Original subtitles

I say, you chaps are very proud of your sister, aren't you?

Oh, thank you, Miss Finney. Thank you. Now you must call her Nuraz. Oh,

no, no, no, no. It's impossible.

I insist.

Oh, well, in that case, she must not call me Mr. French. No. No, I suggest

she call me just French.

French.

Noural.

Suddenly a shadow appeared over Sinbad. He heard a flapping of wings and looked

up. A monstrous bird with claws outstretched was swooping down on him.

That's scary.

What happened next, Mr. Franks?

Suddenly the monstrous bird released its grip.

Sinbad started to fall.

Down and down he fell.

have a parachute, Mr. French?

Oh, well, we'll find out after I've answered the telephone.

Excuse me.

Mr. Davis' residence?

Oh, it's you, sir.

It's Mr. Davis calling from Lebanon.

How is the project, sir?

Oh, really? Well, sir, I trust that you're able to enjoy some of the famous

delicacies of that nation.

Oh, the food. The food's great here. Yeah, they do all kinds of nutty things

with lamb and grape leaves and rice and stuff like that. I gotta find a place in

New York that cooks that way.

Well, I'll be home Saturday night. Right. Are the kids handy?

Buffy and Jody are here, sir.

Let me talk to Uncle Bill. Me first.

I'm five minutes older than you.

Hello, Uncle Bill.

Hi, Jody.

What?

No, no, no.

The sun's not shining, but the moon is.

That's right.

Well, it's a little involved for long -distance telephoning, but I'll explain

to you soon.

I'll tell you all about it Saturday when I get home.

Okay, bye.

Hiya, Buffy.

Hi, Uncle Bill.

Daddy hopes you're going to bring us some more presents.

Buffy.

You're the one who hoped out first.

All right, just for that, I'm not bringing a present for any of you.

Nope. Just for Mrs. Beasley.

That's right.

Bye.

Mr. French, Uncle Bill says he's going to bring home a surprise.

Perhaps this time we'll surprise him.

A restaurant featuring the cuisine of Lebanon right here in this apartment.

Now, come on, children.

Comb your hair and brush your teeth, and we'll go off and buy some Middle

Eastern delights.

Here we are.

Oh, it's a long time since I've shopped at Mr. Fuent's store.

Look, it's Officer Chambers. Hello, Buffy, Judy.

Hi. Well, hello, Officer Chambers.

I didn't know you liked this stuff.

This stuff, as you call it, is considered a delicacy by gourmets.

Maybe so, but my mom and dad came from Beirut. And I was raised on it.

Just give me roast beef and mashed potatoes.

Good day,

sir. You speak Arabic?

Oh, to a limited extent, madam. We were once in the employ of a close friend of

the Shah of Morocco.

Tell me, is Mr.

Fuad about?

Yes. I shall be most pleased to call my cousin for you.

Fuad.

Look.

He's just like the picture in the Sinbad book.

And you said they didn't have those kind anymore.

Rachel, this is my friend, Mr. Fuad.

Mr. French.

It's been a long time. How have you been?

Oh, splendid. Thank you. Splendid.

Oh, may I present my cousin, Miss Nooral Spain.

Oh, child, nice to meet you, ma 'am.

For me also.

Oh, and her brothers, my cousins.

Salam alaikum.

And may I present Miss Buffy and Master Jody.

How do you do? How do you do?

Mr. French, these are your children?

To me, no, sir, no. They are the wards of my present employer.

Now, sir, I am very happily unmarried.

We're here to purchase the ingredients from Mojavea.

Now, let me see, sir. I shall need olive oil, grape leaves, crushed wheat,

turmeric.

Turmeric?

Turmeric? Turmeric, yes.

This should do very nicely.

Mr. French, turmeric in Mouhrabieh?

In Morocco, one uses turmeric.

Morocco? Shh.

I'm sorry, but that's where I learned to make it.

Mr. French, you must let my cousin, Miss Noural -Spainy, teach you the correct

way.

Please. My kitchen is your kitchen.

Well, I accept your offer.

May I suggest tomorrow evening?

I am your humble servant, Mr. French.

Thank you. Good day, madam.

Come, Buffy. Come, Judy.

