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leopardandstuds · 10 months ago

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Tickle Me Review

Faced with bankruptcy Allied Artists made a short term deal with Elvis in a last ditch effort to save the studio. The terms were that Elvis would be paid $750k plus 50% of the profits. Tickle Me only had a budget of $1.5 million meaning Elvis' salary alone took up half the cost leaving only $750k for everything else. Therefore to save money, the soundtrack only had 5 measly songs (in the original US release) that were previously recorded across the years 1960-1963.

Despite the studio's financial woes the movie was a box office success making $5 million worldwide. It not only saved the studio, but was also the studio's 3rd highest grossing film at the time. Elvis himself won the 1966 Golden Laurel award for Best Male Performance in a Musical. Writers Elwood Ullman and Edward Bernds' effort proved to be their last hurrah as Bernds would retire later that year after a successful career with the 3 Stooges and the Bowery Boys. But did this last ditch effort provide a fresh take on the Elvis vehicle or was this nothing more than a Hail Mary for those trying to hold onto any semblance of success and relevance? Let's find out.

We start off with Elvis in a travel bus singing "(It's A) Long, Lonely Highway". No idea if this was filmed on location or not. Song sounds pretty good. Lip-synching seems to be on point. I'll just mention this here but Tickle Me is a terrible title. I have no idea where they came up with that or why the working title "Isle of Paradise" was changed. There's no song with that name since no new songs were recorded. They should've stuck with the working title or better yet, change it to a song on the soundtrack called "Night Rider". That title fits in with Lonnie's occupation as a traveling rodeo star, the western setting, and the eventual shift into a horror film better.

He arrives at a western town called Zuni Wells. We get what's at first side conversation with a deputy sheriff saying that the sheriff went fishing far away (remember this later). We find out that his name's Lonnie Beale and is trying to find work before rodeo starts. Even though Lonnie got offered a job, the man ended up quitting. I love how we get some world building by having the bartender mention Prescott, Arizona which is one of the most famous rodeo cities in the US. So to make any money he has to sing in the saloon.

"It Feels So Right" is distracting with how obvious it is that Elvis sang this a long time ago. The song’s echo effect is so noticeable too but we do have a Red cameo and a call back to when Elvis was a "dirty hip shaker". Red's girlfriend who is drunk starts flirting with Lonnie and for once a fight starts that wasn't even his fault. He didn’t flirt with her back or throw the first punch. If anything he was trying to make a point that he had no interest in her.

Assuming he’s about to get fired he goes with a woman in charge of the Circle Z ranch. We get some background that Lonnie was raised by his uncle and always had a good time with horses. If only we saw him actually put that to good use instead of just exposition.

Lonnie's shocked to see that this is meant to be a Hollywood type of ranch meant to keep actresses and models thin. Watching how this is portrayed, you can make an argument that there's some social commentary in this movie. When you first meet Pam you wouldn't even notice a difference between her and the other women. It would be one thing if they showed these ladies as being slightly overweight, but that isn't the case at all since all of these ladies have an average body weight and general size indicating good health. It really shows how in their industry, expectations are so specific that these women who are already at a healthy state have to be even smaller and fitter to be beautiful.

Lonnie meets Pam while the women are stretching and I'm amazed they're even allowed in that part of the ranch. In modern day, men likely wouldn't even allowed to work at a place like that unless they're in a position that doesn't have close contact with the female guests. Lonnie then meets Stanley who tells us that the guests have to pay $500 a week just to stay there. The whole process of how these girls get down to "36-38-24" by giving them very little to eat really shows the culture of the 1960s where starving people was seen as the best way to lose weight. I won't get into the complexities of it, but you can see for yourself that the "diet culture" of today has completely shifted.

Lonnie does his job despite getting advances by some of the female clients. He starts making eyes with Pam and you get the idea that they're interested in each other. He goes over to talk to her but she makes it clear that she's only interested in taking care of the guests. only to then immediately get jealous when the guests show interest in him. I don't like this because you don't get to feel jealous when you turned him down. It only makes Pam look bad as a character since this makes her come off as being possessive of Lonnie when they're not at all a couple. Lonnie is single so he should be allowed to interact with other women.

If she's upset because she takes Lonnie singing to the guests as unprofessional, I can understand that. However, her facial expressions don't indicate that all. "(Such an) Easy Question" at least gives you that context that despite Pam turning him down, she can't stand to see him being with other women. As for the song itself, I don’t like the echo effect for the middle of the sandy outdoors. I know that they didn't have the budget to really change the pre-recorded songs, but given that this is supposed to be outside, an echo effect doesn't really work. Brad meanwhile turns into a butt monkey by having his food dumped on him once Stanley stands up. I genuinely feel bad for him because even though he is jealous of Lonnie, he so far hasn't done anything that would deserve this level of punishment.

