Original subtitles

Well, we're moving on up. Moving on up. To the east side. Moving on up. To the

deep.

of them all.

I'll give you a hint.

It ain't Snow White.

Florence! Florence!

Oh, Florence, you just got to see what I picked up today. Oh, I ain't got time,

Miss Jefferson. I still have to get dressed. You'll be here any minute. Now,

calm down.

Sometimes it's fashionable to keep a gentleman waiting.

Not when you've been waiting for the gentleman for 20 years.

This was...

Thatcher of yours must really be something.

He sure is, Miss Jefferson. I tell you, if Buzz was meat, he'd be steak.

And if he was steak, he'd be filet mignon.

And if he was filet mignon, he'd be... $6 .59 a pound.

He sounds delicious, Florence. Where did you meet him? At the butcher shop?

No, in church.

When I first laid eyes on Buzz, he was praying. And that's a good sign.

Well, I like to give my prayers a little help.

with something like this.

Hey, that's quite a conversation piece.

I didn't buy it for conversation.

You know, it's amazing how a flimsy little thing like this can keep a body

warm.

Oh, hey, I better check on dinner before I get dressed.

You in a hurry, I'll do that.

Just take this into the bedroom.

I don't want George to check out the merchandise before...

He checks out the merchandise.

Get away from that mirror. You don't need no more bad luck.

I know.

I already got you.

Who is this?

Oh, hello, George.

How was your day?

Good, bad, and ugly.

What? Well, business was good, traffic was bad, and then there was Florence.

How come the table's set for four?

I told you this morning, Florence invited her new boyfriend over for

damn, I forgot about that. I didn't want to do nothing tonight but relax.

Why'd you have to drag him over anyway?

Oh, we're like family to her. She wants us to get to know him.

Well, have him send a resume.

When I eat, I like my turkey on the plate, not in the chair next to me.

How can you say something like that, George? You haven't even met the man.

No, but I have met the woman. And all Florence's boyfriends are losers.

Do you think this kind of suits me?

Sure. It's loud, ain't it?

Mr. Jefferson, would you zip me up, please?

Florence, you look beautiful.

This dress is going to knock your man right off his feet. And if it don't,

cooking will.

What time is the chump going to show up anyway? Any minute, and don't call him a

chump. He ain't like no man I ever met, Miss Jefferson.

He's smart, he's kind, he's sensitive, and an upstanding Christian.

As a matter of fact, he goes to church every day.

You figure. If you were my woman, I'd be praying a lot, too.

Oh, there must be buzz.

Would you open the door for me, Mr. Jefferson?

Why can't you open it?

Because I don't want him to think I'm desperate.

Now open the door!

Guess what?

Oh, no. I'll just throw you back out this time, Bentley. I was doing sit

Sit -ups? What for?

To strengthen my back.

Oh, my, what lovely shoes, Florence.

You should see the rest of me.

Florence, the man is in enough pain already.

George, will you get off Florence's back?

And onto mine?

Yeah, and hurry up. What bug don't think if he comes up here and sees you

walking on Mr. Bentley?

If he's dumb enough to date you, I'll charge him a quarter and tell him this

a ride.

Are you expecting a date tonight, Florence? Not just a date.

The date.

Florence's dream man is coming for dinner.

Ah! What's the matter? You met him?

No, my back just snapped into place. Thank you. Good, now you can snap back

your own place.

Next time, Mr. Bentley, maybe you should do your sit -up standing up.

Oh, that's good advice, Mrs. J. Good luck with your date tonight, Florence.

Hey, Harry Bentley, you don't want to be late.

Oh, that's all right, Mr. J. I'm spending tonight alone.

Oh, well, you want to keep yourself waiting.

George, don't you think that was a little rude?

No, but watch this time.

Buzz off!

Buzz, Thatcher, actually, is Florence home.

Oh, hey, you ain't bad looking.

Oh, I got the wrong apartment.

Don't mind Mr. Jefferson. He don't get much practice giving out compliments.

hello, Mr. Jefferson. It's nice to meet you. Florence talks about you all the

time. She does?

Well, we hope you'll have dinner with us anyway.

