Cheers for Miss Bishop (1941)

Martha Scott: Ella Bishop

Photos 

Quotes 

• John Stevens : [Reading from J. M. Barrie's book, The Little Minister]  The life of every man is a diary in which he means to write one story, and writes another.

  Ella Bishop : [Interrupting]  Would you mind reading that again? Just the last sentence.

  John Stevens : The life of every man is a diary in which he means to write one story... and writes another.

  Ella Bishop : I suppose that's true, isn't it? We dream dreams and... Do go on.

• Ella Bishop : [Slowly rising from her seat]  President Corcoran, do you mean... Well, of course I know you couldn't mean... But I can't help thinking that you might mean... President Corcoran, do you mean I...

  James Corcoran, Midwestern U. President : Oh dear dear dear. There's a heap of repetition in that sentence... for a teacher of freshman English!

  Ella Bishop : Oh...

  James Corcoran, Midwestern U. President : I take it you're going to accept?

  Ella Bishop : Accept? Accept? Well, if I could... If I could only... Well, President Corcoran!

  [Kisses him on the forehead then runs away] 

• Ella Bishop : [giving a toast]  So here's to our nation: she's young, she's growing too fast, she makes a lot of mistakes, but somehow she does manage to keep her people free. May she always.

• John Stevens : [Examining the label on a wine bottle]  Orvieto...

  Ella Bishop : Orvieto? Should know but I don't.

  John Stevens : It's a little Italian town, Orvieto. Sunny and warm, it's flooded with warm sunlight. I remember once seeing one beggar there with a beautiful flower and a ragged hat. He was perfectly happy.

  Ella Bishop : A beggar with a flower in his ragged hat. And sunlight...

  John Stevens : I stayed there for weeks and weeks. I ate chestnut bread with the peasants and drank the new wine. And *I* was perfectly happy. Then I went on to Rome; I did everything the guidebook said but it wasn't the same.