to owe someone a phone call back
I'll tell him he owes you a call.Swimming with Sharks · 1994 — Chapter 1 of 16 · 3'50" · A2
Buddy Sweet-Talks Shelley Winters, Explained: sweet-talk someone
At a Hollywood gathering, one guest retells how Buddy Ackerman charmed a reluctant Shelley Winters into reading for a part; she sits there unmoved, and "Shelley's not buyin' it." The chapter then moves to Guy meeting the director Foster Kane and to a call from Buddy.
What happens
At a party, a group trades Hollywood memories. One guest tells how Buddy Ackerman sweet-talked the Oscar-winning Shelley Winters into doing a reading, and how she silenced him by pulling award after award from her bag. Guy is then introduced to the director Foster Kane and gets a call from Buddy.
Listen for
Owe someone a callBlow itSweet-talk someoneNot buy it
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Phrase of the scene
Sweet-talk someone
用甜言蜜语哄人、把话往好听了说
在基斯通影业的办公室里，巴迪想请息影多年的雪莉·温特斯出山试镜，一边游说一边猛灌好话，助理用这个词形容他连哄带捧的手段。
He sweet-talked the landlord into giving him an extra month.
Also in this scene
- Owe someone a call
to owe someone a phone call back
- Blow it
to ruin a good opportunity by making a mistake
- Not buy it
不买账、不相信那套说法
Everything marked in this scene
25 notes across 101 lines
Thanks, Derrick. Where was I?Buddy invites her to do a reading for a part.20 years, but Buddy can convince a flea it needs ticks.Shelley comes rolling into the office, plops down in a chair.Shelley comes rolling into the office, plops down in a chair.Buddy was working her, sweet-talking her.Shelley's not buyin' it. She's just sitting there.No way.An honest-to-god Academy Award.You're kiddin' me.Buddy still doesn't shut up.He's goin' on and on and on and on.Buddy's sweet-talkin' like crazy.Dead silence.Finally, she looks him right in the eye, and she says...This coming from the future president of Keystone Pictures.Never apologize, Moe. It's a sign of weakness.To keep an eye on you, Foster.I haven't heard back, though.He is the prodigal son of Keystone Pictures.He is our ticket in.to ruin a good opportunity by making a mistake
So don't blow it with your stupid questions.Forget about Buddy.I think we really need to talk.Buddy Sweet-Talks Shelley Winters, explained
What's really going on
The chapter works the way the movie works: Hollywood runs on talk, and the talk always belongs to the more powerful man in the room. The crowd cannot even place Shelley Winters, confusing her with Martha Raye, yet Buddy's pitch is retold as legend, proof that a producer's charm is a real and enviable weapon. One line sums up the code: "Never apologize, Moe. It's a sign of weakness." Here sincerity is a liability and every friendship is an opening. Foster Kane is described as "our ticket in," and Guy is warned not to blow it with stupid questions. That is why Buddy's call lands so hard: Guy is not a friend to these people, he is access, and he learns it while standing at the party.
Theme
PowerThe party treats Buddy's gift for charming and controlling people as the real currency of Hollywood.
AmbitionGuy matters to these people only as access, and he is warned not to waste the chance his connection gives him.
What you'll learn
- Use owe someone a call for callbacks
- Hear sweet-talk as persuasive flattery
- Use blow it for ruining a chance
- Catch the tension in dead silence
- Notice how "owes you a call" changes the exchange.
Never apologize, Moe. It's a sign of weakness.The room's code stated as advice: apologising looks like weakness, so never admit fault in front of people who keep score.
He is our ticket in.How the hangers-on see Guy: not as a friend but as their access to Buddy and the studio.
This coming from the future president of Keystone Pictures.A dry aside about status and ambition, aimed at the person said to be headed for the top of the studio.
That's only the most powerful, sought-after director in town.The introduction that explains the sudden excitement around Foster Kane's arrival among the group.
Questions about this scene
Who is Shelley Winters, and why does Buddy want her?
She is an aging Oscar-winning actress who has not auditioned in years. Buddy invites her to a reading because his charm can talk almost anyone into almost anything.
Why can't the guests place Shelley Winters?
They only half-remember her, mixing her up with Martha Raye and joking about denture commercials until someone corrects them.
Why does everyone make a fuss about Foster Kane?
He is described as the most powerful and sought-after director in town, and the others see Guy's connection to him as their own way into the industry.
What does "our ticket in" mean here?
It means a person who provides access. The hangers-on treat Guy as their ticket into Buddy Ackerman and the studio, not as a friend.
Swimming with Sharks · 16 chapters
All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 2End of storyBuddy Berates Guy Over the Phone
Watching · Chapter 1sweet-talk someoneBuddy Sweet-Talks Shelley Winters
Chapter 2End of storyBuddy Berates Guy Over the Phone
Chapter 3lose the smileGuy's First Day as Buddy's Assistant
Chapter 4Humor meBuddy Berates Guy Over Sweet'N Low
Chapter 5punch below the beltGuy Learns the Rules of Show Business
Chapter 6It's not brain surgeryBuddy Rages Over the Word Unreachable
Chapter 7give action to get actionAn Apology Becomes a Power Play
Chapter 8Get over yourselfGuy Explains Why He Loves Movies
Chapter 9written all over itBuddy Orders Guy to Bury the Story
Chapter 10White knight in shining armorBuddy Offers Guy the White Knight Role
Chapter 11on a short leashGuy Is Warned Off the Boss
Chapter 12Hit a home runBuddy Pitches Guy's Ending to Cyrus
Chapter 13make a killingGuy Ditches His Partner to Obey Buddy
Chapter 14the rat raceBuddy's Rat Race Speech
Chapter 15Paid my duesBuddy Defends Himself to Guy
Chapter 16climb the social ladderDawn Finds Guy Holding Buddy HostageChapter 1 of 16 · about 78 min to go