Martha Scott credited as playing...
Ella Bishop
- John Stevens: [Reading from J. M. Barrie's book, The Little Minister] The life of every man is a diary in which he means to write one story, and writes another.
- Ella Bishop: [Interrupting] Would you mind reading that again? Just the last sentence.
- John Stevens: The life of every man is a diary in which he means to write one story... and writes another.
- Ella Bishop: I suppose that's true, isn't it? We dream dreams and... Do go on.
- Ella Bishop: [Slowly rising from her seat] President Corcoran, do you mean... Well, of course I know you couldn't mean... But I can't help thinking that you might mean... President Corcoran, do you mean I...
- James Corcoran, Midwestern U. President: Oh dear dear dear. There's a heap of repetition in that sentence... for a teacher of freshman English!
- Ella Bishop: Oh...
- James Corcoran, Midwestern U. President: I take it you're going to accept?
- Ella Bishop: Accept? Accept? Well, if I could... If I could only... Well, President Corcoran!
- [Kisses him on the forehead then runs away]
- Ella Bishop: [giving a toast] So here's to our nation: she's young, she's growing too fast, she makes a lot of mistakes, but somehow she does manage to keep her people free. May she always.
- John Stevens: [Examining the label on a wine bottle] Orvieto...
- Ella Bishop: Orvieto? Should know but I don't.
- John Stevens: It's a little Italian town, Orvieto. Sunny and warm, it's flooded with warm sunlight. I remember once seeing one beggar there with a beautiful flower and a ragged hat. He was perfectly happy.
- Ella Bishop: A beggar with a flower in his ragged hat. And sunlight...
- John Stevens: I stayed there for weeks and weeks. I ate chestnut bread with the peasants and drank the new wine. And *I* was perfectly happy. Then I went on to Rome; I did everything the guidebook said but it wasn't the same.