Adventures of Uncle Mistletoe - Episode #4, Pix + Trk Workprint

Transcript (Download)

Well, Molio, have all the others taken their stations? Oh, you bet, Uncle Mistletoe, they sure have.

But I don't know why you won't let us fight back.

There's only one of him and four of us.

All the more reason, Molio.

You should love your enemy always, especially when he is weaker than you.

But he's been bombarding us with his cannon.

That's only because he doesn't understand we're his friends.

Uncle Mistletoe! Run! Run! Hey, you're in danger! What do you mean, Olio? There, Uncle Mistletoe! Uncle Dove, help! Help! Help! Help! Look, there! Surrender, Polly Dove, Uncle Mistletoe.

I can't surrender, Polly Dove, because she's not my prisoner.

If you wish to come as a friend, you may take her with you.

They're trying to trick me.

Surrender, Polly Dove, or I'll fire.

I told you she is not our prisoner.

Don't you understand? We're your friends.

Say, you'd better be careful with that cannon, or you may hurt someone.

One step closer and I'll fire.

Can't you understand, my good fellow? I am your friend.

Why, of course you do, because you didn't shoot your cannon at me.

Well, anyone brave enough to walk in front of my cannon against my command is a brave soldier and must be a friend.

Oh, Private Pepper, I'm so glad you didn't shoot.

Uncle Mistletoe and Aunt Holly and everyone, they're all our friends.

Yes, she's right, Private.

Now, what ever made you think we were your enemies? Because they told us you were.

They? Who were they? Well, I don't really know, sir.

I just heard them say so.

It was in that valley and...

Perhaps you'd better begin at the beginning.

Where are you from? Tell us the whole story.

All right, I will.

Then I can tell you this.

Polly and I need plenty of help.

You've come to the right place.

Now tell me everything.

Well, my name is Private Pepper and I belong to the Royal Stanton Guards.

That means ten soldiers.

It all started one day when my regiment was out in the meadow on manoeuvres.

My regiment belonged to a little boy, but he didn't take very good care of us.

One day we were out in the meadow on manoeuvres.

The regiment had pitched their tents for the night and I was assigned to guard duty, which was silly really because there was nothing more there to harm us.

Our regiment was friendly to everybody.

Just the same, I marched up and down for an hour.

And then because it was late and because we had been marching all day, I began to get very sleepy.

I was trying hard to keep awake, but I just got more sleepy.

But it's strictly against the rules for any soldier to fall asleep on guard duty.

And I was having an awful time trying to keep awake.

After an hour or so, I looked about, saw that everyone was asleep and I said to myself, Private Pepper, no one will know if you'll take a little nap.

Because I knew there was no real danger, I curled up and went to sleep.

And the worst part was that I slept too long.

Instead of taking a nap for just an hour as I had planned, I slept much longer.

When I finally did wake up, I discovered to my horror that it was broad daylight.

What was worse, the regiment's tents were all gone.

They had marched off at dawn and forgotten all about me.

I was deserted.

I looked all about, but there was no sign of where they had gone.

I was so worried and lonely that I could almost have cried.

But at that moment, a startling thing happened.

Something fell out of the sky and landed beside me in the tall grass.

I leaped up on guard at once because it might have been an enemy.

But to my surprise, it was only a little doll.

I said, here, what's your name and what do you want? And she said, I'm Polly Doll and I've just been lost.

And that's how the two of you met.

Dear me, but how did it happen that you dropped out of the sky like that, Polly? Oh, I didn't really drop out of the sky, Uncle Mistletoe.

You see, my mistress used to be a little girl eight years old.

And she loved me a lot until she got a newer and prettier doll.

And then she paid no attention to me.

Finally, one day she just dropped me in the meadow while she was playing and never bothered to pick me up again.

My goodness, she should take better care of her toys than that.

Well, you can imagine my surprise.

But after Polly had explained everything to me, she said...

Well, we both seem to be in trouble, Private Pepper.

Well, I may be lost, but not for long.

I'm going to find my way back to my regiment.

But what about me? I can't go back.

My mistress doesn't want me.

There, there, now.

You come along with me and I'll see if we can find someone who does.

Now, don't cry.

Be brave and we'll start at once.

But when we started out, we suddenly realized that we didn't have any idea of where we were or how we could even begin to find my regiment.

I felt very foolish and upset.

Oh, Private Pepper, we can't possibly get out of here by ourselves.

