Arthur's Lost Library Book/Transcript

Introduction

Arthur looks at a book in the library.

Arthur: The library’s great. It’s got all kinds of music to listen to.      He walks past people listening to music over headphones. Mr. Haney is dancing in his seat.

D.W. and some other young kids are watching a puppet play in which a lion sniffs a sleeping woman.

Arthur: Storytime for kids.

Kids: (scream)   

Mr. Ratburn (as lion): Whoa! I’m not eating that! It’s spoiled!

Kids: (laugh)   

Arthur comes to Brain who is reading at a table.

Arthur: And books for everybody.

Brain: Did you know that chalk is derived from fossilized sea shells.     Francine sits at the same table.

Francine: I’m reading about sports rules, so I know officially how much better I am than everybody else. Unless you’d like to challenge me.

Arthur: Sorry, Francine, Buster just called me.    He runs off. Buster is sitting at another table.

Brain: No, I didn’t.  (chuckles)

Arthur: What are you reading?

Buster: A joke book.  Hey, what do you call two banana peels?

Arthur: I don't know.

Buster: A pair of slippers!

Arthur+Buster: (chuckle)

Arthur: I love it here, but last week I thought they'd never let me come into the library again.

Miss Turner: Shhh!

Title Card: Arthur With Umbrella

A warty green hand reaches for a book on a shelf.

D.W. (spooky voice): Chapter One: Arthur Goes to the Library.

Arthur, Buster and Francine arrive at the library on their bikes. They walk up the stairs. Arthur starts looking at shelves.

Arthur: I'll get this one and....Wow! I'll have to read that!  And this too.

Francine: Why don't you just take one?

Arthur: One? I wanna read them all.  And this one too.

Arthur comes to the checkout desk carrying a stack of six of books.

Miss Turner: You're one under the limit.

Arthur: You mean I can take one more?

Miss Turner: The new “Scare Your Pants Off” is in.       On a shelf nearby is a book with a warty green hand on the cover.

Arthur: Wow! “The Mysterious Hand”.      Several third-graders nearby look up and run for the book.

Kids: (Hooray! Yay!)        Arthur reaches the book first and takes it.

Arthur: It's brand new!  No one has ever opened it!

Francine: Come on Arthur, you have enough books already!

Buster: You can't read all those in two weeks.

Sue Ellen: No, give it to me.     They chase Arthur to the desk. Arthur puts on his bicycle helmet.

Arthur: I wanna read it first, then you can.      He takes his books and leaves the library. The others run after him.

Buster: Don't be a pig!

Francine: That's too many!

Brain: You already have enough books.     Arthur gets on his bicycle.

Arthur: This isn't too many.  You're all just mad because you weren’t fast enough.    He drives off.

Kids: Oh, man!

#

Arthur rides balancing the books on one arm. A tree branch knocks the “Mysterious Hand” book off the top. A hand picks it up.

#

The warty green hand rips calendar pages off a calendar from Thursday the second to Thursday the ninth.

D.W. (spooky voice): Chapter Two: One Week Later.

Mrs. Read does the laundry in the basement. A French-English dictionary falls out of Arthur’s clothes.

Mrs. Read: Arthur!

Arthur: What? What, Mom? 

Mrs. Read: I found this in the laundry.  You have to be more careful with library books.

Arthur: I am careful.

Mrs. Read: Aren't all those books due soon?

Arthur: Not till next week. I still have a couple left to read.

#

Arthur and Buster sit in the treehouse trading baseball card.

Arthur: I'll give you two of these for one of those, and two more for that one.

Buster: Is that one of your library books?     Arthur moves the book from under a pretzel bag and a baseball glove.

Arthur: Oh, yeah. How did it get out here?

Buster: Was “The Mysterious Hand” good?

Arthur: Oh, wow! I forgot I had that one.

Buster: Well, nobody else did. There's a waiting list to take it out after you return it.

Arthur: I'll start it tonight.

#

At night Arthur gather’s his library books from various places. He is one short.

Arthur: Hm!        He looks under the bed. D.W. comes in.

D.W.: What are you hiding from?

Arthur: I'm not hiding. I'm looking for “The Mysterious Hand”.

D.W.: There it is.       Arthur bumps his head.

Arthur: Ow!  Where is it?

D.W.: Over here!    (laughs)     She makes a shadow with her hand and Arthur’s lamp.

Arthur: D.W.!       D.W. runs out of the room.

D.W.: Mom, Arthur's chasing me!

Arthur: Where did I put it?

#

Arthur searches the laundry in the basement, the living room and his dad’s workshop.

