The Best Doug Roberts Quotes

Doug: I'm not a cheeseburger.
Susan: No, you're way better, all protein, no bread, now all I need to take with you is eight glasses of water.

[about breeches buoy lottery]
Doug: We'll send the kids out first, and then the women. Number this up to, I don't know - a hundred or so.
Susan: High-rise roulette.
Doug: High-rise roulette. That's right.

Doug: I thought we were building something that... where people could work and live and be SAFE! If you had to cut costs, why didn't you cut floors instead of corners?
James: Now listen. Any decisions that were made for the use of alternate building materials were made because I as a builder have a right to make those decisions; if I remain within the building code and god-dammit, I did!
Doug: [Chuckling] Building code? Jesus. Building code. Come on, Dunc, I mean that's a standard cop-out when you're in trouble. I was crawling around up there. I mean, duct holes weren't fire-stopped! Corridors without fire doors in it, sprinklers won't work, and an electrical system that's good for what? I mean, it's good for starting fires! Hoo boy, where was I when all this was going on? Because I'm just as guilty as you and that god-damned son-in-law of yours! What do they call it when you kill people?

James: What I wanted to tell us is that Senator Parker is flying in for the dedication tonight. And he's almost guaranteed to sign the Urban Renewal Contract. Now do you know what that means? Skyscrapers like this all over the country! You design 'em, I'll build 'em.
Doug: Don't you think you're suffering from an edifice complex?
James: You'll never leave.
Doug: Right after the party - come on downstairs and watch me burn my black tie.

[last Lines]
Chief: You know, we were lucky tonight. Body count's less than 200. You know, one of these days, you're gonna kill 10,000 in one of these firetraps, and I'm gonna keep eating smoke and bringing out bodies until somebody asks us... how to build them.
Doug: [looks up at the smoky building] Okay. I'm asking.
Chief: You know where to reach me. So long, architect.

Chief: For what it's worth, architect, this is one building that I figured wouldn't burn.
Doug: Either did I.
[O'Hallorhan starts to walk toward Roberts's office on the 79th floor, so Roberts decides to add the kicker]
Doug: And they're celebrating! A party.
Chief: Party? What party? Where?
Doug: In the Promenade Room. 300 people.
Chief: Well, why didn't you get them the hell out of there?
Doug: Why don't you go on upstairs and talk to Duncan? He ain't exactly listening to me.
Chief: I will.

Doug: I don't know. Maybe they just oughta leave it the way it is. Kind of a shrine to all the bullshit in the world.

Doug: [on security phone with Wes] Doug... I'm up on 83 with Will. Listen, we got a little wiring problem. If we've got an overload it could be trouble. Shut down as many of the Zone One systems as you can.
Wes: [into the phone] I'm afraid I can't do that, Mr. Roberts. We've got all the lights on for the dedication ceremony.
Doug: [in disbelief] All... you mean the whole building?
Wes: Well, we're taking the overload just fine.
Doug: [sharply] Well shut it down, right away!
Wes: But I can't do that without a direct okay from Mr. Duncan himself.
Doug: I'll accept the responsibility for that. Just turn off the goddamned lights!
Wes: What about the lights in the tower for the party?
Doug: I didn't say kill all the power, just the overload!
Wes: Yes sir, Mr. Roberts.

Giddings: [Will has produced the original blueprints of the Glass Tower] Well Doug, here you are. The original specs. Zone 1 only, but we have to start somewhere.
[referring to Roger changing the electrical specs]
Giddings: You really think he did it?
Doug: Well, he didn't admit it, but two bucks'll get you ten that he did.
Giddings: Payoffs and kickbacks, that's the only way he could have swung it.
Doug: [referring to Roger's lack of cooperation in producing the wiring specifications]
Doug: Son of a bitch gave us an impossible job!

[to Duncan after hearing about Giddings on the phone]
Doug: Will Giddings is dead. He died twenty minutes ago.
[pause]
Doug: Oh, boy. Ohh! I wonder how many more will be dead by tomorrow.

