Original subtitles

- Boy, that old Mulligan house sure is spooky,

isn't it, Tommy?

- Yeah, I'll say.

Dad said Old Man Mulligan disappeared one night,

and no one ever saw him again.

You reckon his ghost is in there?

- Heck, I don't believe in ghosts.

- Me either.

Did you ever see one?

- Well, I thought I did once.

- Yeah?

- Yeah.

I woke up hungry one night and went downstairs

to raid the icebox.

And right at the foot of the stairs

I saw something tall and white coming right at me.

- Gosh, what was it?

- It was my dad.

He'd been raiding the icebox too.

[theme music]

- Boy, those pigeons sure can eat.

- Yeah.

That's all they ever do.

Jeepers.

Look at that.

You're not a lady, are you, lady?

- You guessed it, kid.

- And that's not a baby, is it?

- I was 20 years ago.

- Gee, how come you're dressed up like that?

- Oh, we're being initiated into a fraternity

over at the college.

- Do you have to do it?

- We do if we want to be members.

- Let's go, Mom. We've got to keep moving.

- Boy, that's a fine way for college men to act.

- Yeah.

And our folks think we play silly games.

Tommy?

I just had an idea about these pigeons.

- What?

- Remember the ones we read about in our history class?

They carried messages way back during the first big war

when we were fighting the kaiser.

- Do you think these could carry messages?

- Why not? They're pigeons, aren't they?

- Hey, that's a keen idea.

We could fetch a couple of them and send messages

to each other.

- But before we catch them, we've got

to find out if they belong to anybody.

- That's right.

They're not our pigeons.

- Well, they ought to be.

They've got so much of our popcorn in them.

- Well, it's nice to hear from you again, Mr. Mathews.

How are things on Wall Street?

- Oh, fine, fine.

I called to give you that tip on the market I promised you,

the stock that's going sky-high right now.

- Wonderful, wonderful.

- Now, listen carefully.

I'm on my way to catch a plane to Europe,

and I want you to have this before I leave.

Now, the stock to buy is Consolidated Development

and Research Industries.

- Ah.

Consolidated Research and Industrial Development.

- No.

The name of the stock is Consolidated Development

and Research Industries.

Now, be sure you don't get it confused with Amalgamated

Research and Development Research Consolidated.

- Oh.

Uh, the one I want is Industrial Research

and Development Amalgamated.

- You're not listening, Wilson.

You'd better write this down.

- Oh.

Very-- very well, Mr. Mathews.

Now let me have that again.

Consolidated Development and Research Industries.

Yeah.

Uh, may I share this tip with my neighbor, Henry Mitchell?

- Well, do whatever you like.

The important thing is to buy quickly.

Otherwise, it'll go up so fast, you'll get left behind.

- I'll get on it right away.

And thank you very much, Mr. Mathews.

Have a nice trip.

- Thank you.

- Goodbye.

Wait 'til Henry Mitchell hears this.

Our fortunes are made.

- I'm sure glad you came by, Sgt. Mooney.

You can help us.

- Why, you got somebody you want arrested,

like maybe your school teacher?

[chuckling]

- No.

We want to know who these pigeons belong to.

- Those moochers?

They don't belong to anybody.

They're public pests.

Why?

- Well, we just wondered if they had a home.

- Oh, not them.

During the day, they hang around the park, begging for handouts.

At night, they roost in the old Mulligan house.

- Boy, they sure picked a scary roost.

- Whatever happened to Old Man Mulligan, Sgt. Mooney?

- Well, nobody really knows, Tommy.

He was a strange sort of duck.

Used to own a little circus.

- Yeah, Dad told me about him.

- Then the big circuses put him out of business.

He shut himself up in the old house,

and that's the last anybody ever saw of him.

- I wouldn't roost there even if I was a pigeon.

- Well, I've got to be on my way.

Keep out of trouble, boys.

- Bye, Sgt. Mooney.

It's OK, Tommy.

Nobody owns the pigeons, so we can

start our own message service.

- How are we going to catch the pigeons?

- I know.

We'll put some popcorn on the ground, put a box over it,

and raise it up with a stick that has a string on it.

- But to risk all our savings--

- Alice, this isn't a risk.

It-- uh, let me show you here.

Now, look.

Suppose you buy one share of stock-- just one,

mind you-- at $10.

You will hold it for a week, and it's worth $90 or $100.

- Well, you see, Alice?

I've already made $80 or-- or $90.

- But that's just the beginning.

If you buy 50 shares of stock and wait 'til it's worth $100,

then you're really making money.

- Say, that's great.

This could run into the thousands.

- As long as Mr. Wilson doesn't break his pencil point.

- Now put him in here with mine, Tommy.

There we go.

Boy, that was easy. - Yeah.

The only hard part was keeping the others out.