Even the next day he can't catch a break as a woman he tries to help learn to swim, laps the pool when she sees Lonnie. He gets so upset he hits his hand against the concrete border of the pool. We get "Dirty, Dirty Feeling" as he works in the stables. Once again it doesn’t match the outdoor scenery. It’s actually very distracting to hear a 50s sound coming out of a 60s Elvis. If anything I'm very confused on how he's able to sing so that the entire ranch can hear him. It's not clear just how big or small this place is since it shouldn't seem possible that his voice can carry that far at that same level of clarity.

Lonnie gets in trouble with the other workers because the guests are so distracted by him. Lonnie isn’t doing anything wrong though as he doesn’t intend to interrupt everything. Meanwhile I'm very distracted by how this painting in the background was allowed to stay up since it's clearly a bunch of nude women. I have no idea how no one noticed that since it appears in multiple shots where you can clearly see the whole thing uncovered.

The women all seem to love him despite the fact that he doesn’t seem interested in any of them beyond a professional relationship. As he should since he doesn’t plan on sticking around and it’d be unprofessional of him otherwise. Pam meanwhile goes on this long spiel about how she's figured him out as being this playboy looking for a "millionaire divorcee" and quite frankly she's unlikeable. Lonnie in the audience's eyes hasn't done anything to suggest that and it's unfair of her to think that.

Even when she tries to catch him in a "gotcha" moment, it just feels weird of her to do this. She's not his boss nor his girlfriend, so it's not her job to police his actions. The audience clearly sees that Lonnie isn't the one making these advances and because this is the 60s men aren't allowed to say no yet. It makes you wonder what on earth Pam's doing with her life when she should be working. She makes an innuendo that Vera would "give him an A for effort" and you just feel a little gross because she's making it off like this is his fault. Sexy sax music playing when Vera makes her advances on Lonnie also feels gross given the concept of a workplace relationship between a boss and their employee has become a very problematic issue given the unequal power dynamics that come from it.

We get actual tension with a fight scene that in real life would’ve been genuinely dangerous. Lonnie had full reason to help her when she screamed even though we get a comedic moment of Pam hitting Lonnie by accident. The attacker immediately runs away as Lonnie's knocked silly. We find out it was because the guy was trying to find where her grandfather hid some money and the deputy sheriff advises her to lock all her doors and windows. It's not at all suspicious for the deputy sheriff to blame her for poking around abandoned buildings when she says she's entitled to any money that he left behind. I have no idea how this is such a mystery in their part of the world given that this is a ranch and a small town. The list of suspects shouldn't be astronomically high for anyone to not be able to figure this out. It's almost as if we're not supposed to know who did it until it's the perfect moment or something.

The next day, some men watch Stanley trying to look for footprints only to realize they're his own. Classic Shemp Howard moment. I have no idea who these two guys are but surely they'll have more to do in this movie right? Lonnie accidentally throws water on Brad and of course Brad gets upset. A fight breaks out as somehow all the women know to be there at that exact moment. Lonnie quickly wins and Pam appears out of nowhere to tell him off despite Lonnie literally doing nothing wrong. In an act of karmic justice to prove women are not immune from slapstick in this world, she gets her foot stuck in a bucket and instead of taking the L she keeps walking with it on.

When Lonnie sees her go off on her own, he follows her to an abandoned building. I understand that Pam wants to prove that "she's a big girl", but going to an abandoned building without even telling anyone is just stupid. Especially when you just got attacked not even a day ago by people who want to steal your grandfather's gold. Lonnie following her doesn't even prove that he loves her since he was there when she got attacked. His actions more indicate that he's a good coworker who doesn't want to have Pam make a stupid decision that'll get her killed. It's not as if the letter she's got is all that helpful since we see what's said.

We get exposition that her grandfather once owned the biggest mine in the area, a fantasy scene about the building once being a saloon from the 1800s and an audio change makes me think they used ADR for Pam and Lonnie's lines. This whole scene feels like a love letter to the Shemp era westerns with the jokes that they use, down to the editing techniques they used when Lonnie threw his hat. "Put the Blame on Me" had a similar echo effect, but to me it's fine given that it's a fantasy sequence even though this is also unnecessary filler. We fade back and Pam’s laugh in response to the donkey braying at their almost out of nowhere kiss sounded so fake in what feels like another instance of ADR. I have no idea how we're supposed to believe that now Pam likes her.

