The Sword in the Stone (1963)

Rickie Sorensen: Wart

Photos 

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Quotes 

• [last lines] 

  Merlin : Why, they might even make a motion picture about you.

  Arthur : Motion picture?

  Merlin : Oh. Heh-heh-heh, uh, well, uh, that's something like television... heh-heh... without commercials.

• Arthur : Oh, Merlin! You're back from Ber... Ber... Ber...

  Merlin : Bermuda? Yes, back from Bermuda and the 20th century, heh-heh. And, believe me, you can have it. One big modern mess!

• Merlin : [about Archimedes]  When he stays out all night, he's always grumpy the next morning.

  Arthur : Then he must stay out every night.

• Merlin : Blow me to Bermuda!

  [Merlin suddenly blasts off like a rocket] 

  Arthur : Where... W-where did he go?

  Archimedes the Owl : To Bermuda, I suppose.

  Arthur : Where's that?

  Archimedes the Owl : Oh, an island way off somewhere that hasn't been discovered yet.

  Arthur : Will he ever come back?

  Archimedes the Owl : Who knows? Who knows anything?

• Arthur : Oh, what a perfect stuffed owl.

  Archimedes the Owl : [huffing]  Stuffed... W-w-well, I... I beg your pardon!

  Arthur : He's alive, and he talks!

  Archimedes the Owl : Heh-heh-heh! And certainly a great deal better than you do!

• Arthur : You mean you can see everything before it happens?

  Merlin : Yes, everything!

  Archimedes the Owl : Uh-uh-uh-uh! "Everything," Merlin?

  Merlin : Uh, vuh... No, no, not EVERYTHING. I, uh, I admit I didn't know whom to expect for tea, but as you can see... heh-heh!...

  [points with his staff to the hole in the roof where Arthur fell through] 

  Merlin : ...I figured the exact place!

• [Merlin turns Arthur back into a human and Arthur laughs, which causes the girl squirrel to gasp] 

  Arthur : There, now you see? I'm not a squirrel. I'm a boy.

  [the girl squirrel chirps as if asking a question] 

  Arthur : I tried to tell you. I'm, I'm a boy. A human boy!

  [the girl squirrel climbs up to a knot on her tree and sniffs] 

  Arthur : Oh! If you could only understand.

  [the girl squirrel runs up to the hole in the tree and cries her heart out as Arthur remorsefully walks away] 

  Merlin : Ah, you know, lad, that love business is a powerful thing.

  [the girl squirrel, sobbing, watches Arthur slowly walk away] 

  Arthur : Greater than gravity?

  Merlin : Well, yes, boy. In its way, I'd, uh... Yes, I'd say it's the greatest force on earth.

  [the girl squirrel climbs to the top of her tree to get one last look at Arthur and sobs one last time as the screen fades to black] 

• [Merlin magics the dishes to wash themselves] 

  Arthur : But I'm supposed to do it.

  Merlin : No one will know the difference, son. Who cares as long as the work gets done?

• Arthur : [entering the forest]  I-I'll get the arrow, Kay. I'm sure I can find it.

  Kay : Huh! Oh, don't tell me you're going in THERE. Why, it's swarming with wolves.

  Arthur : I'm not afraid.

  Kay : Huh. Well, go ahead. It's your skin, not mine. Go on, go on.

• Arthur : [enters Merlin's room wearing his squire robes]  Merlin, look! I'm a squire!

  Merlin : [disapprovingly]  Ha!

  Archimedes the Owl : Oh... uh... very nice, boy.

  Merlin : Yes, indeed. A fine monkey suit for polishing boots.

  Arthur : It's... it's what all squires wear.

  Merlin : And I thought you were going to amount to something. I thought you had a few brains! Great future! Ha! A stooge for that big lunk Kay. Congratulations, boy!

• Arthur : You were really great, Merlin, but... but you could've been killed.

  Merlin : It was worth it, lad, if you learned something from it.

  Arthur : Knowledge and wisdom is the real power.

  Merlin : Right you are, Wart, so stick to your schooling, boy.

  Arthur : Oh, oh, don't worry. I will, sir. I will. Oh, I really will.

• Madame Mim : Now what do you think, boy? Who's the greatest? Ha-ha-ha HA ha-ha!

  Arthur : Well, uh, Merlin's magic is always... uh, well... useful, uh... for something good.

  Madame Mim : And he must see something good in you.