Such a fine beard. I only see that he is prosperous.

Best of all, he is unmarried.

I like him.

I'll tell you, Dr. Sarkis, now is the best time to put up that additional wing

while we've still got the heavy equipment out on the construction site.

But it's a matter of money. It will cost millions more.

Well, maybe you better come back to the States with me when I go and get your

additional financing.

I think I have already borrowed enough on my professional reputation.

How bad do you want that new wing?

Very badly.

For my research.

All right.

I will come to America with you.

Excuse the interrupt, Mr. Davis.

Oh, come in, come in.

Ah, you brought it.

Exactly as you wish.

You like?

I like.

Mrs. Beasley is going to love that.

Mrs. Beasley?

Mrs. Beasley is my niece's dog.

Oh, I'm relieved.

For a moment, I visualized Mrs. Beasley as an old lady of 15 inches in height.

Oh.

Now, first, we must add the hounded lamb to the crushed wheat.

Oh, no, Mr. French. First you add the crushed wheat to the pounded lamb.

Mr.

French, that was the most beautiful mouhrabi I have ever seen.

Entirely through your efforts, Miss Bailey.

Well, good night.

Good night.

And, uh, goodbye.

Goodbye. No, no, Mr. French, not goodbye.

You must come back. Cook macabre again.

It is good to practice cooking before your employer returns.

Very well. I shall return for my graduation ceremony tomorrow night.

return tomorrow.

And he kissed your hand.

Thank you.

Oh, come, gentlemen.

Isn't this rather too much to make over my cooking one simple dish?

We honor you as our guest.

And now we show you a sample of our native dances.

You know, I've been trying to tell the children that the Arabian nights were

just fantasies.

Tonight, I'm not so sure.

Beautiful, Isina.

Oh, yes, beautiful.

Strong, too.

See those shoulders?

She can carry two sacks of wheat at the same time.

Like an ox.

I say, you chaps are very proud of your sister, aren't you?

Oh, thank you, Miss Spinney. Thank you. Now you must call her Nuraz.

Oh, no, no, no, no. It's impossible.

I insist.

Oh, well, in that case, she must not call me Mr. French. No. No, I suggest

she call me just...

French?

French.

Norel?

Oh,

what's this?

The cloak of joy signifying the betrothal. Oh, betrothal. For the

For what marriage?

Your marriage to Norel, of course.

Brother. I am not your brother. Of course not, Mohad.

Not for another week yet.

There must be some misunderstanding.

Mr. French, as you well know, this is our ancient custom in Lebanon.

When a man cooks for a woman, it is a promise of marriage.

Tell them this was just a...

Mr.

French, in the eyes of my family, I am compromised.

Compromised?

Mr. French, has honor changed?

I don't know.

Talking about honor, indeed.

Why, I hadn't even considered the possibility of marriage. Take your time.

Consider it.

And consider the beautiful, obedient Norell as your wife.

So inexpensive.

Certainly. Take your time. The marriage cannot possibly take place for several

days.

Only an Englishman would let honor force him into something out of the question.

Just flip that on, Mrs. Beasley, for size.

Mrs. Beasley, look, a new dress.

Oh, it's you, sir.

I thought I heard the bells.

I didn't ring the bell, French. I used my key.

Oh, of course, sir, yes.

We didn't expect you back till Saturday, sir.

This is Saturday.

Be sure, sir.

Dinner at the usual hour?

Sure. Mr. France!

Look at Mrs. Beasley!

Oh, excuse me, sir. I'll

unpack your bag.

How long has he been like that?

Day before yesterday.

But he says nothing is wrong.

There's something wrong with him.

Looks like he's in another world.

Thank you for the dinner.

I'm glad you could come.

Listen, um...

The thing with the... What do you think about him?

I doubt if it's anything serious.

His mind seems to be overwhelmed by some personal problem.

What kind of a problem?

Well, I as a stranger would not know.

Perhaps you could find out.

I'll try.

Bye. Goodbye, Doctor.

Of course, sir.

Welcome home, sir.

French, we've been together a long time now, many years.

Many years, sir.

Now, I've never interfered in your personal affairs, nor you in mine.

Nor I in yours, sir.

