Our Vines Have Tender Grapes (1945)

Edward G. Robinson: Martinius Jacobson

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Quotes 

• Martinius Jacobson : [Entering Bjornson's new barn]  You can still smell the new wood... finest smell on the earth.

• Selma Jacobson : [inquisitively worried while sitting in the barn]  Pa, Editor isn't going to be a soldier, is he? Arnold says he is, but he isn't, is he!

  Martinius Jacobson : Yes.

  Selma Jacobson : But won't he get hurt if he's a soldier?... Will he?

  Martinius Jacobson : Well, ya can't tell jenta mi, it's just whatever happens.

  Selma Jacobson : But why is he going?

  Martinius Jacobson : Because he thinks he ought to.

  Selma Jacobson : But why? I don't think it's true about 'peace on earth, goodwill toward men' if, if Editor's gonna get hurt maybe.

  Martinius Jacobson : Well, uh, look jenta mi, uh

  [sets down the two pales of fresh milk that he's holding] 

  Martinius Jacobson : you know these things they're, they're awful hard to explain.

  [kneels down with the children] 

  Martinius Jacobson : Now, uh, now you take milk - now, milk's a good thing, isn't it?

  [she nods] 

  Martinius Jacobson : Well, it's good for calves, for children, for grownups, for... for everybody. Isn't that so?

  Selma Jacobson : Yes.

  Martinius Jacobson : Well, just because it's good is no reason we get it free. We have to work for it. Now does that make any sense?

  Selma Jacobson : Yes.

  Martinius Jacobson : Well, uh, the way I look at it, it's the, the same thing with 'peace on earth, goodwill toward men.' It's good for everybody and it don't come free either; you have to work for it. And, uh, somebody comes along, tries to take it away from us - well, we've got to fight for it; it's that good jenta mi. Now I guess, uh, that's why Editor's going. Does that help you to understand?

  Selma Jacobson : Does understand mean I've got to be glad about it?

  Martinius Jacobson : No.

  Selma Jacobson : Well then I guess I understand.

  Martinius Jacobson : Good.

• Martinius Jacobson : [contemplating and reevaluating what's really important in life after the tragic fire that destroyed the Bjornson's new barn]  You know, I've been thinking.

  Bruna Jacobson : Yeah?

  Martinius Jacobson : When the war is over, and things open up again, I want to do some things to the house: pipe water in, fix up the bathroom, maybe get a little electric plan - these lamps ain't so good on Selma's eyes. You could do with a new stove too, the kind that works on rock gas.

  Bruna Jacobson : Where you figure on gettin' the money?

  Martinius Jacobson : We've got it.

  Bruna Jacobson : But you, you'll need that and a lot more for the new barn.

  Martinius Jacobson : I don't figure to build a barn, Bruna.

  Bruna Jacobson : I thought you had your heart set on it?

  Martinius Jacobson : Yeah, I guess I did. Guess every man kinda figures way down in his heart the one thing he really wants is a... new barn. Hmph, that's mostly foolishness.

  Bruna Jacobson : I'm not so sure, Martinius. Maybe... maybe if a man wants a barn as bad as you do, maybe he ought to have it.

  Martinius Jacobson : No, not if it costs a price a man ain't willin' to pay. I've got you, I've got Selma; now if I had a barn I'd have everything, there wouldn't be anything else I'd want. I don't know, Bruna; maybe it's a good thing for a man to want somethin' - somethin' he ain't ever gonna get - just to keep his interest up and help him take care of things he has.

  [Bruna is emotionally touched and goes upstairs to bed] 

• Arnold Hanson : [sitting around the dinner table eating pancakes for supper and talking about the Jacobson's new calf]  Sure is funny how I keep on not getting a calf.

  Bruna Jacobson : Well what Selma's pa meant was that it was just pretend her calf.

  Selma Jacobson : [looking disheartened]  But pa didn't say it was pretend - he said it was all mine.

  Bruna Jacobson : Well everything on the farm is all yours Selma, yours and ours - the things that keep us warm, the food we have - it couldn't just belong to one of us any more than... the sunshine,

  [waves her hand] 

  Bruna Jacobson : or these pesky flies. I'm sure that's what your pa meant, isn't it Martinius?

  Martinius Jacobson : Well uh, that may be what I meant to say; but I did tell her it was all hers. Well maybe your mother's right Selma. Maybe we, uh, ought to kinda figure it like she said instead of, uh, what we spoke about.

