Halloween Hounds/Transcript

Oliver and Company: The Series

Halloween Hounds

Act I

(Wide shot of New York at night. An overhead shot of the docks as shone as the camera pans into an abandoned warehouse. Several stray dogs, as well as Dodger, Oliver, Rita, Tito, Francis and Einstein are gathered, as an old, mixed-breed dog is telling a ghost story.)

Dog: (narrating o.c. at first) And they approached slowly, and then the monster...

Dodger: This is the best part!

Oliver: What is it?

(The audience waits, with baited breath, anticipating what comes next.)

Dog: The monster....pounced!

(The crowd cry out, barking, yowling and yelping in terror. The dog, Old Murphy, gives a throaty laugh as the commotion calms down. The crowd then starts to calm down.)

Old Murphy: (laughing) I got you all good!

(Dodger, Oliver and the gang have landed in a heap. They get up and recompose themselves.)

Dodger: Wooh! Nearly had a heart attack.

(Later, the gang are exiting the warehouse, following the crowd of strays.)

Oliver: Admit it, you were scared!

(The gang make their way through the streets of Manhattan. Several buildings have Halloween decorations, like pumpkins, skeletons and bats hanging up in the windows. They approach the Foxworth house.)

Rita: You sure you don't wanna have a sleepover with us, Oliver?

Oliver: No, thanks. I'll probably see you tomorrow, though.

(Oliver heads inside. The gang continue on their way.)

Rita: Admit it, Dodger, I heard you screaming like a little baby back there.

Dodger: Hey, Old Murphy's stories are the highlight of the stray community.

Francis: (sarcastically) Oh yes. What a cultural high point.

(The gang arrive back at the houseboat. Fagin is snoring on the armchair, watching the television. Dodger slumps onto his bed, with his legs sticking in the air.)

Dodger: Hey, I personally enjoy Old Murphy's stories.

Rita: Come on, you actually believe them?

Dodger: I don't have to confess anything to you!

Rita: You need to live more, Dodge.

Dodger: Oh yeah. I'll show you. Tomorrow, I'm gonna find the Wailing Ghost of Staten Island. It's said he haunts the old housing projects.

Rita: To be a fly on the wall for that one.

Dodger: Goodnight, guys.

(Dodger turns his back to Rita. She rolls her eyes at him. She settles down. Fade to a shot of the gang, who are sleeping.)

Dodger (to himself): Think I'm some big chicken? I'll show you!

(Dodger bounds out of the houseboat, while the gang are still asleep. At the Foxworth house, he is outside Jenny's room, talking to Oliver.)

Oliver: Are you sure you wanna go through with this?

Dodger: Don't tell me you're chickening out on me, kid.

Oliver: No, but, ya see--

Dodger: Oliver, just last weekend, Jenny had two friends stay for a sleepover, and they were watching Moonlight Madness: The Beast of Brooklyn, probably the most bloody, nasty horror movie ever; and she's only nine! That takes guts.

Oliver (laughs nervously): Well, yeah. Her friend did end up getting grounded for a month, so--

Dodger: My point is, are you in or out?

(Oliver hesitates. Dodger cocks his eyebrow at him waiting for him to make his decision.)

Oliver: Alright, Dodge. I'm in. Let's go on a ghost hunt.

Dodger: (cheers) Yes!

(Oliver and Dodger high five each other.)

Oliver: This'll definitely be a Halloween experience and then some!

Dodger: You said it, kid.

(Cut to exterior shot of the Foxworth house, the next evening. Jenny heads out of the door dressed as a witch, following Winston.)

Jenny: Bye mom! Bye dad! I'll see you after the party!

Mrs. Foxworth: (off-camera) Alright, honey.

(They exit the house. Dodger and Oliver watch as Winston drives off.)

Oliver: She's gone.

(He jumps down from the windowsill. Dodger stretches and jumps off the couch.)

Dodger: Jen's goin' out.

Oliver: And so are we.

(Sancho enters the room, smiling confidently.)

Sancho: Good luck with your little ghost hunt, amigos.

Dodger: Trust me, Sancho. We will.

(Cut to a shot of the streets of Manhattan. Dodger and Oliver make their way through a crowd of trick or treaters dressed in costume.)

Oliver: (taken aback) Woah, they've gone all out tonight!