We must have help from someone.

Help? But from whom? There isn't a soul around here but us.

It's a squirrel.

Aha! Maybe he can help.

Forward march! Front and center! Hey, hey, don't run away.

Oh, Private Pepper, that's no way to talk to a squirrel.

May I try? All right.

Come, nice squirrel.

We won't hurt you.

We just want to talk.

Oh, nice squirrel.

Tell us, do you know anyone who can help us out of this forest? Do you? Oh, wonderful.

Who? Ah, what did he say? He said there's one person around here who can help us and that's Uncle Mistletoe.

Oh, Uncle Mistletoe? Who's he? Well, I don't know, but this nice squirrel likes him very much.

He says he lives off to the north.

Is it very far? Mr.

Squirrel, how far is it? Oh, he says not very far, but we should be careful not to pass through the valley ahead.

We should go around it.

It's very dangerous, he says, because the rumourous dragon lives there.

Who's afraid of a dragon? I'm not.

We'll go straight through the valley and visit this Uncle Mistletoe.

Goodbye, friend.

Thanks for your advice.

Goodbye, little fellow, and thank you too.

And so we started off to find you, Uncle Mistletoe, and because I thought I was very brave, we headed straight through the mysterious valley known to be the home of the rumourous dragon.

And then it happened.

And then it happened.

What happened, Private Pepper? The voices.

And the signposts.

What did they say? Beware of him.

And the signposts said, This way to Uncle Mistletoe.

What else could we believe? We thought it meant beware of you, Uncle Mistletoe.

You poor children.

You must remember never to believe anything you hear in the valley of the rumourous dragon.

Now tell me, where is it you are going? Oh, I'm on my way to join my regiment again.

I wish to serve my country as a soldier should.

What about you, Polly Doll? Well, Uncle Mistletoe, my wish is to find a little girl who will take care of me and love me as her very own.

Well, bless you both.

If you will only let me, I'd like to help you find your way and have your wishes.

And I know just the place.

The place that tells you how to win your wishes and find happiness.

Identifier

F.2021-09-0067

Date Of Production

1952

Abstract

Workprint for episode 4 of the 1952 season of The Adventures of Uncle Mistletoe, a fifteen minute children's TV show in which whimsical stories are told based on the activities of charming Uncle Mistletoe, a winged denizen of the North Pole who serves as Santa Claus' assistant.

Description

Picking up where episode 3 left off, Private Pepper approaches Olio, Molio, and Uncle Mistletoe with a cannon and asks them to surrender Polly Doll. Uncle Mistletoe tells him that Polly Doll is not his prisoner; when Polly Doll arrives, she tries to convince Private Pepper that Uncle Mistletoe is their friend, not their enemy.

In a flashback, Private Pepper tells Uncle Mistletoe the story of how he and Polly Doll came to distrust him. First he explains how they met: Private Pepper was left behind by his regiment of tin soldiers after he fell asleep while keeping guard, and Polly Doll was abandoned by the 8 year old girl she belonged to. They decided to stick together, and get help from a squirrel when they get lost in the forest. The squirrel tells them that Uncle Mistletoe can help them, but they need to be careful not to pass through the Valley of the Rumorous Dragon on their way to him. Private Pepper ignores the warning and the duo head straight through the valley; once there, they start hearing voices that tell them to "beware of him" – which they assume to mean Uncle Mistletoe. Uncle Mistletoe laughs off the misunderstanding, and tells them he would like to help them find their way.

Run Time

0:10:23

Format

16mm

Extent

800 feet

Color

B&W

Sound

Optical

Reel/Tape Number

1/1

Has Been Digitized?

Yes

Language Of Materials

English

Element

Work Prints

Genre

Children's
Holiday
Sponsored

Form

Television series

Subject

Friendship
Christmas
Toys

Related Collections

SERIES I: The Adventures of Uncle Mistletoe

Related Places

North America ➜ United States ➜ Illinois ➜ Chicago

Distributor

WGN-TV

Sponsor/client

Marshall Field & Company

Main Credits

Kling Studios (is production company)

Niles, Fred A. (is producer)

Morgan, Edwin T. (is director)

Additional Credits

Bennett, Bill (music)

Savitt, David (camera)

Participants And Performers

Weber, Bill (is actor)

Percy, Pat (is actor)

Roessler, Elmira (is actor)

Peeples, Cornelius J. (is actor)

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