  Bruna Jacobson : Well Heaven sakes Martinus, you can't take it away from her if you gave it to her like that. Maybe it's a good thing; I think your pa's right. She needed something to take care of. She'll have work to do, just like a grownup.

  [Selma smiles and nods] 

• Martinius Jacobson : [smoking his pipe on the porch and contemplatively enjoying the night sky]  Did you ever see so many stars?

  Selma Jacobson : Pa, do people live on the stars?

  Martinius Jacobson : They do, if you want them too.

  Selma Jacobson : Why's that?

  Martinius Jacobson : Mm, well because nobody can tell for sure that they don't.

  Selma Jacobson : I wonder if the people who live on the stars have free barns.

  Martinius Jacobson : Mm, of course jenta mi. Up there, every man has a big red barn and a fine herd of cows. It's guaranteed with his birth certificate.

  Selma Jacobson : I guess that's why they call it the Milkyway, isn't it.

  Martinius Jacobson : Mm, naturally.

  [points up and to his left] 

  Martinius Jacobson : See the Big Dipper? Almost running over with milk.

• Selma Jacobson : [after Martinius turns down Pete Hanson's offer to drive him to the grange meeting]  Why didn't you wanna go, Pa?

  Martinius Jacobson : [smoking his pipe on the porch and contemplatively looking up at the night sky]  Oh, I don't know. On a night like this with a lot of people around, I... I get lonesome feeling.

  Selma Jacobson : Can you be lonesome with people?

  Martinius Jacobson : Sometimes.

  Selma Jacobson : Are you lonesome now?

  Martinius Jacobson : No.

  Selma Jacobson : [pointing to herself]  But I'm people.

  Martinius Jacobson : [sitting down]  No, jenta mi. You're my daughter.

  [They smile and warmly embrace each other] 

• Bruna Jacobson : [Martinius feels guilty for having to reprimand Selma]  Oh, first you won't eat your supper and now you're gonna take a bath. You just wanna be by yourself, don't ya?

  Martinius Jacobson : Something like that.

  Bruna Jacobson : Well, I'll get the water goin'; you can have the new soap. I honestly don't know which of you's the biggest baby: you or Selma?

• Martinius Jacobson : [proudly, while toasting wine with their local friends on Christmas morning]  Oh, I have some news to tell. I talked to the bank and, uh, they think we should put up a new barn here.

  Bjorn Bjornson : Well...

  Bruna Jacobson : [concernedly]  When?

  Martinius Jacobson : Soon as the winter breaks.

  Bjorn Bjornson : Then we drink to a Merry Christmas, and a new barn.

  Mr. Faraassen : Well, especially the new barn - we already have the Christmas.

  Selma Jacobson : [excitedly]  Oh, jeepers Pa!

  Bruna Jacobson : What are you gonna do with the old barn?

  Martinius Jacobson : Use it for storage.

  Bjorn Bjornson : Ja, you always need more storage space around the farm.

  Bruna Jacobson : And the debt? What shall we do with the debt?

  Martinius Jacobson : Well, we'll drink to it too.

  Martinius Jacobson , Bruna Jacobson , Bjorn Bjornson , Mr. Faraassen , Selma Jacobson : Skol!

  [They all toast each other while Bruna looks worried] 

• Martinius Jacobson : [while in the barn during a thunderstorm]  Know what kinda weather this is, jenta mi?

  Selma Jacobson : No, what?

  Martinius Jacobson : Checker weather.

  [They head inside under Martinius's raincoat and start playing checkers] 

  Selma Jacobson : Your move, Pa.

  Martinius Jacobson : Yeah, my move. You've got me in a bad spot, jenta mi, awful bad spot. You're getting too fierce for me. I don't think I've got a move.

  Selma Jacobson : Oh, sure ya have, right there.

  [She points at a piece and he moves it forward. She then jumps him twice and collects the pieces, only to be outdone when he jumps her four times on his next move] 

  Selma Jacobson : Now you're getting fierce.

  [He chuckles amusingly] 

• Martinius Jacobson : [to Selma, after hearing Bruna yelp in fright during a storm]  Did you ever notice how your mother always gets her knitting done when there's a thunderstorm?

  Bruna Jacobson : Oh, you.

  [he chuckles amusingly] 

• Bruna Jacobson : [referring to Selma]  She'll be alright, she's asleep. You ought to get some sleep yourself.

  Martinius Jacobson : [lamenting over the tragic loss of Bjornson's new barn in a fire and the subsequent mercy killing of his cattle]  I just killed 21 purebred Jerseys. A man can't sleep on that.

  Bruna Jacobson : You did what was best.