THE LIAM SMITH SHOW
Episode 1.19: "The Bird is the Word"
Written by Jason Donner

INT. MISTER HILTER'S APARTMENT
MISTER HILTER enters, dusts off his prized stuffed and mounted Creature from
the Black Lagoon Trophy, and goes over to his prized parrot, SOCRATES.

				HILTER
	Good evening, Socrates.

				SOCRATES
	Rah... Socrates!

Mister Hilter takes a pair of airplane tickets out of his jacket pocket and
looks at them.  He then looks at Socrates.

				HILTER
	Well, Socrates, do you know what these are?

				SOCRATES
	Rah... Socrates!

				HILTER
	These, my fine feathered friend, are airplane tickets.  Do you
	want to know where they go?

				SOCRATES
	Rah... Socrates!

				HILTER
	Branson, Missouri!  The place I've dreamed of going ever since I
	was there last time.  I got 'em off of Priceline.com where you
	can name your own price for airline tickets.  

He looks at the camera and smiles.

				HILTER
	Remember, that's Priceline.com!

There is the sound of a cash register ringing.  Hilter looks back at
Socrates.

				HILTER
	Only problem is that the tickets are only good for a flight out
	tonight and I haven't got a parrot-sitter for you yet.  I have
	to find someone, and quick.  But who?  Who could I trust to take
	care of my wittle baby?
			[he tickles the parrot under it's chin]
	It'll have to be someone responsible and caring...

Socrates bites him.

				HILTER
	OW!  YOU SON OF A BITCH!

INT. LIAM'S APARTMENT - A FEW MINUTES LATER
Liam has greeted Mister Hilter in the doorway.  Hilter hands Socrates' cage
over to him.

				LIAM
	Wow, I'm honored that you'd trust me enough to take care of your
	bird, Mister Hitler.  I know how much me means to you.

				HILTER
	It's Hilter, Liam...

Hilter holds up a finger with a bloody bandage covering it.

				HILTER
	...and Socrates is being punished.

				LIAM
	Punished?  How?

				HILTER
	BY letting you take care of him.  You'll figure it out.

Mister Hilter leaves.  Liam shuts the door and puts Socrates' cage on the
couch.

				LIAM
	Well, Socrates, what do you feel like watching on TV?

				SOCRATES
	Rah... Socrates!

				LIAM
	Cool!  You can talk!  Say Liam... Liam!  C'mon, say Liam!

				SOCRATES
	Rah... Socrates!  Socrates!

				LIAM
	Liam!  Liam!

				SOCRATES
	Socrates!

				LIAM
	Say Liam.  Come on, you can do it!  Say Liam!

				SOCRATES
	Socrates!

				LIAM
	Aw... that's the only word you can say, isn't it?

				SOCRATES
	Socrates!

				LIAM
	That's what I thought.  Oh well... so you're not the best
	conversationalist in the whole world.  You're just a bird
	anyway.  I guess that's where they get the term, "bird brain"
	from.  Well, let's see what's on TV!

Liam turns on the TV and searches for a good program.

				TV
	Coming up next, it's FOX's brand new gameshow, Do You Want to
	Be a Millionaire?  Remember, it's Do You want to be a
	Millionaire?, not Who Wants to be a Millionaire? and
	we're willing to go to court to back that up!

Liam changes the channel.  The phone rings.  Liam answers.

				LIAM
	Hello?
				[a pause]
	Bippo?  What's wrong?
				[a pause]
	You did what!?
				[a pause]
	Aw, Bippo!
				[a pause]
	And bail is how much?
				[a pause]
	I don't have that kind of money!
				[a pause]
	Buried where?
				[a pause]
	Okay... four paces north of the big tree in the courtyard...
				[a pause]
	...and ignore the rotting flesh smell... got it.

Liam hangs up and exits.  Leaving Socrates sitting on the couch.

				TV
	Coming up next on HBO: New Jack City followed by Pulp
	Fiction and then South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut!

New Jack City begins to play as Socrates watches.

FADE OUT

------------------------------------------------------------------------
THEME SONG
(sung to the theme of "The Jeffersons")

Hey you better perk up!
(better perk up!)
'Cause it's time...
(you better perk up!)
...for the internet show that's one of a kind!
You better perk up!
(better perk up!)
Don't you know?
(better perk up!)
It's time for the Liam Smith Show!