- Now all we need is a pencil and paper to write our messages on.

You got any? TOMMY (OFFSCREEN): Say--

- Hey, I know where we can get some paper-- from Mrs. Wilson.

Mr. Wilson's a writer.

He's got all kinds of paper.

You watch the pigeons.

- And what size paper do you need, dear?

- Sort of small, Mrs. Wilson.

- Oh.

Well, I think I have just the thing.

Here's a scratch pad.

And here's a pencil.

You can keep them.

Mr. Wilson has more than he needs.

- Gee, thanks.

Tell Mr. Wilson any time he wants a favor,

I'll do one for him.

- All right.

- Bye. - Bye.

- There we are, Henry.

At a conservative estimate, that's

how much money we could make.

- Wow, we'll be on easy street.

- I brought some more coffee, Mr. Wilson.

Or do we millionaires only drink champagne?

[chuckling]

- Thank you, Alice.

I'll have some coffee.

Then I'll get home and see if Eloise is back from shopping.

She doesn't know the great news yet.

Well, here's to the stock that will put us

in the highest bracket, Consolidated

Industry and Research Development.

- I thought you said it was Consolidated

Research and Industrial Development.

- Yeah, well, something like that.

- Look, gosh, we ought to know for sure.

- Now, don't worry, Henry.

I have the name safely written down on a pad on my desk.

- I got him! I got him!

Now we'll write our messages.

I'll do mine first.

Hey.

There's something already written on this page.

- Well, tear it up and use the next one.

- No.

I'll write on the back of this one.

That's what Mr. Wilson would do.

He's always telling me not to waste stuff.

Now we each take a pigeon home, tie a message on him,

and then turn him loose, right? - Right.

Then we'll meet up back here in the park

and pick up the messages.

- Gee, I thought they'd deliver them right to our houses.

- We'll train them to do that later.

Now write your message.

- You-- you-- you gave that pad to Dennis?

- Why are you getting so excited?

It was only a cheap scratch pad.

- That cheap scratch pad had something

of vital importance written on it.

- Oh.

Oh, I'm sorry, dear, I didn't know.

- We'll, I'll have to get it back from him right away.

- That note looks good and tight.

MR. WILSON (OFFSCREEN): Dennis!

- I'm back here, Mr. Wilson.

OK, boy, you're just about ready to make your first delivery.

- Dennis.

- Hi, Mr. Wilson.

See this pigeon?

- Never mind the pigeon. Never mind.

Do you have that writing pad my wife gave you?

- Yes, sir, I've got it.

- Thank heaven.

Where is it?

- It's in my pocket.

- Oh.

Well, let that silly bird go and give it to me.

- OK. - H-- hurry.

Hurry.

There we are.

Uh, I-- I made a note on the first page.

I can't find it.

- Oh, I tore it off and wrote a message to Tommy

on the other side.

- All right, give that to me.

- Oh, I can't, Mr. Wilson.

It's on that pigeon that just flew away.

- On that pigeon?

Oh, great Christopher!

- I sure didn't mean to cause all this trouble, Mr. Wilson.

- Well, why didn't you try to spot yours when it landed?

Now, which one of the two birds with the paper tied to them

is yours?

- The gray and blue one.

- Well, they're both gray and blue, son.

- Yes, sir.

But mine has more gray, and Tommy's has more blue.

Right, Tommy?

- I think so.

- Oh.

Well, I'll pop the net over it.

Quiet, now.

MOONEY (OFFSCREEN): Wilson!

What goes on here?

- Oh, bother.

- Oh, catching yourself some dinner, eh, Wilson?

- Nothing of the kind.

- Things must be pretty tough when

you have to go shopping with a net.

- I was not shopping.

- Oh, I don't blame you, Wilson.

Pigeon stew can be very tasty.

- Mooney, will you make an effort not to be so stupid?

I was not after pigeons for food.

- Well, if you say so, Wilson.

What's your recipe for pigeon stew?

- Well, you boil the pigeon with some potatoes-- oh, stop.

[chuckling]

- It's not the way it looks, Sergeant.

Accidentally, Dennis tied something

we want onto one of the legs of the pigeons.

We were just trying to get it back.

- That's right, Sgt. Mooney.

- Well, I hope that satisfies you.

- Sure, Wilson, that explains it.

I have only one thing to ask.

- Yes?

- Invite me over when you fix the pigeon stew.

I love it.

[laughing]

- Is pigeon stew really good, Mr. Wilson?

- Delicious.

Now let's get back to work.

- Not that one, Mr. Wilson.

The other one's mine.

- Got him.

Got him.

There we go.

Now we'll know what stock to buy.

And just in time, too.

The market closes in half an hour.

Here we are.

Easy. Easy.

Now let's get that note.

Here. Where is it?

Here we go.

Here it is.

Oh, our fortunes are made.

