Tucker: The Man and His Dream (1988) quotes

Cast
Jeff Bridges.
Joan Allen.
Martin Landau.

The story of Preston Tucker, the maverick car designer and his ill-fated challenge to the auto industry with his revolutionary car concept.

The car of tomorrow… today.
– Preston Tucker

Isn’t that the idea? To build a better mouse trap?
– Preston Tucker
Not if you’re a mouse!
– Abe

… When I was a little kid, maybe five years old, in the old country, my mother used to say to me; she’d warn me, she’d say, ‘Don’t get too close to people. You’ll catch their dreams… ‘… Years later, I realized I misunderstood her… ‘Germs’, she said, not ‘dreams’, ‘You’ll catch their *germs*’…
– Abe
I want you to know something, Tucker. I went into business with you for one reason – to make money. That’s all… How was I to know…
– Abe
… if I got too close, I’d catch your dreams…
– Abe

When I was a boy, I used to, I used to read all about Edison, and the Wright brothers, Mr. Ford, they were, they were my heroes.
– Preston Tucker

“Big ships fine,” Confucius say. “Rowboats long in tooth, make big noise, go nowhere.”
– Preston Tucker

They *love* the cars, the people! Drives me crazy, that the motor company’s dead… They’ll never be made!
– Abe
We made ’em.
– Preston Tucker
Fifty cars…
– Abe
Aw, what’s the difference – fifty or fifty million. That’s only machinery!… It’s the *idea* that counts, Abe… The dream…
– Preston Tucker

[singing] Hold that tiger! Hold that tiger!
– Preston Tucker

Abe. Gee I appreciate you stopping by. How long you got between trains?
– Preston Tucker
You like this? living in the middle of nowhere? Cupa coffee, 2, 3 in the morning, you could die first.
– Abe
Or you could go into the kitchen and make some
– Preston Tucker
Who needs coffee, 2 in the morning? You sit down, read the paper, chew the fat with the waitress. Here, you look around, there’s nothin’ but scenery
– Abe
I always thought we’re the scenery. How do you like your coffee?
– Preston Tucker
In the city.
– Abe

Cars? You brought me here for cars?
– Abe
Does that look like a car to you? THAT, is a gold mine I’m handing you on a silver platter.
– Preston Tucker
Forget it; you got no chance.
– Abe
Now how can you say that? You haven’t even heard my ideas yet.
– Preston Tucker
Ideas? Einstein’s in the idea business; he makes up numbers so high only dogs can hear them. But what does it cost him? a piece of paper, a couple of pencils.
– Abe