“Voices that say, "If you don't kiss her soon, you're a chump."”
Why it's great
He dresses up his own urge as a mysterious voice, which makes the flirtation funny.
Register
Informal
Use it yourself
If you don't buy that jacket now, you're a chump.
00:00 / 02:36
00:00 / 02:36
Tony Flirts on the Office Phone, Explained
You Can't Take It with You · 1938
Chapter 5 of 27 · 2'36"
Tony Kirby Jr. would rather daydream about Alice than work, joking on the phone with the Sycamore housekeeper. His mother comes to see him and is told, "I doubt if you can see him," because he is supposedly too busy. A quiet request hints Alice wants out.
Key moments
Start here, then watch the full scene- 0:11–0:50
Tony's Kissing Daydream
38s
Tony Flirts on the Office Phone, explained
What happens
At his office, young Tony Kirby Jr. makes a long, silly phone call to the Sycamore house, teasing Rheba and joking that he could answer the phone without using his hands. His mother, Mrs. Kirby, arrives to see him but is put off by his staff, and Alice quietly asks for the newspaper's want-ad section.
What's really going on
For all the comedy, the chapter is about two people who cannot say what they mean. Tony is in love with Alice but hides it in jokes — he hears "voices that say, 'If you don't kiss her soon, you're a chump'" and mocks his own courage, bragging he could work the phone "without the use of my hands." When his mother visits, the office defends his importance: "I doubt if you can see him." Meanwhile Alice, the stenographer he loves, asks for the want-ad section, which quietly says she is thinking of leaving a job — and a life — that no longer fits. The jokes cover a real distance of class and nerve.
Key lines & what they mean
- “Voices that say, "If you don't kiss her soon, you're a chump."”
- Tony's joking way of admitting he wants to kiss Alice: his own imagination nags him to stop hesitating.
- “You know, if I were really clever, I could answer the phone without the use of my hands.”
- His mock-boast about multitasking: he is bragging to cover how easily Alice distracts him.
- “Well, the cave caved in and I haven't been heard from since.”
- A joke about being trapped on the phone; he treats his silly conversation as a life-or-death cave-in.
- “That's wonderful. You'd be a sensation on a trapeze.”
- A dry joke about Tony's office antics: if he could answer phones hands-free, the circus would want him.
Theme
- Romance — Tony hides his love for Alice behind phone jokes, urged to kiss her only by voices in his head.
- Class — Alice quietly asks for the want-ad section, hinting she wants to leave a job and a world she cannot fit into.
What this chapter teaches
Teaching points
Review right after watchingMy level3/7
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“Well, the cave caved in and I haven't been heard from since.”
Why it's great
He talks about himself like a missing person, deadpan absurdity in one line.
Register
Informal
Use it yourself
I left the group chat and haven't been heard from since.
“You know, if I were really clever, I could answer the phone without the use of my hands.”
Why it's great
The subjunctive makes a silly boast sound almost like a serious claim.
Register
Informal
Use it yourself
If I were really clever, I could fix this without any tools.
“That's wonderful. You'd be a sensation on a trapeze.”
Why it's great
Turns office cleverness into a circus act, flirty and light.
Register
Informal
Use it yourself
You would be a sensation in a restaurant kitchen.
You would be a sensation on the radio.
Up next · 06putty in the handsThe scene: The Kirbys Disapprove of AliceTakeaways
What you walk away with- Tony turns a private urge into a joke about hearing voices.
- A chump is a light insult, playful rather than cruel.
- I doubt if is how a gatekeeper says no without saying no.
- The falling ceiling is a joke for a day going badly wrong.
People also search
Questions, then the linesWhy does Tony spend so long on the phone?
He calls the Sycamore house to joke with Rheba and, mostly, to hear about Alice. The call is his excuse to stay close to the family he is falling into.
Why does Mrs. Kirby visit the office?
She comes to see her son Tony, but his staff waves her off with "I doubt if you can see him," because he is supposedly too busy.
Why does Alice want the newspaper's want-ad section?
She is looking for another job, hinting she feels out of place and may leave the office where she works for Tony.
Does Tony actually love Alice?
The scene strongly suggests yes: he daydreams about kissing her, calls her home to talk, and the voices in his head push him to act.
What does the ceiling falling in mean?
It is a joke. Tony says "the ceiling just fell in" to end his call, as if news from home were a disaster, when he is really just flirting.