Original subtitles

People ask, where do you get your ideas?

Right here.

All this is my magician's toy shop.

I'm Ray Bradbury, and this is...

Morning, Mrs. Gates.

Morning, Mrs. Brabham.

It is, it surely is.

Got me a real beauty of a letter from my Uncle George in Springfield.

I'm glad for you.

Why, thank you.

You get no mail?

My uncles are all dead.

Certainly nice getting mail.

Reading it.

Sister Jane's boy?

Yeah, and if I know, like a scarecrow come alive.

Ed Cora?

Benji.

Sure is.

Ed,

can I stay a while? Can you?

Hey, Tom.

I can earn my keep, sir. Work.

None of that now. Come on.

Benji, have you really seen cities and the ocean and that lake I hear is just

100 miles from here?

Oh, the Blue Ridge and all that.

That's some list, but sure, I've seen Chicago at night.

Sunrise over Niagara Falls.

One day I'm going to walk Death Valley and stay alive.

You been to school, Benji?

Of course, Encore.

And you read those books?

Sure.

And write?

I write fine.

Benji.

I know how you can earn your keep.

Show him, Benji.

Well, tell him what it says.

C -O -R -A.

Cora.

My name, Tom. See it?

I see some flowers. Ain't no use no more.

Me and Benji's gonna write letters.

And folks will write back to it.

I've got to get letters like Mrs. Brabham.

And you can build us a mailbox.

Where are you going, Tom?

I'm going out.

I'll cut down half the dang forest.

Oh, dear.

Here's a nice word.

Love.

Love.

Morning, Mrs. Gibbs.

Morning, Mrs. Brabham.

Got a visitor, I see.

He was expected.

My nephew, Benji.

Just finished high school.

Oh.

Me and him's going to do some writing.

Letters.

Uh -huh.

Expect we'll get lots back.

Tom's going to build a mailbox.

Real smart wooden one.

Put it right here.

Well, isn't that fine?

So, you want to write some letters?

Yes.

Benji, I... I don't know anybody.

Well, I... In all the world out there, I... I

would have wrote to your mother if she was here.

I know you would have.

Oh, Benji.

Who out there is going to write me letters back?

Plenty of places to write here.

What's that?

It's a magazine I read, Ancora.

There's people here just asking us to write.

Powerful Muscles in three weeks. Send name, address to Power Plus Muscle

for free muscle chart.

What's that?

Detectives. Make secret investigations big income.

Write to Discretion Detective School for free information.

Everything's free.

Yeah.

Be beautiful overnight.

Write for free sample, Glory Rose Cosmetics.

Well?

Power Plus.

Power Plus.

Ready? Set. Go.

How do I start?

We gotta start with deer.

Deer Power Plus Muscle Company?

That's right.

Go ahead.

Dear Power Plus, Muscle Company.

How are you?

I am fine.

Oh, dear.

I'm done.

I'm hungry.

Tom.

While I'm fixing your dinner, why don't you build me that mailbox?

I'll nail up a shoebox later.

Tom Gibb.

I want a big, pretty mailbox. All white.

So Benji can write our names on it in black spelling.

Tom.

A white wooden mailbox.

A white wooden mailbox.

Bigger than Mrs.

Brabham's.

Bigger than Mrs.

Brabham's.

That's the most beautiful mailbox I ever seen, Tom Gibb.

It certainly is wonderful, sir.

And I didn't need no reading of how to do it, neither.

Tom and Cora Gibbs.

No lie?

Is that me?

You and me.

Yes, sir.

Now, we're all going into Green Fork.

We were there last month.

We have to buy stamps.

So we can mail our letters.

One purple one and one red one. That makes the right amount.

Hurry it up! It's green!

It's only been one day, Aunt Cora.

Benji, up and dressed already?

Sure. I like it quiet.

Dawn is the best time of the day.

Besides, it's still early.

Mailman will drive by later.

Drive by?

It has to this far out.

For goodness sake.

My land.

Aunt Cora?

I've just been struck by bolts of blue lightning.

What? Benji, in all the years, on no day, in no week, in no month ever,

have I seen a mailman drive by.

Aunt Cora, hey, that's breaking the law.

Law?

Everybody's mailbox is the lawful property of the government. You could be

jailed for that.

Aunt Flora?

Here.

Why, these letters have all been open.

Boy, I never touched them.

This is the first time in my life I even let my shadow touch that box.

Aunt Flora, the postings on these letters are 10, 20 years old.

And they're not addressed to Mrs.

Brabham. They're to some woman named...

Ortega in Green Fork.

Ortega?

The Mexican grocery lady?

All these years.

All these years that woman's been getting the same mail.

Same letters.

Every day forever.

And corner.

Quick.

Tom did a wonderful job.

But have we got the position?

Absolutely perfect.

Morning.

Oh, Miss Brabham.

Miss Brabham, that's my nephew, Benji.

Morning, ma 'am.

My sister Jane's boy.

Well, isn't that fun?

Oh, sake -a -days.

Just look.

Another letter from my dear old Uncle George.

Well, isn't that fine?

Come on, Encore, you try.

Write your name.

Oh, Benji, it's so much fun watching you write.

Tomorrow. I'll try tomorrow.

Now, here's what I want you to say.

Dear Tarbell Magic Company.

Think I'd go rat crazy if I didn't get my letters every morning?

First time I've been on this road for years.

Morning.

One of you ladies, Mrs. Dead?

I guess, uh, yes.

Mail for you, ma 'am.

Please.

Would you please put it in my mailbox?

No problem.

Have a good day.

Thank you.

Any mail for Mrs. Brabham?

No Brabham, just Gibbs.

Angie, I've got me a letter.

Read it to me.

Is that my name on the front?

Sure is.

Well, come on.

What's it say?

It's from the Power Plus Muscle Company.

And it says, Dear Mrs. Gibbs.

Dear Mrs. Gibbs.

Dear Mrs. Gibbs.

Don't we're very impressed that you've ordered our free muffin chart

Anyone still live over there?

Oh, sure.

Mrs. Brabham.

Ball leaves are blowing.

I should be moving on.

Benji, where?

Wide world over there.

But Benji... And Cora?

We spent so much time writing letters that we... Never taught you to write.

Never.

Benji, never.

If you leave now, I won't get no more letters.

No more mail.

Seems like I didn't spend enough time looking at your face.

No face to look at. But I'd know this hand in a million hands.

Let anybody take my hand in a dark room.

A thousand people.

And out of all those, I'd say... This is Benji.

It has been a fine summer.

Fine summer.

God bless you, Cora.

I'll bless you.

I'll write you.

Twice a week.

Glory be.

Thank you.

Benji? Yes, ma 'am?

I've been thinking.

I ain't seen Miss Brademan in weeks.

She stays in all the time now.

I done a prideful thing, Benji.

A mean, spiteful thing.

And I'm ashamed.

Would you, uh... Would you do me a last favor?

Yes, ma 'am.

or a love pencil.