Here we are at last.

Now.

Dear Dennis, how are you?

I am fine.

Your friend, Tommy.

What?

- Uh-oh.

- Uh-oh, me too.

- Dennis, you made me catch the wrong bird.

- Gee, I'm sorry, Mr. Wilson.

I guess mine has more blue and Tommy's has more gray.

- Oh, this is terrible. - Well, where is the other one?

Where is it? Where did he go?

Where-- there goes thousands of dollars,

flying into the wild blue yonder.

- Mr. Wilson?

Mr. Wilson?

- They haven't come back yet.

- Well, it looks like those confounded pigeons will never

come back to the park.

- Well, what rotten luck.

- You scared the living daylights out

of them with that net, Mr. Wilson.

- Dennis, never mind.

- Well, what are we going to do, Henry?

We've got to get it back.

- Well, it's too late to buy the stock today anyway.

The market's closed by now.

- Probably doubled its price already.

If we don't buy it first thing in the morning, we'll miss out.

Mathews said it would go up fast.

- Hey, Mr. Wilson, I know how we can catch that pigeon.

Tonight, while he's asleep.

- Oh, Dennis, please don't bother us with-- asleep?

- Yes, sir.

Sgt. Mooney told us where they roost at night, out

in the old Mulligan house.

- Say, John, that's an idea.

We could sneak out after dark and pick out the right pigeon.

- And slap this net over him before he wakes up.

Yes, sir, we'll do it.

- Gee, that's swell, Mr. Wilson.

I'd love to see you and Dad get rich.

- Boy, am I glad to get this stuff off.

What a stupid night. - What are you beefing about?

I had to push you around all day.

What's that?

- Oh, more instructions.

It says, lowly pledges, you are ordered

to go at once to the old Mulligan house

and stay there until midnight.

- In that spooky old place?

- If you leave there before midnight,

a curse will be upon you.

Signed, Big Brother.

- Aw, nuts to that.

Let's go to a movie.

What do you say?

- Yeah, what the heck?

Let somebody else stay in that creepy old Mulligan house.

- We'll hide out in the movie, come back after 12:00,

and say we went to the Mulligan house.

- Boy, you're going to be a smart fraternity brother.

- Now, do be careful in that rickety old house, all of you.

- Yes, you could take a bad fall in the dark out there, John.

- Now just relax.

All we have to do is move around quietly

so we don't wake them, find the right bird, and grab it.

- Get out of here.

Those crummy pigeons.

- You know, this ought to be a ball.

We're going to scare the pants off of those pledges.

- By the time those guys get out of here, they'll be wrecks.

This is the outfit I want to get into.

Me King Kong. - Hey.

You know, he looks like a gorilla even without the suit,

don't he? - Aw, get out of here.

[footsteps]

- Hey, what was that? Shh.

Shh. Listen.

Listen. Hey, that's the guys.

Come on, let's get set.

- Boy, it sure is spooky in here.

- I'll say it is.

Hey, look at this.

- Mulligan Circus.

I'll bet the old boy was proud of that.

- Wow.

Look at that.

- Shh.

Let's keep our voices down, shall we?

Yah!

Bongo.

The world's most horrible gorilla.

- Why, he sure is a beaut, isn't he?

- I'd hate to run into him in the dark.

- Yeah, look at those fangs.

- Shh. Listen.

- What is it? What is it?

[birds cooing]

- It's the pigeons.

You hear them?

Sounds like they're all over the place.

- Well, there's only one way to handle this.

We'll divide up and we'll search this house from attic

to basement. - That's right, boys.

And if you find the bird with the note on him,

don't touch him.

Don't scare him.

- Oh, no, good heavens.

Just call me, and I'll come with the net.

There's a lot of money riding on that bird.

- OK.

Come on, Tommy.

Let's start with the upstairs.

- Now, Henry, I-- uh, you go that way, and I'll look back here.

Henry, what's the matter?

- Oh, nothing.

I was just thinking it is kind of spooky in here.

It almost makes you believe what you hear about it.

- Now, Henry, don't let your imagination run off with you.

Remember, cherchez la pigeon.

[thunder booming]

[pigeon cooing]

[thunder rumbling]

[birds cooing]

- Well, it isn't any of them.

[terrified stammering]

- Whoa.

John?

John, John, here. - What is it, Henry?

What is it?

- There's a skeleton.

- What? - He's hanging.

- Oh, now, Henry, I told you not to let your imagination

run away with you. - Don't tell me what I saw.

Come on, I'll show you.

- Oh, now, wait--

- Boy, there sure are a lot of pigeons in there.

But none of them's got Mr. Wilson's note on them.

- Hey Dennis, look what I found.

A plastic skull, just like they sell in the trick shop.

- Let me see it.

- Well, I guess they used to use this in Mr. Mulligan's circus.