Oh, Buzz, this is Miss Jefferson.

Miss Jefferson, Buzz Thatcher. How do you do? Hello, Buzz.

Welcome to our home. Thank you very much. And my, my.

What a lovely home you've made for yourselves here.

Thank you, Buzz.

We've been very fortunate. Praise the Lord.

And dirty clothes.

Would you like a drink?

No, no, thank you. I don't drink.

The book of Proverbs says, Look not thou upon the wine when it is in the cup,

for at the last it biteth like a serpent and stingeth like an adder.

Sounds like you've been buying the cheap stuff.

Anybody else?

have what you're having, George.

I'll just have a glass of wine.

I guess that couldn't hurt.

Lips that touch wine will never touch mine.

On second thought, cancel my order.

What do you do for a living, Thatcher? I work at the post office.

You work in the section that delays the mail or the section that loses it?

Actually, I'm a mailman.

I guess that's why Florence gave me her...

Stamp of approval.

Well,

Mr. Jefferson, Florence tells me you're in the cleaning business.

Well, you've certainly chosen a noble profession.

Cleanliness is next to godliness.

Oh, well, in my case, cleanliness is next to Dave's discount records, which I

don't mind, because I get to hear the Bee Gees all day. Ah, ah, ah, ah.

I take it, Buzz, you're not a Bee Gees fan.

I'm sorry, Mrs. Jefferson. I don't even know what a GB is.

It's Bee Gees. I'll put on one of their records. No, thank you, Florence. I only

listen to Christian music.

So much of today's music seems to be the work of the devil.

Buzz has such high standards.

What's he doing hanging around you?

Well, to answer your question, Mr. Jefferson, it's simply that I've never

woman as charming and as upright as Florence.

Upright? Every time I see her, she's lying down.

Listen, Buster, you heard him. He said I'm charming.

Mr. Jefferson is your employer, and you shouldn't speak to him that way.

Hey, hey, you hear that, Flo?

If you say so, Buzz.

Hot damn, that's the first time I see somebody put a muzzle on Flo.

You know, there's something that troubles me about that word you just

Muzzle? No, the four -letter one.

Damn? Right.

With all respect, Mr. Jefferson, do you have to use a word like that?

Why, you know a better one?

No, no, you see, Mr. Jefferson, words like that show a lack of reverence.

They're blasphemous.

Well, I could say hot darn, but I'd be thinking damn.

George, could you come with me for a minute? I want to show you something in

kitchen. Hold it, Wheezy, we're talking.

Please.

Wheezy, what could you possibly have in the kitchen so important for me to see?

The corner you're going to be sleeping in tonight if you don't come right away.

Okay, okay.

I'll be right back in a minute, Satch.

Weasley, what do you want? I want to know what you think of him.

Thatcher? Well, I think he's exactly what Florence was looking for. I mean,

he's a cross between Billy Dee Williams and Billy Graham.

What do you think?

I don't know.

There's something about him that bothers me.

Weasley, what could bother you about him? He don't do nothing wrong.

He don't drink. He don't swear.

He don't even listen to music. That's what I mean.

He's not normal.

Well, neither is Florence.

What was that?

Sounds like Minnie Mouse.

Florence, what is it?

Well, we got some good news and some bad news.

Florence is not gonna be working here anymore.

What's the bad news?

That is the bad news.

The good news is

I got the cake. What kind is it?

Angel food.

Perfect for Buzz.

Well, I guess I'm ready.

Lawrence,

you look lovely.

Yeah, you sure do.

Coming from you, that's a compliment.

Coming from you, that's a miracle.

How do you like your cake, Florence?

Oh, Miss Jefferson.

Congratulations, Buzz and Florence.

It's beautiful.

Why don't you get some plates to go with it?

George, you get them.

Florence shouldn't be working at her own wedding shower.

Oh, yeah, you're right. Why should today be different from any other day?

I got something for you, Miss Jefferson.

Here.

Oh, Florence. These are your favorite earrings.

I know. I wanted you to have them.

But I know... Well, Buzz doesn't like me to wear jewelry.

Why not?

He says the body is the temple of the Lord, and jewelry ain't got no place in

temple.

