Original subtitles

Hey, brother.

Hey, man, let's do that scene again. Let's take it from the top.

Yeah, okay.

Othello, The Moor of Venice by William Shakespeare.

No, not that far, man. Just do the scene.

Oh, man.

Oh, man.

You shall close prisoner rest.

To that nature of your fault be known to the Venetian state.

Come, bring him away.

Soft you.

A word or two before you go.

Now, I have done the state some service, and they know it.

No more of that.

I pray you in your letters, when these unlucky deeds you shall relate, speak of

me as I am.

Nothing extenuate, nor set down ought and malice.

Speak of me as one that loved not wisely, but too well.

make room for Lamont Samford, the new Othello.

Hey, man, you're just lying. You're trying to make me feel good. Hey, man,

I'm lying, I'm lying in my mama's home crying.

You ain't been in the workshop but three weeks and you're almost as good as me

already. Hey, man, we're going to turn this play out. I can feel it.

Hey, Ronald, who knows what this might lead to, man? I mean, from a junkyard to

a neighborhood theater to Broadway to my first motion picture. And back to the

junkyard.

I thought you said I was good.

Hey, well, you're a good partner, but you ain't fantastic.

I mean, you ain't Jim Brown.

Well,

I'm going to keep working on it, Raul. As a matter of fact, after school,

Marilyn is going to come over here, and we're going to go, you know, do a few

scenes together.

Uh -oh.

Now, how are you going to work that out with your father, Raul?

Are you kidding, man? He ain't going to be around.

How are you going to get him out of the house?

Hey, maybe I tell him they're having a nudie film festival down in the

neighborhood.

right on. That ought to put wings on his own heels.

Hey, well, looky, I'm getting a win, my man.

Hey, come later. Go with me apart.

I must withdraw to furnish me with some swift means of death for the fair devil.

Now, art thou my lieutenant?

I am your own forever, brother.

Right on.

Yeah.

And would I be sure that this...

Thanks, bud.

Would all this be true if I didn't care for you?

Bill, can you just hit that note?

Hi, son.

Hey, Pop, you're in a good mood tonight, man. What's up?

Yeah, Lena Horne weekend on a 10 o 'clock movie.

You're not expecting no company, are you?

No, I'm not going to share the horn with nobody.

Well, if the movie don't start till 10, how come you start so early?

Well, see, at 8 .30, the creature feature starts.

And Bubba told me, make sure I don't miss this one, because it's a good one.

It's all about creatures and stuff, see?

And Bubba told me not to miss it because it was a good one. It's called The Day

of the Night Creeper.

It's all about an army of big bugs surrounding Washington, D .C.

toward the president.

Yeah, that sounds terrific.

Yeah, and that takes me right on up to 10 o 'clock when it's just me and the

whore. Yes.

You know something, Pop?

Watching all that television, man, is bad for your eyes. You know what you

should do? You should take a nice, long, leisurely walk out in the night air.

You know, it'd be good for you.

Yeah, out there in that nice, healthy smog and those friendly muggers.

Hey, what's this all about? Why are you trying to get me out of the house?

Hey, and don't turn on the TV yet, Pop.

Okay, well, here's how it is. See, I'm expecting some company. In a few

as a matter of fact. And, well, I don't want nobody around. You know what I

mean?

You mean female company?

You got it.

Well, you son of a gun.

Chip off the old block.

You mean you got some heavy action coming?

Right, right. So, would you make yourself scarce, Pop?

Wait a minute.

Look here.

Who's the lucky girl? Never mind who it is. Are you going?

Listen, who is it? Is Jessie Mae's daughter Jackie Walsby? That girl with

pretty legs and the big pop?

No, look, it's not anybody that you know now. Would you please leave? I'm going.

I mean, I have to have the house to myself once in a while. You have to say

more. I'm going. Okay, thank you very much. I'll see you later.

Hey.

I ain't got nowhere to go.

down to the bar and have a few beers and watch some TV down there.

