Listen, Sam, Mary Ellen Rogers must have gotten hold of some of her mother's old falsies. Man, she's way out to here.

(motions with hands out from his chest)

You have to check this out. Ope! Here she comes!

Ah, heh, heh.

(nervous, coy)

Ah, hi Mary Ellen. I must say, you look very different today. Is it your new hairdo or what?

Could be. Or it might be that I'm getting more mature. What do you say, Wally?

(staring at her chest)

Boy! I'll say!

EDDIE GRINS UNABASHEDLY

I mean, yeah, oh sure.

Wally, don't you want to ask us to the prom? I mean, me to the prom? I hear they're thinking of having some live band this year with some soul singer from back east.

Back east? I thought this show was in the generic town of Mayfield, U.S.A. There is no East or West, right? Right, Mary Ellen?

I- I guess. Sorry Wally.

(beat)

Anyway, I just heard that his first name is James. It might be James Dean! Wouldn't that be just dreamy?!

Hardly. He's so passé. And isn't he dead already?

(beat)

Wait, did you say he was a soul singer?

That's what I heard. So what's your answer about the prom? Are you going to ask us, I mean, me, or not? I need to know so I can move on to Lumpy then Eddie if you say "no".

Well, Clyde, what's it gonna be? How can you turn them - I mean her - down?

Well I guess so, if the singer is who I think he might be.

(beat)

Can you find out if his last name is Brown?

Well, for you Wally, I will.

Wow! You got it made, Romeo! That's going to be some double date!

(laughs)

Listen, Sam. I happen to know that that singer will be appearing at the dance and, as you suspected, his name is James Brown. But, what's the big deal with him? I've never heard of him.

The Beaver has recently flipped over this guy. And my Dad and Mom are quickly being sucked in also. I'll have to admit, the guy's got a primitive appeal.

This guy a wop?

I don't know. While Beaver was out the other day I put on one of the James Brown records and the screaming I heard in, I think it was "Maybe the Last Time", was just too much. I thought the guy was going to blow his top. The back-up singers were saying, "Hup, hup, doowee-oo".

What? "Hup, hup, doowee-oo"? What's that mean?