Original subtitles

Mr. Davis!

Mr. Davis!

Yeah?

We got a phone message down below. The foreman thought it might be bad news.

news? Yeah.

Your niece tore her tutu.

Is that real bad?

She takes ballet.

You know, little girl stuff up on her toes, dancing.

And she hurt her tutu.

Oh, a tutu is a little dress. You know, like the thing they wear. It sticks out

like that and bounces when they dance. Real lacy and fluffy and nice.

And, uh, you go in for that kind of stuff?

Yeah.

What about it?

Oh, nothing, Mr. Davis. Nothing.

Nothing at all.

And now we do the PA.

And one, two, three, four.

One, two, three, four.

One, two, three, four. Now the grand battement.

And one, two, three, four.

like little flowers, and that will be all for today.

Go.

Is Mr. Davis coming to the recital?

Oh, yes, yes. The entire family will be present.

We consider this a very important debut.

But she, a little flower does not hold on to her tooth.

She wants her hands, please.

Perhaps we had enough little flowers for today.

And now your attention, children.

This is Miss Margot Dunbar, a prima ballerina with some of the most famous

ballet companies in the world.

She was once my pupil, and she has consented to help us with our coming

Good morning.

I consider it a very great honor to work with such future stars of the ballet.

And it's going to be my very difficult responsibility to choose dancers for the

principal roles in our ballet, Little Red Riding Hood and The Wolf.

Melissa will be simply adorable as Red Riding Hood.

I'm quite sorry, Mrs. Nelson.

Melissa Nelson?

Yes, ma 'am.

I pick you to be The Wolf.

I'm so sorry, madam.

And Buffy Davis?

Yes, ma 'am.

You will dance the role of Little Red Riding Hood.

Now, children, I expect you to practice very hard and make your parents proud.

Dismissed.

Thank you, Miss Dunbar, for selecting Buffy. Are you her father?

No, I'm employed by her uncle, where she resides.

Mr. Davis is delaying his trip to the bridge he's erecting on the Orinoco so

that he may attend the recital.

Orinoco.

The Lincoln Bridge.

Is his first name Bill?

Why, yes.

Mr. William Davis.

Ask him if he remembers the closing night of Swan Lake in Venice.

Swan Lake night?

The closing night? Better yet, ask him if he remembers the night he closed Swan

Lake.

Gregor, hi, sis.

Hello, Uncle Bill. Uncle Bill, we had a wonderful time in the park today.

Didn't we, Jody? I guess so.

If you like boys this easy.

Virginia?

It's Bill Davis, honey.

Listen... Do you want to go to ballet with me a week from Saturday?

No, no, no, no, not Lincoln Center. No, it's, uh... My little niece, she's in a

kid's ballet. You know, she's gonna be a daisy or a bunny or something like

that. I thought maybe you'd like to... No, you wouldn't, huh?

No, no, of course I don't mind.

Yeah, I remember when I wouldn't go to your nephew's piano recital.

Yes, ma 'am.

Goodbye.

All right.

Good day, sir.

Excellent news.

The starring role.

Buffy was chosen to dance Little Red Riding Hood in the ballet of that name.

Oh, well, that's great, honey. Little Red Riding Hood? That's like being

O 'Hara in Gone with the Wind.

What's that?

Well, that's pretty good.

Now I'm proud of you.

Uncle Bill, I wanted to be the wolf.

Wolf?

me to be the wolf, too.

We have a message for you, sir. A most attractive young lady.

Oh. Yes, we were asked to inquire if you remembered the night you closed Swan

Lake in Venice, sir. Swan Lake in Venice?

Oh, Margot Dunbar. Exactly, sir.

Yeah, we were riding along the Grand Canal in one of those gondolas, and it

of got tipped over.

Anyway, she got all wet and couldn't make the show. Where'd you find her?

Well, at the ballet school. It was Miss Dunbar who selected Buffy.

Shall I give her your best when I take Buffy to rehearsal tomorrow, sir?

