Harmonize (1976)

[Music] And this character would tell us this dumb story and he would keep saying and another mouse came and took a green wheat away. And another mouse came, "Stop, daddy, stop it. Stop it." He was just as bad as that storyteller. Great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great grandfather W went hunting one day and he took along his two daughters uh Jog and Cod and before long they killed a pig and they were bringing it home when a great big storm came up and lightning flashed and the thunder rolled and all of a sudden the lightning bolt hit a tree right beside them and grandfather was so scared he threw the pig over his shoulder into some brush and he and the girls ran hid in the rocks. Well, the lightning set the pile of brush on fire and they thought that their pig was all burned up because the flames licked around it. Well, when the fire died down, they went over and poked around and there was just a black carcass and but something smelled awfully good and grandfather W stuck out his finger and he touched the pig and it burned it. But some of the pieces of skin stuck to his fingers and they tasted so good that he touched it again and burnt. But my that tasted good. And they discovered that burned pig was the best thing they'd ever tasted. And this was the beginning of cooking. I used to tell my kids stories about prehistory because this was something they enjoyed. And I told them for oh long, long time, several years when they could catch me. And finally my imagination began to run dry. So that uh the only way I could think of to make them stop asking for wag stories was to kill them off. So I uh had horrible deaths for each and every one of them. The the worse the death, the more they liked it. In a sense uh my kids have died off. They're grown now. They're young adults. And uh the stories that we told in those days are in a sense helping keeping those small kids alive in our memories. [Music] I think one of the things we admire most about our father is his storytelling ability and um it's something that uh we talk about a lot even with our friends telling them what a great talent our dad has and uh we try and emulate but we don't come off anywhere near as good as he does. >> And another grasshopper came and took a grain of wheat and another grasshopper came and took a grain of wheat and went away and he went on and on and on. A story my dad used to tell us when we were small children was the story of a king who loved to have stories told him uh but he hated to have them in as a result he'd chop off people's heads and uh this was very discouraging one young man though because of love for the king's daughter came up to the king with a story that he said would never end grasshopper came took a grain of wheat guy says I'm I'll give you the fortune I'll give you the treasure just stop the story don't tell me any more of that And so the guy got his fortune and got away with his head. >> I don't remember um it being just a fortune. I thought it was to get the fair princess and how it was a mouse that found a crack in the stone walls and crawled back out. And another mouse crawled in and took a grain of wheat and went away. Another mouse crawled in and took a grain of wheat and went away. And this character would tell us this dumb story and he would keep saying, "And another mouse came and took a grain of wheat and went away. And another mouse came. Stop, daddy. Stop. And another mouse took a grain of wheat and went away. And another mouse took a grain of wheat and went away. Stop it. Stop it. Storytelling to me. If they took that away and didn't add anything else, there probably wouldn't have been much of a relationship of child with father. >> Give us the chords, Nancy. So we can get our keys. >> Virginia. >> You got your key? I don't know if you're driving. >> You know where it starts. >> Boy, that is getting to be a fire. Can you feel the heat down there first? >> Well, I can feel it. Well, it was about 100 years, exactly 100 years ago today that Cindy was born. I don't ask her if she can remember that because maybe she can't, but she was born under a Christmas tree. All right. You see, mother had wanted a sister, but she had five brothers. And I think that five is a good many brothers in one family between you and me. But don't quote me. >> Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday dear Cindy. Happy birthday to you. [Music] >> Okay. Come on. Let's blow. Cindy's got to make her wish. >> Susie, what's your wish? Tell me your wish. >> All right, I'll got it for her. I'll get I'll give it to you when she gets it. Blow. >> Okay. >> All right. You got a wish. >> She said she wish she had some ice cream. >> Helen asked if her mother would give her a sister for a Christmas present. Everything was all fixed for the Christmas surprise. There was Cinderella on the sitting on the floor and she was all ready to go with Helen. Then when Helen grew up, she married a man named Henry Crew, Dr. Henry Crew, and they lived at Herford for a year. Then they went to California and I was born in California. Cinderella was always with us. That half a photograph of myself went to sleep on her shoulder once. They thought that was rather funny, too. Well, then in our family there were three children, myself and Mildred and um Edwin. Um William Billy we called him. And um