I was thinking about that, but I ain't got no money.

All right.

Here's a buck. Good night, Pop.

Well, they got a $2 minimum down here.

All right. Here you go. Good night. That's just to keep the lauderers out.

Right. Good night, Pop. Now, listen. You want me to be gone about two hours,

don't you?

Well, this won't last but an hour.

Okay, now. Good night, Pop.

Say, give me another buck and it's a deal.

See, I tips.

And look, son, I'll be back at 10 o 'clock, so make sure that the premises

been vacated. Good night, Mom.

Good night.

Is it crazy Herbert's daughter...

Street, is it all right?

This will be a first for this neighborhood.

You mean my being in your house?

No, your car being the first one on the block with hubcaps.

Come on in. Make yourself at home. Thank you.

Say, Marilyn, I really appreciate you coming over like this. I mean, you know,

teaching school during the day and a workshop at night. You must be awfully

tired. Oh, no. This is the fun part. I enjoy it. Oh, good.

Say, would you like some refreshments? Potato chips?

Pretzels? Father set this up for us and then he had to split.

Most likely he's at the club.

No, thank you.

Hey, you have quite a collection here.

Yeah, Papa and I have been working at it for a long time.

But you know something, Marilyn?

My heart's not really in the business.

I mean, I've always felt that I was cut out for something in the arts.

You mean acting?

Acting, directing, tap dancing.

Something better than what I'm doing now.

Now, do you think if I really stuck with it and applied myself that I might

become an actor?

Oh, Lamont, it's a very tough business. You know, I mean, it's one thing doing

it like we're doing as a hobby, but to depend on it for a living, oh, I don't

know. I got the talent. I mean, you said so yourself.

Yeah, you do.

And I'm tall enough.

I'm intelligent. I'm good looking.

You're modest.

Right, right. You want to get started?

Come, Del Dimona.

I've been an hour of love of worldly matters to spend with thee. We must obey

the time.

Oh, very good, my lord.

Hey, of course that's very good. That's because I'm talented and I'm sharp and

I'm cool.

What's the matter with you, Bubba?

You've got to be quiet with him. I know we're out here and think we're spying on

him. But we are spying on him. No, we're not. We're just going to find out who

the mystery woman is.

I bet it's that Jackie Warnsby. It better not be. She just married Al

nephew last week.

That explains why she's the mystery woman.

Weepest thou for him to my face?

Oh, banish me, my lord, but kill me not. Down, stump it.

No, but I didn't want to hurt you. Oh, don't worry about that. I'm not fragile.

I won't break.

Well, I mean, don't actually strangle me, but act as though you might.

All right, let's try it again. Whenever you're ready, my lord.

Can't you tell the difference between a real thing and a rehearsal?

A what? A rehearsal.

Something that you practice for a play.

A play?

That's right, a play.

Marilyn is the director of this workshop that I've been attending, and we're

going to put on a play.

Oh, and I hope you'll come and be in the audience.

You're going to have an audience?

Of course there's going to be an audience. Well, you better have the

Guard standing by.

I'm going to go, Fred.

I'm going to make the bar give me something to drink to calm my nerves.

minute, Bubba. Wait a minute. You don't have to go there. You can have a drink

here. Man, you ain't got enough here in this house to drink for me to calm my

nerves.

Lamar, didn't you tell your father about our drama workshop?

He didn't tell me nothing.

Now, about this play.

Didn't you know Jack the Ripper was a white man?

That shows you how much you know. This is one of Shakespeare's most important

plays, Othello.

If you ever took the time to read it, you'd know that Othello was a black man.

Othello? That's right, Othello.

A black man with Italian names?

was Amor.

Amor?

Amor. I know Archie Moore.

Yeah, but see, old fellow Amor sound like he might have been... Do

you want to hear about this or not?

Othello was a black man and he was married to this white woman and he

a cheating on him so he choked her to death.

And you call that a play?

Mr. Sanford, may I say something?

