Original subtitles

Oh, a letter for you, Miss Sissy. Ah, thank you.

Oh, I don't know what happened to the glue, kids.

Can't you stick them together with paperclips?

No, it wouldn't be neat.

And homework ought to be neat.

Then they don't notice the mistakes so much.

The mail, Mr. Davis.

One for you, Buffy. Thank you, Mr. French. And two for you, Jody. Thank

French. First, we can't find the glue, you know.

Buffy and Joey.

Yes, sir.

I always get the ones marked resident.

And I'm occupant.

Well, I believe we have some glue in the kitchen, so excuse me.

Uncle Bill?

Mm -hmm?

What does Aunt Fran mean in this letter?

What about her?

Well, she wrote that she's looking forward to seeing us in Terra Hut next

What does that mean?

Oh, that.

Me too?

She says all three of us.

Uncle Bill, are you sending us back to Terre Haute?

Are you, Uncle Bill?

Well, I got a letter from your Aunt Fran last week, and she's having some kind

of a big family reunion back there.

What's a reunion?

Well, that's when all the relatives get together. You know, uncles and aunts and

cousins, everybody.

Aunt Fran is just talking about a family reunion.

Well, it's like we're going to a big party.

A party? Well, that's... different. Are you invited too, Uncle Bill?

Well, if anybody goes, we all go.

Oh, boy.

That sounds like fun.

We'd love to go to Terre Hutte for a family reunion, wouldn't we?

Sure, we love parties and we'd be awful good.

Honest.

Well, kids, I thought about this a lot and it's taken you a long time to get

over some pretty painful memories, so...

I don't think it's a good idea to get that all stirred up again, see?

We wouldn't mind painful what you said, Uncle Bill, if you were with us.

Please, Uncle Bill, it'd be such fun.

I could go back to my old school.

And we could see where we used to live in the olden days.

I remember the old park that has the biggest light in the whole world.

It's scary to climb up so high.

You sure?

Of course.

Gosh, a family reunion with relatives coming from all over the place. I

want to miss it.

Me neither.

Me neither.

Okay, maybe I was wrong.

I'll wire Aunt Fran until we're coming.

remember this house, Buffy?

No, Aunt Fran and Uncle Harold moved from the one where I lived with them.

Oh, I'm glad of that.

I wouldn't want to come back to the one where you stayed and you never saw each

other. Hey, hey, now look, we're not going to think of those things. We're

for a family reunion, and that means we're going to have fun, right? Right.

Let's go.

It's nice to see Tara again.

You know, as we drove through town in the taxi, I recognized all the old

buildings. Well, come in. We have a lot to talk about.

Busy, our young lady. And the twins.

They have sprung up overnight.

Well, it's been almost a year, French.

I don't believe it.

Couldn't have been a year, could it, Harold?

Sounds about right.

It's about a year.

Just wait until the rest of the family gets here and see how they've turned

The New York branch of our family.

Oh, if you'll excuse me, sir, madam, I'll begin to unpack.

Okay, you kids go on up and help Mr. French.

Oh, Uncle Bill, it's almost 3 o 'clock. Couldn't I get to my old high school

before they dismiss?

And couldn't we take Mr. French to see the old gang at our school?

We don't know how to unpack anyway.

Ah, thank your doll.

I'll see you all later. Bye -bye.

Tommy, remember him?

Yeah.

Bill, I'm sorry that they look so well -adjusted.

I admit it. I still have some forlorn hopes of winning them back.

Well, to tell you the truth, Fran, at first I didn't know what I was going to

with those three kids.

But now I didn't know what to do without them.

Hey!

It was great. Just plain, ordinary, wonderful.

See a lot of your old friends?

Oh, did I?

Aunt Fran, do you remember Elsie McDonald?

How her mother wouldn't let her wear lipstick?

Well, now she's using mascara.

Imagine.

Didn't you see any boys?

Oh, yes. Harvey Phillips. He's going to pick me up in an hour.

Little Harvey Phillips.

Little? Aunt Fran, he is now captain and fullback of the football team.

Oh. Well, I guess I haven't seen him for a few years.

Boy, Terahut sure is neat.

We showed Mr. French our old kindergarten, and he met the old gang.

Yeah, and the teacher gave us to eat a cookie.

You know, sir, I find it a matter of note that in New York or Terahut, school

cookies always seem to be oatmeal.

And we talked to the new teacher. She's pretty.

She sure is.

They didn't have teachers like that when we were in kindergarten.

And the kids, they're so little.

Uncle Bill, were we that little when we were in kindergarten?

Yeah, I think so.