We get the luau and apparently Lonnie and Pam are together. I think on paper they wanted to convey that they did like each other and she was playing hard to get, but Lonnie meeting up with her at the abandoned saloon really isn't enough to make her suddenly love him. The Dabney's are upset when one of the female clients tries to steal their chicken because she’s starving. I thought it was funny how she tried to grab more food only to jab Mrs. Dabney. To try to appease them, the boss has Lonnie sing and entertain the guests. "I'm Yours" at least fits with the luau setting so I don't mind the vocal effects this time. In fact it's actually a very sweet song.

Meanwhile Pam almost gets kidnapped again and if I was Vera I'd be seriously considering upping security with how this could impact the other guests. If you have an all girl ranch meant to cater to models/actresses, you need to have security measures in place if it's going to be in the middle of the desert. Lonnie and Stanley try to save Pam and once again she tries to help only to hurt Lonnie. The deputy sheriff goes to find the men only to have an actually shocking twist that he’s in on it. Surprisingly we don't see the two lackeys meant to help him almost as if that's not meant to be revealed until later. Pam and Lonnie read the letter and based on what we see this time I don't get why they're struggling with it. It clearly says you have to pull the crowbar straight toward you to get the money out. Granted the diagram showing the wall isn't all that helpful.

It’s the next day and Lonnie sings "Night Rider" and I have no idea why. This feels like nothing but filler since it comes out of nowhere and is quickly forgotten like it never happened. This should've been the opening song since it clearly doesn't fit here. You could cut right to one of his coworkers wanting him to talk to Vera. At least we don’t have an echo effect on this song.

Vera again tries to hit on him while he tries to turn her down. This is so gross to watch and even Elvis looks at the camera like this is wrong. Lonnie kisses her despite being in a relationship and you got to wonder why he would do that. It isn't as if Vera force herself on him because Lonnie willingly kisses her again. Pam is rightfully upset as she sees Lonnie kiss their boss and for once I'm on her side. Lonnie was in a relationship with her and knowingly kissed Vera back. I know it's a cliche to make it be a misunderstanding but I genuinely would rather have that be the case than to watch Lonnie do this only to try apologizing like he made a mistake.

"I Feel That I've Known You Forever" is surprisingly haunting for a ballad. Him going to every window is so weird and you question why Pam is just as defenseless as before. If she was attacked twice, why would no one think to put some security around her house. This. is meant to be private property so Vera should be able to afford that expense. Pam of course breaks things off and Lonnie just quits the ranch offscreen.

Lonnie joins the rodeo and Pam rightfully doesn’t want to speak to him. If only Pam wasn't so unlikeable in the beginning where we can at least laugh at Lonnie's misfortune. We get a ghostly sound of Pam hearing Lonnie's voice which is pretty spooky. I get that she's meant to struggle with missing him or hating him, but based on the montage of Lonnie calling her for four months only for her to hang up, I don't think it was well executed at all. Stanley somehow knew where to find Lonnie despite not having any update. Lonnie is so down bad for Pam that even though he'd write to her, even his letters were rejected. At this point, I would assume the relationship is over. Four months is long enough to think that she's no longer interested. Stanley meanwhile convinces him that Pam is really playing hard to get and that he should tell her off.

As soon as they get there she drives away. They chase after her and they all think about each other’s relationship. They finally stop at a ghost town when it starts to rain. Lonnie spanks her and I hate it. It doesn't fit with the style of slapstick violence we've seen. The writers don't spare women in their works from getting exposed to slapstick so to me I would've had this be a slap fight until Pam realizes that Lonnie does care about her as someone who's more than just a coworker. That way we get a genuine moment of chemistry between the two.

They end up in an abandoned hotel while it’s raining and keep getting spooked by the storm. It's surprisingly light outside for what's supposed to be a monsoon level storm. We get 3 stooges antics where Stanley keeps getting punched by someone through a hidden door. Even Pam gets scared to the point of screaming bloody murder. This is where the movie turns into a horror film as you feel a level of suspense and upcoming danger. Of course it's still humorous by making Lonnie the straight man and by having Pam make the dumb decision to turn the light off when she's clearly afraid of someone breaking into her room. Since no one is getting hurt, it still keeps the tone light for Lonnie to not believe anything's wrong.