Billy was an unfortunate one. I think I'm not telling tales out of school. He caused her to break her nose off. >> I guess through the years had gotten kind of um run down and lost her nose again. And I remember a neighbor across the road from us who um painted her up with a new nose and and the paint job she has now is the work of Mrs. Graves. Now the children are bigger. I was asking them what do you remember? You know, childhood memories. And Nancy here came up with a story that I think is appropriate. >> What's that? >> Oh, well the Christmas she asked us which Christmas we remembered the best or which one meant the most to us. And the one that struck me was the Christmas that we all came down and all of our dolls had brand new dresses. Their hair had been washed and had bows in them. And all of our animals had new noses or eyes or whatever was missing had been mended and repaired. And that just to meant a lot. And Cindy was there as queen among all of our dolls, too. As mom said, when she was a little kid, Cindy was sort of the ruling one among theirs. Well, that's always been the same in our family that with all of our dolls, Cindy's the queen. She's the top. And their mom said, "Well, it was funny that I'd remember that one because that was the Christmas that they hadn't had the money to do anything more." >> Yeah, it was a Christmas we were very limited on funds and wondering how to stretch around five kids thinking it would be a very skimpy Christmas and she remembers it as the best Christmas of her childhood. >> I married into this family. family has a lot of tradition. It's got a little of this and that. It's got history. It's a family that's brought many uh traditions along with it. Some of them may be good. Some are very very interesting and many of them are a bit strange. >> I presume one reason she's important is because she's unbreakable because she's lasted that long. And we've made a sort of woven a character and a history about her. And she is like a person. I think she's um old now and steadfast. And see her face doesn't change. She still looks as young as ever. >> It starts off oranges and lemons say the bells of St. Clemens. >> Have you a farthing say the bells of St. Martins? No. A far thanks to the bells of me. >> When will you pay me? Say the bells of old Bailey. >> I'm sure I don't know, says the great bell at >> my husband and two daughters and I have a tradition of celebrating St. Grun's Day. It started oh seven, eight years ago when our older daughter was in high school and happened to love raisins and prunes. And one very dull day we were sitting around talking about the old nursery rhyme oranges and lemons say the bells of St. Clemons. I owe you two five farings say the bells of St. Martins and all sudden the line got in. Uh raisins and prunes say the bells of St. Guns and that was the beginning of St. Grun's day. So every year in late February or early March when the days are pretty dreary and dull, I set the table with the good China wear and everything, make a good dinner with the Clare at St. Grun's Day. It really isn't a big festival, but it's just kind of fun and it cheers up a dreary season. >> Well, there's an adjective that's used to describe our family and it's silly. >> I mean, St. Grun's day is silly. >> The whole raisins and prunes day, the build of St. Kun that is silly. There's no doubt about it. >> And we're not silly all the time. >> But on the other hand, it's a release. >> Um, it's a form of humor. >> And I enjoy it very much. >> Okay. Okay. >> Boardwalk. >> Boardwalk. You owe me. >> They're only one with a hotel. >> It's It's not really a group silliness, you know. Nobody says, "Hey, let's all be silly now." I mean, it's my mother's original silliness >> because I mean the thing is that she could pull this whole deal off about St. Grunes on us and well, first we thought she was being straight about it that she was there really was a St. Gruns because nobody else in our family knows from Saints. It's an outgrowth of all of our personalities. >> Looks like a good meal tonight. >> Should be. >> Yeah. Happy St. G. >> Happy St. and prunes at the bells of St. for a ride in your car car. Take for a ride in your car car. Take for a ride. Take for a ride. Take for a ride in your car car. >> Uh Debbie and I first met up in southern Vermont and we were both traveling around and playing a lot of music and doing a lot of different things. And out of that evolved a friendship and we had a lot of adventures together and through all these adventures we started uh making things up as we went along. We had a lot of fun and started giving numbers to the adventures. Uh venture one so and so happened venture two. >> Here we are on uh adventure number uh 563. >> 562. >> All right. 