Curly Top

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(girls) Now I lay me down to sleep.

I pray the Lord my soul to keep.

If I should die before I wake,

I pray the Lord my soul do take.

God bless Mrs Higgins.

God bless Mrs Denham.

And God bless the trustees,

and please make us good children.

Forever and ever. Amen.

(bell)

- Good night.

- (girls) Good night.

- Good night.

- (girls) Good night.

(giggling)

And God bless my sister, Mary. Amen.

Please take very good care

of my duck and my pony.

Please see that they don't catch pneumonia.

(horse whinnies)

(mouth's horse's name)

(loud snort)

Spunky.

You'll get me in trouble.

What you need, Spunky, is a hot lemonade.

Will you be quiet?

Spunky, do you like the superintendent?

What? What?

Do you like Mrs Denham?

Do you like the trustees?

Do you like me, Spunky?

Spunk?

(cock crows)

Good morning. Nothing must be allowed

to go wrong today. Absolutely nothing.

I hope to please all the trustees, but I'm

anxious that we make a good impression

- on Mr Morgan.

- I think I understand.

You think? Why, that isn't good enough.

Read that, Henrietta.

Read it carefully.

Mr Morgan is our richest trustee.

He's coming here today for the first time.

If he is really pleased with the orphanage,

I believe he'll double his donation to us.

- Oh, how wonderful.

- Exactly.

- Seven o'clock. Call the children.

- Very well.

Henrietta, I forgot. Mr James Wyckoff

will be among the trustees who will visit.

I want you to make sure a large bottle

of Mr Wyckoffs famous cough mixture

is displayed in our medicine cabinet.

I'll see to it.

Elizabeth Blair, what have you got

to say for yourself?

Oh, my goodness!

Elizabeth Blair, come into my office - at once.

Yes, ma'am.

This is the second time in a month you've

been called to the superintendents office.

- Yes, ma'am.

- The last time you were here,

your sister Mary was also brought before me.

You both admitted that you had been

singing and dancing without permission.

- Yes, ma'am.

- Do you know why you are here this time?

- Yes, ma'am.

- Then tell me why.

Don't you know?

Quiet. Now, Elizabeth,

tell me why you are here.

- Because I took a pony to bed with me.

- Child, you're absolutely uncontrollable.

Yes, ma'am.

I am well aware that your late father

and mother were in the theatrical profession

and that you came here

with no sense of discipline.

I have made every allowance for you.

But when you bring animals

into the dormitory, I must act.

That's what my daddy and mummy

used to do.

- What?

- Act.

Don't be impudent.

Now, your pony and your duck

will be sold immediately.

Please, Mrs Higgins, please.

I'll be good, but don't take Spunky

away from me, and my poor little duck.

And why not?

Because my pony and my duck

are notjust ordinary animals.

My daddy and my mommy

teached them to do tricks on the stage.

And just what is your duck trained to do?

My duck does a wonderful trick.

My duck can lay an egg.

- And just what is so wonderful about that?

- Well, can you lay an egg?

Oh, excuse me.

Elizabeth, I have decided to

get rid of your pony and your duck.

- They will be sent away this morning.

- Yes, ma'am.

No sniffling, now.

- Yes, ma'am.

- What?

No, ma'am.

There, baby, don't cry.

Mary, don't let them.

Please don't let them

send Spunky and my duck away.

Oh, darling... Now, listen to me, dear.

Listen very carefully

to what I'm going to tell you.

All right.

Spunky would be very unhappy

if he saw you crying.

- I suppose so.

- You don't want to make him unhappy?

- Oh, no.

- All right, then.

When it's time to say goodbye to Spunky,

you'll have to be just as brave

as brave can be,

so you can make him brave too. See?

- Spunky and I are such awfully good friends.

- I know, dear.

All right, Mary. I'll try and be brave

about Spunky and my duck.

Good for you. Look,

how'd you like to help me get lunch?

I'd love that. I like to make things to eat

and I especially like to eat them.

(? piano plays "Animal Crackers In My Soup'')

Oh, my goodness!

Singing in the dining room! Is this

the kind of manners you teach them?

Of course not, Mr Wyckoff. They've been told

they must be quiet at mealtimes.

Oh, they've been told, have they? Well, just

telling them doesn't seem to be good enough.

Perhaps a bit of real discipline

wouldn't do them any harm.

- Have you been told not to sing?

- Yes, sir.

Then why do you do it?

You're a bad and wicked child.

She isn't a bad and wicked child.

She's just a baby.

She was making the children laugh.

It wasn't her fault.

I told her to sing for the children.

And who are you, young woman?

- Are you an orphan too?

- Yes, sir.

Then what right have you to be here,

living on charity at your age?

I'll tell you what I'm doing here.

I scrub the floors, make the beds, wash,

iron and cook from morning until night.

- Quiet!

- I won't be quiet.

- You're mean and hateful to frighten children.

- Report to me after the meeting.

Yes, ma'am.

The rest of you, go to the yard and wait there

till it's time for inspection by our trustees.

(girls) Yes, Mrs Higgins.

- Aren't you going to join us, Mr Morgan?

- What?

- Yes, of course, the meeting of the trustees.

- Of course.

Would you mind beginning without me?

I'd like to look about the place.

- But we have important matters...

- I'll join you in a few minutes.

- Well, of course...

- Thank you.

She isn't wicked...

- Oh... I'm sorry.

- Please don't get up.

I just wanted to tell you how much I admired

your spunk in standing up for that youngster.

- She didn't mean any harm.

- Of course she didn't.

I don't think singing that song

was such a terrible crime.

I enjoyed it.

I enjoyed your playing, too.

Thank you very much.

Tell me, where in the world did that youngster

pick up such a charming song?

- Well, I write them and...

- You write music?

- If you can call it music.

- I call it delightful music.

Look here, would you promise not to

give me away if I made a terrible confession?

Of course.

The deep, dark secret in my life is that now

and then I compose a bit of music myself.

But isn't it fun, getting a melody

and then finding just the right words for it?

Great. You know, the happiest days of my life

were those I spent studying music

under Professor Auspitzer, in Brnn.

Those must have been happy days.

But that isn't all of it.

I love the people in the little Austrian towns.

They're so proud because their music

is the music of the world.

It seems that most everyone in those quaint

little villages has a "Hello, neighbour" smile.

They love the simple things in life.

The simple things in life.

That almost sounds like the words of a song.

I'll remember the suggestion.

Perhaps someday they might make a song.

- Will you do me a great favour?

- Certainly.

I have to run along to the meeting, but I'll

be back. Will you play me some more music?

- If you'd like to hear it and Mrs Higgins...

- I asked to.

- All right.

- Until later, then?

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