  Arthur : Oh, I suppose so.

  Madame Mim : Yes, and in my book that's bad!

  [Runs to the window and slams it shut] 

  Madame Mim : So, my boy, I'm afraid I'll have to destroy you.

  Arthur : D-destroy me?

  Madame Mim : Yeah, I-I'll give you a sporting chance. I'm mad about games, you know.

  [chuckling as she turns into a cat] 

  Madame Mim : Well, come on. Get going, boy. You gotta keep on your toes in this game.

• Arthur : Merlin! Merlin, I-I swallowed a bug!

  Merlin : Oh, well, what's wrong with that? After all, my boy, you ARE a fish. Instinct, you know.

  Arthur : But you said I have no instinct.

  Merlin : Yes! Oh... oh, I did? Well that's-that's neither here nor there.

• Madame Mim : Say, lad, did you know that I can make myself uglier yet?

  Arthur : Well, that would be some trick - er, I-I-I mean, uh...

  Madame Mim : Want a bet?

  [hides her face in her hair, pulls hair back to reveal a sow's face] 

  Madame Mim : BOO!

  [Arthur jumps in fright] 

  Madame Mim : Oh, ho! You see? I win! I win! Aren't I hideous, boy, perfectly revolting?

  Arthur : [shaking his head at first, then nodding]  Uh... yes, ma'am.

• Archimedes the Owl : If the boy goes about saying the world is round, they'll take him for a lunatic.

  Arthur : The world is round?

  Merlin : Yes. Yes, that's right, and it also, uh, goes A-round.

  Arthur : You mean it'll be round SOMEDAY.

  Merlin : No, no, no, it's round now. Man will discover this in centuries to come. And he will also find that the world is merely a tiny speck in the universe.

  Arthur : Universe?

  Archimedes the Owl : Ah! You're only confusing the boy. Before you're through, he'll be so mixed up, he'll... he'll be wearing his shoes on his head!

• Arthur : I'm in an awful pickle. I'm king!

  Archimedes the Owl : Ooo, he pulled a sword from the stone.

  Merlin : Ha ha! Of course, of course. King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table.

  Arthur : Round table?

  Merlin : Oh, uh, w-would you rather have a square one?

  Arthur : Oh, no. Round will be fine.

• Merlin : Don't... don't you get any foolish ideas that magic will solve all your problems, because it won't.

  Arthur : But sir, I don't have any problems.

  Merlin : Oh, bah! Everybody's got problems. The world is full of problems.

  [gets his beard caught in the door] 

  Merlin : D'oof! Oh, blast it all! There, now! You see what I mean?

• Kay : [Wart is following Kay while he is hunting. Kay turns to him]  Quiet, Waaaaart!

  Arthur : [from a tree branch over Kay's head]  I'm tryin' to be.

  Kay : And nobody asked you to come along in the first place.

  Arthur : I'm not even movin'.

  Kay : [Dismissively]  Shuddup.

• Arthur : Hey, we were doing fine until we got in deep water. Then along comes this huge pike with big jaws and sharp, jagged teeth.

  Kay : Oh, tell 'im off, dad.

  Arthur : He was a monster, the biggest fish I ever saw.

  Sir Ector : And, boy, that's the biggest fish story I ever heard!

  Arthur : But it's true, sir.

  Sir Ector : That's three demerits for being late, and three more for the fish story. Now hop it to the kitchen.

  Kay : [scoffs]  I told you the Wart was looney.

  Sir Ector : Eh, well, he's either out of his head or, uh, there's something mighty fishy going on around here.

• Archimedes the Owl : What-what-what? Wht-wht-what's up, boy? What's going on?

  Arthur : They're having a Wizard's Duel. What's that mean?

  Archimedes the Owl : Oh, it's a battle of wits. The players change themselves to different things in an attempt to, uh... to... destroy one another.

  Arthur : D-d-des-destroy?

  Archimedes the Owl : Well just watch, boy. Just watch. You'll get the idea.

• Archimedes the Owl : So, from now on, boy...

  [coughs] 

  Archimedes the Owl : ...you do as I say.

  Arthur : Yes, sir.

  Archimedes the Owl : All right. Now, to start off, I want you to read these books.

  [Points to a huge pile of books] 

  Arthur : All of them?

  Archimedes the Owl : That, my boy, is a mountain of knowledge.

  Arthur : But I... but I can't read!

  Archimedes the Owl : What-what? What? Then I don't suppose you know how to write?

