♪ Every day when you're walking down the street ♪ ♪ Everybody that you meet has an original point of view.

♪ ( laughs ) ♪ And I say hey!

♪ Hey!

♪ What a wonderful kind of day ♪ ♪ If we could learn to work and play ♪ ♪ And get along with each other ♪ ♪ You got to listen to your heart ♪ ♪ Listen to the beat ♪ ♪ Listen to the rhythm, the rhythm of the street ♪ ♪ Open up your eyes, open up your ears ♪ ♪ Get together and make things better by working together ♪ ♪ It's a simple message and it comes from the heart ♪ ♪ Believe in yourself ♪ ♪ For that's the place to start ♪ ♪ And I say hey!

♪ Hey!

♪ What a wonderful kind of day ♪ ♪ If we could learn to work and play ♪ ♪ And get along with each other.

♪ Hey!

♪ What a wonderful kind of day ♪ ♪ Hey!

What a wonderful kind of day.

♪ Hey!

ARTHUR: Hey, D.W. Hey!

Whoa!

( crash ) Ah!

Sorry, Arthur!

With Francine, it's hard to get mad at her.

Except for Buster, she's practically my best friend ever since we met.

Arthur, this is Francine.

She's our new neighbor.

She's always stuck by me, no matter what.

FRANCINE: Arthur Read!

Did you say I look like a marshmallow?

Uh... uh... Don't you remember?

She was wearing that goofy sweater.

What about it?

You better apologize or... Or what?

Or you're going to get it.

Ah!

This is all your fault!

My fault?

You called her a marshmallow.

Ugh!

"This is your final warning... Because you're in big trouble, and I mean big."

I think that's a skull and crossbones.

TEACHER: Attention, please.

Mr. Baxter, take your seat.

TEACHER: What makes a hero?

Are these characteristics you're born with, or developed?

Think about this over the weekend.

( all groaning ) Prepare a report on the hero of your choice.

You'll work in pairs... ( cheering ) That I will assign.

( groaning ) Binky, you're with Sue Ellen.

Muffy, you're with Buster.

What?

No way!

And Arthur with Francine.

Nice knowing you.

He did what?

Who are you talking to?

Francine.

Uh-huh.

He should talk!

You should see him in pajamas.

Give me the phone!

Okay, I'll tell him, bye.

She'll meet you at the library tomorrow at 3:00 but don't say a word to her because she's not speaking to you.

Hmph!

Worm.

WOMAN: Hello, Arthur.

Francine was telling me about your... report on heroes.

of course.

What sort of hero are you looking for?

Well, a man... a woman.

...who did something famous.

Well, Arthur, why don't you start with Joan of Arc?

Horses, battles, exciting stuff.

That's downstairs.

Francine, you could look into Harriet Tubman.

You'll find her upstairs.

But don't forget The library closes at... We know, 5:00.

MAN: The library is now closing.

( yawns ) Miss Turner?

( groans ) ( clock chimes loudly ) AHH!

( growls ) It's only a library.

It's only a library.

It's only a library.

Hello?

Is anyone there?

( both scream ) You!

You!

You didn't tell me what time it was!

You got us locked in.

Me?

You didn't tell me!

I'm not your mother!

How dumb do you have to be to get locked in the library?

There's no time for bickering.

I have to get out of here.

Fine.

Fine.

I'm still not talking to you and I'm not listening, either.

Ow!

Hmph!

Oh!

Hey!

Whoa!

Thanks, I was almost there.

( fly buzzing ) Ah...!

Ow.

( groaning ) ( groaning ) I just remembered something.

What?

Today is Saturday which means the library is closed until... ( gasps ) Monday!

Monday!

( "Monday" echoing through library ) Oh, great.

Well, I guess I can live without food.

( stomach rumbling ) Our families will be worried.

D.W.: Poor Arthur.

Hope he's okay.

And get rid of that Bionic Bunny poster.

Maybe not.

Wait a minute.

I've got it.

How is a book going to help us?

How to escape from prison.

...from a desert island.

Aha!

How to escape from a library!

Hurry up.

It's not here.

Somebody must have it.

Francine... Who would need a book On escaping from a library Unless they were in a library?

Oh!

( phone rings ) You were supposed to hold me up.

Now my ears are ringing.

Mine, too.

Both: The telephone!

( phone ringing ) Ha!

Hello?

Hello, Miss Turner?

This is Muffy Crosswire.

I didn't get to the library.

FRANCINE: Muffy, thank goodness!

Could you bring me some books that I need.

Muffy, listen, it's me!

Francine?

I must have dialed the wrong number.

What did you do?

How could you let her hang up?

Keep your shirt on.

I'm calling my mom.

COMPUTER: To dial out, enter the correct user code.

Please hang up and try again.

To dial out...

Okay, we're doomed.

You're such a wimp.

You're a know-it-all... Marshmallow.

That does it!

If I have to spend the weekend here I'm not spending it with you.

Fine with me.

See if I care.

Francine?

Francine?

( gasps ) ( gasps ) Francine?

What happened to you?

( Francine screaming ) Francine!

Don't worry, I'm coming!

( panting ) Whoa!

