16x01 - Based on a True Story

[bunniefuu]

♪ Every day when you're
walking down the street ♪

♪ Everybody that you meet
has an original point of view ♪

(laughing)

♪ And I say hey ♪

Hey!

♪ What a wonderful
kind of day ♪

♪ If we could learn
to work and play ♪

♪ And get along
with each other ♪

♪ You've got to listen to your
heart, listen to the b*at ♪

♪ Listen to the rhythm,
the rhythm of the street ♪

♪ Open up your eyes,
open up your ears ♪

♪ Get together
and make things better ♪

♪ By working together ♪

♪ It's a simple message,
and it comes from the heart ♪

♪ Believe in yourself,
for that's the place to start ♪

♪ And I say hey ♪

Hey!

♪ What a wonderful
kind of day ♪

♪ If we could learn
to work and play ♪

♪ And get along
with each other ♪

Hey!

♪ What a wonderful
kind of day ♪

Hey!

♪ What a wonderful
kind of day ♪

Hey!

Hey, DW!

Hey!

Whoa...

Hi!

Today I want to introduce you
to a new friend of mine.

Her name is...

Hey, Ladonna Compson here.

Nice to meet you!

Today's show has
everything in it.

Adventures, jokes, alligators,

dinosaurs, tigers...

Wait a minute, there are
no tigers in this show.

Oh yeah?

What do you
call this?

Roar!

A hand puppet?

Well, okay,
you got me there.

But there is the world's
smartest, most handsome

white rat named
General Higgins!

See?

ARTHUR:
Come to think of it,

there aren't any dinosaurs
in this story either.

Are so!

Wanna pinky bet?

Winner gets
to wrap up the show.

You're on!

See you at the end
of the show.

Don't count on it.

(knuckle cracks)

(knuckle cracks)
Ow!

Ow!

How do you get
such strong pinkies?

(raccoon squeaking)

(horn honking)

Coming!

Bye, Oaksie.

You were the best tree
in the whole yard.

Sorry I carved an "L" into you.

Goodbye, rusty rake.

Goodbye, mossy rock.

Goodbye, tree that looks like
a scarecrow.

Goodbye, gopher hole.

I get to sit by the window
and so does Rapty,

and you have to help me
practice my harmonica

because Daddy said so.

(sighs)

Hello, -hour drive.

They live right down the block
and we want them to like us,

so you better let me
do the talking.

(doorbell rings)

Hi, I'm DW,

your four-houses-
down-the-block neighbor.

Pleased to meet you.

Do you have a little sister?

I'm Ladonna.

Nice to meet you, too.

No younger sisters,
but there's Bud.

He's about your age.

Bud, get down here!

We've got company!

Hi, I'm Arthur.

Welcome to the neighborhood.

Thanks!

Is it a cake?

I love cake.

My favorite kind of cake
is king cake.

It's got cinnamon and icing
and a little baby inside!

Not a real one,
of course.

A plastic one.

Once my brother Gussie
bit into a slice

and chipped a molar on it.

Cross my heart.

But I've never seen king cake
outside Louisiana.

It's a pie.

Rhubarb, I think.

My dad made it.

(sniffing)

Smells amazing!

Hey, Mom!

Someone named Arthur and DW
just brought us a rhubarb pie.

What's rhubarb anyway?

A root? A berry?
A tuber?

I'm sure I'll like it,
whatever it is.

My daddy says I'm a garbage
disposal with legs.

I eat everything.

Except beets,
I can't stand beets.

If I even look at a beet,

my stomach starts jumping
like a toad on a pogo stick.

Want to come in
and have some sweet tea?

Madison, make some
sweet tea!

Well, you gonna come in?

Or we could go outside!

I love exploring in the woods.

Are there any woods
to explore around here?

Huh?

Oh, yeah, plenty of them.

But we were on our way
to my grandma's.

Maybe later?

Oh, okay, sure.

Well, don't be a stranger,
four-houses-down neighbors.

Thanks for the pie.

(surprised gasp)

You talked too much and scared
'em away, didn't you?

What?

No, I didn't.

Did so.

I was spying
right over there

and your mouth didn't
stop moving once.

You shouldn't spy.

It's against the law.

Well, it was
Rapty's idea

so it's only half my fault.

Bad dinosaur!

You're going to jail.

Anyway, they seemed nice.

I hope they did like me.

We're going to need
some new friends here.

Don't worry about me.

Everyone likes me
because I'm cute, funny

and can make good animal noises.

But you might want
to try and be

just a little less...

Ladonna-ish.

Just until they get
used to you.

(sighs)

I'd like you to meet your new
classmate, Ladonna Compson.

(kids whispering)

ARTHUR:
Hey, over here!

I saved you a seat!

(bell rings)

You have a really
cool accent.

Where are you from?