562 in which uh Dennis and Debbie get in this old beat up car. Dennis does some creative driving. He's trying out the other side of the road and uh sing a few songs. Go to Whites Fairy and uh where are we going, Ben? >> Well, Waterford after Whites Fairy. >> Take for a ride in your car car. Take for a ride in your car car. Taking for a ride. Taking for a ride. Take for a ride in your car. Car. Taking for a ride with your hat on. Taking for a ride with your hat on. Taking for a ride. Taking for a ride. Taking for a ride with your hat on. >> Horn goes. Horn goes beep beep. Taking for a ride. Your beep beep. >> Well, we're not a family in the uh traditional sense um of being married and kids. Uh we have a lot of rituals that we've developed over the past years. We pack the car in a certain way when we go out. We're always singing certain songs um even at certain points on the road. And these are the kind of things that a family develops over years of being together. And uh we as friends have developed just over years. >> Well, when we have 100 anniversaries, we have 100 adventures. We have an anniversary and the 100th one is a chocolate anniversary and 200 is maple syrup. Right. >> Right. >> What's 300? >> Ice cream. >> Ice cream. Steve's ice cream. >> Yep. >> Cambridge, Massachusetts. >> Unlimited ice cream. >> Spent so much time together that we almost might as well have been married, you know, in some level. And um and just did everything together. and and you know we were married in our adventures kind of. I don't know how to explain it. >> All right. >> Okay. >> Heart of my heart. I love that. [Music] >> Sometimes I pretend that my brother's a radio. It's a good way to control him. See, when I want to turn him on, I pull his nose. And when I want to turn him off, I push in his nose. And to change channels, I pull his ears. You see, it works very well. Put the lime in the coconut and put it all together. Put the lime in the coconut and mix it all up. Put the lime in the coconut and put it all together. >> Second change his uh channel like this. >> Well, the Bullets won the game 53 to nothing. Um and >> and and now we have the news >> and the Rangers have absolutely smeared the the Redskins 30 um 35 to 21. Let's hear another song. >> Shimmy shimmy cocoa pop. Shimmy shimmy cocoa pop. Shimmy shimmy cocoa pop. Bam. As far as I know, my sister, my older sister, invented a radio technique of controlling her young bratty sister. When we walked to school in the morning, she would pretend that I was a radio and that I had the controls in the top of my head. There was a knob which turned me off. That was her ultimate control. And there was a knob that changed the program if she was bored with whatever I was talking about. And there's a knob for volume. I remember that. So she could make me quieter. And I thought it was a wonderful game. when she had perfect control over this babbling brook that went on alongside her. That was >> I wish I could uh institute that with George when he and I go out walking. >> You should try it together. >> It's a marvelous idea. >> Now, what type of leftovers do we have? We have some pizza port two portions. >> Only two. >> What's this? Let's take off the top and check. We have something in our family which we call Ellen's greasy spoon, which was a way of serving leftover foods when we only had enough of each for one portion. I got the kids interested in helping when we called it a restaurant and they would write up a menu, serve it, clean up afterwards. >> Potato and something. >> Don't put the potato on. It's rotten. >> Oh, they like rotten potatoes. >> Shut up. Put it down. Okay, here's the menu. What do you need? >> Oh, such a good service. Um, I'll have I think some shrimp. Is there any shrimp for me? >> Uh, yeah. I think there's only a portion, though. >> Oh, how about it? You want >> the shrimp? >> Okay. Thank you. >> Okay. >> I'd like shrimp. >> Well, we think it's only fair when the grown-ups are working very hard that the children should have their share of the work. >> Do we get bread with butter? So that um when I'm too tired to cook, I think it's nice for the kids to know how to cook and to prepare a meal for us occasionally. And now they can and they can cook for themselves and they can cook for us and they don't grumble about it too much. >> In what shape is that potato? >> Um rotten. >> Oh, you do such a good selling, John. Um >> they think all potatoes are rotten. for future reference. Preheated pizza >> loses something. >> After the nightclub closes, he goes back into the nightclub and it's all dark and he's feeling very, very blue and sorry for himself. >> We have something of a tradition in our family of telling movies. >> Ellen could never remember children's stories, >> but she could remember Casablanca. And he asked if he can do anything for his boss. And the boss says, "Play it, Sam." And Sam pretends not to know what he means. What Humphrey Bogart wants to hear is the song that he used to hear when he and Ingred Bergman recording D. That song, >> right? And Sam pretends not to know. He plays a different song and Humpy Bogar is very annoyed because he wants to hear that song. And he said says gives Sam instructions again to play that song. And Sam pretends not to know. And then to get the song he wants to hear, Humphrey says, "Play it, Sam. >> Heart of my heart. I love that melody." >> Heart of my heart brings back a me. [Music] We were rough and ready guys, but oh how we could harm all night. >> I can't harmonize it. >> Heart of my heart meant friends were dear. >> Too bad we had toart. I know a tear would glisten if once more I could listen to that gang that sang Heart of My Heart of My Heart. >> We should do our chord. We should do our chord on that last note while Dad does that. >> Yeah. How about that? >> I'll try to keep my same note. Well, that's all right. to that gang that part of my heart of my work. No, it sure does. [Music]