Pleasantville Quotes

[Montage of teachers talking to David's classes]
College Counselor: For those of you going on to college next year, the chance of finding a good job will actually decrease by the time you graduate. The available number of entry-level jobs will drop 31 percent over the next four years. Median income for those jobs will go down as well. Obviously, my friends, it's a

competitive world, and good grades are your only ticket through. In fact, by the year 2000...
Health Teacher: The chance of contracting HIV from a non-monogamous lifestyle will climb to 1 in 150. The odds of dying in an auto accident are only 1 in twenty-five hundred. Now, this marks a drastic increase...
Science Teacher: ...from fourteen years ago,

when ozone depletion was just at 10 percent of its current level. By the time you are thirty years old, average global temperature will have risen two and a half degrees, causing such catastrophic consequences as typhoons, floods, widespread drought, and famine.
[Cut to David absorbing all this grim information and looking really depressed]
Science Teacher: [With a

bright smile:] Okay! Who can tell me what "famine" is?

Maltshop Guy: What's outside of Pleasantville?
David: Oh, it doesn't matter.
Margaret Henderson: What's outside of Pleasantville?
[pause]
David: There are some places that the road doesn't go in a circle. There are some places where the road keeps going.
Margaret Henderson: Keeps going?

David: Yeah, yeah. It just keeps going. It all keeps going.

George Parker: What happened? One minute, everything's fine... What went wrong?
David: Nothing went wrong. People change.
George Parker: People change?
David: Yeah, people change.
George Parker: Can they change back?
David: [grins] I don't know. I think it's

harder.

[David and Howard are eating lunch at school and studying for the "Pleasantville" Trivia Competition]
Howard: Okay, in the very first "Pleasantville" episode, whose window did Bud break when he was playing with his father's golf clubs?
David: Easy: Mister Jenkins. What job did Mister Jenkins have?
[Howard doesn't know]

David: Salesman. What did Bud and Mary Sue name the cat they found in the gutter?
Howard: Scout?
David: Marmalade! All right, all right, here's one. Why did their parents come home early from their weekend at the lake?
[Howard doesn't know]
David: 'Cause Bud didn't answer the phone and they were worried

about him.
Howard: Man. You're unbelievable. You'll win this thing for sure. When is it on?
David: Uh, marathon starts at 6:30, contest is tomorrow at noon.
Howard: A thousand bucks, huh? And it's on all night?
David: Well, of course it is, Howard. That's why they call it a marathon.

[the geography teacher uses a pointer to demonstrate, on the classroom blackboard, the world of Pleasantville, which consists of Elm Street, Main Street, and the Town Hall]
Miss Peters: Last week, class, we discussed the geography of Main Street. This week we're going to be talking about Elm Street. Now, can anyone tell me the difference between Elm Street and Main Street?

Tommy.
Tommy: It's not as long?
Miss Peters: That's right, Tommy, it's not as long. Also, it only has houses, so the geography of Main Street is different than the geography of Elm Street.
[Jennifer is frowning in bewilderment. She raises her hand]
Miss Peters: Mary Sue!
Jennifer: Yeah. What's

outside of Pleasantville?
[the entire class turns to look at her]
Miss Peters: I don't understand.
Jennifer: Outside of Pleasantville? Like, what's at the end of Main Street?
Miss Peters: [chuckles and shakes her head] Mary Sue. You should know the answer to that! The end of Main Street is just the beginning again.

[the teacher points at the intersection of Elm and Main. The class feels released to giggle at Jennifer/Mary Sue's clearly stupid question, and Jennifer frowns again]

[first lines]
[David is gazing admiringly at a pretty blonde girl]
David: *Hi*
[chuckles]
David: I mean, Hi. Uh, look, you probably don't think I should be asking you this. I mean, not knowing you well and all? I mean, you know, I, I, I know you, 'cause everybody knows you. I just don't know you technically. Uh, anyhow. Uh, I don't know

what you're doing this weekend, but my mom's leaving town, and she's letting me borrow the car.
[the camera pulls back to show that the girl is standing several dozen feet away and, in fact, is smiling and looking at another boy]
David: [Looks down at the ground, disappointed with himself, but still keeping his tone cheerful] Okey-dokey, so, just give me a call; let

me know. Bye!

[David looks up from his job at the soda counter to see Jennifer determinedly leading Skip out of the place and down the sidewalk]
David: Oh, shit!
[He takes a flying jump-leap over the counter]
David: *Jennifer*!
David: Jennifer, stop!
[He chases Jennifer and Skip outside, to where Skip's car is already pulling

away from the curb]
David: You can't do this, Jennifer! He doesn't exist! You can't do this to someone who doesn't exist!