There's a whole big applesauce cake in the kitchen and a nice pitcher of cold

milk. Sissy, will you show them? I'd be glad to.

Oh, boy!

Applesauce cake!

Oh, and now, sir, I will unpack.

You know, I was a little bit afraid that coming back here might kind of stir up

some bad memories for them, but they don't seem to have a care in the world.

Homecoming can be a marvelous experience, even at their age.

Oh, sure.

A few days with some old friends can be a lot of fun.

I kind of get a kick out of it myself.

Bill. Doesn't have to be only for a few days. This is where they belong, here

where they have root stability.

Fran, don't start that again.

I know I gave up any right to Buffy. Just forget about what it would mean to

Just think about the welfare of the children.

Watch them the next few days, and then if you agree that they would be happier

here with me... Okay, I'll watch them.

of my very favorite places.

Sometimes when things were bad, I didn't know what to do. I used to walk here

and I'd sit all by myself.

I still come here sometimes.

You don't see any kids around anymore.

Everybody's got a car and nobody walks anyplace.

I guess there's been a lot of changes in Terre Hut since I lived here.

Well, everybody changes.

I remember you used to be all legs and teeth and...

Well, now look at you. You're a New York sophisticated woman.

Oh, I haven't changed.

Not really.

Not the real me.

Well, then maybe you wouldn't mind going out with a small -town boy.

Of course not.

Well, is this it?

Uh -huh.

It was ten times that big.

That was the biggest line in the whole world. I consider it a quite respectable

slide.

It's so little, Mr. French.

Yes, Jody?

If you leave a slide out in the rain, can it shrink?

Well, I hardly think so.

Then what happened?

Well, Jody, it's not that the slide has become smaller. It's simply that, well,

you've grown larger.

That's what happens when we grow up.

Boy, I used to be afraid sliding down this little thing.

Watch me, Jody.

It wasn't scary at all.

It was sissy.

You know, sissy, the junior prom is a week from Saturday.

Are you still going to be here?

Oh, I don't think so.

There's a big family dinner party this Saturday night, all the relatives.

And then Sunday we have to go back home to New York.

Well, maybe you could fly in. I mean, it's just a couple of hours from New

I'd love to, but I doubt if my Uncle Bill would let me.

Not all by myself.

Well, he sure seems awful strict.

Oh, he's not strict.

It's just he cares what happens to me.

Even the house that we used to live in, it was gigantic.

But now it's so little.

I thought that tree in our backyard was the biggest one in the whole wide world.

It's just a little tree.

And when we went to the lake, they used to sell the biggest hot dogs in the

whole world.

Do you think they've gotten little or two?

Perhaps it will seem so.

I'm sorry if you're both disillusioned.

I don't know if I am or...

Come along, children.

And in the park we went to the odd slide.

And I met a little girl who had a pony. Her name is Catherine.

And if you live in a place like Terahut, you can have your own pony car.

Uncle Bill, it would only be for one weekend. I could fly here in a couple of

hours and be back in New York the very next day.

And my friend Susan said I could go for a ride.

And she let me have a ride, too. I went real fast.

And Jody tried to ride on Catherine's back.

And he fell off, but it didn't even hurt.

I didn't fall off. I was doing a trick.

It was fun.

I doubt if you could have a pony like Catherine in New York because of all the

traffic.

Allow me to take those matters.

Thank you, French.

Bill.

Have you seen what they're charging for stuff in the markets?

Like bread. Now, I can remember when I couldn't carry 30 cents' worth of bread.

Bill, Frank, and Charlotte are coming after all. I got a letter from them this

morning when they heard that you were here with the children.

Oh, it'll be nice to see them.

Uncle Bill, I have to tell Harvey before we leave.

Can you think about it right away?

Think about what?

If I can fly here to the dance.

Oh, Bill, please let her come for the dance.

I could look after... Even better, she could stay right here with me until the

dance.

Yeah, but that means staying here for two more weeks. What's she going to do

about school?

Oh, well, I can go to school here with my old friends and then just do makeup

work when I got back.

And Buffy and Jody could stay, too. It would give them a chance to visit. It

would give you a couple of weeks in New York by yourself.

You and French could have a breathing spell.

Okay, I'll tell you what I'll do.

We'll stay for the party on Saturday, and then by Sunday, if all the kids

want to stay, well, we'll work out something.

Okay. Let's go up and look at your clothes and decide what you'll wear on

Saturday night, huh?

Buffy, you're asleep?

Uh -uh.

Me neither.

Jody, what are you wandering around for this time of night?

I'm scared. Can I stay in here with you?

Okay. Move over, Buffy.

