Original subtitles

♪ One two uh one two three and... ♪

[theme song]

♪ Chico ♪

♪ Don't be discouraged ♪

♪ The man ain't so hard to understand ♪

♪ Chico if you try now ♪

♪ I know that you can lend a helping hand ♪

♪ Because there's good in everyone ♪

♪ And a new day has begun ♪

♪ You can see the morning sun if you try ♪

♪ And I know things will be better ♪

♪ Oh yes they will ♪

♪ For Chico and The Man ♪

♪ Yes they will for Chico and The Man ♪♪

[machine whirring]

Hey, you! Stop that!

Hey!

Ed!

[Ed groans]

I think it's an earthquake.

Oh!

Thank heavens. I thought it was my hangover.

[machine whirring]

It's outside.

It's outside.

[loud whirring]

- Stop it! Stop it! - Ed, wait.

You'll wake the whole neighborhood man.

What do you think you are doing at this hour in the morning?

I'm digging a hole.

Digging a hole in my alley? What for?

Because there's no hole here now.

- That makes sense to me. - Who gave you permission?

My foreman and I don't argue with him because he's a Cuban.

Hermano, ¿por qué no tomas un café y descansas, sí?

Bueno, ¿por qué no? Me pagan por hora.

What did he say?

He said for me to take a coffee break and--

Not you, him.

Oh, he said...

"A mí me pagan por hora."

- Oh, you're a big help. - Come on, Ed.

We'll have some coffee until his foreman gets here.

Hey, señor. Are those your pajamas?

Ed, I'm sure there's a logical explanation for all this.

It's probably part of the city's plan to improve the Barrio.

That hole's probably to plant a tree.

Plant a tree? The only plant that could survive

in this neighborhood is a marijuana plant.

Oh, there you go, getting nasty again.

I got news for you, your people are bigger potheads than mine.

Is that so? So why do they call it Acapulco Gold.

Not Philadelphia Gold.

[driller whirring]

Hey, hey, hey, Ed!

- I would-- - Oh, gracias, señor.

- Just what I needed. - Give me that!

Didn't I tell you to stop?

Oh, sí, señor, but my boss told me to start.

Your boss? Where is your boss? I wanna talk to him.

- Oh, you can't talk to him. - Why not?

Because him's a her.

Good morning, gentlemen.

I am Della J. Rogers, your new neighbor.

- My new what? - Uh, Ed, I am Chico Rodriguez.

This is my boss, Ed Brown. In the words of my people...

Bienvenida, encantado. Gusto tenerte por vecina.

Those are the words of his people, not my people.

In the beautiful words of your people, señor...

Gracias, por la buena amistad.

And in the words of my people

what is grinding your grits, honky?

The name is Brown!

And I'll tell you what's grinding my grits.

You're disturbing the peace.

Well, I'm sorry for the disturbance, Mr. Brown

and I apologize but the law does state that

you can start drilling at 7:00.

Only if you're a dentist.

- What line of business are you? - Catering.

Catering. Catering? Well, I'll thank you to keep

your girls out of my garage.

That's not the kind of catering I do, I deliver by a truck.

I don't care if you deliver by limousine.

I don't want your kind around here.

Ed!

That man could really make a fortune

staring at cabbage and turning it into sauerkraut.

- Now listen, Ms. Rogers. - Miss Rogers!

Oh, she is one of those.

Ed, this is no way to start a relationship.

I'm not trying to start a relationship.

I'm trying to head one off at the pass.

Now look here, miss lady.

Since I've been in this garage

eleven businesses have failed in that store

and you're gonna make it an even dozen. That's a promise.

- Señor, can I use your wrench? - No!

Ms. Rogers, I apologize for my boss's behavior.

He's really not a bad guy.

He does a marvelous impression of one.

Don't let that fool you, I've been with him for two years

and he is rude to everybody

regardless of race, religion, color or national origin.

I know the type dedicated to life, liberty

and their pursuit of misery.

[chuckles] You got it, but don't worry

you'll get along great with him.

I won't.

The man is stupid, he don't even speak Spanish.

Oh, Salvador...

Yeah, Salvador, give him a break, what do you want from him

he's a foreigner around here.

Man, that was the lowest. That was really the pits.

Sick, sick, I have never seen any one so sick.

What are you worried about? She won't be here long.

- I'm talking about you. - Me?

Man, what have you flipped your taco or something?

You know, you got about as much charm as a stuck zipper.

So, now you're on her side, huh?

No, I'm on the side of common decency.

Well, it's time you're on my side.

Ed, when are you gonna learn to get along with people?

Do you realize how few friends you actually have?

Okay, you have me, you have Louie, you have uh...

You haven't got enough to fill a glove.

Hey, hey, Chico!

Congratulations.

