D.W., Bossy Boots/Transcript

D.W., BOSSY BOOTS

Introduction

Brain is putting the finishing touches to a “Boss-O-Meter” in his room.

Arthur: One thing about being a kid is that you have lots of bosses.

Brain: Ready for testing? He hands the machine to Arthur.

Arthur: With the help of Brains' new Boss-o-meter I can measure just how bossy someone is.

Arthur points the machine at his dad who is loading the dishwasher.

Mr. Read: I'll load the top and you can load the bottom. The needle on the machine stops at 4 (out of 10).

Arthur: Dad bosses by setting an example - tough, but fair.

Mrs. Read is pushing Kate in a swing.

Arthur: And then there's Mom. Arthur points the machine at her.

Mrs. Read: Oh, Arthur, will you push Kate for a while? She just loves it when you do.

Arthur: She bosses by acting as if she's not bossing. The needle wiggles at 1. She barely registers.

Mr. Ratburn is standing in front of the class.

Mr. Ratburn: For tomorrow, I expect you to complete twenty-five word problems, read a biography of George Washington and write a report. The needle stops at 9. Make sure you're ready for a quiz on the life cycle of... Arthur and Brain exchange looks.

Arthur: (sighs) There's no question who's the boss in Ratburn's class.

Arthur carefully moves along the upstairs hallway in the Read home.

Arthur: But up ahead is the bossiest boss of all. D.W. opens the door and pushes Arthur aside.

D.W: Out of my way! The needle points to 10 and the machine starts smoking and losing parts.

Title Card: D.W. and Frog

The outside of “David’s Toys” is seen. Inside D.W. leads her mother to a stack of “Marie Antoinette”-dolls in boxes.

D.W.: Look, Mom, it's over here! That's it! That's the one! It's a Marie Antoinette doll! She comes with ten dresses, three wigs, a removable mole on her chin, and says five things in French!    She pulls a string.

Doll: Oh-la-la!

D.W: See? And look, she comes with her own cake and cake plate!

Mrs. Read: It's a little pricey.

D.W: Oh, but it has to be this one. Emily will love it. It's perfect for her!

Mrs. Read: Well.

D.W: Please? It'll be the best present ever!

#

The party takes place in Emily’s garden. D.W. takes a look at the buffet which includes a cake shaped like the Eiffel Tower and little cakes in the shape of snails. D.W. sees Emily talking to Amanda.

D.W: Hi, Emily! Happy birthday!

Emily: Merci beaucoup, mon amie!    Emily puts D.W.’s present on a table with other presents.

D.W: Aren't you gonna open it?

Emily: Oh no, ma chérie! There's a schedule. See?     She hands D.W. a card. It lists 35 events.   Here's all the stuff we’re doing today. And here's where I open presents. Last  She points to event 35 then runs away.  

D.W: Hm!

#

Five dancers do the can-can on a stage in the garden. They finish by raising Emily high in the air.

Emily: (laughs)     Everybody claps. D.W. claps unenthusiastically.

#

A mime performs. All the children are entranced.

D.W: (yawns)

#

The children watch a movie on an old projector. It is black and white except for a yellow balloon which a girl chases up the Eiffel Tower. Emily wipes away a tear.

Emily: (sniffs)

D.W: to James:    Why’s the balloon yellow? They should have made the whole thing in color! Why doesn’tanybody talk? This movie stinks!

#

Emily is about to blow out the candles on the Eiffel Tower cake.

Kids: (cheer)    D.W. tries to look over the Tibbles' heads.

James: Make a wish! Make a wish!    D.W. pushes to the front and blows out the candles.

Kids: Hh!

D.W: Hurry up already before you turn six!   Everybody looks shocked or angry.

#

Emily carefully removes the wrapping paper from a present and folds it up neatly. The present itself is a crying mask.

Emily: I love it!

James wants to give Emily his present. D.W. pushes him aside and rips the paper off her own present.

D.W.: Here, this is how you open a present.

