Original subtitles

- What are you doing, dear?

- Fixing something that me and Tommy need.

Wouldn't it be swell if we had a white Christmas this year, Mom?

- Yes, it would.

But there's no sign of snow so far.

- Snow's not the only stuff that's white.

We're going to make a white Christmas over in the park.

The grass, the benches, and everything.

- The grass and benches?

- That's why we need a sign like this.

We'll put it up first and then get right to work.

- Dennis, come back here!

[theme music]

- Merry Christmas!

- Oh, Merry Christmas!

- Merry Christmas!

- Specially made for the Mitchells.

- Isn't this beautiful.

- Oh boy, a bowling ball!

- That's a plum pudding.

- Mrs. Wilson made it just for us.

- Oh boy, that's even better, Mrs. Wilson.

I don't know to bowl, but I sure know how to eat plum pudding.

Do you want me to take it in the kitchen for you, Mom?

- Well, all right, dear.

Very carefully.

And put it on the sink.

- My, your house is beautiful, Alice.

- Thank you.

- I love the mantel.

- Oh, that's who Christmas is really for.

The children.

And that little boy of yours deserves the ver-- Oh.

Is, uh, is this your tree?

- Well, yes.

- Henry just bought it at Mr. Quigley's.

- It's a pretty tree.

- I know, but it's kind of puny, isn't it?

I mean-- Is Dennis satisfied with this?

- Well, yes, I think so.

- I never did like a white tree.

It just doesn't feel like Christmas.

Doesn't even smell like Christmas, smells like paint.

- George, Alice and Henry like the tree.

- Well, now, Martha, Christmas trees are not for grown-ups.

They're for children.

And-- well, you can't expect a child

to get the real feeling of Christmas

with a little bunch of twigs like this.

- Well, Dennis already feels like Christmas, Mr. Wilson,

with all these packages.

- Well, now, me, I have a small Christmas tree too,

like yours, but-- well, that boy of yours

deserves a real Christmas tree.

- But that's a real tree, Mr. Wilson, it's--

- A tall, green, pine-smelling tree from God's own forest.

A tree that the boy has helped to cut down himself.

- Me, Mr. Wilson?

Cut down a tree?

A Christmas tree? Where?

Where are we going?

- Friend of mine, Barney Watson, has been telling me for years

to go out to his land and cut down a tree.

By golly, let's do it right now.

What do you say, Mitchell?

- Well, I don't know, Mr. Wilson.

- Oh, it's only an hour's drive.

We'll take my car.

- I've got so many things to do today.

I don't think I'll be able to make it.

- Please, Dad.

I'd like to cut down our own tree.

- Go ahead, Henry.

- Well, all right.

- Oh, boy!

I'll go get my scout axe.

I bet I could chop down a jillion

trees with my scout axe.

- Dennis, you won't need your scout axe.

I'm bringing along a real woodman's axe.

Now, let's get this little white bush back to Quigley.

All right, Mitchell, let's prepare ourselves

for the great outdoors.

- There you are.

Hello there, Henry.

- Hi, Mr. Quigley.

- Well, George, look at you.

- Hello, Quigley.

Well, we're returning this Christmas tree.

Mitchell wants his money back.

- His money back?

- I hate to ask you to take the tree back, Mr. Quigley.

But we'll really have no use for it.

- We're going out into the country

and cut our own Christmas tree.

A tall, fresh, green--

- Oh, so that's what you're made up for.

I thought maybe you were playing Paul Bunyan in a high school

pageant or something.

- Well, just take this misshapen little

tumbleweed off our hands.

- Tumbleweed Why-- that's a fir!

That's the finest Oregon fir.

- Well, that's Oregon's problem, not ours.

And give him his $5 back.

- I presume you read this sign when you bought the tree.

- "All sales final.

No returns."

No, I didn't read it, Mr. Quigley.

I suppose I should have crawled in behind the trees.

- Oh, now you're not going to get away

with a cheap trick like this, Quigley.

- Oh, come on, Mr. Wilson. It's not worth--

- No, no, no, Mitchell.

Now you refund his money, or I'll

report you to the city license commissioner.

- You leave my uncle out of this.

Here, Mitchell, I'll refund your money.

You're a valued customer and I want to keep you happy.

- Thank you, Mr. Quigley.

- You, uh, don't want to face tomorrow

without a Christmas tree, though, do you?

- Well, no, I--

- Uh, you send Wilson here to the woods with an axe,

he'll come back without any toes and you'll

come back without a tree.

- Oh, for the love of-- Come on, Mitchell.

- We'll pick Dennis up.

- Oh, uh, George, wait a minute.