Lamont has been working very... hard at this, and I'll bet you're not aware of

how good he is. Have you ever seen him act?

I've been watching him act all his life.

Like a dummy.

No, I don't have to. Oh, wait a minute, Lamont. Would you do something from the

play for your father?

Well, bye.

Wait, wait, Mr. Sanford. No, I'm not going to do anything for him. He just

laughs. Lamont, you have to get used to this. I mean, your friends and your

family are your worst critics, and if you please them, you can please anybody.

How about it?

Well, all right.

Good. Mr. Sanford, I think you're in for a little surprise.

I think I'm in for a little nausea.

Now, come on over here. Sit down and just watch.

I'll watch, but I don't want to.

Hey, old fella.

Will you take your foot off my chippendale?

when you shall these unlucky deeds relate speak of me as I am nothing

and say besides that in Apollo once where a malignant and

turbaned Turk beat a Venetian and introduced the state I took by the

circumcised dog and smote him

Was this play written by a Jewish fella?

What difference does that make, Pop?

Oh, because, I mean, they go for that kind of stuff, you know what I mean? But

we can take it or leave it, like they did.

When you was born, the doctor said... Pop, what are you talking about?

You take one little word out of the whole speech and you make a big deal

it.

I ain't going to say nothing about that. If you're going to be in a place, use

them kind of words. I don't hear no more of that.

They don't use them kind of words on television.

I'm going to get me a glass of Ripple.

Hey, Marilyn, let's just forget about the rehearsal.

I'm sorry. We'll have to pick another time and another place to rehearse. What

about her place?

What?

If she can come over here, how come you can't go over there?

Pop, Marilyn comes here because the workshop is close by. I mean, it's

for her to come here than to go all the way home.

What's the matter with you, man?

Marilyn's all right.

You live alone?

No, I live with my parents.

Gee, that's why you can't go.

You're wrong, Mr.

Sanford. Where do you live?

Beverly Hills.

Kate Close.

I'm sorry, Mr. Sanford, but you're wrong.

Listen, Lamont is welcome at my house any time. Well, tonight.

Right now, in fact, if he wants to go. Hey, Marilyn, look, you don't have to

prove nothing to him.

Yes, I think that I do. And I'd like to prove it to you, Mr. Sanford.

I'd like for both of you to come to my house right now.

Look, Marilyn, he'd only mess up the rehearsal there just like he did here.

The only way that I'll go is that if he sits and waits out in the truck.

Come on, you can't have your father wait out in the street.

Yes, I can.

Hey, listen, it's okay.

I don't mind sitting in the truck as long as you give me a camera so I can

the expression off that Beverly Hills policeman's face when I tell him I'm

sitting in the truck waiting on my son who's inside choking a white woman to

death.

Now, you sure my truck gonna be safe out there?

What's the matter with you, Pop? This is Beverly Hills, man. So what? They steal

in Beverly Hills.

Now, listen, just make yourselves at home.

Say, this sure is a nice place you got here, ma 'am. Thank you.

First, can I get you anything, something to drink?

First, you better get your mother and father, because all of us might need a

drink.

I know what you're thinking, Mr.

Sanford, and I want you to come back when they are here because I'd really

for you to meet them.

Mm -hmm.

Excuse me, I'm going to see what's in the refrigerator and then we can get

started. Look, Mal, listen, don't, don't, I don't want you to go to any

Hey, you go do some bothering, honey. Go ahead and bother them.

Okay, I'll be right back.

See, you know what's wrong with this house?

It ain't got no smell.

the smell of frying coming out the kitchen. You know what I mean? Smell

Pure white. Smell like lettuce.

I found some fruit.

Would you like some, Mr. Sanford?

Yeah, I'll take it, won't I? Yeah, I'll take it. Yeah, I'll take it all.

Lamont, should we get started?

Oh, yeah. You ready? Hey, wait a minute, son.

Y 'all are not going to do that play about the... about the dog that had the

operation.

That's right, and if you don't want to hear it, she can just go take a walk.

