“And between me and my money is a kind of understanding.”
Why it's great
It turns hoarding into a love affair, dry and funny in one breath.
Register
Informal
Use it yourself
Between me and my savings account there is a firm understanding.
00:00 / 02:04
00:00 / 02:04
Harry Tries to Borrow 200 Pounds, Explained
Night and the City · 1950
Chapter 7 of 19 · 2'04"
Harry goes from one contact to another trying to raise two hundred pounds: a counterfeit printer, a con man, and finally Anna O'Leary. Each one turns him down in their own style, and Anna finishes the evening with an elegant brush-off: "I'm taking great pleasure in bidding you good night."
Key moments
Start here, then watch the full scene- 0:14–0:39
Harry, All I Got Is My Money
25s - 1:04–2:03
A Golden Opportunity Is Turned Down
58s
Harry Tries to Borrow 200 Pounds, explained
What happens
Harry spends the evening trying to borrow two hundred pounds. He asks Figler to match it, is told he should settle down instead, then gets only paperwork from the printer who could fake a passport. His last stop is Anna O'Leary, who will not risk her money and dismisses him with a polite good night.
What's really going on
This is the film's running theme in one long night: Harry has charm, plans, and no money, and every person he approaches can see the difference. Figler is almost fond of him and still refuses, wrapping the refusal in a marriage joke about his cash: "And between me and my money is a kind of understanding." The printer offers fake documents instead of cash, which is the only kind of help Harry's world provides. Anna O'Leary, the most professional of the three, ends the pitch with the film's best line of dismissal, "I'm taking great pleasure in bidding you good night." Harry is not defeated by cruelty but by patience, and he keeps going because he does not know how to stop.
Key lines & what they mean
- “And between me and my money is a kind of understanding.”
- Figler's joke about why he will not lend: he and his money are partners, and the partnership comes first.
- “Like holy matrimony: till death us do part.”
- The marriage metaphor continued: he says he is married to his money, which makes the refusal almost affectionate.
- “I'm taking great pleasure in bidding you good night.”
- Anna's polite way of ending the meeting, and the most elegant rejection in the film.
- “But this is a golden opportunity, Googin. One chance in a thousand.”
- Harry's pitch: he calls the scheme a rare chance, which is exactly what everyone sees through.
- “But if you ain't got socks, you can't pull 'em up, now, can you?”
- A folk saying about not being able to help when you have nothing, used to explain why Harry's plans are hopeless.
Theme
- Money — Every conversation is a failed loan, and the people with cash are careful while the man who needs it is not.
- Ambition — Harry keeps pitching a fortune he does not have, and his confidence outruns every actual resource.
What this chapter teaches
Teaching points
Review right after watchingMy level4/7
A1–C2 is the CEFR scale. Cards above the level you pick fade, and playback will not auto-pause on them.
Language points
Click a card to jump to its moment in the videoGolden lines
A great line in its own right — why and how to use it“Like holy matrimony: till death us do part.”
Why it's great
The wedding vow collides with his stinginess, and the joke lands on the gap.
Register
literary
Use it yourself
My laptop and I are like holy matrimony: till death us do part.
“I'm taking great pleasure in bidding you good night.”
Why it's great
Politeness becomes a door shut in his face; the courtesy is the cruelty.
Register
Formal
Use it yourself
I take great pleasure in wishing you a good evening.
“But this is a golden opportunity, Googin. One chance in a thousand.”
Why it's great
Calling a one-in-a-thousand gamble a golden opportunity captures the salesman's fever and self-deception at once.
Register
Informal
Use it yourself
This is a golden opportunity, and only two slots are left.
“But if you ain't got socks, you can't pull 'em up, now, can you?”
Why it's great
A homely image about owning no socks to pull up says plainly that you cannot act without money.
Register
Informal
Use it yourself
If you ain't got the cash, you can't buy the round, can you?
Up next · 08talk down your noseThe scene: Mary Waits for Harry OutsideTakeaways
What you walk away with- A refusal can be dressed in wedding vows.
- Polite words here mean a closed door.
- Every lender has his own excuse ready.
- Without capital, Harry has nothing to pull up.
People also search
Questions, then the linesWhy does Harry need two hundred pounds?
He is trying to buy into a wrestling venture, and he needs the money before he can bring anyone else in. The scene shows him failing to raise it from every contact he has.
Why does Figler refuse to lend Harry money?
He says his money is all he has and that he and it have an understanding, meaning he will not gamble it on Harry's scheme. He likes Harry but values his cash more.
What does Anna O'Leary do?
She runs a smuggling business and sticks to it. She will not put money into another man's game, so she refuses Harry and sends him away politely.
Why won't the printer lend Harry money?
He will not risk cash on the scheme, but he is willing to help in another way. He offers to print a passport, a birth certificate, or a medical license instead.
How does Harry react to being turned down?
He never treats a refusal as final. He keeps pitching the plan as the chance of a lifetime, calls it a golden opportunity, and promises a life of ease and plenty.