Original subtitles

- Boy, sure is a swell picture of Mr. Wilson.

- First Mockingbird of Spring seen in John Wilson's yard.

How about that?

- He built a nest right in his tree.

- Spring's really here, isn't it?

- Yeah.

And you know what me and Tommy want to do some night, mom?

Sleep in our tree house.

Can we sleep in our tree house, mom?

- Oh no, not again.

- Last year you rolled out and nearly broke your neck.

No tree house.

- OK.

Hey, can we camp out in the backyard some night?

In Mr. Wilson's tent if he'll let us borrow it.

- Well, I guess it'll be all right,

if it's all right with Mr. Wilson.

- I'll go ask him right now.

You know something?

I bet Mr. Wilson'd like to sleep in our tree house

some night, like his grandfather always did.

- His grandfather?

Where'd you get that information?

- I heard Mrs. Elkins talking.

She said all Mr. Wilson's ancestors

are bananas and lived in trees.

I'll ask him about that.

That's real interesting.

- Don't bother Mr. Wilson!

Come back here!

[theme music]

- Oh, it's so nice to have a mockingbird around.

- I love them.

- It couldn't have happened at a better time, Eloise.

That little mocker is going to get

me elected president of the Bird Watcher Society.

- Mr. Timberlake is really retiring this year, is he?

- After 17 years.

That's something else that bird'll do.

Help me get Timberlake behind me.

- Oh, so that's why you invited him over here today

to see the nest.

- What else?

If I can get Clarence, Timberlake, and Dorceman,

that Elkins woman won't get one vote.

- Oh, you slick politician.

- Hi, Mr. Wilson.

Boy, that sure is a swell picture of you in the paper.

First mockingbird of the season. that's terrific.

- And there he is, right up in my tree.

- So, can me and Tommy borrow your tent today

so we can sleep out in our back yard in it?

- Oh, well, uh, sometime, Dennis.

But not today.

See, it's packed under a lot of stuff up in the attic and I--

Oh.

[chirping]

[whistling]

- Boy, that's swell, Mr.w isln.

You sound just like him.

- Hail to thee, blithe spirits.

Ah, Wilson.

You are to be congratulated.

The first mockingbird of spring has chosen to live with you.

- Oh, yes, I am fortunate, Mr. Timberlake.

- There's his nest, Mr. Timberlake.

Right up there, see?

- Uh, I'll show him, Dennis.

I'll show him.

- What a splendid nest.

An excellent location.

He'll be safe from all harm.

- Oh, I assure you, no harm will come to him in my yard.

I'll be extremely vigilant, as any candidate

for your high office should be.

- Well spoken, Wilson.

I'm sure if you're elected, you'll

be a staunch guardian for our little feathered friends.

- Oh, I will.

I certainly will.

And I'm sure that Mrs. Elkins, too,

will do her best if elected.

- Well, she'll try, I suppose.

But it will be extremely difficult for a woman

to fill your shoes.

- Well, Mr. Timberlake!

I thought I thought I saw you come in here!

- Hello, Mrs. Elkins. - Mr. Wilson.

Dennis. - Hi, Mrs. Elkins.

- Is there something we can do for you, Mrs. Elkins?

- No, thank you.

I just wanted to tell Mr. Timberlake

that when I'm elected president of our society,

I'll follow his policies toward our dear little birds exactly.

- That is so comforting to hear, Mrs. Elkins.

Well, Mr. Timberlake knows how I feel.

And when I'm elected--

- Did you see Mr. Wilson's mockingbird?

It's right up there.

- Yes, it's lovely.

But not Mr. Wilson's bird, dear.

The birds belong to all of us who love them.

- Indeed they do, yes indeed.

And they're so exquisitely sensitive

to love and affection, too.

- Absolutely, Mr. Timberlake.

Now, you take that bird there.

He could just as well have built his nest in Mrs. Elkins' yard,

but he knew where he was loved the most.

Here.

- Now, Mrs. Elkins, by week's end there

will be dozens of them in town, and I'm

sure that you'll have nests in your backyard, too.

- Well, of course I will.

I love them so.

- Your little old cat Tinkerbell sure loves birds, all right.

She's always chasing them.

- Mrs. Elkins?

You have a cat?

- Yes, I do, Mr. Timberlake, but I'm getting rid of it.