You know who's moved next door to you?

Yeah, black widow spider.

She is a widow and she is black, but she ain't no spider.

- That's Della Rogers. - You know her, Louie?

Do I know Queen Elizabeth? Do I know Bella Abzug?

Do I know Lola Falana? Of course I don't know.

But you can ask anybody that that woman is

Eleanor Roosevelt rolled up into one.

Oh, Eleanor Roosevelt. One of those Globetrotters.

Oh, no, man. She don't play no basketball.

But believe me, fellows.

For the work this lady is doing in this community

she is beloved by all.

Yeah, but behated by Ed.

Oh! Ed, have you met her?

Yeah, it was one round, no decision.

That woman is a powerful force in this town.

Why, she can help you, Ed.

Did you know that she is known as, "Joan of dark?"

Didn't they burn the first one at the stake.

Morning, everybody.

Anybody got a match?

Mr. Brown, I brought a peace offering.

If that's the dirt from the hole you just dug in the alley

you can put it back.

Chico, introduce me?

I'm sorry, oh, Ms. Rogers.

Can I present Louie Wilson, your local sanitary engineer.

Oh, come on, he's a garbage collector.

Why can't you call a spade, a spade?

- Wait a minute! - Ah!

Uh, an unfortunate choice of words, Ms. Rogers.

I'll accept that explanation

and I'm pleased to meet you, Mr. Wilson.

The pleasure's mine, Ms. Rogers.

And I might say, the quality of garbage in this neighborhood

will rise one thousand percent.

And it'll really be an honor for me to service your can.

Mr. Brown, these are some freshly baked donuts.

I thought you might like to have them for breakfast.

- Why? - Why not?

All it's gonna cost you is a thank you and a smile.

Oh!

Thank you.

- How about the smile? - Let's don't press our luck.

Come on, Ed. Smile. It's easy.

See.

Boy, you're a regular Jimmy Carter, you know that?

With this donut I declare Ed and Della good neighbors.

Well, I'll have to stay for the wedding breakfast

but you know time and trash wait for no man.

I'll see y'all later.

How about a cup of coffee, Rogers?

The name's Della. Thanks, Ed.

Listen, I got some work to do cleaning up. I'll see you later.

Hm, that smells so good. What kind do you use?

Well, with the price of coffee today, I use yesterday's.

- Mmm. - You like it?

Let me see, what's in here.

Oh, cinnamon, honey and...

...a little sprinkle of lemon.

- How did you know that? - I tasted it.

Yeah, this really brings back memories.

Oh, I can see it all now.

Steaming kitchen, pot of hot boiling oil...

- Peanut oil? - Yeah, peanut oil.

- That's my secret recipe. - Where'd you get it?

From a lady my mama used to work for when I was about 12.

Twelve?

Don't try to figure out how

long ago that was now.

Ms. Margaret was a wonderful lady.

Margaret? That was my wife's name.

Margaret Brown!

Do you know who you are? You're Margaret's husband.

I just told you that.

Edward Lester Brown, don't you remember me?

♪ Hey Mr. Brown back in town ♪

♪ Mama washed your sheets and the sleeping gown ♪

- Twinkle Top! - That's right, Mr. Brown.

You're that little colored girl.

I was a little colored girl.

I'm now a black woman.

Ah, little Twinkle Top grew up.

Some of us have to.

Look at me, I got my businesses and my friends...

Margaret always said you'd amount to something.

She was really a wonderful lady.

- You're telling me. - The things she did for me...

I remember once I wanted to go to

a "Stevenson for President" rally.

And my momma was working, so, Ms. Margaret took me.

What to a Stevens... Oh, no, no, no.

Margaret was an Eisenhower booster.

Well, yeah, she was but we changed her mind.

I...

Margaret, you didn't vote for Ike?

I even remember the first time I took her to a NAACP meeting.

NAACP? But Margaret wasn't colored.

Oh, yes, she was.

He color happened to be white.

She got so involved.

Do you know she made the donuts for the demonstrators

when we marched on City Hall?

You're talking about that march that the cops broke up?

And I ended up in juvenile hall.

And Margaret wound up in jail.

You remember that!

How-how can I forget it?

That woman went to her grave with a police record

and it's all your fault, you trouble maker!

- My fault? - Yes!

You're a real trouble maker, you--

- Hey, any donuts left? - This woman is an agitate.

America was built by agitators.

- Communist! - Fascist!

- Bolshevik! - Idiot!

Get out of my garage!

One technical point, Mr. Brown.

As of noon last Thursday

it's not your garage, it's my garage.

Your garage? This garage is owned by Mammoth Realty.

It was but beginning the first of the month

your rent check will be made out to Miss Della J. Rogers!

- You're his new land lady? - I prefer land person.

And I also prefer another tenant.

