Dancing Fools

"Dancing Fools"
Main image Title card
Season/Series:	11
Number in season:	6b
Original airdate:	September 3, 2007 October 3, 2007 December 18, 2007
Credits
Written by:	Cusi Cram
Storyboard by:	Stéphanie Gignac Nick Vallinakis
Episodes
Previous "The Making of Arthur"	Next "Hic or Treat"

Read transcript

"Dancing Fools" is the second half of the sixth episode in the eleventh season of Arthur.

Summary

Mrs. Molina's dance class makes for odd dance pairings.

Plot

At the start of the episode, we see Arthur and his family attending the Elwood City dance competition. Arthur tells the audience that two people can do things better than one can. Backstage, we see two figures preparing to go onstage. The two walk onstage and are revealed to be Francine and George. They smile at the crowd.

Dancing Fools

Several months earlier, Francine is attending school when Muffy walks up and declares that she has signed both of them up for dance class. Francine does not want to go at first but Muffy says that she owes her, plus she will get them hockey tickets. Francine agrees. After school, they visit the dance class, where it is revealed that the class is taught by Mrs. Molina. The students are then split up in pairs. Muffy is paired with a boy named Otis, while Francine is paired with George, who tells Francine that he is only in the class because his mom is friends with Mrs. Molina. D.W., in the background, tries to dance with the Tibble Twins, but they keep stepping on her toes. Francine and George start to get better and quickly get the hang of dancing.

The next day at school, Arthur mentions that D.W. told him that she saw Francine and George in class. George shyly runs away while Buster begins to tease Francine. Francine threatens him until she is distracted by Muffy who says they will be returning to dance class that day. In the playground, Binky asks George what he has learned in dance class, but George suggests that Binky join the class himself. Later at dance class, Muffy pairs up with George but he is horrible with Muffy. Meanwhile, Francine is paired up with the newly joined Binky (that covers up his reasons to join the class that his parents made him) , who had trouble cooperating since he’s usually dances alone. Francine and George eventually get paired up again, and soon become the best students in the class.

Later, Mrs. Molina announces that the annual Fred and Ginger dance awards are coming up and Muffy gets excited and quickly assume Mrs. Molina was going to picked her, but she is corrected by Francine, saying that Mrs. Molina picked George and herself. Mrs. Molina then explains that the entry only allows one pair of dancers but if was two, she would actually consider her and Binky.

Muffy is now outside crying. Binky talks to her and they discuss how much they are jealous of George and Francine. They soon decide that George and Francine can not participate in the contest and scheme to get them out of the competition.

The next day, Binky lures George into a dark alley where he tries to annoy George, with no results. At the same time, Muffy gives Francine hockey tickets that are for the night of the competition, hoping it will cause George and Francine to cancel. George and Francine turn down the tickets, and continue to practice. For two weeks, Muffy and Binky try to get them to drop out, with no luck.

Finally, the night of the Fred and Ginger awards arrives. Binky and Muffy attend the competition so they can heckle the couple. We once again see George and Francine walk onto stage and smile to the crowd. They start to dance gracefully, shocking Muffy and Binky and actually amazed them. Francine and George stumble, costing them some points, but finish perfectly. The award, however, is given to another couple much to Muffy and Binky disappointment.

George and Francine get second place medals while Muffy and Binky apologize, and Muffy says she has signed Francine up for fashion class. Francine shouts as Muffy is driven off, but her frown soon turns into a smile.

Characters

Major

• Francine Frensky
• George Lundgren
• Muffy Crosswire
• Binky Barnes

Minor

• Arthur Read
• Buster Baxter
• Mrs. Molina
• Otis
• D.W. Read
• Mr. Haney
• Timmy and Tommy Tibble (do not speak)
• William Clark (in fantasy)
• Mr. Ratburn (does not speak)
• Ms. Turner (does not speak)

Cameo

• David Read
• Jane Read
• Unknown Female Rabbit (Number 5)
• Brain
• Sue Ellen Armstrong
• Fern Walters
• Unknown Female Cat
• Mrs. MacGrady
• Prunella Deegan
• Carl (dancer)
• Chelsea
• Oliver Frensky
• Neil Lundgren
• Bitzi Baxter
• Jenna Morgan (fantasy)
• Alex Davidson

Trivia

• This episode (along with its sister episode "The Making of Arthur") was briefly flagged as "DO NOT AIR" by the PBS programming department, as of August 19, 2020. The episode re-entered the normal broadcast cycle, as early as June 30, 2022, and it has aired on PBS and PBS Kids Channel several times thereafter.
• George claims that the second place was the first time he ever won anything, despite the running gag of him winning every competition he enters.
• When Francine says she can not go to the hockey game, Muffy tells her she will have to take Jenna, despite her hating hockey.
• This episode and "The Making of Arthur" premiered the same day as PBS Kids' three original series Super Why!, WordWorld and WordGirl.
• This episode takes place between the months November and December.

Episode connections

• As George is walking up to Binky in the street, there is a poster for: 'The Hiccup Kid Part 3', referencing "Arthur vs. the Piano" and referencing to what D.W. said in "Hic or Treat."
• Muffy wears an outfit similar to the one in "You Are Arthur" during the dance lessons.
• Binky and Muffy complain about Francine and George being dance partners, similarly to how they complained about Arthur and Francine being dance partners in "Arthur and the Square Dance".

Cultural references

• This episode's title is a play on the 1979 song "Dancin' Fool".
• William Clark of the Lewis and Clark Expedition appears in the introduction.
• The Fred and Ginger Awards reference Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.
• Binky's dance in the dark alley is a combination of Techno, Tap dance, and Breakdancing.

Errors

• At the start of the episode, Arthur and his family are attending the Fred and Ginger Awards, but later, they are not seen in the audience. (They are, however, seen exiting the auditorium).
• After the duo win second place, George says that he's never won anything before. However, in "To Beat or Not to Beat," he always wins the talent show just by hopping on a pogo stick and he wins many other awards.
  • It is possible this episode predates those occasions.
• Tommy Tibble and Timmy Tibble are seen in the dance class as tall as Francine.

Home Video

DVD:

• Arthur: Season 11
• Arthur's Dancing Fools
• PBS Kids: Get Up and Dance!

Gallery

Main article: Dancing Fools/Gallery