We see guys in masks very akin to some 3 stooges shorts which might also act as a Scooby Doo predecessor. The guy in the wolf mask I'm amazed would even want to be outside in this bad weather. Stanley's very much a tribute to Shemp Howard. Seeing him get spooked by both the guys in masks and Lonnie is something I've seen Shemp do. Lonnie being the straight man by not seeing what Stanley saw adds to it because if you just replace them with Moe and Shemp you'd get the same results and it would still be funny. That's a sign that Elvis clearly understood how to convey that style of comedy. It's actually creative at how some of them even got inside since it's not like anyone knew Pam would be going to that hotel. When one of them gets into her room, Pam, for someone who can take cares of herself, doesn't fight back and instead faints allowing him to steal the letter.

Lonnie of course saves the day in an Elvis vehicle style fight scene. We get the reveal that some of the male staff at the ranch were in cahoots with the deputy sheriff. I don't think this twist was executed well because looking back at previous attempts to capture her, you can't help but raise an eyebrow at how she didn't seem to recognize her coworkers earlier. Sure they had their faces covered but we see how staff wise, it's not that big of a ranch for her to have never met them. Lonnie grabbing the knife only to have the handle come off is hilarious. When the man charges him he opens the door only to reveal nothing on the other side. I genuinely wonder what the purpose of that door was since this is meant to be a restored hotel or if it was just magicked into existence by the writers only to then disappear when it wasn't needed. Stanley falls into the storm shelter in a way that in real life I'm amazed didn't kill him since landing on old wooden furniture wouldn't have softened the fall. When they go to get him, they find a suitcase with Pam's grandpa’s initials on it. Stanley pulls the crowbar out trying to open the suitcase and despite the letter clearly saying that's what you need to do, everyone's shocked to see gold coming out of the wall. Why would they even think it's in a suitcase if grandpa specifically made a diagram of the wall?

The deputy sheriff arrives and they find out he was the mastermind. Lonnie beats him in a fight after the running gag of Pam trying to hit his opponent finally works in his favor. I'm genuinely amazed that he was able to do that since Lonnie's an otherwise normal guy and policemen even in a small town would've had some type of training in physical combat. Brad shows up because Vera somehow knew Pam would be at this hotel and surprisingly had absolutely nothing to do with the deputy sheriff's scheme. It turns out that the two men Stanley was talking to earlier were the same guys trying to kidnap Pam. I'm amazed that we got a rare twist hero in the sense that on first watch you thought for sure that he would try to at least kill Lonnie. The only thing I don't get is what he talking to the cook about when almost Pam got kidnapped since Adolph was part of it too. At least include a line for Brad to explain what they talked about since that's a loose end that was never addressed.

Lonnie and Pam end up getting back together and eventually get married at the ranch. This romance felt so underwhelming and you can tell the writers aren't used to playing it straight. I'm not sure if it's the script or Elvis not having the chemistry with Jocelyn but I just don't see these two getting married. Even though Vera was so into Lonnie, she's apparently not at all upset to see them get married and you just wonder what the point of her making passes at Lonnie was. Nothing changed on her end to suggest she's over him or that she even felt sorry for partially ruining his relationship with Pam for many months. We end with "Slowly But Surely" while Stanley’s getting dragged behind in a wash tub. The lyrics actually fit Lonnie's perspective of trying to win Pam back. Why he's singing this when they're already married is an odd choice, but hey it's been almost a half hour since Elvis' last song so we need to end on one. The rear screen projection is so blatant by having Stanley appear in the rear angle shots but then have him be nowhere to be seen when Lonnie sings. A strange joke to end on as they drive off into the proverbial sunset.

I'm very on the fence with this movie. On the comedy side, this movie is a complete success. Ullman and Bernds were masters of their craft regarding slapstick comedy and Elvis fit into that style well by having him play the straight man. Where they fall flat is the romance as I feel like they were told an Elvis movie has to have a romance so they only added one as an afterthought since an Elvis vehicle romance was never really their style. I wish that the other workers who helped the deputy sheriff had the same level of development Brad had it makes their reveal a little more shocking that Brad was friends with them yet still wasn't part of it.

My rating will likely change next time you ask me but for now it's a 7/10. At this time I don't think the comedy and Brad being the twist hero was enough to overcome a boring romance and awful song placement. If you had simply cut out a lot of songs and use that time to develop the side characters, I think this would've been a great movie. For a movie that really only had $750k to work with, I think they did a great job in capturing that western vibe yet also showcase other parts of the country with the rodeo scene in Phoenix. If you're a 3 Stooges fan that really loves the Shemp Howard era, I highly recommend giving it a watch. Even if you're not, I still think this movie is worth watching as it shows what Elvis could've been if the focus was more on physical slapstick comedy. After all, even Moe got hurt sometimes.