Kids: Hh!

D.W: See? It's a Marie Antoinette doll!

Emily: Thank you, D.W.     She takes the box with the doll. D.W. yanks it away again.

D.W: No, wait! Let me show you what it can do!    She takes out the doll and pulls the string.

Doll: Oh-la-la!

#

Mrs. Read drives D.W. home.

Mrs. Read: How was the party?

D.W: Okay.  to Kate:  Peek-a-boo!

Kate: (giggles)

D.W: But Emily doesn't know the first thing about opening presents.

#

In the Reads' kitchen D.W. dials a number. Emily takes the call.

Emily: Hello?

D.W: Hi, Emily, it's D.W.   Emily’s smile disappears.   Wanna come over and play today?

Emily: That's awfully nice of you, D.W., but I can't.   She waves at Amanda who is coming up to the glass door.   I have to stay home and practice… um… conjugating French verbs.

D.W: Oh. Okay, bye.

D.W. walks into the living room and dials another number. James takes the call.

James: Hello?

D.W: Hi, James. It's D.W. Wanna come over and play?

James: Gee… uh… that sounds like fun, D.W., but… uh… I can't. I have to dust my stamp collection. Bye.  He hangs up.

The Tibbles run past the window.

Timmy: Gotcha!

Tommy: No, I got you!

D.W: Hey! Can I play, too?    They run away.

Timmy: Ah! Run for your life!     

D.W: What's gotten into them?    Arthur walks through the living room.  Hey, Arthur! Where are you going?

Arthur: I'm just going to the library, D.W.

D.W: Great! I love the library.    They walk out of the door.

#

Arthur and D.W. walk past Emily’s house.

Arthur: I thought you were supposed to play with your friends today.

D.W: Uh, they're too busy.

Arthur: Busy doing what?    Behind them Emily and Amanda are jumping on a trampoline.

D.W: Emily had to concentrate on birds.

Emily+Amanda: Yeah! (laugh)

#

Arthur and D.W. walk past James’ house.

Arthur: What about your friend James?

D.W: He had to dust stamps.    The voices of James and the Tibbles are heard from behind the fence.

James+Tibbles: (laugh)

Arthur: Sounds like he's finished.

D.W: Maybe he can play now!   

She runs into the garden. Timmy and James are in the pool, Tommy stands on the edge acting scary.

Tommy: Run for your life!

James: What are you? A monster!

Tommy:  No, even scarier! I'm D.W.!    He jumps into the pool.

James+Timmy: (laugh)

Tommy: Run for your life!    D.W. walks backwards and hides behind the house.

D.W: I don't care. I didn't want to play with them anyway.    She comes out of the garden looking hurt.

Arthur: D.W.? Are you okay?

D.W: Friends! Who needs them?     She walks on.

#

D.W. comes out of the Reads’ house with a table tennis racket.

D.W.: I don't need any friends. I can have fun all by myself.

She hits the ball across the table and runs after it. The ball rolls along the driveway. She retrieves it and hits it in the other direction. Then she has to run after it again. She slumps down on the tennis table.

D.W.: (pants)

#

On the TV screen inside children walk zombie-like towards an old man.

Man: Why, there's hundreds of them! They're unstoppable!   Arthur and Buster are sitting on the couch.

D.W: What you watching?

Buster: “Children of the Beans”.

Arthur: It's a little scary. Maybe you shouldn't watch it.    D.W. climbs on the couch.

D.W: I can take it.     Arthur and Buster exchange looks.

Buster: Why don't you play with your friends?

D.W: I don't have any.

Arthur: I thought you were gonna play by yourself.

D.W: That was before I knew how boring I was. Why doesn't anyone wanna play with me? I'm the life of the party.

Arthur: Well, you're kinda...    Both boys avoid D.W.’s eyes.

D.W: What? What? Well, what am I?

Buster: Well, remember the last time James came over?

Flashback: Arthur and Buster are playing basketball in front of the garage. D.W. sits on the swing while James rides a stick horse. D.W. slides down.

