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Rover barks at the
mention of a possible stroll. FATHER: (He chuckles.) Later boy. (Back to us.) Oh, and here's something else that's new. I just heard a new term today on the radio. Fellow says, we've go something now called the 'rat race.' Did you ever hear that one? It sure describes my life. I'm involved with something now called commuting. I drive into the city for work all day, and then turn right around and drive all the way back. And the highway is crowded with other rats doing the same thing! SARAH: (Off stage,
condescending.) That's what they call progress dear.
FATHER: Ha ha ha ha. I guess she's right. But we do have television. (He adds quickly and irritably,) When it works. Give's you something to do after you get home. I kind of like it, you know? A guy named John Cameron Swayze gives us all the news and then they have all this singing and dancing. A lot of fluff, but it's fun. Right diorama opens
to display grandma and grandpa near the TV. On the TV is an orchestra
playing a quiet tune. Gramps has fallen asleep. FATHER: You
know, I predict that day that millions of people will learn Latin and
Greek sitting in front of their TV sets. GRANDMA: (To
grandpa.) Are you awake dear? Grandpa continues to
snore which is a quick answer to Grandma's question. She quickly turns
the channel to a show which she would rather be watching. A boxing
match.
GRANDMA: Give
him a left you big lug! Diorama closes.
FATHER: Ah yes, a new age of electronic civilization is upon us! Opposite diorama
opens to reveal Jimmy carving a jack-o-lantern. JIMMY: Hey dad,
what do you think of my jack-o-lantern? FATHER: (In mock
fear.) Oh! Boy is that scary! JIMMY: That's 'cause I used my beautiful sister Patty's picture for a model! Ha ha ha. Rover barks at
Jimmy's remark about Patty. FATHER: Down
Rover. Jim, Rover appreciates your joke. SARAH: (Off stage.)
Now... you're always kidding poor Patty. She's certainly prettier than
either of you. Rover and Jimmy both
howl. The right diorama
opens again to reveal Patty, using an old fashioned, vibrating exercise
machine. She's talking on the phone. FATHER: You hear
that? My daughter Patty is using that old exercise machine she rescued
from the attic. It was all the rage in the Twenties. Grandma of course
had to have one. Didn't work then, doesn't work now. (He chuckles.)
Consistent at least. Makes a lot of noise and blows fuses.
PATRICIA: (Her voice is shaky, due to the vibrating exercise machine.) As I was saying Babs, I think college is really swell! You should give it a try! BABS: (Over the
phone.) Oh Patty, are you going to the Halloween party tonight?
PATRICIA: Oh yes. And I'm hoping to loose a couple more inches by then. I'm going with that dreamboat, Wilfred. BABS: (Shocked.)
Wilfred?! What a slug! PATRICIA: He's coming as the headless horseman. BABS: It fits.
PATRICIA: Come on Babs! That clodhopper Howard you're going with is no Crackerjack prize! Patty's voice dies
out as the diorama closes. FATHER: Oh poor Howard. I wonder what they said about me when I was dating Sarah. CUCKOO CLOCK:
Cuckoo. Cuckoo. Rover barks, amused
at the wooden bird's great sense of timing. FATHER: (Chuckling.)
You're lucky Rover. You don't have to date. Well, we're caught up in
the do it yourself craze these days. We're remodeling our basement as
something called a rumpus room. And we're looking forward to a few
rumpuses I'll tell you, as long as they don't get out of hand.
The left diorama
opens to reveal Sarah on a ladder, applying wall paper to a wall. The
wallpaper is a little crooked. I looks like something out of an I Love
Lucy episode. A small food mixer is humming on a table next to her.
SARAH: John,
this papering is getting out of hand. I could use a little help.
FATHER: Now Sarah, didn't I set up that clever automatic paint stirring machine for you? SARAH: Yes John, you're a genius. Of course this will ruin my food mixer, not that you'd care. The diorama closes.
We hear the hum of the food mixer getting louder and higher pitched.
FATHER: Oh good old Sarah. Always the last laugh. The food mixer is at
it's loudest, at which point we hear paint splattering. Sarah shrieks.
FATHER: (Sounding
worried.) What happened Sarah?! SARAH: Oh you and your progress! That paint mixer of yours just sloshed paint across my rump... er- rumpus room. FATHER: (Laughing.) How do you like that? I always say, if you're going to be married, marry a girl with a sense of humor. (More seriously.) Well, it's time to move on. Let's cheer up Sarah by singing our song. Come-on. Everybody! FATHER AND CHORUS
SING: There's a great big beautiful tomorrow, Shining at the end of every day. There's a great big beautiful tomorrow, And tomorrow is just a dream away. Man has a dream and that's the start. He follows his dream in mind and heart And when it becomes a reality, It's a dream come true for you and me. So there's a great big beautiful tomorrow, Shining at the end of every day. There's a great big beautiful tomorrow, Just a dream away.
The Carousel has
moved to yet the next scene. It is Christmas now, in a modern living
room. The tree is up. The house is totally decorated for the season.
This time there are no dioramas. The entire family is present in the
room. Father is standing in the kitchen, cooking. Sarah is sitting at
the right, using a computer. Grandma and Jimmy are sitting near the TV.
Jimmy wears virtual reality headgear, and makes occasional twitches as
though he's manipulating something in the VR. Grandma has the headgear
up above her eyes, but is not playing yet. Grandpa and Patricia are
sitting over to the left, near the Christmas tree.
JIMMY: Yes!