I've already made arrangements to give it away.

- A wise decision.

Well, I must be running along.

It's been so nice, Wilson.

- Must you rush off?

We've hardly had time to--

- I'll walk out with you, Mr. Timberlake.

And, Mr. Wilson, when I'm elected,

I'll put you on a committee.

- Well, we'll see who's elected.

Let's just say, may the best man win?

- No, Mr. Wilson.

May the best woman win.

- Miserable.

I consider this a profitable day, Eloise.

I think I've got Timberlake's backing.

- I hope so, dear.

[chirping] Listen.

Isn't that beautiful?

- Lovely.

A fitting lullaby for the next president

of the Bird Watcher's Society.

Good night.

- Good night, dear.

[chirping]

- Oh, it's 4:30.

Eloise.

Eloise?

- What is it, dear?

- He's still at it.

Every time I get to sleep, that bird wakes me up.

- I know.

And every time he wakes you up, you

wake me up to tell me about it.

Now lie down.

[chirping]

- Morning, John.

Isn't this a beautiful day?

- Oh, hello, Henry.

- Boy, oh, boy, you writers really

have the life, sleeping until 9:00 in the morning.

I wish I could do that.

- As a matter of fact, I hardly slept at all.

Laid awake all night listening to that mockingbird.

- You mean you stayed awake just to listen to it?

Boy, you must love it.

- I don't love it at all, and I didn't stay awake.

I was kept.

Forget it, Henry.

- Boy, is he grouchy.

Well, I hope you sleep better tonight, John.

[chirping]

[chirping]

- Oh, shut up and let me sleep!

- Was I snoring, dear?

- Oh, no, no, Eloise.

Oh, I'm sorry to wake you up, but that bird

is driving me out of my-- How can you sleep with all that?

Oh, I give up.

- Made a little surprise for you.

Thought it might make you feel bad.

- Mm, my favorite cake.

Mm.

Well, I have a little surprise too,

for that confounded mockingbird.

- Firecrackers?

- Left over from the 4th of July.

If there's one thing birds hate more than anything else,

it's noise.

DENNIS (OFFSCREEN): Mr. Wilson!

- We've got a surprise for you, Mr. Wilson.

- Yeah, a surprise.

We've been digging all morning, in my backyard.

And look what we got for your mockingbird.

Worms.

- Oh, fine, just what I've always wanted.

A can of worms.

- We'll leave it right here, Mr. Wilson.

- Now that little old mockingbird will never

have to leave this yard again.

Not even to eat.

- Oh, for crying out loud.

- Here, birdy, birdy, birdy, birdy.

Cheep, cheep, cheep, cheep, cheep.

- Oh, brother, what a narrow escape.

Dennis almost caught me lighting the firecracker.

- Oh, fine.

- I just had time to put them out and shove them in my sweater.

- In your sweater?

Oh, John, you shouldn't--

- Eloise, I told you I put it out first.

You don't think I'm silly enough to-- it's still lit!

[chirping]

- I guess he isn't hungry yet.

The worms are still here.

- He's sitting up there on his nest.

- Oh, Dennis, I'm glad you're here.

Say, how would you boys like to make a quarter, a piece?

- OK.

- Swell.

- Well, you know that big new drug store?

- You mean the one across the railroad tracks,

on the other side of town?

- That's the one.

Well, they have a special kind of hair tonic.

I, uh, I wrote it down.

I want you to get a bottle for me.

There you are, and here is a quarter for you and you.

- Thanks, Mr. Wilson.

- It's a pretty long trip, but we'll hurry.

- No, no, don't hurry.

No, it'll take you about an hour, but take your time.

Don't hurry.

- OK.

Come on, Tommy.

- Well, you won't keep me awake tonight, loudmouth.

In about five minutes, you'll think a war down here.

- Jeepers, Mr. Wilson, what are you doing?

- Please, please, don't interrupt me.

I'm busy, Dennis.

I-- Dennis!

What are you boys doing back here?

- You forgot to give us the money to pay for the hair tonic.

- And whatcha making all the noise for, Mr. Wilson?

You'll scare the mockingbird away.

- Yeah, birds get scared of noise.

- Uh, well, not mockingbirds, Dennis.

They don't mind noise at all.