D.W: No, no, no! You're not doing it right. You're supposed to be a prince!

James: I don't know, D.W. I don't think I'm good at this game.

D.W: Sure you are! If you'd quit doing it wrong! Now, once more, round the top with feeling!

James: (sighs)    He walks past Arthur and Buster looking glum.

The flashback ends.

D.W: I can't help it if people do things the wrong way!

Arthur: Yeah, but sometimes you do things wrong, too. Like that time in gymnastics class.

Flashback: In gymnastics class Amanda almost makes it across the balance beam before she falls off.

Amanda: Whoa-a-a!

Miss Morgan: That's the spirit. Better luck next time. D.W.?

D.W: Watch this!    D.W. only gets halfway across the beam.     Wait! That didn't count. I get to go again!    She pushes the Tibbles aside who are pushing each other.

Miss Morgan: D.W., we don't push other's students. You should apologize.

Timmy+Tommy: We're sorry.

Miss Morgan: Not you, boys. You haven't done anything wrong.

Tommy: We haven't?

The flashback ends.

D.W: It wasn't my fault! Those Tibbles messed me up!

Arthur: Yeah, but you have to be fun to have fun. Otherwise kids aren't gonna want to play with you.

D.W: (yawns)  It's everyone else who's no fun! They should all be more like me! Move over!   She pushes Arthur. As she watches the TV her eyes fall shut. On the screen the creepy children surround a house which contains the old man and a woman.

Man: They're replicating faster! No place is safe.   D.W. hears a doorbell. She opens the door to a copy of herself wearing a blue shirt.

D.W. 2: Can you come out and play?

D.W.: Sure!     They run to the swing. As D.W. wants to climb the ladder, the other pushes her away.

D.W. 2: Me first, me first!

D.W.: Hey, that's not fair!

D.W. 2: I can’t help it if you do it wrong!

D.W.: (gasps)    She sees another copy of herself in the sandbox and runs over to her.    Can I play too?     She wants to take a shovel but the other girl yanks it away.

D.W. 3: No! That's mine!

D.W.: (gasps)       She finds herself surrounded by D.W.s.

D.W. copies: (My turn! You do it wrong! Give it back! I saw first! Let go of it!...  etc.)

Arthur wakes D.W. up.

Arthur: D.W.! D.W., wake up! Mom says it's time for your gymnastics class.

D.W.: It was awful! I was everywhere!

gymnastics

Emily and the Tibbles are standing by the balance beam. D.W. walks towards them.

Emily: Uh-oh, here comes D.W.

Tommy: She's gonna hog the balance beam again!

James: I'm going to hide in the bathroom. He walks away.

D.W.: Hey, meena-weena. The others start walking away.

Emily: You first. You can have it to yourselves. D.W. looks at Arthur who gives her an encouraging thumbs up.

D.W.: No! I mean, what I was gonna say was, me last. The others stop. I always go first. You guys should go ahead of me this time.

Timmy: It looks like a trap.

D.W.: Emily, you go first.

Emily: You'll just say I did it wrong.

D.W.: No, I won't. I promise. Emily walks on the balance beam. She jumps down after about three quarters of the way. James returns. (chuckles) That was so... close to being perfect. You just need more practice. You can have my turn.

Tommy: (gasps) Emily climbs on the beam.

D.W.: It helps if you hold your arms out more. That works for me. Emily does so and reaches the other end. You got it!

Emily: Thanks, D.W.!

Tommy: You go next.

D.W.: No, no, you can go next.

Timmy: No, you.

Emily: Go ahead, D.W.

D.W.: But I already said I'd go last.

Emily: She's being nice.

Tommy: Oh, yeah?! We can be nicer.

Timmy: Yeah, take my turn!

Tommy: No! She should have my turn!

Timmy: Hey! I gave her my turn first!

Emily: Hey, want to come over after class and practice cartwheels?

D.W. nods. The Tibbles go on arguing.