Original subtitles

Hi, kids, and you come in. Hi, Uncle Bill.

Mr. Friend said not to disturb you. He said that you were looking for an answer

to a very difficult problem. Yes, I was, but sometimes the best way to get an

answer is to forget about it and get in a little putting practice.

Uncle Bill, can I use your golf clubs for when I do my arithmetic homework?

Arithmetic.

Okay, if it'll help.

We have a surprise for you, Uncle Bill.

We brought it home from school.

Okay, Mr. Friend. Uncle Bill's ready for Harold.

That's a surprise.

To be sure, sir, this is Harold.

Isn't he darling, Uncle Bill? Oh, yeah, he's darling.

Who's he belong to?

Well, sir, it seems that Harold up to now has been the focus of certain

scientific demonstrations at school.

But now that he's served his purpose...

Today he was put up for adoption.

Well,

I've got nothing against hamsters, but... Oh, well, sir, I assured the

that Harold's adoption was contingent to your approval.

Please, Uncle Bill.

Well... Harold's gentle and clean and quiet, and I'll take care of him. I'll

feed him and everything.

He needs somebody to take care of him. Just think how we would feel if nobody

took care of us.

Okay.

Thanks, Uncle Bill.

Harold Davis thanks you, too.

Seems that Harold makes good pets, sir, and, well, Buffy is devoted to him, sir.

He's like some kind of a fancy rat. I mean, if they're going to take care of

him, it's all right.

Now then.

No, Buff, you're doing something wrong.

Okay, I pick her up like this like I take something sour.

Now blow.

Watch me.

I'm teaching Buffy how to whistle.

So I can talk to Harold. See, hamsters can understand words, but you can train

them by whistling. Only I can't. That's all right, Buff.

You'll learn.

How's Harold getting along there?

Fine. He's a happy hamster. He uses his wheel a lot.

Well, I guess he needs exercise.

What's all that stuff?

Oh, Harold needs a well -balanced diet.

Sure. Just like us.

Only no ice cream sold.

You see, here's his weed germ oil. They give him his vitamin E.

And here is his protein pellet. And his very favorite, sunflower seeds.

Watch.

She's a lucky hamster to have friends like you.

We're the lucky ones.

How's Mrs. Beasley feel about this?

Oh, she's okay. She never had a pet before.

Come here.

Uncle Bill!

Uncle Bill!

Yeah?

Hi, honey. Hi. Uncle Bill, I've got the most marvelous opportunity.

A chance for a job.

What kind of a job? Working part -time in a boutique. Yeah? Where is it? It's

Greenwich Village. It's called The Living End, and they sell the most

clothes.

What about school?

Well, I'd only work two nights a week till 9 and Saturday, so it wouldn't

interfere with my homework at all.

Plus, I'd be earning a little money of my own.

But that's not even the best part. I get a discount on all the things in the

store.

Well, I don't know if I want you running around Greenwich Village at night,

honey. Well, I wouldn't be. I could get a cab from the shop.

A cab fare's going to cost as much as you earn.

You better just concentrate on your schoolwork, huh?

Well, I only thought that I could get some neat clothes and, well, sort of

helping to support myself.

Well, I know, I know. You want to be independent, and I don't blame you, but

just yet, okay? And not in Greenwich Village at night.

Okay, Uncle Bill.

I was kind of thinking about raising your allowance anyway.

Thank you, but you really don't have to.

Oh, you've got to meet the rising cost of nylons and stereo albums and all that

stuff.

Thanks.

Harold can communicate, huh?

Oh, she's a real pretty rat, Buffy.

Harold's a boy.

And he's not a rat, he's a hamster. And he's not pretty, he's handsome.

I wonder if they make hamster coats.

dare say anything like that in front of Harold.

It's just a good thing he can't understand words, only whistles.

My dog does all kinds of tricks.

What's the use of having a pet?

They can't do tricks.

Harold can do tricks. Show him, Buffy.