Oh, you...

Well...

...the twinkle sure gone out of her top.

Hey, Chico! Chico, come here. Take a look at this.

Look at this pipe, it's ruining the whole alley.

Oh, Ed. You're so right.

Aesthetically, it clashes with the graffiti

and ruins the symmetry of the trash.

What are you worried about?

You won't be looking at this door much longer.

Oh, yes. I will.

She's not gonna get me out of this garage.

I got a lease, you hear? I got a lease.

- I got a mortgage. - I'm not talking to you.

- Gracias. - Ah!

Ed, I'm gonna send your name to the "Guinness Book Of Records"

for holding the world's longest grudge.

You think I can ever forgive that woman

for turning Margaret against Ike?

Ed, Margaret's gone. Ike's gone.

- Nobody cares anymore. - I care, I care.

I'd vote for him again.

I like Ike. I like Ike!

You're gonna get Ronald Regan very upset.

Ah, it really hurts, huh, Chico?

All these years, I thought Margaret and I had no secrets from one another.

Now I find out that she had this thing for Adlai Stevenson.

Only once, in a voting booth. You've gotta forgive her.

You're right.

Well, Ike won any how, so...

...Margaret, I forgive you.

- I meant Della. - Della?

Hey, Della, I don't have to forgive.

And you know why? 'Cause I got a lease.

An iron clad lease. Where's that lease?

It's in the office somewhere, I remember putting

it there a long time ago.

When's the last time you saw it?

Last time I saw was when I signed it, 30 years ago.

And you haven't read it since?

I read "Gone With The Wind" 30 years ago

- I haven't read that since. - Yeah, but you saw the movie.

Ah, when they make a movie of my lease, I'll go and see that.

Oh, there, there's the lease. She can't do a thing to me.

She can't even raise the rent.

See what it says here

"The aforementioned rent shall remain frozen

for the duration of this agreement."

Ha! Ha-ha.

Expiration date is January 1, 1977.

- Yeah. - Nice going, Ed.

She can't throw you out for three whole months.

You mean, it's been 30 years since...

[snaps] "Gone With The Wind"

Thirty years?

Well, look at it this way, we got plenty of time to pack.

Ah, will you drop it?

Why would she want to throw me out?

What would she do with this place?

Who would be stupid enough to rent this dump?

- You. - You just wait.

She'll come crawling to me on her hands and knees

begging me to renew this lease.

[Della] Here you are, Mr. Moss.

Now, you just take a look around.

The structure's sound and look at all this floor space.

I'm telling you, this is going to be ideal for a super market.

Don't listen to her, Moss.

There's a curse on this place and she's it.

Just ignore him, Mr. Moss, he's my former tenant.

Ah, let's face it, kid. The party is over.

Oh, Ed, be optimistic.

There's a big, wide, wonderful world out there

full of old cars waiting for us to repair.

[cash register dings]

Where're we gonna repair 'em, the third floor of the YMCA?

Are you kidding, man? We'll get a bigger garage, a better garage.

I see ads in the paper all the time.

Garage for sale $10,000 down.

Where are we gonna get $10,000?

Well, if I have to, I'll go on "Let's Make a Deal."

How? Dressed as an enchilada?

Alright, alright, but listen, we got our inventory.

- Yeah. - Huh?

- We got $200 worth of radios. - Yeah.

And we got at least 1500 spare parts.

- Uh-huh. - Right?

- A $1,000 worth of tools. - Mm-hmm.

And there's the office furniture, that's another...

...seven dollars.

Hey, and how about all the good will I built up all those years?

Yeah, the good will you built up.

- Yeah. - Subtract $2,000.

Ah... no use, Chico.

- I'm finished. - I was only teasing you, Ed.

Well, "Many a true word is spoken in jest."

Ah, at least I know where I stand in this neighborhood.

I know who my enemies are.

And at my age, it's too late to move to another neighborhood

and make new enemies.

Then how about staying in the old neighborhood

making just one friend?

[Della] I heard that.

Cruise by the park and see if Big Bernie's playing ball.

I haven't heard from him in three hours.

[woman on radio] Right on, Mother Courage.

Well, well, well. Good afternoon, Della.

- Remember me? - I believe I do.

You're the gentleman from the garage who just read his lease.

Yeah, from the Mammoth Realty.

Tell me, how did you get stuck with it?

Henry Mammoth was my uncle and when he died

he left the property to me.

Oh, why? What did he have against you?

What do you want, Mr. Brown?

Well...

I just wanted to say that I have a...

Hey!

It's a picture of you and Mayor Bradley. How about that?

Oh, who is that handsome gentleman over there?

That's Adlai Stevenson the third, right?

Fine young man.

Takes after his father, does he?

- What do you want, Ed? - Oh, well, uh...

