Original subtitles

Well, we're moving on up, moving on up, to the side, moving on up, to a deep...

actual choir competition isn't until next Thursday.

Who's talking about choir competition? I'm talking about the Met.

We just beat the Dodgers in the ninth, three to two.

Hi.

Oh, Florence, I'm so proud of you.

Your choir is a cinch.

win the first prize trophy this year.

Oh, thank you, Miss Jefferson.

You know, I'm just surprised you got Mr. Jefferson to come down here.

Did you like it?

Yeah, especially the last inning. A number.

Oh, Reverend Daniels. I want you to meet Mr. and Mrs. Jefferson.

Mr. and Mrs. Jefferson meet our brand new minister, Reverend James C. Daniels.

So pleased to meet you, Mrs. Jefferson. You too, Reverend.

And Mr. Jefferson, good to see you at our prayer service.

Hope to see you here on Sunday.

Sunday? Ha!

He is due.

You'll have to pardon my husband, Reverend Daniels. But if you don't,

worry. You'll have plenty other opportunities.

Oh, come on. We should just say that because he's a reverend. I mean, he can

take a joke. Reverends have a sense of humor, too, you know. And, Florence,

voice is getting better every day.

You know what I mean?

Well, it was nice meeting with you. Oh, by the way, will you folks be traveling

to Ohio for the... choir competition.

No, I don't think so. We'd rather listen to it from here.

George, please.

Come on, we demand a smile.

I haven't met a reverend yet that I couldn't make laugh.

I believe it. I saw how much you put in the collection plate.

Well, it was absolutely beautiful. Glad you came.

Oh, Florence, I forgot to ask. Why wasn't Reverend Taylor at rehearsal

Oh, he called and said he was coming down with a little cold.

I guess he didn't want it spreading all over the choir.

Oh, Cole, why didn't I think of that? Who was this genius, anyway?

No Reverend Taylor. He's the one Reverend Daniels is replacing.

He's been there for years.

I can't place him.

The one that you tried to convince to put Jefferson Cleaners on the back of

choir robes.

No wonder I forgot.

After what he said to me, I found it impossible to stay in the same room with

the man.

What did he say?

Please leave the room.

mail for you, E.

Here's a letter for you, Florence. Uh -oh. It's from the government. They

probably heard what you've been doing to me.

Oh, it's my tax refund.

You get a refund?

Yeah. I get one every year.

Uncle Sam's way of saying sorry your boss is so cheap.

Oh, look.

$300.

Oh, you could buy yourself something really nice with this.

Great idea.

Voice lessons.

Something for me or something for the choir?

You want my opinion?

Well, you earned the money. You should spend it on yourself.

Oh, I couldn't do that.

You know, Reverend Taylor always says that a penny spent on others is a dollar

spent on the soul.

Then it's simple.

Just spend that money on the choir.

How can you say that? I earned that money.

And Reverend Taylor also says, take care of yourself when you can, and the Lord

will do it when you can't.

Well, I say, cash the check, throw the money up in the air, and whatever the

Lord don't keep, put it in your pocket.

Then put it in the collection plate.

Howdy, Reverend.

Reverend Daniels, come on in.

Florence, Mr. and Mrs. Jefferson, I'm so sorry to interrupt.

Oh, is anything wrong, Reverend?

Well, Florence, you've been one of my strongest supporters, so I just stopped

to tell you that it looks like we're going to have to cancel that trip to

What? But they practiced so hard.

I know.

But the church's heating system just gave out needs replacement.

That choir competition could have been a wonderful thing.

But there are many older people in the congregation, Florence, and I must put

that money where it does the most good.

Well, I've got some money, $300.

Oh, no, Florence, that's not why I came.

Besides, I couldn't possibly take your... Oh, yes, you can, and you will.

I mean, the choir's worked too hard to give up now.

Oh, would $300 be enough to get that heating unit and still leave us enough

get to Ohio?

Yes, but, Florence, I couldn't possibly take your money. Then it's all settled.

I'm going to endorse this over to you, and you can cash it at my bank in the

morning, and there you are.

No, Florence, I can't do this.

I don't want to hear any more about it. Now, you just get that heating unit, and

if it makes you feel any better, you can name it after me.

Now I understand why Reverend Taylor speaks so highly of you.