And no talking.

What are you scared about, Jody?

I've been thinking it's scary.

Thinking about what?

Aunt Fran wants us to stay here.

First she wants Sissy for a couple of days.

Then Sissy for two weeks.

Then all three of us for two weeks.

She said Uncle Bill needed a breathing spell.

That means we're a lot of trouble.

Miss Likey needs a vacation from us.

And he didn't come right out and say we had to stay here because we had to go

home with him.

Do you suppose Uncle Bill is going to leave us here?

I hope not.

I hope not, too. But I just wish he was Uncle Bill, hoping not instead of Sissy

and me.

get your coffee. Thank you.

Good morning.

Morning, sir.

Sir, something wrong?

Yes.

You want to tell me?

Well, last night Jody came into our room and he was scared.

He was scared you wanted to leave us here and turn a hut.

Leave you here?

I was scared too.

Who gave him an idea like that?

You. Me?

Remember yesterday when Aunt Fran asked if we could all stay here for two weeks?

Well, you didn't tell her no.

You said maybe.

Well, I thought you wanted to stay here.

Not for two weeks. Not without you.

Not for good either.

I was even kind of glad you didn't want me to fly here for the junior prom.

We've been having a family conference here, and we've decided that we're very

grateful for the invitation.

But come Sunday, we're all going to go home.

Oh, I see.

But, but, Sissy, we'll be back for the prom.

No. No, she's too young. She's not ready to leave the nest yet.

Right.

I'm sorry.

Oh, please don't be, Aunt Fran.

We're glad.

Yeah. Besides, we're having a real nice family reunion.

Then he won't be coming back.

Well, at least he'll be here till Sunday.

Oh, we'll have all today and tomorrow.

Probably part of Sunday before we leave.

Will you remember me?

Oh, sure I will.

And I'll write to you.

And I'll always remember how beautiful it was out here.

The lake and all.

Beautiful? I mean, that old lake?

Oh, it's beautiful to me.

When I was a little girl, before the twins came, my mother and dad used to

me out here all the time for picnics.

We sat right over there underneath the trees.

Oh, and we'd swing and we'd sing songs.

My mother had a beautiful voice.

Sissy. I keep seeing my mother in the market or coming out of the beauty shop.

My dad pulling into the driveway.

It's funny.

When you come back, you remember all the little things you thought you'd

forgotten.

But you haven't.

You really haven't.

How do you like townhouse, Mr. French?

Oh, it's an amazing community.

Metropolitan, modern.

Not a bit like the towns described by Bret Hart and Mark Twain.

Maybe they haven't been around here lately.

And this is the old drugstore. Oh, a sure sign of advanced civilization.

In the summertime when it got hot, my daddy used to drive us here and we'd all

get ice cream cones.

Wouldn't we, Jody?

Double -deckers.

Once my daddy told the man we were twins and he put a cherry on top.

And daddy laughed and said, some people get all the luck.

Would you like an ice cream cone now?

No. We just thought you'd want to see the old drugstore.

This is my favorite store. This is where Mrs. Beasley was born.

Well, I should think there'd be a suitable plaque on the door.

out the cutest thing you ever saw, so we went in and we bought her.

It was the last thing.

The very last thing.

Hey, Mr. French, there's the barber shop.

It is?

Well, well, well, there's even a barber's pole.

You see that little chair in there?

They used to put that in the big chair, and I... I'd sit in it and have my hair

cut.

Most historic place.

I was just a kid.

Ah, yes. So many years ago.

My daddy'd sit in one chair and I'd sit in the other one. And we'd get our hair

cut together.

And one day my daddy got a shave.

And the barber said, How about a shave for your little friend? My daddy laughed

and said, We'd better wait a few more weeks.

Mr. French, I don't like it here anymore. Could we please go back?

I don't like it here either.

Very well.

Perhaps we'd better go back to Uncle Bill.

Big get dressed.

It's late. We're going out to dinner with Aunt Fran and Uncle Harold.

Uncle Bill, could we just go home?

Honey, we are going home Sunday.

But we want to go home right now.

The big family party's tomorrow night.

I don't like big family parties.

It makes us so sad to stay here.

Everywhere we go, we remember things.

Oh, I see.

Uncle Bill, it's just like you thought would happen.

Okay, you're going to miss out seeing all the relatives and the dinner and the

dancing and the music and all that stuff.

Okay, kids, we take the first plane home.

That's what we die.

Well, French. Yes, sir. I'll fix you one immediately, sir.

Well, if I may say so, sir, I've never seen the children quite so enthusiastic.

Not every day we have our own family reunion.

Bye.