Who remembers the best movie ever, Working Girl? There are just so many quotable lines from that film that I use all the time! “Coffee? Tea? Me?” uttered by the spectacular Cin, played by Joan Cusack with the big hair and perfectly garish blue makeup as she offers Jack Trainer (Harrison Ford) absolutely anything as she is stunned by his presence.
Another goodie… “Six thousand dollas and it’s not even leathuh?” A total classic also uttered by Staten Island Cindy as she is incredulous over the price of a dress her friend Tess McGill (Melanie Griffith) is about to borrow for a party. Who hasn’t used this line while checking the price tag on an expensive item, especially if it wasn’t leather??
And one more fave before the big reveal… Mick Dugan (Played by Alec Baldwin): Why are we always talkin’ about the way you get treated, huh? Who the fuck died and made you Grace Kelly?! (What a line!!!) Tess McGill: I am not steak! You can’t just order me! (It’s just the best comeback in history. Go Tess.)
But the biggest line for me in a whole movie of quotables involves only two words, “Trask Radio.” This is the major a-ha clincher in the funny, touching, inspiring, and romantic film. The main character, Tess McGill, has broken the rules to get in the room where it happens and in a blow out few scenes, her boss Katharine Parker (Sigorney Weaver) realizes what Tess has done and lies taking credit for Tess’s work while publicly exposing her as a secretary! The shame! The farce over, a humbled Tess slinks away because she did lie, but the idea that got her in the door at Trask was honestly hers.
Later when Tess unexpectedly finds herself with a captive audience of none other than Mr. Oren Trask himself, she has the opportunity to explain exactly how she arrived at her out of the box idea to have Trask focus on radio instead of television. She had newspaper clippings, a coherent story and “proof” that the concept was indeed hers. And the brainchild of Trask Radio was born.
Here’s how the conversation went down between Katharine and Oren after Oren learned the truth from Tess: Katharine Parker: Oren, I beg your pardon, but if you are insinuating… Oren Trask: Miss Parker, if I were you… I’d go to your office and take a long last look around. Because in about five minutes, I’m going to see to it that you get the boot… but good! Katharine Parker: Oren, this is a simple misunderstanding and I… You cannot… Oren Trask: I can and I will! Now get your… [to Tess] What was that you called it? Tess McGill, Jack Trainer: Bony ass. Oren Trask: Right… your bony ass out of my sight! (So satisfying, right?)
In the end, Tess gets the smart guy in a suit with a good job who has his own apartment in Manhattan (even if it’s a walk up!) which is seriously the pinnacle of dating in NYC. And he willingly professes his love for her! Awwww. But most importantly she earns the respect of a titan in the industry by having a fire in her belly that lands her a full time job at the “entry level” at Trask Industries with an office and a secretary of her own. (But Alice prefers to be called an assistant.) Yay, Tess!
I think we can learn a thing or two from Miss McGill. Her boldness encouraged her to take chances in business and personally she was brave enough to cut her hair. (Ha) Her sense of worth gave her the courage she needed to dump a dishonest boyfriend and find a real gem. Her creativity enabled her to find a solution that ended up being a solid idea. Her vulnerability and grit allowed her to endear her coworkers and build relationships. They admired her. They actually all cheered for her in the end. (I did too with tears in my eyes as soon as the music blasted, “Let the river run. Let all the dreamers wake the nation. Come, the New Jerusalem. Silver cities rise. The morning lights the streets that lead them. And sirens call them on with a song.”)
The good news for all of us is that we have countless opportunities to find the Trask Radio moment in our lives. Hell, I’ve found three over the last three months! I started my own firm called The Fiduciary Valet that offers white glove parking solutions for long and short-term deposits. (Big yay) I created a speaker series that kicked off in April called Podium for sharing great ideas. And I’m working on a community service project called Serving Hope for groups of folks around the country to donate time to charitable causes.
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