Put that in your pocket.

- Klondike 526.

Phone number, what's this for?

- Emergency Hospital.

They're great on chopped toes. - Oh, Merry--

- Boy, those are the swellest Christmas trees I ever saw.

- Yeah, they're great.

- Yes, sir, we're going to cut down

the most beautiful Christmas tree you ever had.

- Wow.

[plop] Wow. Hey, Dad!

Look what's over here!

- Come away from that old well, son.

You might fall in.

- Boy, it sure looks deep down there.

0 on, let's see if we can find a good tree.

- How about this one, Mr. Wilson?

- Hmmm?

Hmmm.

Oh, Mitchell, I think we can do better than that.

We want a perfect tree.

The kind Quigley would ask $30 for.

- Hey, Mr. Wilson.

Look over here!

Here's a terrific tree.

- Oh, yes.

Oh, I think you found it, Dennis.

This is a fine one.

- Boy, I wish I had my little old scout axe in my hand right now.

I could chop this down in two minutes.

- Ha ha.

Oh, Dennis, this isn't a job for a Boy Scout.

This is a woodsman's job.

All right, now, stand clear, both of you.

- This is going to be quite a job to get down, Mr. Wilson.

- Oh, Mitchell, this won't take long.

Sharp axe, sharp eye.

That's all it takes.

All right, now.

Watch out for flying chips.

[splintering wood]

- Jeepers, Mr. Wilson.

You broke your axe right in two.

- Well, of all the stupid-- Now how in the world

did I do a thing like that?

- You hit the tree with the handle.

Didn't he, Dad?

That's how you did it, Mr. Wilson.

You hit the tree with the handle.

And--

- Dennis, never mind.

Mr. Wilson knows how he did it.

- Oh, of all the rotten luck.

Now we'll have to go clear back to town

and get a new handle put in.

And that'll take all day.

- Jeepers, you don't have to do that, Mr. Wilson.

I got my scout axe right in the car.

- You-- you mean you brought it anyhow?

- Sure.

You know our motto.

Be prepared.

- Let me take over for a while, Mr. Wilson.

- All right, Mitchell.

Just while I take off my jacket.

Getting warm.

- Boy, this axe is more for chopping butter than trees.

- Boy, it's a good thing I didn't bring my Indian tomahawk.

It's made out of rubber.

- Timber!

- Boy, this is the swellest Christmas tree I ever saw.

- It's the biggest one we've ever had.

Alice is going to be very pleased.

- Well, it was a lot of work, Mitchell, but it was worth it.

All right, now you take that end, Mitchell, I'll take this.

We'll get it out to the car.

Stand back now, Dennis, well back.

Here we go.

- Hey, Mr. Wilson, your jacket.

- Oh, where is it?

Where?

Can you see it?

- Not any more.

Boy, it went down like a rock.

- Oh, for heaven's sake.

- You had the axe head in the pocket.

- Yes.

It went down like an axe head.

- I hope you didn't have your wallet it, Mr. Wilson

- Oh, no, my wallet's here, I-- Great Scot, the car keys!

The keys to the car are in there.

- We can't call a garage.

The nearest phone booth is five miles from here.

- And it's too far to walk. Now wait a minute.

There's a bus runs past here.

We'll take the bus home.

- They won't let us take a tree on the bus.

- Well, they will if we work it right.

All right now, Dennis, you run on up to the highway.

And if a bus comes, you flag it down and holler for us.

- Okay, Mr. Wilson. - Good boy.

Come on, Mitchell.

You take that end.

Grab this.

Go.

- [inaudible].

There we are.

- Well.

Pretty nice Christmas tree you cut yourself, huh?

- Heh, heh.

Oh, yes, a friend of mine owns the land around here.

Yes, it is a nice tree.

- Yes, very nice.

What's your friend's name, mister?

- Oh, Barney Watson.

Do you know him?

- Did he come out here with you?

- Oh, no, he lives in the city.

But he told me how to get out here--

- Well, ah, I've got news for you, mister.

Watson's land starts right over there

on the other side of that barbed-wire fence.

This is my land.

- Oh oh.

- I hate to do this to you.

That tree'll cost you $20.

- $20!

- Oh, gee, mister, we had no idea we were on the wrong property.

- Of course we could have them arrested for trespassing,

Leona, but, uh--

- Oh, no, that-- that won't be necessary.

We'll pay for it.

- I've only got that $5 that Mr. Quigley gave me.

- That's all right, Mitchell, you keep it, keep it.

This is my Christmas tree to Dennis.

There you are, mister.

Take it.

All right, grab the tree, Mitchell.

