(THEME MUSIC PLAYING)
NARRATOR: This is the city where danger lurks around every corner.
Wait.
Wrong city.
This is Paris, France. Which is...
Pretty nice, really.
This is the city of our story.
-(SIRENS BLARING IN DISTANCE) -Where danger lurks around every corner.
No place for fun and games.
(TRAIN HORN HONKS)
(SMASHING)
(GROWLS)
NARRATOR: Ahem!
This is some kind of research for a case, right?
Please tell me it's research for a case.
(NARRATOR SIGHS)
Never mind, just train your eyes on the door if you wanna take on a real case.
NARRATOR: Tom's always on his toes when the client is a delicate dame.
(SLAMS)
Well played, lover boy.
That was no dame.
It was just Red Herring decked out in a pile of trash.
Hmph! One man's trash is another man's disguise.
Eh, sorry about the camouflage but I got a funny feeling I'm being followed, you know.
Like, everywhere I turn, someone's right on my heels.
Breathing down my... Yikes!
(SHIVERING) Don't do that.
Listen, maybe I should start from the beginning.
RED: On Monday I was doing my laundry when I realized
I left my new red collar in the dryer too long.
And it kinda shrunk.
Then I noticed it turned my white undies all pink in the wash.
(DISEMBODIED LAUGHTER)
And if that ain't bad enough,
the whole place erupts into laughter.
But the place was empty.
Nobody there but me.
Weird, huh?
Then on Tuesday, I went to the movies.
Comedy marathon of the funniest movies ever.
(DISEMBODIED LAUGHTER)
(EXPLODES)
RED: The whole place was filled with laughter, until...
I noticed I was the only one in the audience.
-(TOM LAUGHING) -There it goes, again.
(LAUGHING)
NARRATOR: Rule number one, Tom,
never laugh at a paying client.
Look, you gotta help me.
My bowling league has a big game tonight and the guys are counting on me.
But this laughin' is driving me nuts.
Holy cow! Look at the clock!
NARRATOR: It was 7:10, time to split.
Red took off for the game,
and the boys hiked over to the bowling alley
to pin down some clues.
(PANTING)
NARRATOR: Not much of a stretch there, eh, boys?
They decided the best way to start unraveling this mystery
was to talk with Red's date from last night.
Rita at the Kibble Bar.
Red took me out on a date last night after his game.
He said he was nervous to be alone.
RITA: Yeah, he was really layin' it on thick.
(DISEMBODIED LAUGHTER)
Hey, why you's laughin' at me?
Red, baby. Why would I be laughin' at you's?
(LAUGHTER LOOPING)
-Quit laughing at me! -(LAUGHING CONTINUES)
(SCREAMING)
(THUDS)
RITA: I sure wasn't laughing.
He left me to pick up the check.
The whole joint was quiet as a church.
I tell ya', nobody was laughing at anything.
(SCRIBBLING)
NARRATOR: You guys really need to learn shorthand.
Or the alphabet, for that matter.
Looks like you got stuck with the bill again.
Yeah, ha, ha.
NARRATOR: That was their cue to hit the billiard room
and scope out Butch, the manager.
I remember Red playing here.
He was all by himself at table three.
(RICOCHETING)
(THUDS)
-(THUDS) -(DISEMBODIED LAUGHTER)
All of you's, stop laughing at me!
(TOM AND BUTCH LAUGHING)
You wanna know what else is funny?
Nobody was even in that room laughing.
(LAUGHING)
Yeah, if you're lookin' for him,
he went down to the bowling alley for the big league championship tonight.
(TOM SNICKERING)
NARRATOR: They made their way to the bowling range
where team captain Spike was ready to strike.
(PINS FALLING)
Somebody out to get Red?
Let em' try. Red'll bowl rings around them.
He's our star player.
(DISEMBODIED LAUGHTER)
RED: (SCREAMING) No!
(THUDS)
(DISEMBODIED LAUGHTER)
Aw, split.
(DISEMBODIED LAUGHTER)
(SPITS)
(CHUCKLES)
(RED SCREAMING)
(TOM LAUGHING HYSTERICALLY)
(GROWLS) This just cost us the championship.
NARRATOR: Out of one alley and into another.
Tom was starting to feel like an alley cat.
(RED SIGHS)
What's the use? I give up.
I'm just one big slip-up.
(YELLS) Not again!
(CRASHES)
(THUDS)
(LAUGHING HYSTERICALLY)
-(DISEMBODIED LAUGHTER) -Quit it!
(SIGHS)
You know, I'm beginning to think that maybe it's all in my head.
(SNAPS)
-(FLEAS LAUGHING) -NARRATOR: It's just fleas.
With a low-brow sense of humor, no less. Who knew?
(FLEAS LAUGHING)
NARRATOR: You've bugged this guy long enough.
Time to go.
(CLANG)
Uh-oh! Looks like Tom's caught the laughing bug too.
(CLANGS)
The fun's over, guys. Make like a bug and flea.
(SCREAMS)
Hey, I don't hear no laughing anymore.
You guys did it. Thanks a million.
I feel like my old self again.
(THUDS)
(AUDIENCE LAUGHING)
Wait. Now who's laughing?
NARRATOR: Smile for the camera, fellas.
Turns out all the world's a stage, after all.
A TV soundstage, in this case.
Complete with a live studio audience.
-(AUDIENCE LAUGHING) -That's our show for tonight.
And now a word from our sponsor.
-(AUDIENCE APPLAUDING) -And that's no laughing matter.