It don't air on the TV!
Just right here on the net!
No networks would touch this thing,
and that is a real sure bet!

Don't you go and get depressed!
An internet show's more fun!
A lot of what you see is up to you,
Just use your imagination!

Hey you better perk up!
(better perk up!)
'Cause it's time...
(you better perk up!)
...for the internet show that's one of a kind!
You better perk up!
(better perk up!)
Don't you know?
(better perk up!)
It's time for the Liam Smith Shooooooooooooooooow!

OLÉ!

------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE LIAM SMITH SHOW STARRING Dian Bachar as "Liam Smith" Ed Asner as "Mister Hilter" GUEST STARRING Robert Floyd as "Bippo the Clown" Michael Nelson as "Thad Coffey" and Betty White as "Old Lady Winchester" SPECIAL APPEARANCES BY Mario Lopez as "Slater" and Mark Paul Gossler as "Zach" AND SPECIAL GUEST STAR Marlon Brando
INT. LIAM'S APARTMENT - A FEW HOURS LATER Socrates is on the couch watching the last few minutes of South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut TV Mouuuuuuuuuuu-taaaaaaaaaaaain.... towwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwn! SOCRATES Rah... Socrates! Liam and Bippo enter. LIAM That took FOREVER! Bippo, what did you think you were doing!? BIPPO Look, I had no idea it was against the law to start a fire on cold nights. LIAM You're supposed to start fires in FIREPLACES and traditionally, you should do it in your OWN HOUSE! Bippo, this Hannibal Lecter/Devil-May-Care attitude of yours will come around and get you one of these days! You just watch! BIPPO [points to Socrates] What with the squab? LIAM Oh, that's Mister Hilter's prized parrot, Socrates. BIPPO Can he talk? LIAM Just a little. SOCRATES Fu-[BLEEP!]-k you you stupid mother fu-[BLEEP!]-king [BLEEP!]-hole! BIPPO Hey! This bird ROCKS! LIAM Holy Moses! He wasn't talking like that when I left! SOCRATES Suck my [BLEEP!]-ck, bi-[BLEEP!]. BIPPO Cool! Say Bippo! Bippo! C'mon, say Bippo! SOCRATES Rah... Kiss my ass, bee-otch! BIPPO Mister Hilter's bird is excellent! LIAM I don't understand how this could have happened! I mean, when I left the bird was rated "G" and now he's a solid "R" moving towards an "NC-17"! How did this happen! TV You're watching HBO! LIAM & BIPPO Oh... SOCRATES Quit being such a pu-[BLEEP!]-sy! I'm gonna jack you up! Liam plops on the couching looking at Socrates. LIAM Okay... I read once that birds have a limited memory. All we have to do is teach the bird to say something else and he'll forget all those horrible swear words! BIPPO Right... what are we going to teach him? LIAM How about "Polly want a cracker?" BIPPO Can you say that, Socrates? Polly want a cracker? SOCRATES Fu-[BLEEP!]-k dat! Kill all the crackers! LIAM This could take a while. BIPPO Wait! I've got an idea! FADE TO LIAM'S APARTMENT - A FEW HOURS LATER Socrates is sitting on the kitchen table. Bippo has brought down a tape recorder and has set it next to the bird. Bippo and Liam look on. BIPPO ...so you see, the phrase, "Polly want a cracker" is repeated over and over again on this tape. Now, theoretically, if we play this for Socrates... he'll learn that phrase and forget all that filthy language he learned from cable TV. LIAM But Bippo, you have to realize that a little filthy language is a small price to pay for hours and hours of entertainment and fun you get from cable. Bippo looks at the camera. BIPPO Yes, cable... are you missing out? The sound of a cash register can be heard. BIPPO But I digress... let's start the tape. Bippo presses the PLAY button. TAPE Kill... Kill them all... You must KILL them all! Kill... Kill them all... You must KILL them-- Bippo presses STOP. BIPPO Oops. Sorry, wrong side. Bippo flips the tape over and presses PLAY. TAPE Polly want a cracker? Polly want a cracker? Polly want a cracker? Polly want a cracker? Polly want a cracker? Polly want a cracker? Polly want a cracker? Polly want a cracker? Polly want a cracker? Polly want a cracker? Polly want a cracker? Polly want a cracker? LIAM How long does this thing have to play? BIPPO I dunno. I guess until he starts saying "Polly want a cracker". LIAM How long will that take? BIPPO I don't know! What do I look like? Dudley Doright? LIAM You mean Doctor Dolittle? BIPPO Who's that? FADE OUT ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- COMMERCIAL BREAK - The WB!: The Teen Agnst Channel! - Olestra: The fat-free fat! You'll fart for joy! - Got Milk? