Frank Lovejoy: Inspector Ed McCook

Quotes 

• [first lines] 

  Inspector Ed McCook : [narrating]  This is the fire alarm office located on the sixth floor of City Hall, Chicago. This is the nerve center of fire safety of four million people. Last year, 75,000 calls were handled right here. A call is received, the company nearest is notified and help is on the way - and fast. By the time the alarm box is pulled and the trucks are on the street, only an average of fourteen seconds have elapsed

• Inspector Ed McCook : [narrating]  Our story actually began about a month ago. There'd been seventeen fires in this area. The report had been the same on all of them - origin had been suspicious, undetermined or incendiary. And when the reports read that way, that's when I come in. My name is Ed McCook - fire investigation.

• Fire Alarm Office Man : How do you stop a firebug?

  Inspector Ed McCook : There only one way.

  Fire Alarm Office Man : How?

  Inspector Ed McCook : Find him.

• Inspector Ed McCook : [narrating]  When you're assigned to the fire attorney's office, you learn ot expect anything because it always involves people. There they were - the lookers. Why do people go to fires? Do they just happen to be down the block? Some people like to watch baseball, others go to the neighborhood movie, others like wrestling or reading the newspaper. At a fire, you'll find all types. Why not - it's free entertainment. To some it's a sickness, to others a hobby - to me, it's a job.

• Fire Attorney : Have you taken up a hobby on my time?

  Inspector Ed McCook : No no, not a hobby. That film was just taken an hour ago at that fire at 713 Averly. I thought it was time we had a look at the lookers.

• Inspector Ed McCook : What are you running for?

  Mickey Hubbard : I was only watchin'. I wasn't doin' nothin'.

  Inspector Ed McCook : I know - that's why you were running.

• Inspector Ed McCook : How much did he pay you?

  Mickey Hubbard : Fifty, sometimes a hundred... the last time twenty. I didn't mean to hurt anybody. Honest, I didn't!

  Inspector Ed McCook : Would you like something to eat?

  Mickey Hubbard : I guess.

  Inspector Ed McCook : After you clean up, how 'bout a shave?

  Mickey Hubbard : I don't shave yet.

• [last lines] 

  Inspector Ed McCook : The fireman is a dedicated man. When the call comes in he doesn't know whether he'll have to get a cat out of a tree or give up his life to save yours. We've come a long way since Mrs. O'Leary's cow. We had three hundred thousand people then, now we have four million - some good, some bad, but I'm optimistic - the good always out-number the bad.