop that!

  Quick : So, baby, how'd we do tonight?

  Vera : We made about 200.

  Quick : 200? Your girls have been back there all night. How'd they only make 200 dollars?

  Vera : You kiss my ass, Quick! I don't ever say nothing to you when the crap table and the bar come up short.

  Quick : Cause the bar and the crap table never come up short, just the girls.

  Sugar Ray : Now, calm down, Vera.

  Vera : Kiss my ass, Sugar! I wanna know what it is Quick is trying to say?

  Quick : I ain't trying to say shit. You're in charge of the girls, right?

  Vera : I am in charge of the girls.

  Quick : Are you in charge of the girls?

  Vera : I AM in charge of the girls.

  Quick : OK, The girls are always coming up short. Alright, let's get this shit out in the open. The girls are always coming up short even when the place is packed the girls come up short. Now, either you or them got a problem with their arithmetic.

  Vera : Are you saying I'm stealing?

  Bennie Wilson : The man didn't say you was stealing, Vera. Now, come over here and sit down and shut the fuck up!

  Vera : You shut the fuck up, Bennie. I would tell you to kiss my ass too, but you probably can't find it you blind motherfucker.

  Bennie Wilson : Fuck you, bitch.

  Vera : [Vera turning and looking at Quick]  Me and you got to step out back.

  Sugar Ray : Hey, it was just a misunderstanding.

  Vera : [Vera starts taking off her hat]  nuh-uh, No it ain't, it ain't no misunderstanding. Quick just accused me of stealing. and if you gonna take up for Quick in here, we can all be some fighting motherfuckers in here this evening. Bring your ass, nigger. Bring it on. Come on. Bring your ass! Come on, get up and come on, motherfucker!

  Quick : All right, bitch, you want to fight? We can fight then, you fat motherfucker, l'm tired of your shit!

  Vera : Just bring your ass!

• Sugar Ray : Damn, I'm sure gonna miss that place. You know we can't ever go back there again.

  Quick : Man, there's other cities. Find someplace else to start all over again.

  Sugar Ray : But there's no place like Harlem.

  Bennie Wilson : You ain't lying, Sugar. Let me look at it one last time.

• [last lines] 

  Quick : So, where you wanna go, Pop?

  Sugar Ray : I don't know, Son. But we got a tank full of gas, and a trunk full of money.

  Quick : That sounds like a sweet combination.

  Sugar Ray : Sweet as sugar.

• Sugar Ray : I'd like you to meet a friend, Mr Quick.

  Phil Cantone : Quick like in 'fast'?

  Quick : Quick like in 'quick to whip ass'.

  Phil Cantone : Oh, you mean like 'you might get your ass whipped quick'?

  Quick : I haven't had my ass whipped in a while. Probably been like 1911.

  Sugar Ray : Yeah, that's when the doctor slapped you on the ass.

  Quick : Yes. That's the last ass-whipping I recall.

• Phil Cantone : OK Ray, here's the deal. I got a call from a friend of mine by the name of Bugsy Calhoune. He told me you're sitting on a little gold mine here. Now don't get me wrong. I know there's always gonna be after-hour places. We pretty much leave them alone when the money's not that significant, but you guys are doing about 10-15,000 a week. I mean, that's a lot of money. And to be perfectly honest. Mr. Calhoune & myself want some of it.

  Sugar Ray : How much money you talking about, you maggot motherfucker?

  Phil Cantone : Well, you guys are doing 15.000 a week. Let's say our cut is 10,000.

  Sugar Ray : You're robbing us, you son of a bitch.

  Phil Cantone : No, no, no. You're robbing the system, Ray. What do you want... sympathy from me? You're criminals, for Christ's sake. And I think it's a pretty fair deal. I wanted more, but Bugsy said it was fair. I mean, he's a real softy, Bugsy. I mean, if it was up to me, I'd give you jigs just enough money to function. So when I see you guys with the... with the fancy suits and cars and nice houses, and I'm living in a FUCKING HOVEL... I mean, that bothers me.

• Roberto : Sugar, Tommy's coming.

  Sugar Ray : [sees Tommy Smalls and crew coming in... nods]  Thank you.

  Roberto : Want me to "kick he ass"?

  Sugar Ray : No, don't "kick he ass". Thank you, Roberto.

• Annie : So, Sugar Ray, are we going to talk about your son all night? Or, are you going to make love to me?

  Sugar Ray : Why don't we make love - and talk about my son in the morning?

  Annie : Well, what if we made love - all night? And then made love all morning? And all afternoon?

  Sugar Ray : What if we made love real hard for 35 minutes and drop off into a deep coma-like sleep?

  Annie : Meet me halfway.

  Sugar Ray : I'll give it a shot.

• Jack Jenkins : [about Cantone]  P-punk m-m-m-mo...

  Sugar Ray : I know.

• Quick : What would a woman that fine want in a big, fat, nasty, greasy, fat, stank, bloated, cheesy-backed, 12-sandwich-eatin' bastard? What would she want with him?

  Sugar Ray : I don't know. Maybe she likes fat guys.

• Phil Cantone : I'll see you later, Ray.

  Sugar Ray : I bet you will... Shit.

• Sugar Ray : Wait, man, look. You shot, you lost. I mean, we'd have paid you if you'd won, but you lost. Now take your big ass home, and brush that tooth!

• Sugar Ray : How was your date?

  Quick : I killed her.

  Sugar Ray : Ah, tore the pussy up, huh!

  Quick : No, man, I killed her.

  Sugar Ray : What the fuck you talking about

  Quick : I shot her,man.

  Sugar Ray : Hmm. Was the pussy that bad, man?

• Sugar Ray : You have got to stop over-reacting.

  Quick : [shouts]  Over-reacting?

• Sugar Ray : The candy business is something else

  Phil Cantone : I'll say. Must not be a nigger in the street with a healthy tooth in his mouth.

• Sugar Ray : Your clothes fit you well.

  Phil Cantone : That's funny. That's seriously funny. My clothes fit me well. What are you? You used to be a nightclub comic or something?

  Sugar Ray : No. Owned a candy store. For 20 years.

• Toothless Gambler : Come on six with your funky ass. I've been waitin' for you all night. Baby needs shoes. My wife needs clothes.

  Sugar Ray : And you need some teeth!

• Sugar Ray : Muthafucker, stop jacking off and shoot the dice! You fuckin' up the game.

• Sugar Ray : You ain't whupping shit. Now, shoot the dice, you snaggle-toothed muthafucker.

  Toothless Gambler : All right, I'm going to shoot these muthafuckers. You understand? I'm going to shoot. But I'd better not crap. That's all I know, I just better not crap.

• Sugar Ray : You got a gun, he's got one. His boys got guns. His cops got guns. He's even got judges on his payroll. I mean, don't that make you feel a little uncomfortable? I know you are supposed to be a bad muthfucker; but there's a hundred guns against you out in the street with one gun. That's got to change something in your mind.

• Quick : You think Smalls is that stupid?

  Sugar Ray : I know he's that stupid.

• Bennie Wilson : That nigger's gonna kill that white boy. I saw him fight 33 rounds once.

  Sugar Ray : You know, a lot of people think that white boy got a shot.

  Bennie Wilson : Oh, he got a shot. In his ass.