Tagging: @vintagepresley, @kawaiiwitchy, @mercsandmonsters, @jhoneybees, @thetaoofzoe,

@nicferg068, @lycan61-blog, @wildhorseinkansas, @hooked-on-elvis, @thelonelyheart,

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leopardandstuds · 1 year ago

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ECU High - Mike's Circumstances

One weekend morning Mike wakes up and heads downstairs to see his dad dressing up in his uniform.

"Where you going, dad?"

Mr. Edwards turns around.

"Last dusting of the season. I just got word from our neighbor Mr. Ling that he just got a promotion of a delivery driver."

"Wow congrats to him."

"Yeah instead of picking apples he'll collect 'em from orchards all over the Texas/Oklahoma border. Of course all that traveling means he'll need someone to watch Sue-Lin while he's gone during harvestin season. Think you'd want to do that Mike?"

He scratches the back of his neck. On one hand babysitting sounds like a girl's job but on the other hand, he wants a model plane and needs to raise money to do it.

"Sure I'll do it."

"Atta boy. You're 14 now so you can be left at Mr. Ling's house by yourself. If there's ever a problem you know momma's here."

"Thanks dad. Good luck on your flights."

Mr. Edwards smiles and walks downstairs to leave the house.

"Edith I'll be back in two weeks. If Walter comes by with Sue-Lin while I'm gone, Mike said he'll be fine babysitting."

"Ok dear."

She kisses him on the cheek and he walks out the door. Mike goes to have breakfast when there's a knock on the door. Mrs. Edwards goes to answer.

"Sorry for short notice Mrs. Edwards. Got called to work early. You are able to watch Sue-Lin?"

"Oh. Yes Walter. Mike said he'd love to babysit. I'll send him next door after breakfast."

Mr. Ling bows.

"Thank you for help. Hope you have good day."

"Thank you, you too."

He goes to leave as she closes the door.

"Mike that was Mr. Ling. He's leaving for work early so I said you can start watching Sue-Lin after breakfast."

Mike almost spits out his milk.

"Today?! But mom I was supposed to meet my friends at the mall today."

"Well unless you're willing to take Sue-Lin with you, you'll have to cancel."

Mike groans.

"I gotta call the guys then."

He finishes his milk and gets up to use the phone. He finally gets to calling Clint.

"Oh Ah don't mind if ya bring 'er round. Jus make it clear ta Pacer that yer bringin a lil girl. He don't really like surprises."

"Yeah I know but I hope he'd feel at least a little better once he knows she's a 7 year old Chinese girl."

"Wha's her bein Chinese gotta do with it?"

Mike stops for a second because he remembers that Clint simply doesn't know these things.

"There's a history of Chinese people being treated badly. Even though Mr. Ling hasn't had that happen in this neighborhood, it can still happen. Pacer would feel better about it because he can relate to that."

"Oh. Well Ah won't be mean ta her if that's what ya mean Mike."

"I know you won't Clint. I'm just telling you that Pacer might feel better because of it."

"Ok then. Ah'll see ya in a couple hours."

"Alright bye."

He hangs up the phone. Then he picks up again to call Pacer.

"Hello?"

"Um hi, Pacer. Listen I know you don't like surprises but there's gonna be a little change in plans today."

"What?"

Mike takes a deep breath.

"We're still gonna meet at the mall today as promised. I just need to bring someone with me."

"Who?"

"My neighbor's daughter. He got a sudden promotion to delivery driver so he's gotta travel a lot. She's a small 7 year old Chinese girl named Sue-Lin so he can't leave her at home alone."

Mike can hear a sigh over the phone.

"Ok. I just don't wanna answer personal questions."

"Oh yeah don't worry about that. Sue-Lin's the type that don't need to be told things twice. Mr. Ling's a first generation Chinese-American immigrant so he's still very traditional."

"Alright then. So long's that's the case that's fine."

Mike sighs in relief.

"Good. Thanks. I'll see you and Clint later then."

"Ok. Bye."

They hang up and Mike goes back to the kitchen.

"Is everything alright, Mike?"

"Yeah. Just had to make sure Pacer was fine. You know how he is mom."

She sighs as she washes dishes.