French, will you listen to me?

Now, French, the gentleman that's dying with us tonight is an eminent

psychiatrist in his country, and, well,

he seems to think that you might have a little problem.

Yes, Mr.

Davis, what I need, sir, is not a psychiatrist, but a magician.

Well,

French, now, in my business, you know, every once in a while we have a problem

that doesn't seem to have any solution, but we always find out that the answer's

there all the time.

Well, I know the answer, sir, and being a man of honor, there can be only one

answer, and that is my problem, sir.

Would you like to talk about it?

Thank you, Mr. Davis. I shall retire, sir, and think about it.

French, this is your room.

Oh.

Yes, of course.

I think we'd better talk about it right now.

well, sir.

It all started with the Arabian Nights,

Sinbad, Murabiyah, and Miss Nural

Shpenny, sir.

Gentlemen, may I serve you?

Mr. Fuad?

I am Fuad, the proprietor. My name is Davis, Mr. Fuad. This is Dr. Sarkis from

Beirut. The great Dr.

Sarkis?

Here in my humble shop?

Oh, this is the honor of honors.

What can I possibly offer such a great man?

Well, uh... We came about Mr. French.

He sent you?

Oh, no, no, Mr. French doesn't even know we're here.

You see, we just found out about his forthcoming marriage, and, well, I

Dr. Sarkis along because, well, as you know, he's the foremost expert on

marriage customs in your country.

Dr.

Sarkis, Mr. Davis, these are the brothers Halama Wahad.

Their sister is the betrothed, Ms. Nur al -Shbaini.

who was compromised by your Mr. French.

Do they come to interfere?

Oh, no, no. Mr. French assures me that Miss Spani is the loveliest and gentlest

and most desirable of women.

He does?

Oh, yes.

I've explained to Mr. French that in our country we bring up women to be good

wives.

Then you do not object, kind sir?

Oh, certainly not. No, not since Dr. Sarkis explained about the customs.

What customs?

Well, for one, if an unmarried man cooks for an unmarried woman,

it is our way of asking her hand in marriage.

Oh, that's custom.

Of course, Mr.

French is honor -bound to keep his word as gentleman.

This is a moment of great happiness for us.

Well, I guess that settles it, then.

Should we not tell them the other customs now, Bill?

Oh, no, no, that's not necessary. All right.

Well, what other customs?

Well, other marriage customs, naturally.

Such as what?

If a bride is over 30 years of age, her family must give half their worldly

goods. To the groom.

Yeah.

That's very tough on the family. It's tough. It's tough.

Dr. Sarkis, if anyone but you had told us this, I would accuse him of making it

up. But my famous doctor...

Mr. French, I am so sorry.

There's no need to bring a police officer. I gave you my word, and I will

it.

Mr. Davis, please.

Permit me to introduce my betrothed, Miss Neural Spenny and her families.

A bride -to -be.

Won't you come in? Be comfortable. Sit down.

All kinds, sir. We can only stay for a moment.

Yes, our sister has a few words to say to Mr. French.

Oh, yes,

Miss Penny.

Mr. French, you are an honorable man. I respect you. You do not love me, yet you

would marry me as a matter of honor.

Miss Penny, why did you bring a policeman?

He is a policeman.

He is Lebanese.

He is also my beloved.

Officer Chamas, your beloved?

Miss Spenny, are you trying to break your engagement to Mr. French?

Yes. I asked him to release me so I can marry Officer Chamas.

Miss Spenny, your native customer, I cooked mojabie for you.

According to Officer Chamas, in New York City, mojabie doesn't mean a thing.

Oh, Miss Spenny, I... I release you. I do, I do. I release you

reluctantly.

Bye,

bye.

Well, okay.

Oh, sirs, I'm the luckiest man alive. I don't know how it happened, sir, but

I've been spared from a terrible, terrible fate, sir.

All right, get in the kitchen and start cooking up that mocha, alababa, whatever

you call it. Dr. Sarkis is anxious to try it. Oh, yes.

All right.

Then Alibaba stood before the great cave and intoned the terrible words,

open sesame.

What's the matter, Mr. French?

On second thoughts, Buffy, I think we'll read Winnie the Pooh.