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- INT. LIAM'S APARTMENT - SIX HOURS LATER As before, Liam and Bippo are sitting at the table where Socrates sits listening to the tape. TAPE Polly want a cracker? Polly want a cracker? Polly want a cracker? Polly want a cracker? Polly want a cracker? Polly want a cracker? Polly want a cracker? Polly want a cracker? Polly want a cracker? Polly want a cracker? Polly want a cracker? Polly want a cracker? LIAM I CAN'T TAKE THAT ANYMORE! BIPPO Just give it a while longer. I'm sure that dirty bird will start saying Polly Want a Cracker soon! The tape continues playing. The doorbell rings and Liam answers it revealing THAD COFFEY at the door looking quite anxious. THAD Liam, I need to borrow a roll of toilet paper. I ate some Olestra potato chips... it's an emergency... don't ask questions. LIAM Sure, Polly, I think I've got some extra cracker paper. THAD What did you say? LIAM I said I think I've got some extra toilet paper, Thad. THAD Oh, I thought you said... Forget it. Look, can you just get it? LIAM I'll be back in a cracker. Liam goes to get Thad the toilet paper. Thad enters and approaches Bippo. THAD Is Liam all right? BIPPO Polly's fine, Thad. Don't cracker about it. THAD Huh!? Liam enters with a box of crackers. LIAM Here you go. My last box of crackers. THAD I didn't say crackers! I said toilet paper! LIAM Sorry, Polly. THAD THAD! LIAM Huh? THAD You called me Polly! BIPPO But why would he call you Polly, Cracker? THAD And YOU just called me Cracker! LIAM It must be that tape.... it's messing with our minds. THAD Look, I'd ask about the cracker... I mean, TAPE... but I've got a potty emergency! DO YOU HAVE ANY TOILET PAPER! LIAM Let me check in the polly... I'm sure there's some crackers in there. THAD GAH!!! THIS'LL HAVE TO DO!!! Thad grabs the box of crackers and runs out the door. LIAM That was odd. [a beat] Look, Bippo, turn that tape off. It's giving me a headache! Bippo switches the tape off. LIAM [to Socrates] Okay, Socrates... say Polly Want a Cracker! C'mon, say it! SOCRATES You better steppin' off you f-[BLEEP!]-ck-faced, [BLEEP!]-ss- licking, di-[BLEEP!]-k-sucking, sh-[BLEEP!]-head 'fore I pop a cap in yo' ass! LIAM I don't believe it! After all that, the damn bird just keeps swearing! BIPPO Now, Liam... calm down. LIAM Don't you tell me to calm down! You know what? This is all Mister Hilter's fault! He dumped this bird on me with no warning and said that it was a punishment! How dare he!? How dare he think that he can just drop anything on me at the drop of a hat and expect me to do whatever he wants without a complaint!? BIPPO Liam, calm down before you say something you're gonna regret! LIAM You know what, Bippo? I HATE MISTER HILTER!!! SOCRATES Rah... I hate Mister Hilter! BIPPO You didn't have to say it twice! LIAM Say what twice? BIPPO That you hate Mister Hilter! SOCRATES I hate Mister Hilter. BIPPO Like that! LIAM Bippo, that wasn't me... it was Socrates! SOCRATES Rah... I hate Mister Hilter! BIPPO You mean, we did it? He's not swearing anymore? LIAM No... SOCRATES I hate Mister Hilter! LIAM But... he is saying something worse! SOCRATES Rah... I hate Mister Hilter! BIPPO Are we screwed, Liam? LIAM Bippo, we are screwed more than a White House intern! SOCRATES Rah... I hate Mister Hilter! LIAM No... No! We LOVE Mister Hilter! We LOVE him! SOCRATES I hate Mister Hilter! LIAM [to Bippo] GREAT! Once Mister Hilter get's home and hears Socrates saying