"Well it's not my business to pry, but it sounds to me that he could seriously benefit from some therapy. The poor boy is clearly traumatized and I don't want anyone getting hurt."

"I know mom. I think Clint being who he is has actually been helping him out. He doesn't feel as jumpy when you so much as talk to him."

Mrs. Edwards dries a glass.

"That's good but Clint's just a boy himself. Pacer needs a professional who can help him in a mentorship role. Why isn't Mr. Lightcloud a Native?"

"Yeah he moved from Arizona. His sister makes and sells turquoise jewelry. He's our world history teacher."

"Alright then, son."

Mike goes to the door.

"I'm gonna go next door and tell Mr. Ling I'm taking her to the mall."

"Alright Mike. Stay safe with Sue-Lin now."

Mike goes over to Mr. Ling's house and knocks on the door.

"Who is there?"

"It's Mike Edwards Mr. Ling."

He opens the door and gives a little nod.

"Thank you. Please come sit down on couch."

Mike comes inside.

"You have question?"

"Uh yes I do. I have some friends I want to meet at the mall and I wanted to know if I can bring Sue-Lin with."

Mr. Ling nods.

"Yes yes you can take her to mall. She needs to buy new clothes for cold weather."

"Ok. Is there a time you want her home?"

"I come back home at 5 pm. I want Sue-Lin back at 6."

"Yes sir."

Mr. Ling gives a short nod again.

"Good. I get Sue-Lin from room."

"Ok Mr. Ling."

Mr. Ling goes to Sue-Lin's room and knocks on the door. He starts speaking in Chinese to ask if she's ready.

"I'm ready daddy."

She comes out of her room in a traditional Chinese outfit with her hair in twin pigtails. Mike's heart melts with how cute she looks.

"Hi Mr. Mike."

"Hi."

"Daddy said you were taking me to the mall to get new clothes."

Mike smiles as he nods.

"Yes I'm taking you clothes shopping. I'm also meeting with some friends. Clint talks a lot and he'd love to meet you. Pacer though is very shy and doesn't like it when you ask a lot of questions. Once he gets used to you, he'll think you're a great little girl."

Sue-Lin smiles.

"That's ok Mr. Mike. I'll just talk with you and Mr. Clint."

"Alright then. Now your daddy said I gotta have you back by 6 pm."

"Ok Mr. Mike."

He stands up as Mr. Ling goes to the door. He speaks some Chinese to Sue-Lin and then to Mike.

"Are you going to mall now?"

"No I'm taking Sue-Lin next door for a couple hours since I won't meet my friends until later. My mom's going to drive us."

He nods.

"Good. I see you at 6."

"Yes sir."

Sue-Lin waves.

"Bye daddy."

Mike and Sue-Lin walk out the door to head over to his house.

"Momma we're back."

She comes out of the kitchen.

"Why hello there Sue-Lin. What a lovely outfit."

"Mr. Mike's going to take me shopping today. I saved four whole dollars."

"How wonderful dear. Now I have some work to do before I can take you and Mike to the store. You can sit down on the couch and watch some tv."

"Thank you Mrs. Edwards."

Sue-Lin and Mike go to the couch and sit down.

"So. What are you allowed to watch?"

"My daddy only lets me watch educational shows."

"PBS Kids it is then."

Mike turns to channel 13 and sees a show he's never heard of before.

"What's this?"

"Word Word! Everything's made out of letters to spell things. The duck is made out the letters used to spell duck."

"But what if you split the letters up do you just stop being awake? Like that sheep there, does she still know what's happening when she's just separate letters?"

Sue-Lin giggles.

"Of course she does. She's made of letters and she's a sheep which makes her alive. A lot of the shows daddy lets me watch is about reading and spelling."

Mike lets out a whistle.

"Man. Cartoons sure have changed."

"You watched cartoons Mr. Mike?"

Mike fiddles with his hands.

"Well yeah but they were very different. The Magic School Bus had its first episode involve the kids going to outer space. One of the kids froze his head and got a cold because he took his helmet off on Pluto."

"That's silly Mr. Mike. A bus can't fly to Pluto."

"And you can't make a sheep out of just letters silly."

She giggles and Mike realizes that maybe babysitting won't be so bad after all.

An: Sorry this took so long. Some installments are harder to write than others. If you haven't been tagged but wanna see more please leave a note down below.

Tagging: @mercsandmonsters, @vintagepresley, @thetaoofzoe, @elvismylove04, @ashtag6887,

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@doll-elvis, @idk583838, @queencreole1958, @queenncreole and @them-rts.

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