No, I'm going to take Buffy to rehearsal tomorrow.

I understand, sir.

She didn't look good soaking wet.

You were trying to show the gondolier how you paddle up the Amazon River in a

dugout canoe when all of a sudden, splash.

Yeah, there was a fright sight.

No alligators.

That's right.

Hi, Mama.

I don't mind being a wolf.

Well, your father minds.

He minds very much.

He wants to know how it happened.

Hello, Mrs. Nelson.

Good afternoon, Miss Dunbar. Have you met Mr. Davis? Yes. We live in the same

building. Miss Dunbar, may I speak to you for a moment about Melissa?

Of course. Please don't go, Mr. Davis. This concerns Buffy.

Buffy? Mr. Nelson was quite disturbed that Buffy was going to be Red Riding

and not Melissa.

After all, Melissa has been coming to dancing school a lot longer than Buffy.

Well, listen, we don't care one way or the other.

Mrs. Nelson, the wolf is a very important part.

It's the second lead.

Well, Buffy could play the wolf. In fact, I think she'd rather do that.

I've made my selection. It's final.

There's nothing personal involved, Bill.

Miss Dunbar, the children are ready for you.

Excuse me, Mrs. Nelson.

Bill, dear, what time is dinner?

Oh, I don't know, honey, but I'll pick you up about seven.

Okay.

Dinner?

Deer? Honey?

A werewolf friend.

Oh.

It was French's idea to send Buffy to ballet school. He knows all about that

stuff. It was a marvelous idea, French.

She seems to have talent.

We must confess it was an experiment, Miss Dunbar. An anti -clumping -around

-the -house campaign.

Uncle Bill, is it time for us to go to bed?

Yep, it's time.

God. You need plenty of rest now, Buffy. After all, you're a prima ballerina.

What's a prima ballerina?

Well, it just means that you're the best dancer in red riding, I'd say.

And if you study very hard and keep at it, pretty soon you'll be a ballet star

before you know it.

A star?

Me?

Sure. Have your name over the lights and everything.

What do I do when I'm a ballet star?

Well, you dance.

And you travel all over the world, you know, like Miss Dunbar does.

You go to London and Paris and Rome.

It's very exciting.

On my first tour, I didn't get back to America for two years.

Two years?

Flies like the wind, with the applause, the excitement, meeting new friends

everywhere you go.

What about old friends and brothers?

Well, you see them when you get back.

You know, like I saw Miss Dunbar at your school.

Not going to bed big.

Good night, Uncle Bill.

See you tomorrow afternoon, Buffy.

Yes, ma 'am.

How long are you going to be in town?

Not long, I'm afraid. The troop leaves Monday on a European tour.

I'll be gone six months.

Can I talk to you a minute,

Jody? Sure.

Watch this.

Jody,

I'm scared.

I don't want to be a big ballet star like Miss Denver.

Why not?

You'll go all over the world and meet people and everything.

That's what I'm scared of. I like it here with you. Sissy and Uncle Bill.

I don't want to go all over the world.

I'm only in the first grade.

Maybe you won't have to go till next year.

Miss Denbar said, before you know it, Uncle Bill said you were good too.

That makes it worse.

Good night, Buffy.

Good night, Jody.

I'm going to miss you, Jody.

All right, girls. Positions.

And.

Buffy, come on.

Wolf, Taser, not too close.

Come on, Flowers. Out, out, out. Buffy, turn.

The performance should be an absolute smasher.

Bobby.

Turned a bit too fast on your bow.

I wasn't good?

Oh, you were very good. And most graceful.

Bravo, bravo.

Miss Dunbar, we have just witnessed the royal ballet miniature.

Thank you, French.

They were all good. They should do quite well.

thanks to the talent of our young prima ballerina.

You know, Buffy, Miss Dunbar was no older than you when she started.

I know.

You are destined to go far.

But that was quite a compliment, Buffy. You must thank Madame Leonton.