Doug: Hey Dunc, if that fire was caused by fluky wiring in this building, we could get fires breaking out everywhere!

Chief: [sighs] Architects.
Doug: Yeah, it's all our fault.
Chief: Now, you know there's no sure way for us to fight a fire in anything over the seventh floor, but you guys just keep building 'em as high as you can.
Doug: Hey. Are you here to take me on, or the fire?

[Duncan is talking about Roberts' unemployment after the Tower job]
James: You know, there's a saying that goes "No matter how hot it gets up there during the day...
James: [in unison] There isn't a damn thing you can do at night."
James: That's right. Now what the hell are you going to do at night in the middle of nowhere?
Doug: Sleep like a winner.

[Chief O'Hallorhan has just found out the fire is heading towards the elevator shaft]
Chief: You'd better call Duncan, tell him to stop those people in the car room from using that express elevator, or somebody's going to get killed.
[Roberts picks up the phone to comply]
Chief: [addressing a colleague] OK, Kappy... ring in a third alarm. I want some rescue squads here and I also want choppers. We're going to need them if we're going to get those people. - All right, come on, firemen. I'll be on 81.
Doug: [on the phone to Duncan as injured firemen are brought into the office to get medical help] The fire's moving towards the main shaft. Use the scenic elevator - don't overload.
James: OK, Doug.
[Duncan hangs up the phone and turns to do so but is confronted by Roger Simmons]
Roger: I don't like the way you talked to me.
James: You drunk?
Roger: Not yet.
James: Well then, get out of my way!
Roger: You didn't talk like this two years ago, did you? Running over budget and out of money? Did you ask me then how I could shave two million dollars off our electrical costs?
James: [making his way to the elevators] Shut up and help me with these people!
Roger: And let me ask you, my dear father-in-law! Am I the only subcontractor you encouraged to cut corners?
James: [addressing people in the crowd] Excuse me.
Roger: Where did you save the other $4 million in Doug's original budget?
[Duncan reaches the front of the crowd and pushes past Simmons]
James: [Addressing the crowd at the elevators, and lying to save his own life:] Please, please. Ladies and gentlemen, I'm sorry. You'll have to move back into the Promenade Room, and we'll be taking you down by the scenic elevator. Now, these express elevators can be activated by fire, and with the probability of short circuits, the cars might stop on the floor where the fire is. So please, we'll use the scenic elevator. It's over here.
[Suddenly an elevator door opens behind Duncan, and several people surge past him into it. Duncan tries to stop them but is unable to, and the door closes behind him and the elevator starts down. Duncan hits the button to try to stop the elevator but it does not return]

Doug: [picks up ringing phone] Roberts.
Chief: It's out of control, and it's coming your way. You got about fifteen minutes. Now, they wanna try somethin'. They wanna blow those water tanks two floors above you. They think it might kill the fire.
Doug: [surveys room] How're they gonna get the explosives up here?
Chief: [after already having been given the task] Oh, they'll find some dumb son of a bitch to bring it up.

[Doug Roberts gets a call for Harry Jernigan from the Security station in the Tower basement]
Doug: Harry? It's for you.
Harry: [Picks up the phone] Jernigan.
[There is a pause as Jernigan learns from a security officer on the other line that Lisolette Mueller is trapped on the 87th floor, trying to rescue the Albright family in their apartment]
Harry: What? Damnit man, you should have sent a man up there!
[pause as the officer tells Jernigan that he called the Albright apartment earlier but there was no answer]
Harry: How do you expect Mrs. Albright to hear a phone call? She's deaf!
[pause as the officer asks about the two Albright children]
Harry: Sure the kids can hear!
[pause as the officer asks why didn't the Albright children answer their phone]
Harry: I don't know. Maybe they were in the shower or something when you called.
[Another pause as the officer asks Jernigan something]
Harry: No, you stay where you are. I'll get them down.
[Jernigan hangs up the phone as Doug Roberts listens while Kappy angrily demands reinforcements over his radio]
Harry: There's still some people on 87. I'll get 'em down.
Doug: I'll give you a hand.