1987
|
 |
Bedtime
Muffy is in her room, all dressed for bed. "Night is fading, almost gone," she tells us, "Pretty soon, it will be dawn. When the moon and stars have fled, that's the time I go to bed. I'll go there when I find my doll. Hmm, perhaps she's in the hall." So she goes outside and finds her adorable, remarkably tiny baby doll outside the door. When she picks it up, she explains that she works and plays at night, and goes to bed in the daytime. That's why she's wearing a nightgown. She has brushed her teeth, washed her face, and put away her clothes and toys. "I've done all that is required. Hmm. Too bad that I don't feel tired!"
Meanwhile, Jeff and Jodie are finishing up a bed display in the children's department. Jodie thanks Jeff for his help. Looking at her watch, she's surprised to realize that another night is done.
"When night is done," she sings, "and all my work's completed, it's great to greet the morning sun."
"All the evening's shadows have retreated before the morning light," Jeff sings in reply, and together they sing, "When night is done, the world seems newer, when night is done, your worries fewer, when night is done, the day seems pure, it's great to greet the sun when night is done."
Sam walks in and joins in. "When night is done, I can say it proudly, it's good to know I've done my best. A little voice will whisper not too loudly, relax it's time to rest."
They all sing the refrain again, ending with, "It's great to greet the sun when night is done, we'll greet the sun, when night is done."
Jodie and Sam are ready to go home, and they decide to take the bus together. Sam is going to check on TXL one last time and meet Jodie back in the children's department. When he leaves, saying good night to Jeff, Jodie turns to Jeff.
"Jeff, you better get ready to go downstairs. We wouldn't want the day staff to arrive and find you up here."
"Oh, Jodie, can't I stay upstairs, at least until you and Sam are ready to go?"
Jodie agrees and suggests he go to check on the sports department for her while she checks the children's department. "Don't be too long!" she calls out.
In the stockroom, Mrs. Pennypacker is doing inventory on little kids' books, logging in books with titles like "Little Goosey Goes to Gander" and "Mazie the Crazy Daisy." Sam comes in and she tells him she only has one box to go. Sam picks up a book on the counter. "A new 'Waddles the Duck,' huh?" he says. He picks it up and begins reading, laughing to himself. "Quack quack quack - that Waddles!" he chuckles. Then he catches Mrs. Pennypacker staring at him and gets a bit embarrassed. "Well, I uh," he mutters.
"Would you like to borrow it?" Mrs. Pennypacker says with a hint of irony in her voice.
Sam declines, saying he has to finish his rounds, which he does, saying to himself, "Waddles - quack, quack."
Mrs. Pennypacker is very amused. "Waddles the Duck!" she laughs. Then, "Frankly, I prefer Chucky Chicken myself."
Back in the children's department, Jodie is waiting for Jeff when Muffy walks in. "Oh, hi, Muffy. You haven't seen - Muffy? What are you still doing up? It's way past your bedtime. Is there something wrong?"
"Well, everything would be hunky dory, if I could have a bedtime story," Muffy says in a baby voice.
Jodie thinks it's too late.
"Aw, please? Just one? And then off I'll run!" Muffy coos.
So Jodie agrees to tell a short story, about a teeny tiny mouse. As she tells it, we see pictures. The teeny tiny mouse lived in a teeny tiny house in a teeny tiny village. One day she decided to take a teeny tiny walk. "Well," says Jodie, "The teeny tiny mouse had only walked a teeny tiny way when, well, she began to feel a teeny tiny bit hungry. So the teeny tiny mouse walked back to her teeny tiny house, so she could make a teeny tiny snack. But when she got there, she decided it was a teeny tiny bit too early for a teeny tiny snack. So the teeny tiny mouse climbed up her teeny tiny stairs to her teeny tiny bedroom, she lay down on her teeny tiny bed and she fell asleep." But she had only been asleep a "teeny tiny time" when she was awakened by a teeny tiny voice that said, "Give me food!" She didn't recognize the voice so she just went back to sleep, but was awakened twice more by the voice, which, the last time, spoke quite loudly. Finally, the teeny tiny mouse realized that the teeny tiny voice belonged to her teeny tiny stomach. "So the teeny tiny mouse went down her teeny tiny stairs to her teeny tiny kitchen, she looked inside her teeny tiny fridge and she saw that she had just enough to make a teeny tiny sandwich." Now Jodie asks Muffy to guess what kind of sandwich she made.