I guess, you know I was trying to pull a wool over your eyes

Della, you must be too smart for me, so I'll...

...get right to the point.

Ah, you remember that lease I had?

Well, there's a typing error in that lease.

I'd like you to take a look at it.

You see, where it says 30 years.

Yes.

That three is supposed to be an eight.

When you were 35 years old, you signed an 80 year lease?

Well, when I was a kid of 35, did I know what I was doing?

[man on radio] Breaker 1-4 for Mother Courage.

- Hey, what's that? - Excuse me.

- That's one of my trucks. - One?

- I have a fleet. - A whole fleet?

- Two. - Oh!

Mother Carriage headquarters, come in.

[Bernie] 10-4, Mother Courage, this is Big Bernie callin' in.

Where have you been?

[Bernie] Had a little trouble over here, mother.

Something's leaking.

I don't know whether it's the oil

or the car paint.

Well, don't take any chances.

Run the rig into the nearest garage.

Yeah, and the nearest garage is mine

and it's also the best and I give discounts

to land ladies, I mean, land person.

Light's green, bring in the machine, Bernie.

[Bernie] Adios, down and gone.

Yeah.

Oh, it's one of those new Frankel radios, yeah.

What will they think of next?

I hear young Tom Edison is working on the light bulb.

[laughing]

- Ah, that's very, very... - Ah!

Oh, yeah.

Um... friends again?

- We're friends. - Yeah.

Listen, I tried your coffee. You wanna have a taste of mine?

Why not? I'm sure your coffee is a lot better than mine.

Because of... oh, look at this lovely poster!

"God loves you."

- Ain't that the truth? - That really is.

Yeah, thank you very much.

"Pray to her." Yeah.

"Pray to her?" Since when is God, a woman?

- Who said God was a man? - God says so.

- When did she tell you that? - He! He!

Where does it say in the Bible that

God made woman in his image?

We're working on a new translation.

That's blasphemy.

Ever seen those pictures in the Vatican?

Michelangelo's ceiling in the Sistine Chapel?

He painted God with a beard.

If Mrs. Michelangelo had painted her

she would've been clean shaven.

That's enough, that does it.

You tried to turn my Margaret into a democrat.

You tried to turn my garage into a super market.

But you're not gonna try to turn my God into a woman!

- Get out of my office! - This is my office.

You get out.

[cash register dings]

For our new lease.

That's it! That's it!

That does it! I've had it with her.

- What happened? - What happened?

I'll tell you what happened.

You'll never believe what happened

when I tell you what happened.

I told her that, uh...

What happened to my shot glass?

Oh, I was toasting to our new lease.

New lease? You think for one minute I'd sign a lease

with that rotten human being?

You blew it.

That woman is irrational

irreverent and irritating.

You blew it.

She can come crawling to me

on her hands and knees, begging,

pleading, whimpering.

I'll never give her the satisfaction

of having me for a tenant.

You blew it, you blew it, You blew it!

I blew it.

Well, Ed...

Well, it's not the end of the world.

- Not, huh? - Ah.

Looks like we gotta put up things for sale.

What did I say, seven dollars for the office furniture?

Yeah.

And we got 20 for the register.

And cash on hand...

Maybe we better count it later.

I told you the dollar was shrinking.

Uh, well, Margaret...

...this is it for yours truly.

After 30 years in one location, I'm being evicted.

- Hey, Ed. - Hmm?

Do you trust me?

You're the only person in the world I trust

now that Eisenhower is gone.

- Good, then sign this. - What is it?

If you trust me, you'll sign it.

Okay.

- Where will I sign it? - On my back.

Oh, I mean, uh...

...how about signing it on the bottom?

- You better not. - Oh.

Ed-ward...

Boy, I'm glad you don't have my name

Francisco Rodriguez y Sanchez.

Yeah. Here you are.

Ha, what did I sign?

Okay, listen. "This agreement between Della Rogers

the party the first part and Edward L. Brown,

the party the second part,

acknowledges that the term of the lease

owned by the party, the first part

is herewith extended to the party the second part..."

That's you. "Under the same provisions

for another 30 years."

Hey, that's marvelous.

That's one, you're a genius. How'd you do that?

Well, it's not all done. Now I got to get Della to sign it.

Get out!

[theme song]

[narrator] "Chico and the Man" was recorded live

before a studio audience at NBC Studios, Burbank, California.

♪ Chico was born in El Barrio ♪

♪ Spent much of his time in the street ♪

♪ His mind was crazy for knowledge ♪

♪ His belly for something to eat ♪

♪ Times are hard ♪

♪ Chico And The Man ♪

♪ Times are hard ♪

♪ Chico And The Man ♪

♪ Yeah, baby ♪

♪ It's alright yeah ♪