Uh, Florence, are you sure you are not rushing into this wedding?

Miss Jefferson, at my age, I gotta rush.

I wanna get married while I can still walk down the aisle.

Well, I'm really gonna miss you, Florence.

I'm gonna miss you, too, Miss Jefferson.

Oh.

I get it. That must be her.

Her who?

Our new maid.

Were you this excited when you first heard I was coming?

Sure. What happened?

You showed up.

Mr. Jefferson, I'm Betty Clark, the new maid.

Oh, yeah, come in.

Here, I'll take your coat. Oh, thank you.

This is my wife, Louise.

Hello. Oh, how do you do? Oh, Mrs.

Jefferson. Oh, she does fine as long as she's married to me.

Oh, and this is Florence Johnston, the old maid.

He means former maid.

Hi. Hi.

Nice to meet you. Well, I want to get right to work.

Now, that's a maid.

Florence, why don't you show Betty around?

Okay. What would you like to see first, Betty?

Well, let's start with the big things I'll have to worry about. Right.

This is his mother.

Florence.

Now I'll show you the kitchen.

While you're out there, you can have an apple, Betty.

Apple Betty, get it?

Oh, I'll get it, Mr. Jefferson, if you show me where it is.

Never mind.

How can anybody have such a bad sense of humor?

I've been asking myself that for years.

Oh, come on, Weezy, your sense of humor ain't that bad.

Mr. Jefferson, please!

Oh, I forgot, it's your job. Yes, sirree, Mr.

Jefferson.

Oh, hello.

We're here for the shower.

But I haven't had a chance to clean it yet.

Oh, that's good.

Hi, Ellen.

Mr. Bentley.

Hello, Tom.

Oh, thank you, Betty. Oh, yes, sirree, Mrs. Jefferson.

Betty, would you bring the champagne in from the kitchen, please? Oh, yes,

sirree, Mr. Jefferson.

A pin, Mr. Jefferson. You could have gotten

stuck. I think I've been stuck already.

Yes, we're all very happy for you.

We're certainly going to miss you around here, Florence. How long has it been?

Four years.

Ah, tempest fugit. Hey, you better watch your language with Buzz Goods, or he

don't like swearing.

I wonder how it'll feel to be married.

Oh, don't worry, Florence. Being married is no big thing.

Tom. What I mean is marriage shouldn't change you.

Although, I remember when my older sister got married. She married a

they moved away from home for a number of years. Well, when she finally

to the house after all that time, nobody recognized her.

She changed that much?

Oh, no. We didn't live there anymore.

Oh, it's him, everybody. It's him.

Oh, wait till you see him. You ain't gonna believe your eyes.

But I know you're gonna like him because he's kind.

He's gentle. He's considerate. Florence, if you don't answer the door, he's

going to be gone. Oh, right.

Hello, Buzz.

Hello, Florence. Praise the Lord.

Right. Come in.

Florence, would you like to introduce your fiancé? All right. Everybody, this

him!

Buzz. That should meet our neighbors.

Harry Bentley.

Hello. How do you do? And Tom and Helen Willis. Hello.

Mrs. Willis, good to meet you, too.

Oh, thank you. No, no, no, Mr. Jefferson. Take a napkin. Your furniture

hard to replace.

Oh, yeah? You wouldn't.

Yes, I read, Mr. Jefferson.

How about a toast? Oh, great idea.

Yes. Thank you.

Here's a toast my best man proposed to me and Helen on our wedding day.

Made the bed in your hotel room... Tom, not that one. It even made you turn red.

That must have been an improvement.

Man, I get tired just watching her.

To Buzz and Florence, may your voyage together be full of happiness.

Hear, hear. And may the waters on your sea of matrimony be forever tranquil.

And may the sails... Hey, Shirley.

Doctor ship, my champagne's getting flat.

Cheers.

You and Florence make such a handsome couple.

Thank you, Mrs. Willis. But beauty is only skin deep. It's not important in

eyes of the Lord.

Is it, Florence?

Right.

Florence, why don't you open your presents now?

Oh, yes.

Ain't this nice, Buzz? All these presents? The Lord has truly blessed us.

I don't think there's a present there from him.