"Peanut butter and strawberry jam? Cheese and ham? Bacon, tomato and lettuce leaf? Roast beef? Turkey breast? Chicken leg? Salmon salad? Tuna - egg? Baloney? Meatball? Submarine? Salami? Pastrami? Onion and sardine? Any kind of luncheon meat? Oh, I give up! What did she eat?"
Jodie laughingly denies all Muffy's guesses. Finally she gives the answer. "The teeny tiny mouse made a teeny tiny snack of a teeny tiny . . . tickle sandwich!" Jodie giggles, simultaneously tickling Muffy.
Muffy laughs heartily. "That's one I would not have guessed. But you know, I think I like it the best!" she tells Jodie. Then Muffy gives Jodie a kiss and they share a hug, and then Muffy goes off to bed. Still laughing, Jodie puts the finishing touch on her bed display by placing a storybook on top of the bed's bookshelf. Then she, too, walks away.
In the hallway, on her way home, Muffy is talking to herself about how much she liked the story. "I laughed so hard I was almost weepy. Perhaps that's why I'm still not sleepy. Wide awake is what I am. I think I'll go and visit Sam."
Sam is in the computer room dusting off TXL and the counters and raising a cloud of dust in the process, when he backs into Muffy. "What are you doin' up, dear? It's way past your bedtime."
TXL suggests she might want something.
"A bedtime story is all I need," says Muffy, "And then I'll be off with double speed!"
Just then Mrs. Pennypacker comes in to say good night to "Samuel." She too is surprised to see Muffy. "Are you still up?" she asks.
Sam says she's on her way to bed but first he's going to tell her a bedtime story.
"A story! How marvelous, may I listen, too?" she asks. Of course, Sam says she can. He decides to tell the story of the shoemaker and the elves. In the story, which we see on screen, the shoemaker and his wife are represented by Sam and Mrs. Pennypacker.
"Once upon a time," he begins, "a very long time ago, there lived a poor shoemaker and his wife."
"Well, there it is, dear wife," says the shoemaker, "My last piece of leather. Just enough for one pair of shoes."
"Oh I do hope someone buys them or - else we're going to have to sell the shop and move away forever!" his wife sobs into a white lace handkerchief.
"There, there, there, my little strudel," says the shoemaker. "Don't get upset, everything will work out for the best." He suggests they get some sleep and he'll make some shoes in the morning.
In the workshop in the morning, the shoemaker finds a surprise. "Bumblin' banana bread!" he cries, and dramatic music plays. A beautiful pair of penny loafers is sitting on his work bench.
"Samuel!" says the wife, "They're marvelous, when did you make them?"
"I didn't! I've never seen these shoes before."
They discuss the shoes excitedly but are cut off when a spectacularly dressed blond woman, (Jodie, in a wig, huge sweeping hat and beautiful hoop skirt) comes in. "Good morning, good morning, shoemaker," she says. "I'm looking for a pair of loafers."
"Ah well," jokes the shoemaker, "My brothers will be back next week!" The elegant lady titters behind her hand. The shoemaker shows her the one pair of shoes he has.
"But they're perfect! Perfect!" The lady cries, and hands the shoemaker a coin to pay for them, which the shoemaker says is "more than enough." Enough to buy two pieces of leather, which they go to buy right away.
"I wonder who does her wig?" the shoemaker's wife pauses to wonder.
That night, the shoemaker leaves the two pieces of leather on his workbench, and in the morning, they're made into a lovely pair of running shoes. When they come into the shop in the morning, the shoemaker and his wife are stunned.
"Great thunderin' buffaloes! It's happened again, my little cupcake!" says the shoemaker.
Then the lady, dressed in a lovely pink dress and another beautiful hat, returns. "I'm looking for some sneakers," she says.
"Well, as I told you last time, my brothers will be back next week!" says the shoemaker.
The lady laughs, the wife groans, and the lady buys the sneakers and pays for them generously, saying, "They're perfect! They're perfect!" This time her payment is enough for four pieces of leather. And so it went. Each night, the shoemaker would leave the leather on the workbench and in the morning, beautiful shoes would appear. First four, then eight, then sixteen pair appear on the workbench.
