02x09 - Sounds of Silence

Episode transcripts for the TV show "Silver Spoons". Aired: September 25, 1982 - May 11, 1986.*
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Wealthy, young-at-heart business owner and playboy Edward Stratton III is stunned to discover his brief marriage several years ago produced a son, Richard who is now 12 and wanting to live with him.
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02x09 - Sounds of Silence

Post by bunniefuu »

♪ Here we are ♪

♪ Face to face ♪

♪ A couple of silver spoons ♪

♪ Hopin' to find
We're two of a kind ♪

♪ Makin' a go
Makin' it grow ♪

♪ Together ♪

♪ We're gonna find our way ♪

♪ Together ♪

♪ Takin' the time each day ♪

♪ To learn all about ♪

♪ Those things
You just can't buy ♪

♪ Two silver spoons together ♪

-♪ You and I ♪
-♪ Together ♪

♪ We're gonna find our way ♪

-♪ You and I ♪
-♪ Together ♪

♪ We're gonna find our way ♪

♪ You and I together ♪

Oh, what a lovely costume ball,

and Julie Eisenhower
made a stunning walrus.

[KATE SIGHS]

And I was so surprised
to find out

that that angry porcupine
I was talking to

is William F. Buckley.

I'd rather not rehash
the evening, Ms. Summers.

Quite frankly,
it hurt my feelings

when all those people booed me.

Dexter, it was a fundraiser
for endangered species.

It wasn't a good move
to bring an alligator briefcase.

EDWARD: Thank you, Jenkins.

Oh! [EXHALES SHARPLY]

I don't know what's the matter.

I seem to be all thumbs.

Guys, wasn't the ball
a big success?

-[KATE SIGHS] Oh.
-Thanks to you. Listen, Edward,

as you're business manager
it seems to me

you were a little wallet happy
at that fundraising auction.

Dexter, Edward and I
just wanna help

provide safe refuge
for the Aleutian Canadian goose.

[BASSOON HONKS]

You're keeping them here?

[GARGLES]

[BASSOON HONKS]

That's better.

Rick.

[SIGHS]

Dad, don't ever sneak up
on a bassoonist.

You could mess up
his entire face.

I'm sorry, son.

But it's late,
and you've been whacking away

at the bassoon here
for a long time.

I think you
better get some sleep.

You think I'm getting better?

Oh...

well...

Hey... [TITTERS]

-You're hedging, Dad.
-No, I'm not, uh... [EXHALES]

I'm terrible, aren't I?

Hey, come on,
give yourself a break.

You haven't been playing long.
How long has it been now?

Over a year.

Oh...

well...

hey...

Son... [CLEARS THROAT]
...how about your--

how about
your orchestra teacher?

Does-- does he think
you're making progress?

Well, Mr. Zimmerman
encourages everybody.

But whenever I play,
he starts to twitch.

Maybe he's keeping time
with the music.

No, Dad. It's the twitch
someone makes

when they're scared of a noise.

Ah. Well, maybe
he's just nervous

about the big concert next week.

He can't be half as nervous
as I am.

See, tomorrow,
we've got audition solos.

and if I don't pass,

I don't get to play
in the concert.

I just got to make that cut!

Ah, that's why
you've been practicing so much.

Yeah, you said
I could do anything

if I set my mind to it. Right?

Right.

Dad, I want to be as good
a musician as you are.

Ha! Son.

You make this old octopus proud.

[RICKY SIGHS]

I like it when you're proud
of me, Dad.

-Good night, son.
-RICKY: Night.

Rick, now, don't you worry,
you're gonna be in that concert.

Kate and I will be there
with bells on.

Dad.

Please don't wear bells.

Okay.

[TROMBONE PLAYS]

Oh, bravo, Edward! Bravo!

I just wanted to see
if I still had my lip.

Let's find out.

[CLEARS THROAT] Hi!

Hey, son, we've been on pins
and needles all day.

What happened at the audition?