- They don't?

- No.

They don't.

As a matter of fact, some crows were bothering our mocker,

so I frightened them away.

- Boy, you sire did.

No crows up there now.

- Well, you two boys run along and play.

- What about your hair tonic?

- Well, I've changed my mind.

Forget it.

- Boy, he sure as flipped.

- You know, Eloise, I believe that beating on that pan

actually drove that raucous bird away.

- We haven't heard a single chirp all evening.

- What a relief.

Now we can leave the window open and get a good night's sleep.

Good night, dear.

- Good night, dear.

[chirping]

- Oh, no.

At least I'll keep some of that noise out.

[chirping]

- Here's your juice, dear.

- Yeah.

- Anything new in the paper?

- No.

- Oh, you sound like a bear.

Didn't you sleep at all last night?

- I hardly slept a wink.

I tried counting sheep, but it didn't work.

They didn't have wool.

They had feathers.

- Oh, poor John.

- Well, when I finish with the paper,

I'm going to do what I should have done in the first place.

I'm going to get a ladder, get the nest out of the tree,

and throw it away.

- Oh, you better not let Mr. Timberlake catch you at it.

- Oh, I shall use every precaution.

But I've got to get rid of that bird.

[doorbell]

- I'll see who it is.

- Oh, good morning, Mrs. Elkins. - Good morning.

- Mrs. Dudley. - Good morning.

- May we see Mr. Wilson for a minute?

- Why yes, of course.

Come right on in.

- Dear, Mrs. Elkins and Mrs. Dudley to see you.

- Good morning, Mr. Wilson.

- Well, what do you want now?

- That's not a very cheerful greeting, I must say.

- I don't feel very cheerful.

- John's terribly tied.

Our mockingbird kept him awake all night.

- Really?

Oh, you must hate that bird, Mr. Wilson.

- Oh, not at all.

I'm devoted to it, as any true bird lover would be.

Its singing didn't keep me awake.

I have a touch of indigestion.

- Oh. Too bad.

- Would you ladies care for some coffee?

- No, thanks.

We won't be staying long.

- Would you make some for me, dear?

- Oh, of course.

- Well, very cheerfully, what do you want?

- Well, I would like to set up my tape recorder here and record

the song of spring's first mockingbird.

- For the club's archives.

- Well, of all the nerve.

I see through your little scheme.

You want to record my mockingbird,

play it at the club next week to get you more votes.

Well, just forget it, Mrs. Elkins.

- Very well, Mr. Wilson.

But when the other members learn that you have deprived them

of such a wonderful record, they certainly

won't elect you president.

Come on, Mable.

- Confound it!

Wait a minute.

You've got me over a barrel, haven't you?

- What a crude remark.

- All right, set up your recorder.

I know when I'm licked.

- Thank you.

- We'll put it near the door, so that the cord

will reach the tree.

- Put it anywhere.

- Hand me the cord, Mable.

There.

Now, that will do the trick.

Now, when the bird starts to sing, you turn it on here.

And we'll go out and put the microphone near its nest.

- Hi, Mrs. Elkins.

- Well, hello, boys.

- Hi. - Hi, Mr. Wilson.

Me and Tommy thought you might let us have your tent now.

- Dennis, I told you, it's up in the attic under a pile of junk.

It would take me all day to get it out.

- Maybe it's on top of the junk.

Couldn't you look?

- All right, all right.

I'll look.

Anything to keep you quiet.

- Boy, he sure is grouchy today.

- Oh, his bark's worse than his bite.

Anyhow, I think it is.

He's never really bit me.

Hey.

What's this thing?

- Oh, that's a tape recorder.

My dad's got one.

- You mean it makes records of stuff?

- Sure, if you turn it on.

- What turns it on?

- This little gimmick here.

- I hear you told Mr. Timberlake that you're

going to give your cat away.

- Yes, I told him that.

- Is it making a record of us now?

- I don't think so.

There's supposed to be another gimmick

you're supposed to talk into.

- Dennis, I couldn't-- do you have to monkey with everything

you see?

This is not to be turned on until the mockingbird sings.

- I'm sorry, Mr. Wilson.

What about the tent?

- Well, I couldn't find it, so it must be buried.

Now run along, boys.

- OK.

Let's go over to your house, Tommy.

