The Birds quotes

View Quote Melanie Daniels: Have you ever seen so many seagulls? What do you suppose it is?
Mrs. MacGruder: Well, there must be a storm at sea. That can drive them inland, you know.

View Quote Melanie Daniels: On Mondays and Wednesdays I work for the Travelers Aid at the airport.
Mitch Brenner: Helping travelers?
Melanie Daniels: No, misdirecting them.

View Quote Melanie Daniels: So you're a lawyer.
Mitch Brenner: That's right. Of course I usually defend people, Miss Daniels, but if I were prosecuting...
Melanie Daniels: Do you practice here?
Mitch Brenner: San Francisco...
Melanie Daniels: What kind of law?
Mitch Brenner: Criminal.
Melanie Daniels: Is that why you want to see everyone behind bars?
Mitch Brenner: Oh, not everyone, Miss Daniels.
Melanie Daniels: Only violators and practical jokers.

View Quote Mitch Brenner: [mistaking Melanie for a sales clerk] I wonder if you could help me?
Melanie Daniels: Just what is it you're looking for, sir?
Mitch Brenner: Lovebirds.
Melanie Daniels: Lovebirds, sir?
Mitch Brenner: Yes, I understand there are different varieties. Is that true?
Melanie Daniels: Oh yes there are.
Mitch Brenner: Well, these are for my sister, for her birthday see, and uh, as she's only going to be eleven, I, I wouldn't want a pair of birds that were too demonstrative.
Melanie Daniels: I understand completely.
Mitch Brenner: At the same time, I wouldn't want them to be too aloof either.
Melanie Daniels: No, of course not.
Mitch Brenner: Do you happen to have a pair of birds that are just friendly?

View Quote Mitch Brenner: Doesn't this make you feel awful... having all these poor little innocent creatures caged up like this?
Melanie Daniels: Well, we can't just let them fly around the shop, you know.
Mitch Brenner: No, I suppose not. Is there an ornithological reason for keeping them in separate cages?
Melanie Daniels: Well certainly, it's to protect the species.
Mitch Brenner: Yes, I suppose that's important, especially during the moulting season.
Melanie Daniels: That's a particularly dangerous time.
Mitch Brenner: Are they moulting now?
Melanie Daniels: Some of them are.
Mitch Brenner: How can you tell?
Melanie Daniels: Well, they get a sort of hang-dog expression.

View Quote Mitch Brenner: We met in court... I'll rephrase it. I saw you in court... Don't you remember one of your practical jokes that resulted in the smashing of a plate-glass window?... The judge should have put you behind bars.
Melanie Daniels: What are you, a policeman?
Mitch Brenner: I merely believe in the law, Miss Daniels... I just thought you might like to know what it's like to be on the other end of a gag. What do ya think of that?
Melanie Daniels: I think you're a louse.
Mitch Brenner: I am.

View Quote Mitch Brenner: Well, small world...How do you know Annie?
Melanie Daniels: We went to school together - college...
Mitch Brenner: So you came up to see Annie, huh?
Melanie Daniels: Yes.
Mitch Brenner: I think you came up to see me.
Melanie Daniels: Now why would I want to see you of all people?
Mitch Brenner: I don't know. You must have gone to a lot of trouble to find out who I was and where I lived.
Melanie Daniels: No, it was no trouble at all. I simply called my father's newspaper. Besides, I was coming up anyway. I've already told you that.
Mitch Brenner: You really like me, huh?
Melanie Daniels: I loathe you. You have no manners, you're arrogant, and conceited, and I wrote you a letter about it, in fact. I tore it up.

View Quote [as she sees a man lighting his cigar as gasoline is leaking around him] Look at the gas, that man's lighting a cigar!

View Quote I think we're in real trouble. I don't know how this started or why, but I know it's here and we'd be crazy to ignore it... The bird war, the bird attack, plague - call it what you like. They're amassing out there someplace and they'll be back. You can count on it... Unless we do something right now, unless we get Bodega Bay on the move, they... Mrs. Bundy said something about Santa Cruz, about seagulls getting lost in a fog and then flying in towards the lights... Make our own fog... we can use smoke pots the way the Army uses 'em.

View Quote I'm neither poor nor innocent.