Um... [EXHALES]
Well, Mr. Zimmerman said

he's never heard
anything like it.

All right! So, you made the cut,
you're in the concert.

I'll be there.

-[CHUCKLES]
-Aw.

Trombonist, bassoonist,
two terrific musicians.

Uh, like father, like son.

Yeah, what do you say, Kate,

let's go fix the best
congratulations hot fudge sundae

a certain talented kid,
I know and love,

-has ever had.
-Great idea!

Edward, are you sure
you like this necklace?

-It's stunning.
-[SIGHS]

You're not just saying that,
are you?

It's stunning.

I could just take it off.

Fine.

If you didn't like it,
why didn't you say so?

Hey, there's Rick.

Hi, Rick!

Edward.

-Well, Kate, I'm proud of him.
-[SIGHS]

[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING]

Good evening,
ladies and gentlemen.

Our first selection
is "March from Athalia".

by the renowned German composer
Felix Mendelssohn.

Hi, Jimmy.

Boy, some parents, huh?

[ORCHESTRA PLAYING]

[MUSIC ENDS]

Hey, how about this kid
of mine, huh?

Have you ever heard the violin
played that good?

Uh, not lately.

I'm kind of impressed

by this extremely handsome
bassoonist here.

Any chance that kid's your son?

Could be.

Ricky, you sounded wonderful.

-[EXHALES] Thanks, Kate.
-Richard,

based on your performance
so far this evening,

I believe the day will come
when you'll take your place

among the world's
greatest bassoonists.

-Come on, Dexter.
-Yes!

Men like Frudenheimer,
Boosterberg,

and the greatest
of them all, Ipp.

Son. Uh, excuse us a minute.

You all right? You--
you need some ChapStick?

I'm fine, Dad.

Look, I got to go.

-Intermission's almost over.
-Son.

I gotta tell you,
I'm busting with pride.

You've worked harder
than anybody I've ever seen,

and it shows.

That whole orchestra
was playing,

but I'm only hearing you.

[INDISTINCT CHATTER]

Dad.

Yeah?

I-- I wasn't playing.

-Son, I don't understand.
-[INDISTINCT CHATTER]

It looked like you were playing.

I was just pretending.

You see, when I auditioned
for Mr. Zimmerman,

I was awful.

The truth is,
I didn't make the cut.

I mean, he saw how much
being here meant to me.

He said I can sit
in the orchestra

as long as I didn't play.

[INDISTINCT CHATTER]

Well...

Places, everyone. Places.

I got to go, Dad.
Intermission's almost over.

Son, playing isn't everything.

-Dad.
-Sir, please.

Ladies and gentlemen, I'd--

The important thing is you try.

Ladies and gentlemen,
I'd like to--

I'm very proud of you.

[EDWARD GRUNTS]

Ladies and gentlemen,

our next selection
is "Peter and the Wolf,"

by the renowned Russian composer
Sergei Prokofiev.

Our narrator is Derek Taylor.

[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING]

[SIGHS]

Thank you, Mr. Zimmerman.

Isn't he great?

[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING]

And how about that band?

Before I begin...

well, let's talk frankly.

I'm sure we're all aware
of the current tensions

between the Soviet Union

and a little country
I like to call... America.

But I believe
in my heart of hearts

that great music transcends
ideological differences.

So, let's all try to forget

that this composition
was written...

by a ruskie.

Hit it.

"Early one morning,
Peter opened the garden gate

and went out
into the big green meadow."

Peter's grandfather came out,

he was cross with Peter
for going out of the gate.

"It's dangerous here.

suppose a wolf came out
of the woods, huh?"

[OFF-KEY NOTE PLAYING]

[OFF-KEY NOTE PLAYING]

I'm-- I'm sorry, everybody.

[PANTS] Rick, are you...

are you...

I ran.

[EDWARD PANTS]

Son, are you okay?

I want to be alone.

[SIGHS]

Son...

let's examine
what happened tonight.