Let's get out of here.

- That was quick thinking, Wilbur.

- Yep.

I wonder who does own this land.

- OK, sonny.

Hop on.

- I just cut down a Christmas tree, mister.

Can I take it on your bus?

- Well, a tree a young fellow your size cuts down

couldn't take up too much room.

Sure, we can handle it.

- Oh boy, thanks, mister.

Okay, bring it over.

- Hey, hold on.

Who are these guys?

- My dad and Mr. Wilson.

They helped me cut the tree down.

- Well, I can't haul that thing.

I'm not in the lumber business.

- It's for this little boy, driver.

If we don't get it home, he'll have no Christmas tree.

- Yeah, and I just gotta have one.

- Well, if you can get it on, I'll haul it.

- Gee, that's swell, mister.

- Bless you, driver.

Your reward will be in knowing that you brought

a touch of extra Christmas cheer to the heart

of this little lad.

- Mac, make with the tree.

I'm on schedule.

I've got no time to sit here and cry.

- All right, Dennis, you go first.

Mitchell, you take that end of the tree.

And I'll grab this one.

- What's going on here, driver?

- Oh, just helping a kid with his Christmas tree.

- Oh.

- You're doing fine, Mr. Wilson. - Thank you.

All right, Mitchell.

Now, if we just get--

- Watch it, Mac.

- Ah!

- You honked the horn. - I can't help it.

- Is it New Year's already?

What happened to Christmas?

- It's only the horn.

- Sure.

At New Year's there's always horns.

Happy New Year.

- Oh, drat.

There goes another branch.

Oh!

- You're going to have to lift it higher

if you want to get it through.

- Oh, yeah.

Oh, this is better.

All right, now take it easy, Mitchell.

Straight on back.

- You're headed straight now, Mr. Wilson.

- Oh, not so fast, Mitchell.

Mitch-- Oh, I'm terribly sorry.

Please excuse me.

- Oh, I don't mind.

My name's Gladys Pickett.

- I'm George Wilson.

- How do you do.

This is a very informal meeting.

But sometimes they're the best kind.

- No doubt.

- Are you married, Mr. Wilson?

- I've been married for 27 years. .

- Oh.

Well, Merry Christmas anyhow.

- Yes, Merry Christmas.

- Hey, Mac.

Visiting hours are over.

Let's get going.

- I'm trying to.

Mitchell, pull forward a little bit there.

- Sorry about the trouble, driver.

- Not as sorry as I am.

And don't forget to pay for the tree.

It's a passenger too.

- It's under 10 years old.

Can it ride for half fare?

Guess that wasn't very funny, was it?

- Good guess, Mac, good guess.

Now get that thing back there as far out of the way as you can.

- Now, Dennis, watch out. Now you get out of the way now.

That's far enough--

- Mac, that'll cost you exactly $10.

- All right, driver, I'll pay for it.

- You bet you will.

- Drat, there goes another branch.

- Boy, this is the most exciting Christmas Eve I ever had.

- Hey.

What's going on?

What's going on here?

How'd I get out in the woods?

- Sir, you're not in the woods.

- Let me off the bus. I paid my fare.

Get me out of the woods.

- Oh, for heaven's sake.

See, you're still on the bus.

- Oh.

Thank you.

That was kind of scary.

Well, Happy New Year.

- Okay, who's getting off?

- Oh, oh, that was a mistake, driver.

The tree got caught in the cord.

- Oh, it did, did it?

Well, if the tree signaled, then the tree's getting off

and you with it.

- But we're still 10 blocks away from home.

- I don't care if you're 10 miles from home.

You've caused enough trouble.

Now, off!

- Come on, Dad.

It's a swell day for a walk.

- Hurry it up a little bit, will you, Mac, please.

Oh, and don't forget the $10 for the window.

- Goodbye.

I'll always remember this day.

- So will I.

- I hate to seem ungrateful, Mr. Wilson, but 15 feet of tree

is a lot of tree for a 9-foot living room.

- Yeah, if we saw it in half, we could have two Christmas trees.

- It looks a little flat on top, George.

- Yeah.

Boy, it looks like it's got a butch haircut.

- Mr. Wilson, wouldn't it have been

better if you'd cut the tree off from the bottom instead

of the top?

- Yes, it would've kept its shape better.

- Now you tell me.

Oh well, don't worry, I know what to do.

I'll just taper all the branches around the tree

and, and shape it up again.

Dennis, hand me a chair to stand on.

That top branch, I can't reach it.

Hold the tree, Mitchell, I'll get it from this side.

That's it.

Put the chair right there.

- Okay, Mr. Wilson, here you are.

