What Mary Jo Wanted (1982)

Mary Joe was always daydreaming about dogs. Big or little, old or young, she wished they belonged to her. Mary Joe is thinking about dogs again. >> I'd rather have a dog than anything else in the world. Oh, Mary Joe, you say the same old thing twice a week. >> Yeah, honey. Puppies need to be trained. They take a lot of patience. >> They cry at night when you first bring them home. >> Yeah. And nobody will be able to get any sleep either. >> They probably because they're lonesome. >> Who will get up at night to talk to the puppy? Huh? >> Certainly not me. >> I'll get up at night. >> But three or four times a night? >> I don't care. >> You're going to feed it every day? >> Make sure that it has water >> and brush and bathe him. I'll do it. I want to feed and brush your dog. >> It has to have walks, too, you know. >> Honey, good dog horners must take full responsibility for their pets. Patty >> Ruthie has a pet. Why can't I have one? >> Because she's older than you are. And besides, a bird in a cage is not as big a responsibility as a dog. Mary Joe, do you think you're ready to take care of a dog? >> Yes. >> Well, we'll see. Mary Joe painted pictures of dogs. She read dog books by the dozens. She wrote dog stories. Uh, dogs >> and dog poems, too. >> I want a doggy who's brown and nice. I want a doggy without fleas or lice. I want a doggy who doesn't bite. I want a doggy who doesn't bite. I want a doggy who doesn't cry at night. I want a doggy who smiles just right for my very own. Mary Joe even wrote a two-page theme. And one morning, she put it by her father's plate. >> Why I want a dog by Mary Joe Wood. I want a dog. Because dogs are good, loyal friends. They're fun to play with even though they are a big responsibility. Oh, no. >> I want a dog because they're soft and fluffy, cute and furry, and sweet and pretty. >> Mommy, daddy, look what's in the paper. >> A new pet store special for this opening. Small, lovable puppies while they last. >> Hey, I like a badger. Do they have any badgers? >> I like a skunk. >> Can't we go and see the new pet store and the puppies? All right, Mary Joe, maybe you are old enough to take care of a puppy. >> Let's go. [music] They are cute. >> They're the sweetest creatures in the whole world. >> Which one do you want? >> This one. At home, they put newspapers on the kitchen floor. And Mary Joe blocked the doorway with a doll bed. >> It's only until your house's broken. >> And be sure to call the vet this week to make an appointment. >> The vet? >> The veterinarian. It's a doctor for animals. >> Yeah, because he has to have his puppy shot so he won't get sick. I'll help you make the call. Honey, >> you're going to be a big responsibility. Do you know that? >> Mary Joe and her friend spent hours going through dictionaries trying to find a name for the puppy. >> What about Buzzard? He's not a Buzzard. >> I'll write it down anyway. All right. >> Hey, what about Mr. Pickle Pong? Mr. What? >> Mr. Pickle Pone. >> He's not a pickle pone either. >> Well, it's the silliest thing I could think of. >> I'm not even going to write that down. >> Well, I tried. >> [music] >> Finally, Mary Joe decided to call him Teddy because to her he looked so much like a small teddy bear and he felt as soft as a teddy bear. It didn't make any difference how many times he yawned at night. As soon as the house was dark and still and everyone was asleep, he began to cry as though his heart would break. Mary Joe had to leave her warm bed a dozen times a night. No matter if Mary Joe gave Teddy a little snack at bedtime in [music] case he was hungry, no matter how comfortable she made [music] his bed in the kitchen, no matter if she plugged in a nightlight in case he was afraid of the dark, no matter what she did, he would still bark and cry. Quiet at night. [music] >> Well, it's a bad Mary Joe. Aren't you getting enough sleep? >> My puppy cries at night. >> Yes, I've heard him. Listen, why don't you try wrapping a clock in a soft flannel cloth and putting it next to the dog? He'll hear the ticking, think it's his mother, and he won't cry anymore. >> That's right. Little baby, don't say a word. Papa's going to buy you a mocking bird. If that mocking bird don't sing, Papa's going to buy you a diamond ring. That diamond ring, Papa's going to buy you a looking glass. looking broke. I was going to buy you a billy goat. A honey, look. >> How long is this going to go on? I never heard of a puppy crying as many nights as this one has. >> Well, some of them get used to being alone a lot faster than others. >> She's late for school nearly every morning. She's tired all the time. You know, I'm beginning to wish we'd never seen that dog. >> Yeah. Is that for your social studies class? >> Yeah. Take some of this stuff in for the kids. >> Good. >> Daddy. Mommy. I found a way to keep Teddy quiet and I'm going to get some sleep tonight. >> Well, yeah. What is it? >> You will see. What do you think? >> Well, why not? It's probably the only thing that's going to solve the problem. >> It did solve the problem. Teddy slept all night next to Mary Joe's cot without making a single squeak. And this went on until the puppy was housebroken and could sleep in Mary Joe's room. Mary Joe liked the kitchen at night. All the familiar kitchen objects made her feel warm and cozy. >> [music] >> And it was fun to surprise her mother by quietly setting the kitchen table for breakfast before anyone else got up. Mary Joe, >> wake up, honey. The kitchen elf's been here again. >> He has? >> Mhm. >> You know, I didn't hear a thing. Did you, Teddy? [laughter]