The Last Cliff Hanger is the tenth episode of Between the Lions.
Plot
Lionel is excited that there’s a new Cliff Hanger book. But when it comes, he’s shocked that it’s the last one. The helicopter chorus are also not happy, as they lost their jobs, so they get out of the book and express this, to which Cleo tells them to find something else to sing about, which they do, starting by singing about a black stapler and then Cleo and Theo (referring to them as "Two Lions"), which amazes them. In an attempt Lionel makes to talk to Cliff to get him to do more books, Click transports him and Leona into the beach that Cliff is on.
Cliff confesses that he isn't happy because he isn't on the cliff. When Lionel asks him if he can go back on the cliff, Cliff says he can’t because his author Livingston Dangerously wrote him there.
Cliff then suggests talking to Livingston about writing more books, so Click transports the two cubs back to the Library. Once out, the chorus sings about Click and then Cleo and Theo like it and tell them to Take 25.
Lionel asks Livingston to write more Cliff Hanger books. However, Livingston reveals that he had to make Cliff’s latest adventure the last one because he ran out of ideas for more Cliff Hanger stories and couldn’t think of anything else. When asked how he gets his ideas, Livingston reveals that they first come over him in a wave, and then lift him out to “a sea of inspiration.”
Eventually, with the lions’ help, Livingston gets an idea, and writes a new Cliff Hanger book where Cliff goes back on the cliff. However, though, the helicopter people sing about a pen holder and the lions are starting to get annoyed by them, so, in order to get the chorus out of their fur, they ask Livingston to write it fast. Eventually, Livingston writes the new book and Click downloads it. The Lions read it and Cliff returns to his Cliff. However, once he does, when the chorus or a member of them should sing "And that’s why he's called Cliff Hanger!", due to the chorus not being in the book, he sings it himself. Once the story is over, the chorus sings about one of the library's green lampshades, at which point Cleo gets their attention like Cliff tries to do and tells them they can go back now, but then, they start to sing about a ham sandwich, before cutting themselves off, due to hearing what Cleo said, realizing Cliff's back on the cliff and so they jump back into the story and fly past Cliff, singing "And that’s why he's called Cliff Hanger!" while the lions celebrate.
Segments
- Martha Reader and The Vowelles: fast
- Fred Says: fast, faster, fastest
- What's Your Name: short a
- Sea Words: whale, tale, tack
- Tiger Words: stack [not stick]
- What's Cooking with Theo and Cleo: Tackled and Paddled Hamburger Patty
- Sam Spud: Masher in the Neighborhood [not Neighbor in the Masherhood]
- B.B. King of the Beasts sings "It's Over Now!"
Quotes
- Leona: I love happy endings.
- Lionel: Happy? What’s to be happy about? It was the last Cliff Hanger — the last! No more new Cliff Hangers.
- Chorus: Click the Mouse / is a mouse that clicks / And that’s why she's called...
- Click: (bored) Yes, thank you, very much.
- Busterfield: Alone at last! There's a method in my madness.
- Chorus: Black stapler / staples and it's black / And that's why it's called black stapler! (The stapler briefly comes to life, acting like a dog, before going static again)
- Cleo: Super!
- Theo: Really great.
- Chorus: Cliff Hanger / Living on the beach / And that’s why he's called... oh, phooey!
- Livingston: Yes, Do I know you.
- Livingston: I had to make the last
- Lions and Click: Write it fast, Livingston.
- Chorus: Ham sandwich / Sandwich made of ham / And that’s why it's called... Hey, Cliff's back on the cliff. We're working. Yay!!!
- Cliff Hanger: This is a blast! / Drat! / And that’s why I'm called Cliff Hanger! / Can't hold on much longer!
Notes
- The Vowelles microphone dissapears when they appear in one scene.
- Akira Takayama played Livingston Dangerously.
- The music that plays during the Sea Words segment in this episode sounds the same from Shooting Stars.
- The Last Cliff Hanger and the new one Livingston writes are both rehashes of Cliff Hanger and the Mammoth Whale, except Cliff is successful in getting off the cliff and later gets back on through the whale. So when making The Last Cliff Hanger, Livingston is right when he ran out of ideas and had to make it the last, as he had to re-use that, but he later got a new idea by getting the idea of what happened in The Mammoth Whale to get him back on.
- When Cleo gets their attention and they realize Cliff's back on the cliff, as a joke, this episode reveals that, while the helicopter chorus have beautiful singing voices, their speaking voices (as seen with the member who speaks) sound abrasive and annoying.
Goofs
- In the Sam Spud segment, when the computer generated shot of "Amazing" being typed on the typewriter translates to the rear shot of Sam's car, for a split-second, you can see the original shot of the text where it is shown like when Sam corrects words.