"The poor shoemaker and his wife became very rich," says Sam. One night, the couple, now beautifully dressed, decide to hide and see who has been helping them. They couldn't believe their eyes when they saw two elves (Jeff in miniature and Muffy), making the shoes for them, singing, "Tap tap tap and rap rap rap poor little elves are we, tap tap tap and rap rap rap, working merrily!"
"My, my, my, tumblin' tuna fish!" exclaims the shoemaker, "Our helpers are two little elves!"
"I know, but did you see how shabbily they were dressed? And after all they've done for us! I think we should make them some new outfits." says the wife.
"That's a wonderful idea, and I'll make them some new shoes." says the shoemaker. "If I remember how, that is!"
The next night, the elves come to work and are searching for the leather when they see their gifts.
"But look what do my two eyes see," says the Jeff elf.
"New shoes and clothes for you and me!" says his "sister elf" Muffy.
"Ah! The shoemaker thanks us with such charity!" the Jeff elf exclaims.
"Oh, from now on, they shall have prosperity," replies the Muffy elf.
"Did you hear that, my little latke?" the shoemaker says to his wife as they watch from behind a curtain, "We're gonna be rich!"
Next we see the elegant lady coming into the shop one evening, this time wearing pale green. "I'm so glad you're still open," she says, and holds up a pair of shoes with damaged heels. "I do need to find two heels," she says.
We fade out and back to the computer room where Sam finishes up. "M'lady, I've already told you . . ." and Muffy and Mrs. Pennypacker join him in saying, "My brothers will be back next week!" Then everyone laughs. "And from that day on, they all lived happily ever after." Sam finishes.
Mrs. Pennypacker is very impressed. "Hmm. Perhaps tomorrow night you could read us something from 'Waddles the Duck!' " she says slyly.
Sam reacts excitedly but then regains his dignity. "Well, maybe possibly, yes."
Mrs. Pennypacker heads off and tells Muffy not to stay up too late. Sam gives Muffy a kiss and a hug, Muffy thanks him warmly for her story, and she is off to bed. Or so it seems.
Jeff has finally returned to the children's department and is looking for Jodie. He sees the book Jodie put on the bed's bookshelf and moves it to the night table. He decides that if any of the day staff come in he'll just pretend to be a mannequin. He demonstrates.
Then Muffy comes in and wonders aloud why Jeff is so still. He startles her by turning around and saying, "Oh, I was just practicing in case - Muffy! You're still up! It's way past your bedtime."
"Well, going to bed isn't easy to do, without a bedtime story from you," Muffy says, snuggling against him.
"Have you washed your face and brushed your teeth?" Jeff asks. Muffy nods. "Okay, but I don't know many bedtime stories, Muffy."
Muffy suggests they make one up themselves. So Jeff begins a story about a statue of a dancer which stood in the middle of a park (represented by Jeff, of course, in a beautiful, richly embroidered outfit). People passed it every day. Some sprinkled breadcrumbs at its feet for the pigeons, but no one really paid much attention to it. "No one, that is, except for a little mouse."
Now Muffy takes up the story. "The little mouse was a dancer too. So poor, she only had one shoe. She came to the statue each night to eat the crumbs that the pigeons left at his feet. She had no money which wasn't very nice, 'cause no one was hiring dancing mice. She'd keep in practice by waiting till dark, then dancing round the statue in the park."
"Well," Jeff continues, "the little mouse knew something no one else knew. She would climb up the statue and whisper a magic spell into its ear. Something like hocus pocus alamagocus." The statue would come to life, and he and the mouse would dance together in the moonlight. (The two dance for a bit, and then the statue tosses the mouse high into the air. She lands, delicately, on her toes next to him. The statue does some solo ballet moves and then they resume dancing together). One night, they had just finished dancing when they heard a cough.
A man in a top hat and fancy overcoat (Sam), is the source. Hurriedly, the statue resumes its pose. "And who should step from the shadowy shades," Muffy says in her turn, "but the director of the Mouse Capades! He'd searched all day from house to house, trying to find a dancing mouse. Exhausted from searching, he'd fallen asleep and woke up to witness the mouse in mid-leap!" Right away, the man hired the mouse.
Jeff explains that she was an instant hit and that soon she was the star of the show. (Muffy, as the mouse, is decked out in a cream colored, satiny dress as she takes a bow). Before long, the mouse was rich and world famous.