Mr. Read: I looked at those books when you brought them home. You didn't have that one.

Arthur: I didn't?  One of the kids could have taken it when I was leaving the library. They all wanted it. This calls for detective work. I have to call Buster. 

He runs outside with Pal.

Arthur: Wait! I can't call Buster. He's a suspect. Everybody's a suspect.  No, not everybody. There's one person who would never want to read that book, or any book.     He runs off.

#

Arthur talks to Binky in the classroom.

Binky: You want me to help you find out who took some dopey book?

Arthur: You're the only one who can help me, Binky. You don't even read the words in comic strips.

Binky: If they were any good, they'd be on TV. What do you want me to do?

Arthur: We have to cleverly narrow down the suspects.

Binky: Do I get a badge?

Arthur: No.

#

A "Private Eye" badge swirls on the screen.

D.W. (spooky voice): Chapter Three: The Investigation.

In the school corridor Binky towers over Maria, Alex, Jenna and Fern, who are all holding books.

Kids: Ahhhhh!         Binky and Arthur shake their heads.

#

George is reading in the school cafeteria. Arthur and Binky sit to the left and right at him and suspiciously look at his book.

George: Huh?          Binky and Arthur leave.

#

Brain sits under a tree in the school playground and reads. Arthur looks down from a branch causing some leaves to fall down.

Brain: Hh!         Arthur falls down.

Arthur: Whoa!    Oh.  (chuckles nervously)  Hi, Brain.

#

In the Sugar Bowl Arthur shows Binky drawings of Buster, Francine and Sue Ellen.

Arthur: I've narrowed it down to three suspect: Buster Baxter, Francine Frensky, and Sue Ellen Armstrong. How’d you do?

Binky: Everyone I talked to was afraid. Very suspicious.

Arthur: Why don't I focus on my suspects and you focus on yours?   

Binky: Right.      They leave. Muffy looks suspiciously at them from the next table.

#

Sue Ellen and Arthur paint next to each other in art class. Arthur shows her a drawing of the missing book.

Arthur: Do you like my drawing?

Sue Ellen: This looks like “The Mysterious Hand”. I just finished reading it.     She shows Arthur a copy.

Arthur: I should've known it was you!  Just give me the book back and I won't tell anyone.     He tries to wrestle the book from Sue Ellen.

Sue Ellen: It's my book. I had to buy it because you had the library's only copy!     Arthur lets go and Sue Ellen falls backwards.     Hey!

#

 (Arthur shows us around the Elwood City Library...)

Arthur: The library's great. It's got all kinds of music to listen to... (walks past Mr. Haney dancing to some 50s-style rock music playing from a headset) ...story time for kids. 

(We see Mr. Ratburn putting on a puppet show, reenacting the painting "The Sleeping Gypsy"...) 

D.W., Bear, Rabbit: AAAAAH!

Nigel Ratburn: (as the lion, coughs) Whoa! I'm not eating that. It's spoiled! (the kids laugh) 

Arthur: And books for everybody! (he approaches his friends reading)

Brain: Did you know that chalk is derived from fossilised seashells? 

Francine: I'm reading about sports rules so I know officially how much better I am than everybody else. Unless you would like to challenge me? 

Arthur: Sorry Francine, Buster just called me. (dashes off)

Buster: No, I didn't. (laughs as he reads a joke book) 

 

Monster.: Chapter 3.  The Investigation.

(The Mysterious Hand moves the "Private Eye" screen down to reveal Arthur Binky towering over some kids...)

All: AAAAAAAaaaaAAAAAAAh!

(No luck. Arthur and Binky confront George in the cafetorium reading a book, but he doesn't have it. Outside the school, Arthur watches The Brain in a tree, but falls off the branch...)

Arthur: Uh... (chuckles nervously) Hi, Brain.

(Later at the Sugar Bowl, Arthur shows three drawings of suspects to Binky as they have hot chocolate and donuts...)

Arthur: I've narrowed it down to three suspects - Buster Baxter, Francine Frensky, and Sue Ellen Armstrong.  How did you do? 

Binky: Everyone I talked to was afraid. Very suspicious.

Arthur: Why don't I focus on my suspects and you focus on yours? 

Binky: Right.

(They get up and leave, but Muffy gives a suspicious look from the other booth. In Lakewood Elementary's art classroom, Arthur shows Sue Ellen a drawing he made of the book cover of The Mysterious Hand...)

Arthur: Do you like my drawing? 

Sue Ellen: This looks like The Mysterious Hand.  (holds up the book) I just finished reading it.