Think about it, analyze it,
learn from it, okay?

On the other hand,
why dwell on it?

I know you're feeling

some very intense emotions
right now.

Might be better
if we could talk about it.

So, why don't you tell me
exactly how you feel?

[BREATHES DEEPLY]

W-- well, you know how
there's a small section

in your brain...

whose whole job is just
to feel humiliation?

Yeah, the humiliation lobe.

Well, I feel like
my humiliation lobe

swelled up so much...

that it busted...

and spurted humiliation
all over the inside of my skull.

Ooh.

That's...

ooh...

Everybody was looking at me,
Dad.

Why can't I play that thing?

I don't know why I did it!

RICKY: Yes, I do.

'Cause I felt like a phony
during intermission,

when everybody was saying
how great I sounded.

So, then when the part came up
where the bassoonist plays

the "Grandfather's Theme..."

I just... I just had to try
and play it.

Besides, there was a part of me
that said...

"Hey, kid, you could get lucky."

Well, look at it this way,
you...

didn't.

Why can't I play that thing?

[SIGHS]

You know what's happening here?

This is the first time
you've ever really, really...

poured yourself
into something...

worked as hard as you could...

and weren't able to pull it off.

But why couldn't I?

You said I could accomplish
anything I set my mind to.

Well, that's true
most of the time.

But the plain truth is, Rick,
that sometimes...

you can give 150 percent
to something

and still not achieve your goal.

It happens.

I don't understand, Dad.

I mean, you're a good musician.

You play the guitar,
the trombone.

How come I didn't inherit
your music genes?

Dad, I was rooked.

Son, nobody's good
at everything.

Lots of things
you do better than me.

-Like what?
-Like football.

You're the star halfback
of the team, aren't you?

You've scored the second highest
number of points ever

in one season.

[EXHALES]
Well, after last week, I'm...

now the highest point scorer.

Well, why didn't you tell me?

I know why.

You didn't want to blow
your own horn.

[SCOFFS]

Well, you heard
what it sounds like when I do.

Well, there's something
I've never told you.

When I was your age,
I was kicked off

from football team.

-You were?
-Yeah.

Yeah, I was
fourth-string quarterback.

I never even got to play

until the final quarter
of the homecoming game.

We were ahead, 10-7,
with only 30 seconds to go.

I only got in then
because the three guys

ahead of me were injured.

Coach Ramumble
turned to me and said,

[MIMICS COACH] "Stratton...

damn it, we're down to you...

I'm sending you in. God help us.

All you have to do
is fall on the ball.

Just... fall on it, boy."

But I took the snap from center

and I saw that Bobby Snowblowski
was wide open,

and I lofted up
a beautiful pass,

right into the hands
of their defensive back...

who ran the ball
into our end zone

and scored
the winning touchdown.

Oh-- Dad, that's awful.

Did Coach Ramumble yell at you?

Yeah.

But even worse, the other team
awarded me the game ball.

Ooh.

That's...

ooh...

Yeah,
but I'll tell you something...

no matter how much
everybody else teased me,

it was nothing
compared to the t*rture

I put myself through.

Why didn't I just fall
on the ball?

Come on, Dad.
Don't be so rough on yourself.

It could have happened
to anyone.

After all, nobody's perfect.

Including me... right?

Right.

I'll tell you what,

let's you and me
go down to the kitchen

and make us a couple of
the best hot fudge sundaes ever,

-I think we deserve it.
-Sounds great.

Let's go.

Uh, just one minute, Dad.

[RICKY GRUNTS]

[SIGHS] I know I've put a lot
of effort into this thing.

Countless hours of practice...

I've cleaned it,
I've polished it...

I've carried it around.

It's been a big part of my life,
this last year.

Oh, well.

♪ Together
We're gonna find our way ♪

♪ Together
Takin' the time each day ♪

♪ To learn all about ♪

♪ Those things
You just can't buy ♪

♪ Two silver spoons together ♪
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