[thunder rumbling]

- But John, I could have sworn I saw him in there, plain as day.

- Now Henry, you're just jumpy.

- But John, he was--

- Henry, Henry.

- Hey, there's some more pigeons.

- What's this?

What? What is it?

Yah!

- How'd your work go?

The guy was panicked.

- Oh, man, you should have heard him yelp.

It was a riot.

- Which pledge was it?

- I don't know.

You can't see much of anything with this head on.

Hey, where's Chet?

- He went up there with the newspaper bit.

Come on, give me a hand.

- We found a lot of pigeons.

- Yeah, but not the right one.

- Well, I'd better go on upstairs in case

the boys missed anything.

- Me and Tommy will look in the back of the house.

- All right.

I'll check this room here.

[thunder rumbling]

[birds cooing]

[birds cooing]

- Henry!

Help! Help!

Help! Help!

Help!

What? Henry.

Henry.

Oh, am I glad to see you.

Oh, come here, look.

Look, Henry.

Right here.

[slicing sounds]

- John, come on, get hold of yourself.

- This headless man bit was a wow.

I couldn't see the guy's face, but I

know it must have turned green.

- Oh, Muscles will finish them both off

with that gorilla suit of his.

[door creaking]

- Somebody's coming.

- Yeah, who the heck can that be?

Hey.

- I told you I heard somebody talking, Tommy.

- Now, what are you kids doing here?

- What are you doing here?

- Yeah.

Why are you dressed up like that?

It's not Halloween.

- Well, this is a fraternity deal, kids.

See, we're initiating two guys upstairs.

- My dad and Mr. Wilson?

- Who?

Your dad and-- we'd better get this thing straightened out,

Chet. - Right.

- I know exactly how you feel.

I-- I could have sworn I saw a skeleton hanging

in that other room.

- Well, we'd better not say anything

to the boys about this. - All right.

- They'll think we're off our rockers.

[thunder rumbling]

- Let's not waste any more time.

We've got to find that pigeon.

- I'll go on back upstairs, John.

- Uh-oh.

Uh.

- What's the matter?

- It's-- it's amazing, Henry, how strong one's imagination can

get.

I've been looking at that poster of the gorilla there,

and suddenly I imagined I saw a real gorilla.

- John?

I imagine I see a real gorilla too, right behind you.

- (TERRIFIED) Very fascinating, Henry.

We've conjured up such a strong picture

that I imagined I saw it move.

Well, there's one sure way to prove that it's an illusion.

This-- this butterfly net will go right through it.

[screaming]

- Look out! - There's a gorilla in there.

Come on, let's get out.

- It's not a real gorilla, Dad.

Just fraternity stuff. - What?

- We're-- we're-- sorry to have frightened you, sir,

but we thought you were pledges.

We're initiating a couple of guys this week,

but it just looks like they didn't show up.

- Oh, for Pete's sake.

- You mean we've been scaring the wrong guys?

Well, I'll be a monkey's uncle.

- He sure looks like one, doesn't he?

MR. WILSON (OFFSCREEN): Henry! - Jeepers, that's Mr. Wilson.

- He's in the room across the hall.

- In here! [thunder rumbling]

- John? John?

Where are you, John?

- Henry, Henry, in here.

It's pulling my hair.

Get it off.

Get it off!

- It's him, Dad. That's the one.

See the note?

- Our little million-dollar pigeon.

- What?

We're rich. Ha, ha!

- Alice, we're home.

We got it.

We got our pigeon. ALICE (OFFSCREEN): Wonderful.

I'll be down in a minute.

- Well, we did it the hard way, Henry, but we did it.

- Dad, that wasn't hard work.

That was fun.

- How much money are you going to make, Mr. Wilson?

- Lots, lots.

Oh, and Henry, first thing tomorrow

morning, we'll go down and buy Consolidated Development

and Research Industries.

We'll make a fortune.

- How much do you think it went up today?

- Well, why don't you look in the evening paper and see?

- That's an idea.

All right.

- Henry, what's the name of that stock

you two were going to buy?

- Um.

Uh, Consolidated Development and Research Industries.

- Oh.

- What's the matter?

- Look at tonight's paper.

- Consolidated Development and Research in sudden collapse.

- What?

I don't believe it.

Stockholders wiped out in surprise bankruptcy.

Losses in millions.

Great Christopher.

- You mean if we had bought that stock, we'd--

- We would have been wiped out, every cent.

- Jeepers.

- Holy smoke.

- Boys, you sure saved our lives.

- We did?

- Boys, do you understand what you've done?

- I think so, Mr. Wilson.

You mean me and Tommy and those little pigeons

kept you and Dad from being two big pigeons.

Right?

[chuckling]

[laughter]

[theme music]

ANNOUNCER (OFFSCREEN): This has been a Screen Gems film

production.