Original subtitles

Again, Wesley, again.

Tempo, Wesley, tempo. Da -da -da -da, da -da -da -da, do that.

Da -da -da -da, da -da -da -da.

Not like that, you little communist.

With your instrument.

Sorry, I'm doing the best I can. It's too hard to push this thing together.

If you had practiced more, you'd know how to do it.

Now, let's try it again from the beginning. And remember, this is the

barrel poker, not some funeral dirt.

Try to feel the spirit of the music. Imagine you're in Bavaria in a beautiful

little village. All the people are gay.

They're gay?

Because they just had a bountiful harvest of cabbage and potatoes, and now

like to drink and dance.

Why? Because somebody wrote this stupid song. Now do it.

Okay, okay.

Something the matter, Belvedere?

Oh, no, nothing at all, George. Good.

Anyway, there's fresh coffee here.

And if I'm needed for anything, I'll be down at the basement.

Oh, sure.

Take the coward's way out. I was going down there anyway.

You had to do what?

I don't know.

But if you're going to yell at me, yell louder. I can still hear him. Hey, this

is all your fault.

My fault?

I encouraged him to take up music, not the accordion.

That was your idea.

Hey, I took him to a ball game.

How was I supposed to know Dick Contino was going to play the national anthem?

Hey, I think there's a storm coming. The Huffnagle's dog is yelping and running

around in circles.

Oh, it's Wednesday.

Hey, don't make fun of your brother.

Well, how long is he going to be doing that? I've got to study.

His lessons only last an hour.

And it's already been seven whole minutes.

F -sharp, Wesley, F -sharp.

That's close.

Making with this monkey business and don't practice correctly, you are

your time.

And mine.

Sorry, Mr. Zabriskie.

Don't be sorry. Be good.

All right.

One more time. Beer barrel poker.

This time, we'll take it a little slower. All right?

Ready?

Too slow?

Is it risky?

Is it risky?

Lesson over already?

Yeah, I guess so.

We'll be right back.

According to our new arrival, life is more than mere survival.

We just might live the good life yet.

CPR was administered by the housekeeper. We took over upon arrival with no

success.

He didn't like to stare.

Come on, don't do that.

Sorry, George.

The patamatic said we did everything we could.

We? You did everything. I just stood doing nothing. That's not true.

You offered him a cigarette.

That's all I could think of.

Mr. Owens, if you'll sign this release, we'll be on our way. Oh, sure.

So you tipped these guys or what? I don't think so.

I knew that. Relax, George.

Relax? Mr. Music just croaks in my living room and I'm supposed to have a

Sorry.

Thank you very much.

See you next time.

Have a nice day.

Certainly broke up the day.

So is Wes still upstairs?

Yes. I left him with Kevin.

Knowing you, I'll bet you already broke the news about Zabriskie kicking the

bucket. No.

Well, why not?

Because I thought you'd want to tell him.

Yeah, and I'm gonna.

It's just death. It's a big thing.

And I gotta be careful I do it right.

Perhaps the direct approach is the best.

Like when you fire me.

No, that never works.

You got to sugarcoat it a little.

Like I did when Mr. Slowpoke died.

Who?

Mr. Slowpoke, his turtle.

I mean, I just didn't go up and say, Hey, Wes, I ran over your little pal

the lawnmower.

First, I sat him down, had some ice cream and cookies, and we joked around a

little. Then I told him.

Hey, Dad, is it okay?

Yeah, sure. Come on, guys, calm down.

How's Mr. Zabriskie?

Hey, champ, what say we head to the kitchen, have some ice cream and

chip cookies, huh?

Dead, huh?

Uh, yeah, he is.

How come he died?

Well, he was no spring chicken.

I guess the old squeeze box kind of gave out.

You know what I mean?

Yeah, thanks.

I'm in heaven.

You're not the only one.

Look, I got high heels.

They're just for the one day of. I need them because of Wayne. He's my date.

He's six foot four.

They're not sure when he's going to stop growing, but right now he is real cute.

My hoarding teacher died.

Mr. Zabriskie?

Yeah, his squeeze box gave out.

House attack, Mrs. Evans.

Oh, when did it happen?

Right in the middle of the beer barrel polka.

It happened during his lesson?

Yep, right there.

Are you okay?

Yeah, I guess.

Do you want to talk about it?

Not really.

Well, we're right here, pal, just in case you change your mind.

Thanks.

I think I just want to go to my room now, okay?