Ugh!

Are you okay?

Of course I'm okay.

Don't scare me like that!

I was afraid you were hurt.

Why were you worried?

I'm just a marshmallow, remember?

What?

You called me "four eyes."

Wait a minute... You were worried about me?

Of course.

And when my baby tooth... Arthur... You said I wasn't allowed to... To... what?

Want some pizza?

Where are we, anyway?

It's where the librarians hang out.

Let's get locked in every weekend.

This is the best!

No chores, no homework, no... D.W.!

D.W.: You're in bi g trouble.

Arthur, Francine.

Thank Goodness.

How could this have happened?

Are you all right?

We were worried.

They look perfectly fine to me.

Sure, there were ghosts but they didn't bother us.

Except for the one with no head right, Francine?

BUSTER: Who's your report on?

Report?

So, it is not an exaggeration to say that without Edward M. Crosswire there would be no Elwood City as we know it.

( applause ) Buster...

Anything to add?

( clears throat ) No.

That brings us to Arthur and Francine.

Um...

Uh... We really didn't get a chance to do a real report... we were too busy learning the real meaning of heroism.

when we were locked in the library we were fighting but Arthur came to rescue me because he thought I was in danger.

And Francine was brave and found food and she saved me some pizza.

( wild cheering ) That's good.

You learned something important.

Do your report next weekend.

I guess Francine's not so bad.

She's a lot of fun.

Sorry!

Most of the time.

KIDS: And now... ♪ What is a hero?

♪ ♪ What is a hero?

♪ ♪ A person admired for qualities and achievements ♪ ♪ For qualities and achievements ♪ ♪ Role model, ideal, one you want to be like ♪ ♪ What is a heroine?

♪ ♪ What is a heroine?

♪ ♪ A person admired for qualities and achievements ♪ ♪ For qualities and achievements ♪ ♪ Role model, ideal, one you want to be like.

♪ ♪ Rachel Carson cares for the earth.

♪ ♪ Pele, Pele, he scored great goals.

♪ ♪ Christa McAuliffe, she flew into space.

♪ ♪ Alex G. Bell connected the world.

♪ ( phone ringing ) ♪ R.L.

Stine writes scary books.

♪ ♪ Harriet Tubman, she helped free the slaves.

♪ ♪ Neil Armstrong stepped on the moon.

♪ ♪ Michael Jordan, he plays great ball.

♪ ♪ Kristi Yamaguchi skates so well.

♪ ♪ John Kennedy, a president we loved.

♪ ♪ Deion Sanders makes great touchdowns.

♪ ♪ Marc Brown, he writes great books.

♪ And now... Buster Baxter, private eye.

I'm going to tell you about my very first case.

it involved my pal, Arthur, some missing quarters and a whole lot of trouble.

( sighs ) Detention.

( kids screaming outside ) ( gasps ) Sounds like a mob.

( children chanting ): Arthur!

Oh, no!

( knocking at door ) BUSTER: I'm getting ahead.

Let's go to the beginning.

( roars ) ( laughs ) It all started two days ago.

It was a Wednesday just like any other.

What's with the dopey table, Arthur?

It's Mrs. MacGrady's fund-raising drive.

We'll buy a puppy for the fire department.

Can you give a quarter?

Um... well... ( barks ) Here.

Hey, Arthur!

You want to come to the arcade?

Sure!

My mom's waiting, hurry.

Just let me take these quarters to Mrs. MacGrady.

What's with the goofy hat?

It's my new detective kit.

I've been snooping.

Looking for crimes.

Did you find one?

No, but I did pick up some secret information.

Third-grade picnic this Friday.

( sighs ) I know that, Buster.

There have been signs up.

I'm not giving up.

I'll find a crime.

Hurry up, I'll tell my mom to wait for you.

What's that, chief?

"Smokey" is a nice name for a dog.

But how about "Edgar"?

Mrs. MacGrady?

Yes, it does have a kind of ring now that you mention it.

Excuse me, Mrs. MacGrady!

Smoke is your business.

Where there's "Smokey" there's a fireman.

I have to go.

I don't want to see the dog getting some kind of complex.

Dogs are sensitive, you know?

And if you name a fire dog "Smokey" who is he going to root for?

"Chester" is a real canine name-- it's my first husband's name.

There are always shifty characters at the arcade.

I thought it would be a good place to look for a mystery.

That magnifying glass is going to give you eyestrain.

My mom wasn't helping.

( siren wailing ) Arthur, you did it!

You hit the high score!

Way to go!

That's my best friend!

My best friend hit the high score!

Boy, you rocked last night!

Everyone, pinball wizard coming through!

Arthur, did you give Mrs. MacGrady the quarters?

I already did.

Hmm... She told me she never got them.

Maybe they were stolen!

Buster, please.

Is it possible you brought them home by mistake?

No, he came to the arcade with me.

He won at pinball!

I did once.

Took all my birthday money.

Like 100 quarters.

Boy, did I blow a lot of quar...

This doesn't look good, Mr. Haney.

It certainly doesn't.

You mean, you think I stole the quarters?

HANEY: You were responsible for them.

You certainly were.

If it doesn't turn up, you'll serve a day... week.