  Arthur : N-no, sir.

  Archimedes the Owl : Well, what DO you know?

  Arthur : Well... I...

  Archimedes the Owl : Well, never mind, never mind. We'll start at the bottom - the ABCs.

• Arthur : Jumping hogtoads!

• Arthur : Whoa! What! Whoa!

• Merlin : [teaching Arthur to swim as a fish]  Now, there are lots of ups and downs like, like a... like a helicopter.

  Arthur : [confused]  Helicopter?

  Merlin : Yes, y... oh. Well, no, never mind.

• Merlin : Don't take gravity too lightly or it'll catch up with you.

  Arthur : What's gravity?

  Merlin : Gravity is what causes you to fall.

  Arthur : Oh, like a stumble or... or a trip?

  Merlin : Yes, it's like a stumble or a... No, no, no, no, no. It's the force that pulls you downward, the... the phenomenon that any two material particles or bodies, if free to move, will be accelerated toward each other.

• Arthur : I can't be a king, Archimedes. I don't know anything about ruling a country.

  Archimedes the Owl : I told you to leave the thing in the stone, boy.

  Arthur : I'll run away. That's what I'll do. They'll just have to find somebody else.

• Merlin : So you must plan for the future, boy! You've got to find a direction! And you've, uh... oh, er... Now, by the by, what direction is this castle of yours?

  Arthur : I think it's north, the other way.

  Merlin : Oh, oh...

  [Mumbles] 

  Merlin : All right, then we better get a move on. Come on, lad. Pick up the pace. Pick it up! Pick it up! Pick it up!

• Arthur : [singing, as a fish]  For every to, there is a fro; for every stop there is a go, and that's what makes the world go round.

  [He stops as a frog grabs his tail] 

  Arthur : Ooo, let go, let go!

  [pulls his tail free] 

  Arthur : Oh you big bug-eyed bully you!

  Merlin : Who, *me*?

• Merlin : Man will fly someday, I tell you! I have been there! I have seen it!

  Arthur : Oh, I do hope so. I've always dreamed about flying; that I was a bird and that I could go sailing all over the sky, high above everything...

  [Merlin sneaks up behind him and quietly changes him into a sparrow] 

  Arthur : It's my favorite dream. But then, I suppose everyone dreams about flying.

  [notices his new form; now happily starts flying] 

  Arthur : I'm a bird, I'm a bird, I'm a bird!

  Merlin : [laughs]  Hold it, boy! Not so fast, not so fast. First, I'd better explain the mechanics of a bird's wing.

  [grabs Archimedes' wing and runs his finger along the feathers] 

  Merlin : Now, these large feathers are called the primaries, and...

  Archimedes the Owl : And since when do you know all about birds' wings?

  Merlin : I have made an extensive study of birds in flight, and...

  Archimedes the Owl : And if you don't mind, I happen to be a bird!

  Merlin : All right, Mr. Know-It-All! He's your pupil!

• Sir Ector : [after putting the sword back in the stone after Wart pulled it]  Alright, boy, let's have the miracle.

  [Wart goes up to the sword to pull it out of the stone again] 

  Kay : [grabs Wart's arm and shoves him away]  Now, wait a minute! Anyone can pull it once it's been pulled!

  [tries to pull the sword but can't] 

  Sir Ector : Go to it, Kay. Give it all you got. Put your back into it!

  [helps Kay] 

  Sir Ector : [Three other knights come in and try to pull out the sword as well] 

  Black Bart : Now hold on. That's not fair.

  Sir Pelinore : I say we let the boy try it.

  Black Bart : That's what I say. Give the boy a chance.

  Sir Pelinore : Go ahead, son.

  [Wart walks back up to the sword. The miracle light appears over the stone just when he pulls the sword from the stone successfully] 

  Sir Pelinore : It's a miracle ordained by Heaven. This boy is our king.

  Sir Ector : Well, by Jove.

  Black Bart : What's the lad's name?

  Sir Ector : Eh, Wart... Oh, I mean Arthur.

  Black Bart : Hail, King Arthur!

  Crowd : Hail, King Arthur! Long live the king!

  Archimedes the Owl : [chuckles]  I can't believe it!

  Sir Ector : [bows to Arthur]  Oh, forgive me, son. Forgive me.

  Arthur : Oh, please don't, sir.

  Sir Ector : Kay! Bow to your king!

  [Kay bows]