That's from us.

Oh, thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Willis. I wonder what it is.

It's a special edition from Tom's Publishing House. Oh, thank you very,

much. This reminds me of Psalm 68, verse 12.

The Lord gave the word, and great was the company of those that published it.

Well, that certainly is appropriate.

Oh, you made a mistake, Buzz.

Is Psalm 68 all right, but it's verse number 11?

Lawrence, dear, you should know better than to correct me in front of others.

But I... Remember, Florence, a woman's duty is to honor her husband.

Pay attention, we... Can't you find something else to do?

That one's for me.

Oh, let's see here.

Oh.

How lovely.

It's a needlepoint. I made it myself.

Oh, thank you. Thank you, Mr. Bender. An East Indian friend of mine suggested

it. It's a Hindu design symbolizing love.

Hindu? Isn't it a shame that a culture which creates such beauty is so unaware

of the ways of our Lord?

It's unfortunate that until these people can accept the true light, they're

doomed eternally to the fires of hell.

Oh, and my friend is such a nice fellow, too.

way, it's beautiful, Mr. Benny, and I'm going to hang it right up. I don't know

that we'll have room for it, Florence.

What Buzz means is that at the moment, all we can afford is his little bachelor

apartment. But the Lord will provide.

You know, Buzz, I was thinking maybe I could help provide.

I could get a job and we could save up for a house. No, no, dear. I don't want

my wife to work.

You married the right woman.

Until... Florence, I think you must have heard me the first time. I said, no.

If you plan to be a good wife, dear, your place is in the home. And in the

there can only be one master.

Master?

The good book says, the head of the woman is the man.

Now, you are the woman, and I am the man.

Yeah, but I... Florence, here's our present for George and me.

Jefferson.

It's beautiful.

How do you like it, Buzz? Put it back in the box.

But don't you like it? Put it back in the box.

But, Buzz, I... Put the damn thing back in the box.

It's okay, Buzz. We all know you were thinking darn.

I'm sorry. Forgive me, my friends, please, for my blasphemy.

If you like, Florence, you can exchange it tomorrow.

I think you should do that.

Why? Because only a sinner would wear such a thing.

What are you talking about? Wheezy's got one just like it.

So have I.

I mean, I bought one for a lady friend.

Tom, I'd like a drink of water. Will you come with me?

Well, I...

Yes, I'm a bit parched myself.

Uh, Buzz, I only meant to... I know exactly what you meant. You meant to

my Florence with this... this garment.

I... You're a sinful woman.

Now, wait a minute, chump. Sit down.

And don't call my man a chump. Now, look here, chump.

Florence, how dare you talk to me like that? I'll talk to you any way I want.

But, Florence, you never... And I'll wear anything I want.

I used to think of you as my angel.

Some angel. The moment you called this sweet woman a sinner, you lost your

and sprouted a tail.

Now, Florence, you... This woman is a saint.

Look who she married.

This woman has more Christian charity in her little finger than you got in your

whole Bible -thumping body.

I guess I was wrong about you, Florence. I thought you were a decent Christian.

In the scriptures, you'll find the words... That's your problem, Buzz.

You know all the words. You just don't know what they mean.

The engagement is off.

And I didn't mean darn.

Oh, God.

Oh,

Florence, I'm sorry.

Oh, ain't no need to be sorry, Miss Jefferson.

That dreamboat should have sunk a long time ago.

I guess the only thing I was in love with was the idea of getting married.

Then I'd say we still have a reason to celebrate.

Anybody want a drink?

Yes. Oh, wait a minute. I'll go get a napkin. Hold on. Come back here.

But, Mr. Jefferson, I'm only doing what a maid is supposed to do.

Wrong. I'll show you what a maid is supposed to do.

Florence, I need a drink.

Me too, and make mine a double.

See?

I'm sorry, Mr. Jefferson. I'll finish out today, but I'll just have to tell

agency I just can't stay here.

Are you quitting?

Yes, sirree, Mr. Jefferson. It's crazy to pay a maid to do nothing.

She called me crazy. You believe that?

Yes, sirree, Mr. Jefferson.

was videotaped in front of a studio audience.