Yeah, good idea.

You go up and rest, and later on we'll go ice cream and turtle shopping.

I got stuff to do.

dance with me huh well they're gonna be playing a lot of slow stuff and i need

to practice in these things i don't know you never come on kevin mom made you

take all those lessons won't you help me please all right all right and just

follow me okay okay one two three one two three

Here we go, champ.

One Matterhorn special.

How about a refill on the old chocolate milk?

No, thanks.

You have a vegetable or something?

Just finish your cake first, and then we'll see.

Hey, Wes, what say we go outside and play a little catch?

Oh.

Okay, let's do something else. Let's bother Belvedere. We'll give him a hot

foot. I just want to go to my room, okay?

Sure, pal. Whatever you say.

Hi, guys.

Hi.

Where's Wes?

Upstairs. Can you say anything more about Mr. Zabriskie? He couldn't. His

was full.

I'm just trying to make him feel better.

Well, I picked up some books from the library that might help.

Oh, great.

Why the cat won't come back?

See, the thing is, Wesley knows that Mr. Zabriskie died, but I'm not sure he

understands what that means. Now, this book says you've got to deal with it

out.

Once upon a time, little Johnny Smith had a cat named Whiskers.

Whiskers was a fun cat.

Whiskers loved his ball of string.

One day, Whiskers followed his string into a busy street.

Here comes the flat part.

George.

I think that Wesley might be a little bit too old for this. Yeah, well, then

about this one?

It says that it's important that children understand that while death is

sad thing, it's just a normal and inevitable part of life.

Sexual dilemmas.

Roadmap for the 80s?

Happy motoring.

How do I look?

Like a bad insurance risk.

You're getting better.

I love these shoes. They make me feel so sophisticated.

Hey, is that my gooey chili bar?

That's what I could have it. Yeah, well, it's mine. I bought it for me.

Just leave me alone.

Wesley, hand it over.

No.

Hey, just because something happens to your teacher doesn't mean you get to

everything. Oh, Heather.

Heather, are you all right? Yeah, I'm fine.

I'm sorry. I won't do it again. I promise.

Wesley, what are you... What are you talking about?

I made her fall.

What? I wish something bad would happen to Heather. Just like I wish something

bad would happen to Mr. Zabriskie.

Except he died.

I think this is yours.

Wesley, don't be ridiculous. You didn't kill Mr. Zabriskie.

You just kept yelling and...

me play a stupid beer belly polka over and over.

I just looked at him and thought, I wish you were dead, and then he was.

Wesley, whatever you thought had nothing to do with it. It was simply

coincidence.

No, it wasn't.

Now, I know you're upset because he died in your house right in front of you,

but it was not your fault.

This isn't the first time.

Oh?

I remember this kid at school that kept picking on me, and I wish something

would happen. happened to him and he fell off the monkey bars and broke his

wesley and then i had this teacher they kept calling on me and i wish something

would happen to her and she got pregnant wesley i'm certain you had nothing to

do with that wesley we're in beaver falls not the twilight

zone you're obviously distraught and i think you should talk to your parents

don't tell mom and dad why not

dead and start yelling at me. And you know what happens to people that yell at

me? I'm scared something will happen to them.

Fine. I won't say a word for now.

Anyway, I'm tired of all the chit -chats. Go and clean your room.

I already cleaned it.

The ceiling?

And when you're finished with that, you can vacuum the stairs and go weed my

garden. Hey, you're just trying to make me meow on purpose.

Well, we are getting smart, you snotty little dishrag.

I can call you anything I choose. And what's more, we're having liver and

for dinner, so there.

Oh, yeah?

Wesley, you seem to be rather angry with me. And I appear to be all right.

Yeah, I guess so.

In fact, I feel wonderful.

Excuse me.

Whoa!

Watch where you're going there, Butterfingers.

I'm better designed.

No harm done.

Honey, I think we should talk about what happened.

Just now?

No, about Mr. Zabriskie. We just want to make sure you understand everything.

I understand.

Honey, when I was just about your age, my grandma Pearl died.

When I would go into her kitchen and she wasn't there, I'd get very sad.

Do you know what made me feel better?

Just remembering her when she was alive.

remembering the cookies she baked and the smell of her apron and all the good

times we had together.

I didn't have any good times with Mr.

Zabriskie.

Oh. He smelled a little.

Here we go.

What are you doing?

Just cleaning the table.