He eats it.

He can't roll over or give you his paw.

Come on, Buffy.

Let's play.

No, I want a pet hare.

Come on, guys.

Ruffy, if you'd like to play, I'll keep an eye on Harold for you.

No, thanks, Mr. French.

I came to the park to give Harold his exercise.

Very well.

Mr. French.

The sign says don't pick the flowers.

Does that count for leaves?

Well, why do you ask?

I would like a fresh leaf for Harold.

Oh, I think that would be permissible.

Here, Harold.

Go in.

Did you take Harold out of his cage?

Harold? No.

Then he's gone.

He's got to be close by somewhere.

Harold!

Harold! What's the matter, Buffy?

Harold's lost.

Maybe if you whistle, he'll come back.

I can't again.

I'll do it for you.

Remember how Jody felt when his turtle got away?

Turtles can't run as fast as hamsters. So I caught my turtle when he ran away.

Let us hope that we find Harold, too.

Well, I guess he just saw his chance and took off.

He sure is going to be lonely without Buffy, unless he finds another hamster.

That's not too likely in Central Park.

You know, Harold meant a lot to Buffy.

Well, she mothered him.

You know, Uncle Bill, in a little girl, this is the time when maternal instincts

begin to develop.

I'll talk to her.

We're going to call up the paper and we'll put an ad in the lost and found

column.

Thanks, Uncle Bill.

I keep wondering if he needs his warm and if he gets enough food to eat.

Oh, sure. As long as there's leaves and flowers and stuff like that, we haven't

got anything to worry about.

But he's not going to get his vitamin E.

You know what I can't understand?

What?

Why Harold wanted to run away.

I gave him all the food he could eat, and I fixed up his cage, I gave him a

place to store his food, and I loved him.

I know.

Hey, listen.

You've got a nice cage there and all that vitamin E. Why don't we just go buy

another hamster, huh?

Could I?

Sure. We'll go Monday, right after school.

Now, come on. I'm starving.

Uncle Bill?

Huh? Do you think maybe we could get two hamsters?

Why? Because that's why probably Harold ran away. Because he was lonely.

There's lots of room in the cage.

And Noah took two of everything on the ark.

Okay, two hamsters.

Come on.

Oh, my fur and whiskers.

Oh,

my fur and whiskers.

You don't have any fur or whiskers.

Oh, Fred, just stay.

That's from Alice in Wonderland, you know.

This parrot belonged to an English professor.

Beware the jabberwock.

Well,

really, we'd like to see a hamster. Two hamsters.

Two hamsters.

Ah, yes.

Mesochristus oratus.

This way, please.

The name derives from the German, hamstern, meaning to hoard, is a gentle,

clean, quiet pet.

Yeah, we know.

We had one, but he ran away.

Oh, here's an excellent specimen.

Bright eyes, luxuriant coat.

I like him. He reminds me of Harold.

And this is Madame Pompadour.

She's the coquette of the shop.

Oh, she comes from a fine line.

I like her too, Uncle Bill.

We'll take them both.

Uncle Bill!

Come quick and see the skunk.

We're going to get those two hamsters, that's all.

Gee, I bet I'd be the only kid on the whole block with my very own skunk.

You would too.

I'd like you to meet a friend of mine. This is Eleanor Whitley.

Hello. Hi.

Nice to meet you.

Now you've met the whole family.

Mr. Davis, I wanted to thank you.

Why? What did I do? He said since he couldn't work at the living inn, so I

the job.

Oh, I see.

And this is the first thing I bought on my discount.

Isn't that great, Uncle Bill?

Very nice.

I couldn't have afforded it without the discount.

Besides, it's nice knowing I earned it for myself.

Sure. Well, we better let you get back to your reading.

Nice to meet you, Eleanor. Bye -bye.

Jack and Jill?

He's a Jack, all right, but she isn't a Jill.

You know, Buffy, sometimes the simplest names are the best, like John and Mary.