- Thank you, Dennis.

That's it. Woah!

- George, are you all right?

- I'm all right, but what did I do to the-- oh, good grief.

I've broken another branch.

Oh, now I'll have to cut one on the other side to match.

All right, Mitchell.

Give me a hand with the tree.

Let's get it up.

- Well.

There it is.

What do you think of it?

- Oh, it's nice, Mr. Wilson.

Nice.

- You certainly put a lot of work into it.

And it shows.

- We've never had a tree like it, Mr. Wilson.

- Boy, it's a mess.

Isn't it?

- Dennis, you shouldn't say a thing like that.

- Especially after all the trouble Mr. Wilson went to

- Oh, never mind.

At least the boy is honest.

Isn't that just like me.

Get everybody all involved and upset,

go to the end of the earth for a tree and-- look at it.

Did you ever see a more complete disaster?

- Well, no.

- It is pretty awful

- The poor thing makes me sad to look at it.

- That's what I said.

It's a mess.

- Yes, this late on Christmas Eve,

all the trees will be sold out.

Alice, if I could find one, I'd be more than glad to buy it.

- Don't worry about it, Mr. Wilson.

You did your best. [doorbell]

- I'll get it.

- Well, I promise from now on to mind my own business.

- We don't want you to do that, Mr. Wilson.

We want you to stay just as-- uh--

- Meddlesome?

- Just as friendly and helpful as you always are.

- Besides, dear, the tree may not look so bad

when it's decorated.

- Well, folks, I just came by to see what kind of a Christmas

tree the mighty woodsman came up with.

- All right, Quigley, enjoy yourself.

- Oh, brother, that is a beaut.

I hope you weren't carrying it when the lightning struck,

George.

- We just had a little bad luck.

- Oh, I can see that, yes.

Don't you think it might look better someplace else, Henry?

Like, eh, in the fireplace?

- All right, Quigley, any more jokes?

- No, I guess that covers it.

Excuse me a moment.

- He's got a lot of nerve, just to come over

here and needle you.

- He'll be sorry, Mr. Wilson.

I'll sell all my empty bottles to somebody else.

- Thanks for your support, Dennis.

But I don't deserve it.

- I brought something you may be able to use.

- Hey, it looks like the tree we had this morning.

- It's the same one, Dennis.

I saved it for you.

- I don't understand, Mr. Quigley.

- Well, I was sure that George would goof up somehow,

so I set the tree aside.

I didn't want the little fellow to be without one.

- Oh boy, I got my tree.

Jeepers, Mr. Quigley.

You're swell.

- It was a wonderful thing to do

- Yes, it was.

Thanks a million.

- Quigley, you're a gentleman.

- I was glad to be able to help out.

You may not believe it, but I am a sentimental man.

- Oh, I'm sure you are.

- So, my best wishes for the best Christmas ever.

- Thanks a million. Same to you.

- One thing more.

That'll be $5 for the tree.

- George is going to pay for it, as he said he would,

aren't you, dear?

- Yes, Martha.

No, Mitchell.

There you are, Quigley.

This is the most expensive tree in the world.

- Thank you.

Oh, Henry.

Put that in Dennis' Christmas stocking.

- Here, Dennis, I'll take it.

Mmm.

Doesn't that smell good?

- Boy, it sure does. - Here, dear.

Will you take this to your mother?

- Okay, Mrs. Wilson.

Here you are, Mom.

- Thank you, dear.

- Hey, Mom, what's in this?

- You'll find out in the morning.

- Gee, Dad, I sure wish I was more like you.

- You do?

- My sock would hold more if my feet were as big as yours.

- That takes time, son.

- My, it's a lovely Christmas Eve, Alice.

Everything around us to make it just perfect.

- A warm fire.

- And lots of presents.

- A lovely tree.

- And good friends.

- Well, son, it's time for you to get off to bed now.

Santa will be here before you know it.

Night.

- Night, Dad.

Night, Mrs. and Mrs. Wilson. - Good night, Dennis.

- Night, Mom.

- Good night, dear.

- Well, I'd say bless us, everyone,

but there's just no need to.

- You're right, Mr. Wilson.

We're so richly blessed.

- Hey, Mom.

We forgot something.

- (SINGING) Silent night.

- (SINGING) Holy night.

All is calm.

All is bright.

Round yon virgin mother and child,

Holy infant so tender and mild.

- (SINGING) Sleep in heavenly peace, sleep in heavenly peace.

- Merry Christmas, everybody.

[music playing]

ANNOUNCER (OFFSCREEN): This has been a Screen Gems film

production from the Hollywood studios of Columbia Pictures.