Louisiana.

BUSTER:
"Ladonna."

Is that short for something?

Nope.

Do you play basketball?

We could really use someone
your height on our team.

I'm not very good.

Do you like Dark Bunny?

I haven't met him yet.

Is he in our class?

He's a superhero on TV.

Oh, we don't have a TV.

(choking cough)

Well, we did have one once,

but we gave it away
to the alligator sanctuary.

Alligator sanctuary?

Yeah, it's where they rescue
alligators and other lizards

that have been abandoned.

My brother Gussie
was working there one summer

and there was this one gator
named Penny,

and she was kind of grumpy
and no one could figure out why,

but TV really calmed her down,
so my daddy...

This is really boring,
isn't it?

No way!

Go on, go on!

Well, they put the TV right
outside Penny's enclosure.

Turned out that she really
liked this one soap opera...

MAN (on TV):
I have something
to confess to you:

I'm not Sheldon.

WOMAN:
You're not?

I'm Shelby,
Sheldon's twin.

I should have told you sooner,
Karen.

WOMAN:
I'm not Karen, I'm Kara.

(roaring)

Karen's my undercover name.

LADONNA:
Then Penny had all these
alligator babies,

and they really liked
the soap, too,

but my younger brother Bud
was upset

because we didn't have a TV
and everyone else did,

so he made my daddy
take it back.

But then Madison
was home sick one day

and there was nothing to watch,

so she started watching
that soap

and she had it on really loud
because her ears were stuffy,

and when it was over,

she discovered that
she wasn't alone...

(squeaking)

(screaming)

After that,
we gave the TV

to the alligator
sanctuary for good.

You had a carnivorous reptile
in your house?

Brain, it was
an alligator.

Haven't you
been listening?

(gasps)

Did you keep him?

You know, alligator oil
is a fabulous moisturizer.

Ahem!

I believe History follows lunch.

Not story time.

I have an older
sister, too.

Do you guys have
to share a room?

After school,
you and me, the mall.

Big sale on glitter headbands...

Don't tell anyone,
but I have a coupon

for Gregorson's
all-you-can-eat buffet.

We can have thirds! Fourths!

They can't stop us!

But the largest crab I ever
caught was as big as a pizza.

Cross my heart.

And he had a hook
instead of a hand,

but he could do anything
with it, even thread a needle.

(laughing)

(yells in surprise)

And my mama played in that band
till she was ,

but got so broke
she had to sell her trumpet.

But then this soldier
bought it back,

and that was my daddy,

Captain Rufus
Tucker Compson.

Woo-hoo!

Woo-hoo!
(laughing)

(laughing)

(strange sound)

What was that?

A whale!

Really?

It sounded like our car
just before it d*ed.

Listen to this.

(crowing)

That's the best rooster
I've ever heard.

Thanks!

Keep practicing.

See ya!

She didn't like my whale.

Didn't like
my pig sound, either.

Said it was too oinky,
not like a real pig.

These things take time, Bud.

We've only been here a week.

You can't expect
to have friends overnight.

Why not?

You've got friends already.

You're not paying them, are you?

Of course not!

They like me because
I tell great stories.

Well, what happens when you
run out of stories?

(laughing)

Me? Run out of stories?

Please!

The Atlantic Ocean will dry up
before that ever happens.

But Gussie's face
was so red and swollen

he decided to wear
a mask to school.

That's how he became known as...

The Phantom of the Poison Ivy.

How'd you know that?

You already told us
that story.

(sighs)

Well, how about this one?

Once, I heard this
mysterious sound

coming from somewhere
in our walls.

First, I thought it was
a ghost, but...

It turned out a barn owl had
made a nest in your chimney.

BUSTER: You told us
that one twice.

But I love it!

Especially when the owl
lays an egg in Madison's hat.

(laughs)

Hey, did you see
Dark Bunny last night?

(gasps)

Wasn't it amazing?

I was so surprised
by that ending.

And who knew Bionic Bunny's
real name is Sue?

And then when that guy
turned out to be a mutant...

Hey, where you going?

There's still five minutes
of recess left.

Huh?

Oh, I, uh,
just have to get my...

my mittens.

Yeah, they're in my locker.

BUSTER:
Hey, Ladonna.

Got any stories for us today?

Um... no.

Actually, it's a little
crowded here.

Why don't you sit
over there?

(crow cawing)

(gasps)

BUSTER:
(laughing)

Did I ever tell you

about the time we had
a bear as a pet?

What?

What?
Tell us!

Tell us!

Once, my daddy and I were alone
on this camping trip

around Mt. Driskill
in Louisiana,

and we came across this
ginormous grizzly bear

who was roarin' his lungs out
like this:

(roaring)

And we thought we were
goners for sure,

but then...

Wait!

There are no grizzly bears
in Louisiana.