Boy and girl?

Well, Jody's the right name for you, and Mr. French couldn't be anybody but Mr.

French, and Harold was Harold. I want their names to be right, too.

Well, you know, Buffy, there is the classical idiom.

There's Jupiter and Juno, Anthony and Cleopatra, Eloise and Abelard.

That ain't sheer.

Do you know any more? classical idiots, Mr. French?

Idioms, Bessie.

You know, she does look rather regal.

How does Queen Victoria and Prince Albert strike you?

Victoria...

Not at all, Buffy. Of course, you realize that there is no irreverence

towards their late imperial majesty.

Sissy. Is that for me?

Mm -hmm.

Wow.

Oh, it's from the living end.

Take it back, but it doesn't fit now. Oh, no, it's perfect. Look.

Thank you, thank you. You're welcome. Uncle Bill, Mr. French!

Victoria and Albert, they're gone!

Oh, when did you see them last?

Yes,

sir. Some 15 minutes ago, sir. Did you take him out of the cage?

Only to say hello.

Well, maybe when you put him back in, you didn't fasten the catch.

I did.

I saw her.

Since Hale ran away, I've been extra careful with Victoria and Albert.

Well, how'd they get out of the cage, then?

Well, excuse me, sir, but this little training manual we purchased warns us

that... Hamsters are notorious escape artists. In fact, they're known as the

Houdinis of the animal world.

Any lock or bolt is a challenge to them.

Well, if they got out of there, they must be around the apartment.

Maybe if you whistled, Buffy.

Maybe we could all whistle.

Thank you.

have been outsmarted by two hamsters.

Well, we know they're still in the apartment.

Maybe not.

Hamsters are smart.

They might open the front door.

They couldn't do that.

Could they?

No. They got other ways of getting out, too. They can hide for a long time, too.

Hmm. But we'll keep looking for them, huh?

I wonder if we'll ever see them again.

I keep losing hamsters.

You feel another visit to the pet store is not in order, sir. You know, Buffy's

quite unhappy.

Yeah, I know, but I don't want to go through that again.

Just no more hamsters.

Well, perhaps we could get her to plant a little, well, a little window garden.

Petunias don't run away.

Hey.

What is it?

Buffy. Have a good time, Uncle Bill.

This is Victoria and Albert.

In the golf bag.

They turned it into their own Buckingham Palace.

Albert. Come on. Back in the cage, kids, where you belong. Yeah, yeah.

Look at that Albert. He already has his eye on the catch.

Well, maybe we ought to have a combination lock.

and keep changing the combination.

You know, Uncle Bill, I've been thinking.

Yeah?

I loved Harold, and I loved Victoria and Albert.

I gave them everything I thought they wanted, food and the nicest nest.

But everything I gave them, they still wanted to run away.

So they could build their own nest and find their own food.

I gave them everything except what they wanted most of all, to be free.

How about that job at, um, what is it, Living Inn?

Um, I guess the increase in the allowance and, uh, special presence,

the same thing, is it?

Okay.

Next time there's a job open, you can give it a whirl.

See if you can find one close to home, okay?

Could you take me and Victoria and Albert to the park so I can give them

they mostly want?

They're only going to do things for themselves.

It's nice out here.

Oh, I'm sure Victoria and Albert will find it most agreeable. But what about

the winter, Mr. French, when it gets cold?

Well, according to our infallible manual, during frigid weather, hamsters

hibernate. Just like bears.

Precisely. In fact, they're called golden bears.

You know, fancy that. Sleeping for three or four months right through winter.

Okay, Albert.

Come on.

Come on, you're going to go out.

Hey. There. I'll get this guy.

Come on.

Bye,

Victoria. Goodbye, Albert.

Take care of each other.

Now, they're going to burrow down in the ground and hibernate there, just like

little bears.

Go on, Victoria.

You're free.

It's not always easy to let go of somebody you love.

Of course it's not easy.