Oh, Mr.

Sanford, listen, now, maybe you'd like to watch some television. There's a set

down the hall, or there's one out in the kitchen. Just help yourself. Hey,

Marilyn, don't worry about him. Let's just get tied, okay? Okay.

Ready? Yeah.

Who's there?

Othello? Aye, Desdemona.

Will you come to bed, my lord?

Don't do that.

Have you prayed tonight, Desdemona?

Aye, my lord.

If you bethink yourself of any crime unreconciled as yet to heaven and great

solicit for it straight.

Alas, my lord, what may I mean by that?

Wait, wait, let me go back.

Have you did it? Okay.

I have but an hour of love of worldly matters to spend with you.

You must obey the time.

Very good.

This is where the TV is.

Hey, I thought you folks were going to be away for the weekend.

I just came for the TV.

Take the television. Take anything you want.

Catherine, give him your rings.

Just don't harm him.

Don't harm you?

These people must be crazy.

Sanford, and he's in my drama workshop.

Uh, hello, Mrs. O 'Neil. Mr. O 'Neil.

Uh, I'm sorry we scared you like that.

And this is his father, Mr. Fred Sanford. Yeah, I met him in the bedroom.

Marilyn, don't ever do that to us again. You scared the life out of us. Oh,

Mother, really, you should have understood it was just play acting.

Play acting?

How can we tell he wasn't really stealing the TV?

First a strange man walks into our bedroom, and then this?

What is this you're talking about? A strange man? Who's a strange man? I

no strange man.

Hey, Pop, look, he didn't mean nothing by that. To him, you are a strange man.

Yeah, and if he come to watch, he'll be a strange man.

I'll bet you anything he's a bigot.

He certainly is not a bigot. We both belong to the Urban League.

why Mr. Sanford was offended when you found him and his son in your house, you

overreacted. Overreacted? What are we supposed to do when a strange man walks

into our bedroom? There you go again. That's right.

Dad,

what I'm trying to say is that in the case of Mr.

Sanford, you overreacted simply because he... Wait a minute, honey. Let me

explain him.

What happened?

See, now, you've had other people make a mistake and come in your bedroom

before. Say, like your daughter's friends.

Yes, it's happened. It's happened before when I've had people in the house.

And did you say that they were thieves and crooks and was going to do you some

harm? Well, I can't recall what I said. No, no, you didn't. But as soon as you

saw me, who you call a strange man, right away, you think the worst.

Yes, I suppose I did. And that's why Mr.

Sanford was insulted.

When you saw him, you immediately assumed that he was after something.

Yeah.

prejudice. Maybe I did overreact a little.

Yeah, you admit it now, don't you? Yeah. Yeah, you admit it. See, you found out

something about yourself tonight.

Yes, I suppose I did.

Sure you did.

And next time you find a black man in your bedroom looking for the TV, don't

uptight.

Don't do that. And another thing, get some smell in this house.

Sanford, why don't we all finish this off with a nightcap? Yes, please.

Stay and have something.

Would you, Mr. Sanford? Lamont?

Well, it's okay with me if it's all right with Bob.

Oh, you don't call me a strange man.

Oh, that's all forgotten.

All forgotten. Come on, Sanford. Name your poison. What do you have?

Give me a badge of Ripple.

Ripple? What's that?

That's the national wine of what?

Well, I don't have any Ripple, but...

Why don't you try a little of this special sherry? This is special Madeira

the estate Blandy, 1860.

Mmm.

Ah!

Oh, man, it tastes like shoe polish.

What do you mean, shoe polish? Shoe polish, Griffin, Kiwi, Esquire.

This stuff costs $30 a bottle.

Well, you ought to go back and get $29 and get you some real work.

See, you people don't know what's good. Uh -huh. You people.

What do you mean, you people?

You're prejudiced.

You're the one who's a bigot.

Who's a bigot, bigot?

Put that line down.

Sun

for

the Sun is recorded on tape for a live studio audience.