Original subtitles

[♪♪♪]

[SIGHS]

ALL: ♪ She's a cranky old critter She's bitter, we warn ya ♪

♪ She lives in a tree house ♪

♪ In Burbank, California ♪

♪ Along with her nephew ♪

♪ He says "Spew" He's cheerful ♪

♪ Then his aunt starts to rant She gives him an earful ♪

♪ She's grumpy, he's happy It's generation gappy ♪

ALL: ♪ Take a whirl With the squirrels ♪

♪ Skippy and Slappy ♪

Ah, put a sock in it.

♪ That's my Aunt Slappy ♪ ALL: ♪ Aunt Slappy ♪

[♪♪♪]

NARRATOR: The 1950s. The days of Ike, Elvis,

beatniks and sputnik.

Crazy, man, crazy.

Also in the '50s,

the theater world was revolutionized

by the Stanislavsky method of acting.

In New York City, the Method Actor's Studio

opened to teach this new acting technique

to the leading performers of the day,

including child actor

Skippy Squirrel.

[SNAPPING FINGERS]

Dig this crazy scene.

Like, it's a total groove, you know, Aunt Slappy, man?

Speak English, will ya, Skippy?

You're starting to get on my nerves.

Later, Jackson. I've gotta hit classville, dig?

Yeah, and I'm going with you.

No, please, man, you'll embarrass me

in front of my comrades.

Yeah, well, if I'm paying for your acting classes, Ivan,

I'm gonna make sure I'm getting my money's worth.

Dragsville, daddy-o.

Hiya, Skippy.

WOMAN: Skippy. MAN: Hey, man, how ya doin'?

Ooh. Hello, Skippy.

I am a big, big fan.

Yeah, dug your reading at the last class, man.

Yeah, what's your secret?

You gotta dig where you're at. Dig?

Totally crazy. I couldn't agree more.

But, Skipp-o, as an actor,

how do I free my internal emotional life?

Prunes ought to do it. No, man.

Don't act, just be. It's deep.

So is a coma, which might be more enjoyable

than this class.

Somebody get Kevorkian on the phone.

[FINGERS SNAPPING]

Okay, listen up.

Here is our beloved artistic director, Lee Stressbird.

Brothers and sisters, class time.

Today, we'll get in touch with the deep,

firm things inside ourselves.

Like my spleen. Cut me some slack, man.

Okay, everybody, up, up, up, up, up.

Time to exercise our inner emotions.

Just using your faces, show me pain.

LEE: Yes. Now anger.

Wild. Now surprise.

Beautiful.

Now explosive temper.

Wow.

And finally, peace.

Heh. Too hip, cats. I was deeply moved.

So was I. Where's the restroom? I need to mop up.

Don't bug me.

Okay, let's start today's scene study.

I need two volunteers.

I'll go up if you do, Skippy.

Me? Nah, I couldn't do it, man.

WOMAN 1: Do it, Skippy. WOMAN 2:Come on, Skippy.

WOMAN 3:Yes. MAN: Do it, man.

Okay, okay, I'm cool.

WOMAN: All right. MAN: Yeah.

Yeah.

This might be the perfect time to go grab a cheese sandwich.

Now, a scene from Beyond the Waterfront.

"I lost my shot at the boxing title.

"So, what did I get instead?

"A one-way ticket to Pa-- Pa--

Palo-- Po-- Polo-- To Pa-- Po--"

Palookaville.

Oh, man, I can't do it.

I stink, man. I stink.

I'm gonna get fat someday.

You're being too kind to yourself.

ALL: Shh.

[SOBBING]

Help me, Skippy. Show me how to do it.

Okay, we'll switch parts. Dig.

"I lost my shot at the boxing title.

"So, what do I get instead?

A one-way ticket to Palookaville."

You was my brother, Charlie.

You should've looked out for me a little bit.

I could've had class. I could've been a contender.