Yes, sir.

Thank you, Madame.

I think I'll go get dressed.

Well, Buffy's tired and a little temperamental. A sure sign that he's

to become another Pavlova.

Whoever she is.

Hi,

Buffy.

Hi.

Want to play checkers?

It's no fun playing alone.

Every time I win...

Okay.

I'm going to miss playing checkers with you, Jody.

Why can't you play checkers with me anymore?

I sure wish you were a worser dancer.

So do I.

Too bad you gotta be good Saturday night.

Too bad.

I don't gotta.

You don't gotta?

your costumes.

Oh, little flowers.

We do not eat jelly beans the night of a performance.

Buffy, how's wearing your hood?

I think it's all right.

It's supposed to be up, dear, so the audience can see your pretty face.

Do they have to?

Of course.

Miss Dunbar?

Not nervous, are we?

French, if anyone's nervous, it's you.

To be sure, Miss Dunbar.

But it is our first performance.

She'll be superb.

Oh, we have the utmost confidence in her.

I suggest you brace yourself for a thunder of applause.

Yes, sir.

Miss Dunbar, Mr. Davis is far too nervous to come backstage.

that he wishes to invite you to an opening night ice cream party after the

at home. I wouldn't miss it.

You're certain she isn't nervous?

French.

I shall now return to the family section and endeavor to calm Mr. Terence.

Miss Dunbar, does my daughter have to wear this suffocating wolf's head? She

hates it.

It's an important part of the costume.

But you can't see her face.

Nobody will know it's my kid inside.

Her name is in the program, Mr. Nelson.

Excuse me.

It is springtime, and the forest is alive with beauty.

Trees, birds, and flowers wave and sway in the wind.

All of nature seems to be dancing merrily.

Where's Buffy?

She'll be on soon.

Let me know when my kid shows up.

Mr. Mister.

Suddenly a wolf appears.

He is wicked and hungry and searching for food.

Here's Buffy. And here's something in Red Riding Hood carrying her basket of

fruit.

to her grandmother's cottage deep in the forest where the wicked wolf is

waiting.

Melissa is really excellent, dear.

Yeah. Imagine her playing Red Riding Hood.

Might have been a great show.

Will the wicked wolf pounce on Little Red Riding Hood?

Probably not.

It seems the wicked wolf got to the cottage first.

Poor Little Red Riding Hood.

Here she comes carrying her basket of fruit for grandmother.

riding hood escape from the hungry wolf?

She runs faster and faster, even faster, and finally passes the wolf.

I guess we need a faster wolf or a slower red riding hood.

the hunters save Little Red Riding Hood and everyone except the wicked wolf is

happy. And it has been a glorious day in the forest.

talk about our sister that way, no matter what.

French, can we have some ice cream while we're around? Yes, sir.

I'll help you. I gotta go tell Mrs. Beasley what a terrible dancer I was.

Look at that.

Poor little thing trying to make the best of it.

Why couldn't she have been a tree or something?

Trees don't get nervous.

I don't understand it. She wasn't nervous in rehearsal. She was marvelous.

Think she got stage fright or something?

I don't know.

Everybody like strawberry?

Yes. Good.

Because it's all we got.

I certainly do.

Some

of

the kids said I was awful.

And some said I was clumsy.

And Melissa tried to bite me with her wolf teeth.

talk to you.

Yes, sir.

You didn't change your mind, Uncle Bill.

You don't think I was good, do you?

No.

No, I don't think you were any good at all.

But you could have been, right? If you hadn't been afraid, you'd have to go

away.

But I like it here with you and everybody.

Buffy, do you honestly think I'd let a little girl like you go traveling around

the world without me?

This is where you live and this is where you're going to stay.

Besides, even if you wanted to go, how would we get along without you?

Really?

Come on, let's get the ice cream.

Can you name me one other uncle that's got a little red riding hood that always

falls down?

Come on, we got a lot to celebrate.