"Her house," says Muffy, "Oh! Too small, I beg your pardon," (the house in the picture changes). "Her mansion had a lovely garden. And just as soon as she had a minute, she bought the statue and put him in it. Though she was busy most of the days, with six evening shows and two matinees, she'd visit the statute at every chance, and there in the light of the moon, they'd dance." (And sure enough, the statue and the mouse dance happily together as we fade away).
Muffy is still cuddled up against Jeff as he says, gently, "Okay, Muffy. Bedtime."
Just then Jodie and Sam arrive. "Jeff! There you are!" says Jodie, "I've been looking . . ." she pauses, notices her book has been moved and puts it back on the bed bookshelf as Jeff looks a bit guilty. Then she catches sight of Muffy. "Muffy! What are you still doing up?"
"It's not her fault, Jodie, I was telling her a bedtime story."
"Wait a second, Jeff," says Sam. "You told her a bedtime story?"
"That's right."
'I told her a bedtime story too!"
"Yeah, and so did I!" says Jodie.
They all turn to her and say, "Muffy!"
"Oh, well, I guess I played a little trick. But I'll go to bed now, double quick! The stories that I had were fun. Thanks a lot, everyone." says Muffy, and now, she's really off to bed.
It's time to get Jeff downstairs. Meanwhile TXL shares a nursery rhyme. "'To bed, to bed,' says Sleepyhead. 'Tarry awhile,' says Slow. 'Put on the pan,' says Greedy Nan, 'We'll sup before we go!'"
Muffy, who has heard the rhyme, thinks Greedy Nan has a good idea, and decides to have some cheese and crackers before she goes to bed.
Meanwhile, Jeff, Jodie and Sam are going up the escalator singing, "When night is done." When they reach the front of the store, Jodie kisses Jeff good night and Sam says, "Have a good rest." Jeff puts on sunglasses and says, "How do you want me, Jodie?" He strikes a pose with one hand holding the sunglasses and the other stretched out in front of him.
"Ah, perfect!" says Jodie. She takes off his hat. He freezes. Then she puts it back on, and she and Sam head outside. They stand outside the window, laughing about Muffy's trick. We see Jeff frozen in position as they chat.
"I've got one for her tomorrow night, I know she'll love." Sam says, "It's called, 'Waddles Meets a Moo Cow.'"
"Oh, no, don't tell me you're a Waddles the Duck fan, too," says Jodie.
"Yeah, sure am! Yeah, I've always liked Waddles," Sam admits as the two of them walk away, leaving Jeff the mannequin steady at his post in the front window.
As the credits roll, we go to Muffy's apartment. We can see the saucer with what's left of Muffy's snack, and Muffy, curled up in bed, finally fast asleep.
Quizzes:
- The shoemaker left one piece of leather on the work bench, and the next day there was one pair of shoes. Then he left two pieces, and found two pairs of shoes. How many pair will he find when he leaves five pieces of leather on the bench? (Five pairs of shoes, which TXL counts for us).
- Can you remember the bedtime story Jodie told? What about Sam and Jeff? "I think Muffy enjoyed all those stories," says TXL. "Don't you?"
Nursery Rhyme:
Notes:
- The costumes in "Bedtime" are the most spectacular of any episode of T.S., even surpassing "Dreams." Jodie alone wears four stunning outfits, one of them as she makes a brief walk-on in Jeff and Muffy's story. Jeff, as the statue of a dancer is also beautifully dressed, but then, so are the puppets! Even when they're poor, in the story of the shoemaker and the elves, the shoemaker and his wife are impressively dressed. Once they become rich, Sam and Mrs. Pennypacker's clothing becomes more beautiful. In the story of the dancing mouse, Muffy wears several lovely outfits, including a pink dress complete with a bustle in the final scene.
- One of the books Mrs. Pennypacker inventories is "Little Goosey Goes to Gander." This is a pun, as "gander" means not only a male goose, but "to look."
- Since Jodie and Jeff and Sam are supposed to be taking Jeff downstairs (from the children's department), it's odd that they're actually going up the escalator in the last scene.
- In this episode, Muffy is particularly childlike, and Sam, Mrs. Pennypacker, Jodie, and even Jeff act in the role of parents surprised to see their little one out of bed.
- There's a small inconsistency here with "Ice Cream." They make such a big deal of getting Jeff out of the way before the day staff comes, but in "Ice Cream," the implication is that Jeff will stay a person in the morning long enough to eat a hot fudge sundae.
|
|
Today's Special - Advertisement
|