that... he'll evict me right after shoving his foot half-way up my ass! What do we do now? BIPPO You know old Lady Winchester from downstairs? LIAM Not a whole lot. BIPPO Well, she runs Pretty Pricey Pets, the pet store down the road. She sells a lot of birds and stuff.... maybe SHE'LL know how to deprogram Socrates vocabulary. LIAM It's worth a shot! But what if we can't get Socrates to stop saying he hates Mister Hilter? BIPPO Then we'll have to kill him. LIAM We can't kill Mister Hilter's parrot! BIPPO Forget the parrot... I was talking about Mister Hilter! PRETTY PRICEY PET SHOP - THE NEXT DAY OLD LADY DORIS WINCHESTER is at the counter when Liam and Bippo walk in carry Socrates in a cage. DORIS Hey, boys... what can I do you for? LIAM Mrs. Winchester, I've got a problem. DORIS Please... Winchester is my ex-husband's name and I hate the old bastard. Call me Doris. Now, who are you and what's your problem? LIAM I'm Liam Smith and I live in the apartment below yours. DORIS Oh, so YOU'RE the one who was playing those movies by that harlot, Kari Wuhrer, so loud! Liam leaps over the counter and grabs Doris by the collar. LIAM DON'T YOU EVER SAY ANYTHING ABOUT KARI AGAIN, DO YOU UNDERSTAND!? KARI IS WONDERFUL! SHE'S ENCHANTING! SHE'S BEAUTIFUL! Doris grabs Liam by the arm and Judo flips him into the hedgehog bin. Liam screams and jumps out covered head to toe in quills. He bumps into a tank of piranha which falls over and spills out the door. EXT. THE LAS VEGAS STRIP The water and piranha spill out of the pet shop and into a storm drain. INT. THE STORM DRAIN The piranha fall into the Las Vegas sewer system and swim out of sight. INT. THE PET SHOP Bippo pulls a quill out of Liam's butt. BIPPO That was AWESOME! Can you do it again? Doris sneaks up behind Liam with a folding chair. DORIS COME INTO MY STORE AND ATTACK ME, WILL YOU! Liam curls up in a fetal position. LIAM Not in the face! Not in the face! DORIS Bippo, who is this idiot? BIPPO This is Liam Smith, you know... the guy I told you about? DORIS Oh, the guy with the parrot? BIPPO That's the one. DORIS Oh... Doris helps Liam up and pulls a quill out of his forehead. DORIS Sorry about that, but you DID attack me. LIAM ...but you said bad things about Kari! DORIS Sorry, honey, I didn't know you were one of her fans. LIAM I'm more than one of her fans... so much more. DORIS So, where's the parrot? Bippo puts Socrates on the counter. DORIS One thing you have to know about parrots is that they are rabid imitators, not only of people, but of other parrots... ESPECIALLY other parrots. It's a good thing you but a rubber band around his beak, otherwise anything he happens to say could be picked up by the hundreds of other birds in here. LIAM Rubber band? BIPPO What rubber band? SOCRATES I hate Mister Hilter! The other birds in the store suddenly go crazy repeating "I hate Mister Hilter" over and over again. DORIS Oh, CRAP!!! BIPPO This is not my fault. LIAM Sorry! No one said anything about putting a rubber band over his beak! BIPPO I just want to make it perfectly clear that this is not my fault! DORIS GET OUT!!! BOTH OF YOU, GET OUT!!! LIAM Nyaa! Liam grabs Socrates and he and Liam runs out of the store leaving Doris alone in a store filled with a hundred birds repeating "I hate Mister Hilter" over and over again. INT. THE LAS VEGAS SEWER The school of Piranha swim by looking for something to devour. They swim into a pipe. INT. A HOTEL BATHROOM a five-thousand pound MARLON BRANDO, still in Las Vegas from a previous episode, waddles into the bathroom. THE TOILET The piranha appear and swarm around. THE BATHROOM Marlon Brando doesn't see what's in the toilet as he gets ready to use it. BRANDO Oh... I shouldn't have eaten all those tacos and enchiladas... and the twenty bowls of refried beans mixed with Tabasco... and that little taco bell dog. Marlon Brando loosens his oversized pants. THE TOILET The piranha are swimming madly. A dark shadow overtakes