I could've been somebody instead of a bum, which is what I am.

Hey, Stella.

Stella.

Wild. Genius.

The wildest.

He is the finest actor of his generation.

Who, Skippy? He doesn't even know how to do a spit take.

Who cares? I do.

Come on, Skippy, we're outta here.

Why, man? What's wrong?

They're just teaching you a bunch of hooey here.

I'm teaching acting. Acting, huh?

Well, then why don't you teach the important stuff,

like comic timing, pratfalls, and pianos falling from the sky?

What pianos falling from the sky?

Well, those, for instance.

[PIANO CRASHES]

[PIANO CRASHES]

[ALL MOANING]

Now, that's acting.

Your theories interest me, elderly squirrel lady.

Tell me more.

All right. Let's exercise our inner emotions again.

But this time, we'll do it my way.

Ready? Ready.

All right. Show me pain.

[YELLS]

Yes. Now show me anger.

[GROWLS]

Good. Now surprise.

Yahhhhh! Beautiful. Now explosive temper.

Wow. And finally, peace.

Dig those crazy stars.

Crazy, man. Like, coolness. That was so wild.

Can you dig that, Skippy? I'm hip, daddy-o.

[GROWLS]

Now, class, this is what we call the classic slow burn.

Notice how the redness slowly brightens.

As for me, I prefer the fast burn.

You see, in the fast burn,

there's actual steam coming outta the ears.

Of course, the fast burn comes from the hotfoot.

Now, what we need here is a double take.

Good. As we see the matches are actually dynamite,

we should try a wild take.

Yeah. That's the idea.

Let's all work on some wild takes, shall we?

Good. That's nice. Good. Very nice.

Work on that eye bulge. That's it.

And let's see those tongues zigzagging insanely there.

Oh, very nicely done.

And now, quickly, before the dynamite explodes,

everyone, look at the camera

and give a pathetic wave bye-bye.

ALL: Bye-bye.

Stratospheric, Aunt Slappy, man.

[ALL SIGH]

Now, that's acting.

NARRATOR: And so the art of acting changed forever,

thanks to Slappy Squirrel.

Duh, I could've been a contender, duh, George.

I could've been a contender i-instead of a bum,

which is what I am, yup, yup, yup, yup.

Woo-hoo. Ha, ha, ha. Woo-hoo.

[IMITATING BUGS BUNNY] Eh, what's up, fats?

[IMITATING ROAD RUNNER] Meep, meep.

[IMITATING DAFFY DUCK] Don't be despicable.

I made you an offer you can't refuse.

Pfft.

Sufferin' succotash.

Stella.

I do so dig

that crazy comedy. Ha.

[♪♪♪]

♪ Zachary, Zanzibar Zappy and zamindar ♪

♪ Zillion and ZIP code And Zen ♪

♪ Zany and zoning And zeal and zirconium ♪

♪ Zodiac, zombie, zein ♪

Yakko Warner now moments away

from having sung all the words in the English language.

Dick Button, is he going to make it?

If it was anyone else, I'd say no.

But he's young. He's resilient. We'll just have to see.

♪ Zigging and zagging And zealous and zebra ♪

♪ And zenith and zap And zaffer ♪

♪ Zeppelin and zipper And zephyr and zither ♪

♪ Then zinc and zombini And zoo and zucchini ♪

♪ And Zulu and Zorro Then zit and Zamoro ♪

♪ And zero And zoom and... ♪

Guess not. Wait.

♪ Zaire ♪

[APPLAUSE, CHEERING]

He did it.

Yakko Warner has just sung

all the words in the English language.

Hey, congratulations, Yakko.

[SIGHS]

Thanks, Dick.

Join us next time when Yakko Warner

will sing all of the numbers above zero.

Good night.

[♪♪♪]

[♪♪♪]

Set three extra places.

ALL: We're coming over for dinner.

As long as you're not having tuna wiggle again.