Arthur: I should've known it was you!  (tries to grab the book out of her hands) Just give me the book back and I won't tell anyone.

Sue Ellen: It's MY book. I had to BUY it because you had the library's only copy! (Arthur legs go, and Sue Ellen falls backward)  Hey!

(In the playground, Arthur talk to Francine as she swings...)

Francine: Arthur, I didn't take that book.

Arthur: What do you mean? 

Francine: Muffy says you think I stole it. But I think you lost it.   I told you you had too many books.

(In another part of the playground, Binky confronts George...)

Binky: Where is it?

George: What?

Binky: Come on, hand it over. (George runs off)

Arthur: Hey, Binky.  You have to tell them WHAT you want.

Binky: If they took it, they'll know. There's another suspect.  Hey, you! (he runs off)

Buster: (approaches Arthur) Arthur, Francine says you think I stole The Mysterious Hand. 

Arthur: It's gone. You wanted it. 

Buster: You probably lost it.

Arthur: I've looked absolutely everywhere.

Buster: Maybe giant mutant mole people took it! 

Arthur: Oh, right...

(Underground, we see two mole people with tracking equipment...)

Giant Mutant Mole Woman: I don't have it. You got it?

Giant Mutant Mole Man: No.

(Above ground...)

Buster: All I can say is, you'd better find it because we all want to read it. (walks off)

(We see the Mysterious Hand pulling a curtain open...)

Monster.: Chapter 4.  It's Lost, OK? Face it. You lost it.

(Arthur is moaning in his sleep, and is having a nightmare where scary ghoulish creatures are outside his house...)

Echoey Voices: 'We know you're in there!  We know you're in there!

Arthur: Aaaaah!

(Police cars and a helicopter are outside the house.)

Police officer (over loudspeaker in helicopter): Throw out the book gently, son, and no one will get hurt.  You can't escape the long arm of the law!

(A literally long, giant arm goes through the front door, grabs Arthur and pulls him through town into the library)

Arthur: AAAAAAAAAAAH! YEOWWWWWWW! AAAAaAAAAAAAAAH! Whoaaaaaaa! Oh, no! 

Paige Turner: We have special rules for little boys who lose library books.

(A little later in Arthur's dream, the parents notice a chain going into Arthur's room.)

David and Jane Read: Huh?! 

(They see Arthur reading The Mysterious Hand with a chain attached to it.)  

Jane Read: Arthur, what's this? 

Arthur: It's how I have to check out library books now!  (the chain suddenly moves, taking Arthur and the book on it) Whoaaaaaaa! AAAAaAAAAAAAAAH!

Paige Turner: (reels Arthur in on the chained book) Next time, don't make me use the crank!

(Arthur finally wakes up and screams, his mouth shutting to the beat of the creepy music. The next morning at breakfast, Arthur, tired, tries to eat his cereal.)

D.W.: You're not going to find the book in your cereal.

David Read: You'll have to pay for the book.

Arthur: $15?! That's three action figures!  Ohh!

(Later, at the library, Arthur is returning his books...)

Paige Turner: Did you enjoy all the books?

Arthur: All except the one I lost - The Mysterious Hand.  I guess I'll have to pay for it.

Paige Turner: It's not lost. Here it is. (holds it up) That boy just returned it. (points to Binky)

Arthur: Huh?  Binky, you found it! You found it!  Who had it? 

Binky: A boy from school. 

Arthur: Which boy?

Binky: (looking ashamed) Me.  

Arthur: (laughs) Very funny! No, who really had it? 

Binky: (seriously) Me! (a flashback shows Binky picking up the book and reading it) I found it on the sidewalk.  I started reading it. It's really good. (the flashback ends) I never thought it was the one you lost because you'd never throw a library book on the ground.  But when no one else had it, I figured it might be the same one. 

Arthur: Why didn't you tell me?

Binky: I thought you'd laugh at me. 

Arthur: I wouldn't laugh at you.

Binky: You just did. 

Arthur: (ashamed) Oh, yeah. Sorry. 

Binky: (threateningly) Don't blab it around that I'm reading books...or else! (makes a fist) 

Arthur: (goes back to the check-out desk) Since I didn't read that book, can I check it out again? 

Paige Turner: Sorry, you can't renew it because there's a waiting list. (shows a very long list) 

Arthur: Ohhhh!

(We see the "Mysterious Hand" monster was really D.W. wearing rubber monster gloves and speaking through a cardboard tube...)

D.W.: The End! (does a creepy laugh) Scared you, didn't I? (in a spooky voice) Wooaah!