The ursus arctos horribilis,
or grizzly bear,

lives out west
in places like the Rockies

and British Columbia.

Well, I...

I guess this one
just got lost.

Anyway,

Madison fed him some, uh...

some pizza, and...

I thought you said

it was just you
and your dad on the trip.

I did?

No, no, she was there, too.

Is this story true?

Maybe I fibbed in a few parts

just to make it a little bit
more exciting.

Which parts?

Well, the part about the bear,
for one.

What about your other stories?

Were they lies, too?

No, they weren't,
cross my heart!

I don't believe you.

I bet you don't
even have mittens!

Arthur, I just lied
this one time!

You believe me, don't you?

I don't what to think
anymore.

And now...

I think Ladonna
should tell the truth

and say she's sorry.

She would have to do
something nice.

You've got to apologize
to your friends for lying.

We're giving some advice
to Ladonna

about what she could do.

Ladonna should tell her friends
true stories.

GIRL:
Ladonna, I think
you shouldn't lie,

you should tell the truth
with your friends.

You should keep them
forever and ever.

If I was the new kid,
I would be nervous.

GIRL:
Ladonna felt kind of happy

because she got new friends.

GIRL:
We're going to tell
some stories.

See if you think they're true.

When I go home today,
I'm going to jump to the moon.

(laughter)

KIDS:
No!

Today, I saw this huge giant
in my bed.

He was crushing the whole world.

(laughter)

KIDS:
No!

Yesterday, when I got home,
I ate , ice creams.

KIDS:
No!

(giggles)

I saw this huge bird
sticking out of my window.

(laughter)

Yesterday, I went to the beach
and crossed the whole ocean.

(laughter)

Every morning,
I turn into a gorilla.

(laughter)

Warning:
these are not true stories.

I think we should
tell our friends

if we made a made-up story
so they won't think we lie.

There's, like,
a difference, because...

If you're telling a story
about yourself,

you have to make it true
because you are a real person.

And if you're telling a story
about a character,

you can make up the whole story.

If I was Ladonna,
I would tell the truth.

I think that Ladonna
should apologize for lying.

I think it's going to be hard
for Ladonna

to get her friends back.

Good luck, Ladonna!

And now...

ARTHUR:
I think we should give her
a second chance.

Why, so she can lie to us again
like she did yesterday?

It was just one lie.

You don't know that.

She might've been
lying all along.

I opened my heart to that girl.

I taught her how to accessorize.

It just seems like
we're being kind of harsh.

I'm going to go sit with her.

Me too.

Who hasn't told
one or two lies before?

Or in your case,
one or two hundred.

See?

I just lied again.

It can't be helped.

Anyone sitting here?

Huh?

No, sit down!

Want my fruit salad?

I got two of them

because I thought there were
cherries in them,

but then they weren't cherries,
they were just grapes,

and I can't eat grapes

ever since General Higgins
almost choked on one.

See, Bud and I were having
this picnic, and...

It's okay.

You don't have to give us
your fruit salad.

Also, you don't have to tell us
any stories.

Not that they aren't
great stories.

But we like you a lot
even without them.

Just be yourself.

Okay, thanks guys.

It was getting pretty lonely
over here.

No problem!

On second thought, I think
I will have that fruit salad.

(fake English accent):
And then the Princess said

she wished her Prince
was still a toad.

(fake English accent):
Do you take sugar in your tea,
Mr. Compson?

I would, but I
don't have any tea.

It's pretend.

Can I pretend it's
tomato soup instead?

(sighing)

Then no sugar, please.

But I will take a bigger spoon.

And crackers if you have 'em.

Bud, we're playing "tea,"
not "lunch."

Well, why can't we play lunch?

Because I have a toy tea set.

That's what you do with it.

You put pretend tea
in the toy tea pot!

You could put anything
in that pot.

See?

I just put mac and cheese in it.

Ooh, I'll have some...

No!

We're not playing lunch!

This is my tea pot, and I don't
want mac and cheese in it!

(pot rattling)

That DW doesn't like me.

(gasps)

Bud, don't say that!

Everyone likes you!

You're so talented!

Not to her.

She didn't like my animal sounds
or my magic tricks,

and I don't play tea right.

There must be something
out there that'll impress her.

Have you tried clapping?

(claps)

Clapping's not impressive!

Anyone can do that.

(grunting)

I can't.

I could tell her jokes.

I'm great at telling jokes.

What's pink and fluffy?

What?

Pink fluff.

(laughing)

Pink fluff!

Oh Bud, that's just...

That's...

I don't get it.

LADONNA:
I'm going exploring!

Anyone wanna come?

GUSSIE:
Can't!

BUD:
I'm practicing
my jokes!

MRS. COMPSON:
Ladonna, take your hat.

But it's itchy.

