Diff'rent Strokes (TV Series)

Speak No Evil (1985)

Conrad Bain: Philip Drummond

Quotes 

• Willis Jackson : Come on, Dad, what's on your mind? It's about that fight with Arnold and Maggie, isn't it?

  Philip Drummond : Maggie's no problem, she's an adult, we've had a lot of disagreements together. But Arnold has me worried, I've never seen him so upset.

  Willis Jackson : I've never seen you so upset, not even when we painted your bathtub our school colors.

  Philip Drummond : Thanks for the memory.

• Arnold Jackson : Dad, have you heard about the League for Social Responsibility?

  Philip Drummond : The hate group?

  Arnold Jackson : Yeah, well they hate black people and other minorities.

  Philip Drummond : Isn't that league having a rally... oh yes, now I understand the reference to flying fruit.

  Dudley Ramsey : Flying rotten fruit.

  Arnold Jackson : Yeah we're gonna shut them down, it's gonna be great.

• Philip Drummond : Now Arnold, I'm telling you as your father...

  Arnold Jackson : My father would be out there throwing fruit with me and wouldn't bother taking it out of the can!

  Philip Drummond : [firmly]  Arnold...

  Arnold Jackson : I don't have to listen to you, you're not my real father anyway.

• Maggie McKinney Drummond : Arnold, this does not require a whole lot of talking, throwing fruit is dead wrong.

  Arnold Jackson : Big surprise, Mrs. Drummond is siding with Mr. Drummond.

  Maggie McKinney Drummond : Arnold, come here. Listen, if it were me, I'd raise such a ruckus that the League would be sorry they ever set foot in this town, and let me tell you if there's anything you can do short of holding up the bigots and...

  Philip Drummond : Maggie, hold it! What're you saying?

  Arnold Jackson : Dad, let her finish!

• Philip Drummond : Look Maggie, if you take away these people's rights, you are stooping to their level.

  Maggie McKinney Drummond : Philip, the Nazis took advantage of Free Speech to gain power and THEN they abolished it. We would've been better off if somebody HAD stooped to their level and tried to stop them!

• Philip Drummond : [about his travel agent]  Arnold, you know Mrs. Gordon, she's helping us decide between Paris and Nashville.

  Arnold Jackson : Any place in Japan is fine with me.

• Philip Drummond : Arnold you don't have to be a mindreader to realize I don't approve of what you're planning to do.

  Arnold Jackson : Well what about the League is planning to do? They're sleazeballs!

  Philip Drummond : Sleazeballs definitely, but that doesn't give you the right to throw fruit at them to keep them from speaking.

  Arnold Jackson : You're right, vegetables are better.

• Arnold Jackson : Dad, how am I supposed to disrupt the meeting?

  Philip Drummond : You're not!

  Arnold Jackson : Why not? You know these people are planning to ship blacks out of the country, or worse?

  Philip Drummond : Look, I know this bunch is despicable, but the Constitution guarantees their right to speak. That's part of the First Amendment, that's what makes America so special.

  Arnold Jackson : First Amendment, they don't believe in that First Amendment or any of the others.

  Philip Drummond : That doesn't matter, if we're allowed to take away their rights, what's to stop another group from coming along and taking away ours? They have a right to speak.

  Arnold Jackson : But they hate me just because of the color of my skin!