Three hundred points, my best score yet! SARAH: Well, it was peaceful until Santa brought that new virtual reality space pilot game. Jimmy's headgear
goes up above his eyes. JIMMY: Your turn
Grandma. Let's switch the image over to the TV, so the resident flying
ace can show you how it works. Grandma's headgear
goes down, and the TV turns on. On the TV we see the interior of a space
craft cockpit. JIMMY: Now, it's a little tricky. Just use your game glove to fly behind the other guy and then blast him with your laser blaster! GRANDMA: Laser blaster? Well, I'll give it a try. JIMMY: Take a
look around Grandma. You're in the ship. GRANDMA: I feel like I'm really there! JIMMY: Okay, get ready, you're about to blast off! GRANDMA: Here goes nothing. The screen flickers
into motion as the space outside of the cockpit begins to move. We soon
see enemy ships passing by. JIMMY: Alright, here he comes! Ooh, you missed him. As Grandma and Jimmy
play Space Pilot, Sarah looks up from her computer.
SARAH: Hey
everyone, I'm done programming out new voice activation system.
FATHER: Now all our household items will do anything we tell them to do. GRANDPA:
Great... tell the refrigerator to bring me a root beer.
SARAH: (Chuckling.) Well, it can't quite do that. But I'll show you something that it can do. (She declares:) Tree lights, thirty percent brighter. The Christmas Tree
lights brighten a little. GRANDPA: Ah, that's no big deal. Anybody can do that voice activating stuff. Watch this. Rover... speak! ROVER: Woof! SARAH: John, the oven should respond to your voice commands now. Give it a try. FATHER: Okay,
here goes. Temperature to 375. OVEN: (It actually
talks.) Temperature increased to 375. PATRICIA: Look at that! It even talks back. FATHER: Like some people I know. PATRICIA: Yeah right dad! JIMMY: (Watching Grandma's progress on the TV.) You're going to loose him Grandma! Bank to the right! PATRICIA: Remember dad's turkey last year? GRANDPA: Yeah,
that thing really smoked up the place when it burned, didn't it?
PATRICIA: We ended up microwaving frozen pizzas. SARAH: Well, no
need to worry about the turkey this year. Not with an oven that will do
anything your father tells it to do. JIMMY: Ooo! Good shot! GRANDMA: Did you
see that?! JIMMY: Dad, Grandma's up to 550 points! FATHER: Did you
say 550? Man, she's getting the hang of that thing.
OVEN: (Quietly, without anyone noticing.) Temperature increased to 550. GRANDPA: I can't believe all the new gadgets they've got now. Did you know in my day-- PATRICIA: Oh no.
You're not going to tell us about the old days when you didn't even have
a car phone. GRANDPA: (He chuckles.) Hey Trisch, for a while we didn't even have a house phone. Not to mention laser discs and high def TV. Everything is automated these days, including... From off stage we
hear a toilet flushing. GRANDPA: (Continuing.) Well, including that. COUSIN ORVILLE: (Off stage.) No privacy at all around this place! GRANDPA: Sorry Orville. Anyway, you guys don't realize how good you've got it nowadays. SARAH: You know, my Grandfather told me the very same thing when I was a kid. GRANDMA: (Still
playing the VR.) Take that you nincompoop!
JIMMY: Hey check it out dad. Grandma's up to 975 points. FATHER: Wow! 975. OVEN:
Temperature increased to 975. (Oven starts beeping and smoke
erupts.) Overload-- overload... SARAH: John, what's wrong with the oven? FATHER: Well-- UH... The oven door slams
open and we hear the crackling of burnt turkey skin.
OVEN: Bake Mode
complete. Enjoy your meal. PATRICIA: Anyone for pizza? SARAH: Another Christmas turkey ruined. Grandma's game ends.
Her headgear lifts back over her eyes. GRANDMA: Man
what a game! I really smoked those guys. Looks like I'm resident flying
ace now. JIMMY: Best two out of three Grandma? GRANDMA: Later
kid. Boy that was fun. What will they think up next?
PATRICIA: Who
knows? We've got a whole new century waiting for us out there.
SARAH: Yeah, and
maybe sometime in the new century, your father will learn how to talk to
out oven. FATHER: Well, by then maybe ovens will read out minds. But hey, as long as we're all here and happy and together for the holidays, who cares if I burned out Christmas turkey? GRANDMA: I do! I'm starving. A round of laughter
erupts from the whole family. JIMMY: Don't worry dad. Someday, everything is going to be so automated, you won't ever have to cook another Christmas turkey again. FATHER AND CHORUS
SING: There's a great big beautiful tomorrow, Shining at the end of every day. There's a great big beautiful tomorrow, And tomorrow is just a
dream away. SARAH:
Man has a dream and that's the start. FATHER:
He follows his dream in mind and heart PATRICIA:
And when it becomes a reality, GRANDPA:
It's a dream come true for you and me. CHORUS:
So there's a great big beautiful tomorrow, Shining at the end of every day. FATHER:
There's a great big beautiful tomorrow, CHORUS:
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©2003 TKO Visual Communications Inc |
FATHER: Well, it's
another Halloween here in the fabulous Forties. Everything is better
than ever now. And we've got some amazing new wonders around the house
to prove it. For instance, out refrigerator hold more food than ice
cubes. And thanks to our new automatic dishwasher, I don't have to dry
the dishes anymore after supper. Gives Rover and I more time to enjoy
out evening stroll together.
FATHER: Isn't it a
pleasant holiday? Turkey's in the oven, it's peaceful and quiet.