Not to mention ugly.

Young lady, your Aunt Bo
bought you this hat

so you would not get sick,

because she loves you
very much.

And it is not ugly;
it is bold.

Okay, okay,
I'm wearing the hat!

Ugh, no wonder Aunt Bo
is going bald...

(bird chirping)

(cawing)

Aw, missed it.

Huh?

Where'd my...

Hey, that's mine!

(chirping)

(panting)

Whoa!

Thief!

Come back with my hat!

(squealing)

Whoa...

(ticking)

"Property of Art Radley."

(squeaking)

My husband's watch!

Oh, thank you.

Here's a reward.

Four measly quarters

for a watch that was lost
for seven years?

(machine beeping)

(coins jingling)

Huh?

I don't believe it!

So even though I didn't like
that kind of hat

because it was itchy and "bold,"
as my mama would say,

I had to buy it!

And guess what?

I had the exact right amount
of change in my pocket!

Isn't that amazing?

It's amazing, all right.

I'd even call it
unbelievable.

But...

But...
Ladonna,

Ladonna,

that's the same hat
you were wearing last week.

Believe me,
I'd never forget it.

No, it isn't!

It just looks the same.

My other hat had a moth hole
as big as a quarter right here!

You talked us into giving her
a second chance, and we did.

Are you satisfied now?

Come on.

You believe me,
right, Buster?

Sorry.

If you had said an alien
stole your hat, I might've.

But a raccoon?

Raccoons don't need hats,
they have fur.

I told you you didn't have
to make up these stories.

(sighs)

I didn't make it up!

It's true, I swear!

Look, I'll prove it to you.

Meet me after school.

What do you get when you cross
a rhino and a doggie?

A very frightened
mail carrier.

(groans)

C'mon, that was funny.

My mama laughed so hard
she got the hiccups.

Can you just help me
build this snowman, please?

Okay, where's the carrot?

I ate it.

What?

That was his nose!

It didn't look like a nose.

It looked like a carrot.

Well, what are we going
to use now?

That looks terrible.

Don't make fun
of his nose.

(sighs)

She didn't mean it.

(gasps)

(laughing)

Hey!

Bud! No, wait!

You don't understand,
those are Tibbles!

You put his head back on
right now!

Oh yeah?

Who's going to make me?

I will, by giving you
the Bud Compson Power Stare!

Did you hear that, Tommy?

He's going to stare at us.

Ooh, I'm so afraid!

(laughing)

(laughter abruptly stops)

That is kind of
strange-looking...

Doesn't he have to blink?

Blink!

Blink already!

I feel cold!

Let's get out of here!

Ha-ha!

(footsteps fading)

How did you do that?

I've been having
staring contests

with my brothers and sisters

since I was two.

I never lose.

Bud Compson,

I think this is the beginning
of a beautiful friendship.

(doorbell rings)

(sighs)

Why isn't she home?

Maybe she's getting
her hair dyed?

We'll go to that
thrift store.

I bet they have
some more hats!

(groans)

That store clerk
didn't even remember me.

So?

He didn't remember me either

and I've been in that store
lots of times.

There's still
one more place we can go.

Ladonna, you really
don't have to...

Come on, we have to get there
before it gets dark.

(groans)

(eagle screeches)

I think I fell around here--
I think--

and the raccoon
was right over there.

Or maybe it was over there.

It all looks the same now.

(bird cawing)

The eagle!

I guess I won't be able to prove
I was telling the truth.

You don't have to.

I believe you.

Why would you go to all this
trouble if you were lying?

You know, my Aunt Bo
has blue hair, too,

and the longest fingernails
of anyone I've ever met.

She says she uses them
to play the harp,

but I've never seen a harp in...

Ladonna, look!

(purring)

LADONNA:
The raccoon was wearing the hat!

ARTHUR:
And when he saw us,

he ran like the wind!

But luckily,
the hat fell off.

See?

Here's the moth hole
I was telling y'all about.

Here, for you.

Don't worry,

I washed all the raccoony smell
out of it.

Thanks.

Sorry I didn't believe you.

Actually, I kind of like it.

You would.

Thank you so much
for not giving it to me.

You really are a good friend.

See?

Everything I said was going
to be in that story was in it.

There was adventure, jokes,
alligators, dinosaurs...

Okay, but it was just
a toy dinosaur.

Details, details.

I still get
to wrap up the show.

Not if I do it first!

Hey!

Show's over!

Goodbye everybody!

Did I ever tell you
about the time

my Uncle Whitney made a jet pack
out of a can of pop?

ARTHUR:
Ladonna!

All right, all right,
I'm coming!

The end!

♪ ♪

To watch more Arthur

and play games with all
the Elwood City friends,

visit pbskids.org.

You can find Arthur books
and lots of other books, too

at your local library.