- OK, let's. So long, Mr. Wilson.

- So long, boys. So on.

- Oh, just in time for your coffee, dear.

- Oh, thank you, dear.

Well, I see Mrs. Elkins and her chum

have flown off on their broom.

- I saw them leave.

- Well, I guess it's safe to go and get

that bird's nest out of the tree.

- What about Dennis and Tommy?

They just went by.

- Well, they're going over to Tommy's house.

No, the coast is clear.

Moving day for our feathered friend.

- Hi, Mr. Wilson.

Whatcha doing?

- Uh, Dennis, I thought you've gone to Tommy's house?

- We're on our way now.

We just stopped at my house to get some cookies.

- Yeah.

Can't make a trip like that without something to eat.

- Is that the mockingbird's nest you're throwing away?

- Uh, yes.

Yes, it is.

The wind blew it out of the tree.

- Wind?

I don't feel any wind.

- Well, uh, it was a high wind.

But don't worry.

I'll build it another nest, better than this one.

- How can a man build a bird's nest?

Only birds know how to do that.

- Oh, I can do it, Tommy.

I've made such a close study of them, I understand them.

I, I think the way they do. - Yeah.

He's got sort of a bird brain, haven't you, Mr. Wilson?

- At times.

Good bye, boys.

- Bye, Mr. Wilson.

Mr. Wilson sure loves birds.

Not many men would build a nest for one.

- I guess not.

- Hi, Mrs. Elkins.

Hi, Mrs. Dudley.

- Hi, Dennis.

Hi, Tommy.

- Guess what Mr. Wilson's gonna do?

He's gonna build a nest for his mockingbird.

- Build a nest?

- Yeah, with his own hands.

- Because the wind blew the old one out of the tree.

- Are you sure about this, Dennis?

- Sure I'm sure.

I just saw him throw the old one in the trash can.

- Well, thank you very much for telling me, Dennis.

- You're welcome, Mrs. Elkins.

Come on, Tommy.

Bye, Mrs. Dudley.

- Bye.

- Mable, we've got him.

The wind didn't blow that nest down.

There wasn't any wind?

- You think he took it down himself.

- Of course.

His wife said that bird's been keeping him awake at night,

so he got rid of it.

- Well, this should make you the next president of the club.

- Right.

I'll call Mr. Timberlake and tell

him to meet us at the Wilson house and soon as he can.

We'll nail John Wilson to the mast.

- Then it's true, Wilson?

You actually tore down the nest of an innocent little bird?

- Yes, I did, Mr. Timberlake. There's no use lying about it.

- This is dreadful.

To think that I'd hear such an admission

from the lips of a man with whom I've

spent so many happy hours in the woods,

watching the yellow bellied sap sucker sucking sap.

- He had us all fooled, Mr. Timberlake.

He never did care for birds.

- Mrs. Elkins, you may have me where you want me,

but you cannot say that I do not care for birds.

- It was lack of sleep and exhaustion

that drove me to do what I did.

- I can understand that.

Once a woodpecker tap, tap, tapped

on the drainpipe outside my bedroom window night

after night, until I was sorely tempted to-- well, never mind.

That was a long time ago.

I've outgrown that.

- Well, I'm glad you understand.

- Yes, but under the circumstances

I don't see how I can support you

for the presidency of the club.

- In my opinion, he should be forced to resign.

- Well, that's a little drastic, perhaps, but--

- Hi, Mr. Wilson, I-- oh, I didn't know you had company.

- That's all right, Dennis.

- I brought you some straw to put in the bird's nest

you're building.

- He isn't building a nest, Dennis.

He never intended to build a nest.

Mr. Wilson doesn't like birds.

- Sure he does, Mrs. Elkins.

Mr. Wilson loves birds.

- Mr. Timberlake, will you please set the boy straight?

It's a shame for him to have faith in a hypocrite.

- Well, he was only pretending.

- You're wrong about him not loving birds, Mr. Timberlake.

One time I was going to take an egg out of a nest,

and he bawled the heck out of me.

- Shall we go, Mr. Timberlake?

All this prattle is a waste of time.

- And another time, I found a baby sparrow on the ground.

Mr. Wilson kept it in a shoe box and fed it with an eye dropper

until it was big enough to fly.

- That's most commendable, young man, but--

- And how about this?

