Horton Hatches the Egg

[repeated line]

Horton:
I meant what I said, and I said what I meant. An elephant's faithful one-hundred percent.

Narrator:
Then out of the wagon and on to a ship, out over the ocean, and oooh, what a trip!

Peter Lorre fish:
[Sees Horton the Elephant sitting on a tree in a ship] Well, now I've seen everything!

[Shoots himself]

Narrator:
Rolling and tossing and splashed with a spray, but Horton said day after day after day:

Horton:
I meant what I said and I said what I meant, but... ooomph! I am sea-sick one hundred percent!

Narrator:
But doddling along way up high in the sky, who of all people should chance to fly by but that old, good-for-nothing bird runaway Maysie.

Maysie:
I'm still on vacation.

Narrator:
Yeah, and still just as lazy.

[First lines]

Narrator:
Horton Hatches the Egg. Now once in a jungle, or so the tale goes, there lived a strange bird that most everyone knows. Her name, it was Maysie. She was mean as could be, and never seemed happy while up in her tree. Sighed Mayzie, this lazy bird hatching her egg...

Maysie:
I'm tired and I'm bored and I've kinks in my leg from sitting, just sitting here day after day. It's work, how I hate it. I'd much rather play. If I could find someone, I'd fly away free.

Maysie:
You've nothing to do, and I do need a rest. Would you like to sit on the egg in my nest?

Narrator:
The elephant laughed...

Horton:
Why of all silly things. I haven't feathers, and I haven't wings. Me on your egg? Why it doesn't make sense. Your egg is so small, ma'am, and I'm so immense.

Maysie:
I have to get up for a rest, otherwise I'll never get rid of these bags 'neath my eyes. [Close-up of Maysie's eyes show traveling bags under her eyes] I'll hurry right back. Why, I'll never be missed.

Horton:
Very well, since you insist. I'll stay and be faithful, I mean what I say.

Maysie:
Toodle-oo.

Narrator:
...said Maysie, and fluttered away.

Maysie:
[Returns to pick up her bags] Oops! Pardon me.

Narrator:
Then carefully tenderly, gently he crept up the trunk to the nest where the little egg slept.

[Horton gently sits on the egg]

Narrator:
Then, Horton the Elephant smiled.

Horton:
Now, that's that.

Narrator:
And he sat, and he sat, and he sat, and he sat. And he sat all that day, and he kept the egg warm. And he sat all that night through a terrible storm. It poured, it lightning, it thundered, it rumbled.

Horton:
This isn't much fun.

Narrator:
The poor elephant grumbled.

[the flood rises up]

Horton:
I wish she'd come back, 'cause I'm cold and I'm wet. I hope that, that Maysie Bird doesn't forget.

Narrator:
And then came the winter, the snow, and the sleet. And icicles hung from his trunk and his feet.

Horton:
I meant what I said, and I said what I meant. An elephant's faithful one-hundred percent. A-Choo!

[the egg sneezes]

Horton:
Gesundheit.

[he continues to sit on the egg, but as he's about to sneeze again, he covers his sneeze with his hands, then he lets go of his trunk gently]

Horton:
A-choo!

[He angrily tied up his trunk and continues to sit on the egg]

Narrator:
So, poor Horton sat there the whole winter through, and then came the springtime with troubles anew. His friends gathered around, and they shouted with glee.

Mouse:
Look, Horton the Elephant's up in a tree!

Narrator:
They taunted, they teased him, they yelled.

Various:
How Absurd! Blimey, Horton the Elephant thinks he's a bird!

Narrator:
They laughed, and they laughed, and they all ran away. And Horton was lonely, he wanted to play, but he sat on the egg and continued to say...

Horton:
I meant what I said, [he makes his tears go back in] and I said what I meant. [he makes his tears go back in again] An elephant's faithful [he makes his tears go back in again] one-hundred percent. [he makes his tears go back in one last time]

Narrator:
But, while Horton sat there so faithful, so kind, three hunters came sneaking up softly behind.

[They sneak up in the jungle with their elephant gun to make an aim at Horton]

Narrator:
He heard the men's footsteps, he turned with a start! A rifle was aiming right strait at his heart! Did he run? No, not Horton. He stayed on that nest, he held his head high and he threw out his chest, and looked at the hunters and he said, plain as day.

Horton:
Shoot if you must, but I won't run away!

Narrator:
But, the men didn't shoot, much to Horton's surprise, they lowered the gun, and they stared with wide eyes.

Hunter #1:
We'll take him away, why, he's terribly funny!

Hunter #2:
We'll sell him back home!

Hunter #3:
To a circus for money!

Hunter #1:
You're coming with us!

Hunters:
To join the big show!

Narrator:
But, Horton just answered...

Horton:
You can't make me go!

Hunters:
Oh, yes we can!

Horton:
Oh, no you can't!

Hunters:
Oh, yes we can!

Horton:
Oh, no you can't!

Hunters:
Oh, yes we can!

Horton:
Oh, no you can't! Oh, no! [the hunters carried Horton in a wagon while he's still sitting on the egg in the nest] Oh, yes they can.

Narrator:
Then, Horton the Elephant passed by her tree.

Horton:
Hut sut ra, sat on a willowa, and a so on, so on, so forth with, Hut sut ra, sat on a willowa, and a so on... I still can't get the words for that song. Hut sut ra, sat on a willowa, and a so on, so on, so forth with, Hut sut ra, sat on a willowa, and a so on, so on. Hut sut ra, sat on a willowa, and a so on, so on, so forth with...

Maysie:
Hello!

Narrator:
Called the lazy bird, smiling her best.

Narrator:
But, Maysie, by this time was far beyond reach, enjoying the sunshine way off in Palm Beach, and having such fun, such a wonderful rest.

Maysie:
I think I'll never go back to my nest. That and I won't.

Narrator:
Sold to a circus, then week after week, they showed him for people with 10 cents a peek. Poor Horton grew sadder as days came and went. But he said as he sat in that hot noisy tent...

Horton:
I meant what I said, and I said what I meant. [He gets the sweat off his face] An elephant's faithful one-hundred percent.

Narrator:
Then spying the flags and the tents just below, she sang out...

Maysie:
What fun! Why, I'll go to the show.That and I'll aware.

Narrator:
Then she swooped from the clouds through an open tent door.

Maysie:
My gracious!

Narrator:
Gasped Maysie.

Maysie:
I've seen you before.

Narrator:
Poor Horton looked up with his face white as chalk. He started to speak, but before he could talk, the rang out to noises and the ear splitting squeaks from the egg that he sat on for 51 weeks.

Horton:
My egg!

Narrator:
Horton gasped.

Horton:
My egg, why. It's hatching!

Maysie:
But, it's mine!

Narrator:
Screamed the bird when she hearted the egg crack.

Maysie:
[whispering to the audience] The work is all done now, I want it back! Haha! [to Horton] It's my egg!

Narrator:
She sputtered.

Maysie:
You stole it from me! Get off of my nest, and get out of my tree!