A week of detention.

Starting today!

No picnic for you tomorrow!

My first job and everyone thinks I'm a thief!

I'm innocent.

I need a lawyer.

Are you kidding?

You can't afford one.

You need a detective.

Like, say... me.

You think you can find out who stole the quarters?

No problem!

Buster is on the case.

You're going to that picnic tomorrow, trust me.

But now, I got to do some snooping.

Just try not to get me in deeper trouble, okay?

The first person to question was Mrs. MacGrady.

Occupation: cafeteria lady.

Can you tell me your whereabouts yesterday afternoon?

I was here... stop that!

...making brownies.

Aha!

Maybe I better taste one of those brownies.

Nice try, but nobody touches them until the picnic.

You can help me with the desserts for the fourth-graders.

I didn't see anyone here all afternoon.

I forgot!

Mr. Morris was here.

He came in to mop up when the brownie mix overflowed.

Hmm?

You should talk to him.

Thank you very much.

( gasps ) Hmm... ( whistling ) Mr. Morris, the school janitor a guy with access to every part of the school.

Buster?!

Can I ask you a couple of questions?

Whoa... Sure, I went into the kitchen yesterday afternoon.

Aha!

And what were you doing there?

MORRIS: Cleaning the floor around the blender.

Mrs. MacGrady spilled brownie mix.

Do you always clean up after her?

Not often, she's usually pretty tidy.

Anything else, Buster?

That's all for now, but don't leave town.

( jingling begins ) Just one more thing, Mr. Morris.

That jingling sounds a lot like quarters-- A lot of quarters!

( gasps ) Oh... never mind.

Two hours on the job and I knew less than when I started.

only one place left to go-- the suspect's home.

Did he bring home any big jingling bags?

Just absentmindedly?

This is my brother!

He would never take other people's money home.

D.W., I'm just checking out every poss...

He'd hide it!

But where?

I say we dig up the lawn!

Uh...

Thanks anyway, D.W. How's the investigation going?

Uh...

Okay, I guess.

Well, see you tomorrow.

If you don't find out by tomorrow I'll miss the picnic!

D.W.: Excuse me... Coming through.

The situation did not look good.

Everything pointed to just one person-- Arthur.

Suppose he was a criminal mastermind and I had never noticed.

( laughs maliciously ) Only two helpings of dessert?

Are you feeling okay?

I'll be in my room, mom.

There was nothing to do but consider all the suspects.

Was it Mrs. MacGrady?

Mr. Morris?

Or was it... ( laughing maliciously ) Arthur?

MOM: Buster!

It's 10:00 at night!

I got to crack the case.

You need sleep.

You're not a robot.

Robot!

That's it!

Mom, I love you!

I figured it out!

The quarters were stolen by an army of evil robots.

Nobody noticed them because... because they can... transform into... into... um... any shape... it made so much sense last night.

I know you'll miss the picnic today because I'm a bad detective.

But I think you're innocent even if no one else does.

Thanks anyway, Buster.

Sorry I let you down.

If I just had one more day...

Forget it... you might be a lousy detective But you're still a good friend.

Poor Arthur.

HANEY: Er, hello?

Is this on?

Children, please proceed onto the school bus.

I just can't think straight anymore.

I know how you feel.

When I'm working on a tough problem I feel my brain overflowing.

Overflowing...?

Overflowing!

That's it!!!

What's it?

I solved the crime!

Come on!

Buster!

Mr. Haney!

What are you doing?

Your mix overflowed when you poured it into the blender.

Has that ever happened before?

No, I made too much.

There was too much because there was one extra ingredient... quarters!

Oh, my heavens!

I must have accidentally mixed in the bag of quarters along with the bag of flour!

Why, this means that... he's innocent!

And he owes it all to the great detective work of Buster Bax... ( children cheering ) ( crowd approaching ) ( knocking at door ) Oh, no!

( knocking at door ) ( children chanting ): Arthur!

Arthur!

Arthur, I did it!

Buster, you're the best detective I know!

So, that's the story of my first case.

It was tough, but I cracked it in the end.

And as for Mrs. MacGrady... Well, she's a little bit more careful these days.

Come and get it!

Hi, everyone, it's me, Buster.

If you love the great food we get to eat in Elwood City, you won't believe all the great food I'm trying on my trip with my dad.

Mmm... don't you just want to eat some?

I'm tasting everything and I'm sending it all back to my friends in Elwood City on my very own video postcards.

They're Postcards from Buster.

ation] ♪ What a wonderful kind of day ♪ ♪ If we could learn to work and play ♪ ♪ And get along with each other ♪ ♪ You got to listen to your heart ♪ ♪ Listen to the beat ♪ ♪ Listen to the rhythm, the rhythm of the street ♪ ♪ It's a simple message and it comes from the heart ♪ ♪ Believe in yourself ♪ ♪ For that's the place to start ♪ ♪ And I say hey!

♪ ♪ Hey!

What a wonderful kind of day ♪ ♪ If we could learn to work and play ♪ ♪ And get along with each other ♪ ♪ Hey!

What a wonderful kind of day!

♪ ♪ Hey!

♪