(The two weave through the crowds, knocking some people over in the process. They arrive at the harbor, and board a passing ferry. Dodger and Oliver hide under a passenger's seat, so as not to be detected.)

Oliver: (whispering) What's going on?

Dodger: (shushing) Don't make a sound! You'll find out soon.

(Oliver looks at him, perplexed. As soon as the boat docks, the two animals disembark, following a group of passengers.)

Dodger: Welcome to Staten Island, Ollie.

(Cut to the streets of Staten Island. Dodger and Oliver make their way through a crowd of people dressed up in costume, including a group of teenagers dressed as a vampire, a zombie and a mummy. They arrive at a dilapidated block of apartments, surrounded by a chain-link fence; several of the apartments have windows that have been smashed in, and head inside.)

Oliver: This is where we're going?

Dodger: Yup. It's the Paterson housing projects. Abandoned since '63.

Oliver: It looks creepy.

'Dodger: See, Ollie, here's a little history. The housing projects here were established way back in 1894, to house the poor families of Staten Island.

Oliver: OK. Interesting. (He swallows) How come it was abandoned?

Dodger: Well, here's where it gets spooky.

Oliver: Well? How?

Dodger: Summer of 1963. Electrical fire in apartment 32. It rages so fast, and most of the people got, except for one guy, a vet from World War Two, and his dog; they never made it out. Some say that the dog's ghost haunts these apartment blocks to this day.

Oliver: (clearly terrified) OK...well, I'm gonna go, so...

Dodger: Oh, what's wrong? (in a patronizing tone) Little baby wet his diaper?

'Oliver: (sarcastically) Ha ha. Very funny. Remind me to buy you a new joke book.

(The two make their way up the staircase and into the upper floors of the apartment. It is dark, and most of the apartments look empty and overrun with cobwebs.)

Oliver: You know, Dodger, if this ghost isn't real, I'm gonna get you get you back for that!

Dodger: What? You'll make me go on a date with Georgette? Or, even better, I have to jump up on one leg?

Oliver: Maybe, maybe. In fact, do it now.

Dodger: OK, if it'll shut you up.

(Dodger tries to jump up and down on one of his hind paws, with difficulty. Oliver gives a smug smile.)

Oliver: Oh, and you have to make a noise like an orangutan.

(Dodger inhales; he resumes jumping on his hind left paw, all the while making loud monkey noises. He shoots a dirty look at Oliver.)

Dodger: You're really milking this for all it's worth, aren't ya?

(Fade to the houseboat. The gang-minus Dodger-are watching a horror movie on TV, as Fagin is slumped on his armchair, hiding his eyes. Tito flinches at the gruesome sounds, and hides between Francis's paws.)

Rita: Tito, you big wimp!

(She cackles as Tito cowers underneath Francis. He scowls at Tito, as he quivers and his teeth chatter. Rita shakes her head at him.)

Rita: Honestly, you're worse than Dodger! All talk he is, but he ain't half a wimp! (She snickers, as Tito glares at her) Dodge freaked out watching Aladdin!

(The sound of a scream comes off the TV. The gang flinch at the horrifying sounds. Suddenly, it goes quiet; Rita has an expression of awe on her face. Francis and Tito are petrified, and stare at the screen, helplessly. Einstein stares at the screen, with a mixture of confusion and horror on his face. Fagin peeks out through his fingers. Francis breathes slowly and slightly; Tito hides his eyes in his paws. Suddenly, the sounds resume; the sound of a guttural roar emits from the TV; Rita shakes her head as Einstein jumps into Fagin's arms, a la Scooby Doo.)

Francis: I'm sorry, but Aladdin?

Rita: The moment where the guy turns into a snake. Bit weird, considering the time he went to the Central Park Zoo and got into a fight with a python!

(Rita cackles loudly, as Francis shakes his head at her. Cut to an exterior shot of the housing projects. The camera pans in. Dodger and Oliver make their way through the empty hallways. A bat flies overhead, vocalizing. Oliver looks around at the empty apartments. He and Dodger enter one of them.)

Oliver: I can't believe this place has been empty for thirty-five years!

(Dodger jumps onto the sofa, which has obviously seen better days, and lies on his back staring up at the ceiling. He glances at Oliver.)

Dodger: Although, one thing I will say, whoever lived here clearly had some terrible tastes in decor.