Oh. Helping you out, big guy. Uh -huh.

What do you want from me, George? Bone meadow?

say anything to you?

Oh, he's always saying things to me.

I mean about Zabriskie. There's something wrong. I know it.

I wish I could help you out.

George, I just got off the phone with Mr. Zabriskie's sister.

They're having a thing for him tomorrow and she wants Wesley to come.

What kind of thing? A picnic?

No, George.

It's the F word, isn't it?

A funeral.

Yes. George.

Yeah, with the creepy music and the old ladies crying and all the people saying,

oh, doesn't he look natural?

Hey, the kids had enough.

Which kid?

They want Wes and some of the other students to play a little something in

of Mr. Zabriskie.

It'll be nice.

Actually, a funeral can help people deal with their loss and help people resolve

their feelings, whatever they may be. All right.

All right, if it's okay with Wes, it's okay with me. I'll go talk to him.

I wash you dry.

You okay, honey?

My tie's too tight.

You and your friends ready for your big number? Yeah, I guess.

Okay, we'll break a leg.

I'm just a little overheated.

Heather, ready to throw low?

I think so.

I can walk!

I can walk!

I'm, uh, George Owens.

Oh, Wesley's father.

I am Rose.

Peter's sister.

Peter who?

The brisket.

Oh!

I see the resemblance.

Not now.

Before.

Yes. And we're all so sorry it had to happen in front of young Wesley.

Oh, that reminds me.

Here's $10.

Well, thank you.

Is this for a better seat?

Oh, no, no. That was for Wes's last lesson.

I didn't get a chance to pay for it.

Of course, the lesson only lasted ten minutes.

What the hell, it's severance pay.

Our condolences, madam.

Hi, everybody.

My name is Earl Messiah.

And I am very proud to say that I was Mr.

Peter Zabriskie's first student.

But please, we are not here to honor me.

Peter William Zabriskie was born May 1918 in a small

cottage in Gdansk, Poland.

A cottage filled with music.

Peter had 11 brothers and sisters and every one of them played an instrument,

the accordion.

In 1924, for reasons that are not entirely clear, the Zabriskie family was

forced to flee Poland.

Gee, I wonder why.

Following their expulsion from Canada, the Zabriskis and their accordion found

safe harbor in Pittsburgh where young Peter could nurture his talent in a

climate free from bigotry and fear.

But seriously,

Seated before you, you see Peter Zabriskie's greatest legacy, his

And as his first student, I am very proud to introduce his last.

Wesley?

Hi, I'm Wesley Owens, and we're all going to play Mr.

Zabriskie's favorite song. I mean, it must have been because he made me

it so much.

I used to think he was just a mean old man, but now I realize he was just

to be a good teacher. And I'm sorry he died.

And I'm sorry I killed him.

Huh?

I don't know. Belvedere, you know something about this?

In a minute.

I like this part.

Hi, Wes.

Hi. Everybody liked your song.

Yeah. Your mom and I almost got up and danced.

And that was a real nice thing you said about Mr. Zabriskie.

Except the part about killing him.

That kind of threw us for a loop.

Mr. Belvedere told us everything.

That's okay.

Look, you didn't do anything to old Pete.

You're probably feeling a little bad because you didn't practice.

And you were a little hard on the guy.

And you played terrible.

Thanks.

But you didn't kill him.

Sure.

Honey, what you're thinking isn't that unusual.

Lots of kids feel the way you do, that when someone dies, it's their fault.

It was.

Wesley, honey, you cannot make someone die by wishing it.

That's for sure.

I mean, if you could, he would have been dead 30 years ago.

legends, you wish the same thing about Mr. Zabriskie?

What accordion player in Pittsburgh didn't?

Don't stop squeezing.

See, honey?

See, you're not such a bad kid after all.

I guess not.

You ready to go home now?

In a minute. I gotta put my accordion away.

Okay, pal.

You take your time.

Your mom and I will be outside.

all right yep i think i'm glad i came i mean i played the best i've ever played

and that probably made mr risky happy at least a little oh i'm sure it did shall

we in a second

saying

goodbye no i wished him alive doesn't work that way does it

Nope. Think we can stop for ice cream on the way home?

Fortunately, Wesley's first confrontation with human mortality

has proven to be a healthy and enlightening experience.

How ironic.

that what I feared might be a continuing ordeal for young Wesley has instead

become one for the rest of us.

I don't know exactly who Van Halen is, but bless them.