them. They all look up and scream before swimming frantically back into the sewer. LIAM'S APARTMENT Liam and Bippo enter with Socrates. SOCRATES Rah... I hate Mister Hilter! LIAM Oh, SHUT UP!!! BIPPO Well, it looks like we're out of options. I say we have a squab barbecue! Bippo reaches for Socrates but Liam pulls him out of the way. LIAM For the last time, Bippo... I am not going to let you eat this parrot! There's got to be a way... SOME way to get this bird to stop saying that he hates Mister Hilter. BIPPO I'm sure there is, Liam... but can we take that chance? LIAM What do you mean? BIPPO I don't know... But I do know this: Mister Hilter will be back in a few more minutes and when he gets here, it's adios, sayonara, and good-bye-bye to you! Where are you going to live after you get kicked out? LIAM I don't know... maybe I can find a low-rent apartment somewhere else in Las Vegas. Maybe on the strip... or downtown... Liam starts to cry. BIPPO There... There... LIAM I know you're just trying to help, Bippo. BIPPO No, Mister Hilter's plane is coming in... There! There! Liam looks out the window and sees a plan landing at the airport in the distance. LIAM Gah! What am I going to do!? BIPPO I don't know, but Mister Hilter's gonna be pretty sore when he gets back. [a beat] Well, g'bye! Bippo runs out the door. INT. THE SEWER The school of piranha swims by looking for a kill. FADE OUT ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- COMMERCIAL BREAK - Britta makes water betta. - That's a spicy meatball-ah! - I can't believe I ate the whole thing! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- INT. PRETTY PRICEY PET STORE Doris is sitting at the counter covering her ears as hundreds of birds screech out "I Hate Mister Hilter" over and over again. Finally, Doris jumps to her feet. DORIS I CAN'T TAKE IT NO MORE!!! Doris storms out the front door. EXT. A DARK ALLEY Doris walks through on her way home muttering to herself. Suddenly, two masked thugs jump out of the shadows. DORIS What the...!? THUG #1 Give us all your dead presidents, bitch! DORIS Huh? THUG #2 Give us all your money! DORIS Oh. But I don't have any money on me right now. THUG #1 She doesn't appear to have any currency on her. THUG #2 So, what are we supposed to do now? THUG #1 I don't know... I'm only doing this robbery thing to pay off my student loan that put me through Harvard! The thugs take off their masks to reveal that they are, in fact, ZACH and SLATER from the nauseating Saved by the Bell series. ZACH This is all your fault, Slater! SLATER MY fault? This was your idea, preppy! DORIS Excuse me, are you two from that retarded Saturday morning tennie-bopper series that just wouldn't die? SLATER & ZACH That's us, Lady! SLATER Oh, no! WAIT! I think I... no... no... Wait... YES! I've got an idea! ZACH What is it? SLATER She says that she don't have any money on her now, but what about at home? ZACH Our home? SLATER No, HER home! ZACH That's a good idea, Slater! Zach pulls a gun on Doris. ZACH All right, lady... MARCH! Zach and Slater lead Doris down the alley. INT. LIAM'S APARTMENT Liam is at the table with Socrates. LIAM Come on, Socrates... Say "Polly want a cracker!" SOCRATES I HATE MISTER HILTER! Liam whimpers and buries his head in his hands. There is the sound of a door opening and the sound of Zach, Slater, and Doris's voice filters into Liam's home. SLATER'S VOICE Get moving, lady! DORIS'S VOICE All right, all right! Just don't shoot me! LIAM Shoot? ZACH'S VOICE Yeah, lady! If you don't give us all your money, we'll blow your head off! LIAM Uh-oh! Doris is getting robbed at gunpoint! Thank God for this fire-trap apartment and it's paper-thin walls! I'M COMING TO SAVE YOU, DORIS!!! Liam runs out the front door. Socrates looks on. SOCRATES I fu-[BLEEP]-king hate Mister Hilter! INT. DORIS'S APARTMENT Zach and Slater are pointing their guns at Doris. ZACH What do you mean you don't have any money here!? DORIS I'm