Abe Lincoln in Illinois (1940)

Ruth Gordon: Mary Todd Lincoln

Quotes 

• Abraham Lincoln : [after a particularly hysterical outburst by Mary, he comes up to her; her back is to him]  Why do you take every opportunity you can to make a public fool out of me and yourself? It's bad enough when you act like that in the privacy of our own home, but here in front of people! You're not to do that again, do you hear? You're never to do that again!

  Mary Todd Lincoln : [she turns to face him amazed, then]  You never spoke to me like that before. You lost your temper, Abe... you've never done that before.

  Abraham Lincoln : I'm sorry.

  [He turns and walks away from her] 

  Abraham Lincoln : I still think youn should go home rather than stay here and endure the strain of this Death Watch.

  Mary Todd Lincoln : [slowly goes to the door, opens it, pauses, then turns back to him]  This is the night I dreamed about when I was a child... when I was an excited young girl and all the gay young gentlemen of Springfield were courting me... and I fell in love with the least likely of them. This is the night I'm waiting to hear that my husband is become President of the United States... and even if he does, it's ruined for me.

  [He turns to stare at her] 

  Mary Todd Lincoln : It's too late.

  [She slowly leaves] 

• Mary Todd Lincoln : [Contemptuously as she hears crowd noises from outside]  Stephen Douglas has arrived. Listen to them cheering for him!

  Abraham Lincoln : [Laconically]  They ought to cheer. He paid 'em enough for it.

• Ninian Edwards : Mary, my dear, may I present our most eloquent citizen, Mr. Stephen Douglas.

  Mary Todd Lincoln : Mr. Douglas, I am honored.

  Stephen Douglas : Miss Todd, your brother-in-law has just now described me as eloquent. But alas, I must now prove him wrong. Standing as I am in the presence of such penetrating intelligence, such devastating charm, I am rendered speechless.

  Mary Todd Lincoln : [demurely]  I can hardly believe it.