He got a tape recorder so he could

make a record of the mockingbird's singing.

- That happens to be my recorder, Dennis.

- Well, anyhow, Mr. Wilson's the one

who's going to make the record, and I bet you

he's got some real good songs.

Listen, Mr. Timberlake.

MRS. DUDLEY (RECORDED): I hear you

told Mr. Timberlake you're going to give your cat away.

MRS. ELKINS (RECORDED): Yes, I told him that.

- Why, that's your voice, Mrs. Elkins.

MRS. DUDLEY (RECORDED): Did you mean it?

MRS. ELKINS (RECORDED): Of course not.

You know I've always been a cat lover.

Frankly, I have no use for birds.

- This must be some horrible joke.

I'll turn it off.

- Please, I'd like to hear the rest of it.

MRS. DUDLEY (RECORDED): Then why do

you want to be president of the Bird Watcher's club?

MRS. ELKINS (RECORDED): For publicity, Mable.

Next year I plan to run for the city council.

The more offices I get elected to, the more

times I get my name and picture in the paper,

the better chance I'll have.

MRS. DUDLEY (RECORDED): Oh.

Aren't you the smart one?

MRS. ELKINS (RECORDED): Smart enough to fool old Timberlake.

Well, I've got the microphone up.

Let's go.

- I think I've heard enough.

- I, I never said that.

It must be some fake.

- Yes. He did it.

- Oh, no.

I know what happened.

Dennis turned on the machine when

you were hanging up that microphone.

You got caught in your own trap, Mrs. Elkins.

- I would suggest, Mrs. Elkins, that if anyone resigns

from the club, it should be you.

- All right.

I will.

Come on, Mable.

Who needs you and your silly birds?

- Boy, I never expected to make a record like that.

- As far as I'm concerned, it's tops on the hit parade.

- I never should have listened to that woman, Wilson.

You made an honest confession, but she tried to bamboozle me.

- And you don't want me to resign?

- Of course not.

This lad has made me realize that you're a true bird

lover, despite your one mistake.

And I intend to support you wholeheartedly

for the presidency of the club.

- Isn't that swell, Mr. Wilson?

- Furthermore, I'd like you to join me on a little field trip

tomorrow, just the two of us.

I think I know where we can find a purple breasted beetle

catcher catching beetles.

- I'll be there, Mr. Timberlake.

- I'll phone you this evening.

- Oh, wonderful.

- I'll let myself out.

- Oh. Oh, fine.

Oh, you certainly came through for me, Dennis.

- You want me to help you build the birdhouse now?

- Well, I've changed my mind about that.

I'll miss the song of our little feathered friend,

but I can't build a nest that would be a real home for it.

- Yeah, I guess it wouldn't be easy.

- I'll tell you what I am going to do.

I'm going to find that tent for you and Tommy

if I have to tear this whole house apart.

And I'll set it up in your yard for you myself.

- Oh, boy, that's swell, Mr. Wilson.

Would like to sleep in it with us tonight?

- Oh, well, I don't want to leave my wife alone.

- Then we'd better skip it.

There wouldn't be room for her, too.

- Things worked out nicely for you today, didn't they, dear?

- Perfect.

No nest, no Mockingbird, and I'll

still be president of the club.

- Thanks to Dennis. - Oh yes.

Bless his little heart.

If I wasn't so tired, I'd go over

and see that he's tucked into his little tent.

[chirping]

- What on Earth is that?

It sounds like 20 mockingbirds singing at once!

- 20?

It sounds like 50 of them.

- Don't they sound beautiful, Tommy?

- Yeah, keen.

- I'll bet good old Mr. Wilson's tickled to death.

- He sure ought to be.

- Great Christopher!

Oh, no.

- Hi Mr. Wilson.

Isn't that a swell surprise we made for you?

- You made that for me?

- Yeah.

You said you couldn't build them a real home, so we did.

- It's a regular apartment house.

- And we filled it full of worms and birdseed.

- And birds moved in from everywhere.

DENNIS (OFFSCREEN): Now you'll have

a whole bunch of mockingbirds singing for you every night.

Isn't that terrific?

Jeepers, Tommy, he's so choked up, he can't even talk.

[theme music]

NARRATOR: This has been a Screen Gems film production.