broke, okay!? SLATER This is terrible. Now we're going to have to kill you... you know, to teach you a lesson! They get ready to shoot when Liam busts through the door. LIAM I'm here to save you, Doris! Zach and Slater point their guns at Liam. LIAM Mental note: From now on when charging into a situation involving guns, plan ahead! ZACH Say bye-bye, Mister whoever-the-hell-you-are! Doris runs over and grabs the sprayer from the sink. DORIS So long, preppy! Doris squirts Zach with the sprayer covering him with water... and the school of piranha!!! Zach screams as the fish consume his flesh, leaving him nothing more than a pile of bones. SLATER ZACH! Oh my god, he's dead! And I never told him that I loved him! Slater looks at Liam and Doris. SLATER You are both... DEAD MEAT!!! DORIS Thanks for coming to save me, Liam. I guess I was all wrong about you. LIAM Well, I'm sorry you're going to die anyway. DORIS Good-bye, Liam. LIAM Good-bye, Old Lady Winchester. As Slater prepares to fire, Socrates flies in the door and dives for Slater's face. SLATER What the...!? Socrates takes out one of Slater's eyes. Slater screams and stumbles backwards into the bathroom and falls onto the toilet where more piranha are swarming. SLATER What the hell's biting me!? Screech, is that you!? AHHHHHHHH!!!! Slater is pulled into the toilet bowl as the piranhas go into a fierce feeding frenzy. Soon, the only thing left of Slater is a pair of legs poking straight out of the can. Socrates lands on Liam's shoulder. LIAM Wow... I would have never expected that! SOCRATES I HATE Mister Hilter! LIAM We all do, Socrates... We all do. FADE OUT ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- COMMERCIAL BREAK - Wherever there is evil to be conquered... wherever the good cry for justice... wherever there is a buck to be made... that's where you'll find him. CAPEMAN: THE MOVIE - Coming Summer 2000! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- INT. THE HALLWAY Liam and Doris are walking back to Liam's Apartment with Socrates, laughing. LIAM ...and did you see the look on his face when the fish ate his butt? Liam and Doris laugh and come face to face with MISTER HILTER. HILTER Ah, Liam... there you are. LIAM [short high-pitched scream] Mister Hilter!? What in the holy blue heck are you doing here!? HILTER Oh, I just got back from Branson and thought I'd come and get Socrates. Nice to see you didn't accidentally kill him or anything. LIAM Y-Yeah... HILTER So, Socrates... do you have anything to say to your daddy? The scene slows down to slow motion as suspenseful music begins to play. ON SOCRATES Socrates looks at Mister Hilter and begins to open his beak. LIAM Liam looks at Socrates and then at Hilter. Sweat begins to drip down his face. HILTER Looks at Socrates and smiles. SOCRATES His beak is still opening as he gets ready to speak. INT. THE HALLWAY SOCRATES Polly want a cracker! HILTER He said something other than his name! My god, Liam! You taught him how to talk! LIAM Y-Yeah.. heh-heh. Well, gotta go... buh-bye, now! Liam runs into his apartment and slams the door. The sound of a dozen locks being locked are heard. HILTER That was odd. DORIS I think he's a sweet boy. Mister Hilter looks at Socrates and then seems a little mad. DORIS What's wrong, Mister Hitler? HILTER Oh... it's just that I've spent the last five years trying to teach this bird to say something other than his name and then that idiot, Liam, gets him for a couple of days and teaches him how to say a complete sentence! Oooo... that just steams me up! You know what, Doris? Right now... I HATE LIAM SMITH!!! Socrates looks up at Hilter, then to the camera. The bird winks. FADE TO EXT. PRETTY PRICEY PET SHOP - THE NEXT DAY Mister Hilter walks by the store. BIRD Rah... I HATE MISTER HILTER! Mister Hilter stops and looks at the bird. HILTER Naw... Mister Hilter walks off down the street. FADE OUT ROLL CREDITS
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