You are truly an angel.

Not an angel. A saint, maybe.

A maid, definitely not.

Reverend, won't you stay and have some coffee? Oh, I really should, Mrs.

Jefferson. Mr. Jefferson.

Florence, maybe if I start calling around now, we can get that new unit

Sunday service.

Oh, good.

And, Florence, God bless you.

Thank you, Reverend.

Oh, Florence, that is one of the most unselfish things I ever saw.

Wasn't that wonderful, George?

Where are you going?

Into the kitchen to make a sandwich.

You know, I could be wrong, but I think...

Watching what you just did actually touched her.

She's leaving, hallelujah!

Ah, well, let's see. I got my sweaters, my dress, your new walkman, and I still

got room for the trophy.

Oh, what time are you going to get up in the morning?

Oh, the bus is supposed to leave at 5 o 'clock.

Oh, by the way, if you get a chance, stop by the church this Sunday.

Reverend Taylor's going to be preaching while we're gone.

Oh, Lord, I'm sure going to miss that man.

You really like him, don't you?

Reverend Taylor? They don't make him like him no more. He made that church

it is today.

That is, except for the heating unit.

Florence. Eula. Child, what you doing on this night air? You gonna catch a cold

and cough all the way to Canton.

Oh, that's just it, Florence. There isn't gonna be a Canton.

There isn't gonna be a competition.

What do you mean no competition?

Oh, at least not for us anyway.

The bus driver stopped by Reverend Daniel's place just now to pick up the

deposit for the trip.

Yes. And the man was gone, Florence.

Gone.

Clothes, furniture, and every penny we saved to get us to Canton.

Now, Velma, calm down.

Listen, listen.

I don't know what happened.

Florence is out now trying to get all the details.

But as soon as she gets back... Hold it a second. She just came... Velma.

Hello, Velma.

What happened?

I don't know. We just left town.

Go ahead, Velma.

Oh, did you check the church?

I checked the church and his apartment.

Landlord didn't even know he was gone.

I'm sorry. Go ahead, Velma.

Did he say it was an emergency or something?

It couldn't have been an emergency.

The whole apartment was cleaned out. The landlord said he even took burns so

they didn't blow to him.

I'm sorry. Go ahead, Velma.

Oh, and he didn't leave the money with someone else?

No, we checked all over. Turned out he fleeced everybody.

Go on, Velma.

And that's all you know?

That's all I know. And if I find out any more, I'll let you know.

Go on, Velma.

Velma?

Velma?

Well, how rude. She hung up.

I don't believe this. Me neither.

I mean, the man was a reverend.

Well, there must be some logical explanation.

Don't you think so, George?

Of course, Weasley. It's simple.

Look, the man saw the money. The man wanted the money. The man skipped town

the money.

I mean, this is not exactly a case for Columbo weed.

How could he do this to me? I supported him.

Look, it's been a rough day.

And I think the best thing for us to do is to get some sleep. Talking about it

now will only make it worse.

Hi, Louise, George.

Oh, there she is, our little songbird.

Oh, look, we know it's late, but we simply couldn't allow Florence to set

on that bus without a bon voyage gift from us.

Oh, no, no, no, no. We went shopping specifically for Florence. We're not

allowing her to go anywhere without this present.

Wait until you see it, Florence. We saw it, and right away we knew it was you.

Oh, no, that's mine.

Look in your bag, Tom.

But wait until you see it, Florence. It's lovely.

Ta -da!

No, dear, that's mine, too.

Keep looking.

Oh,

you're going to love this. It's so, uh, so, um... Helen, I think we forgot it.

Not that it was that great, anyway.

I agree. It's the ugliest thing I ever saw.

Just hideous.

Just hideous.

Well, good luck anyway, Florence.

She forgot it. I didn't.

Anyway, as I was saying, I think we should all get some sleep and discuss it

the morning. Oh, I don't want to sleep, Miss Jefferson. I don't know what I want

to do.

I mean, I believed in the man, trusted him. And if you can't trust a reverend,

who can you trust?

Florence, look.

Why don't you tell me about how much it's going to cost? Maybe I can come up

with something. Oh, I appreciate it, Mr. Jefferson.

But my heart's just not in it, you know.

Listen, try not to let it get to you.

Another preacher will come along, a better one. Oh, yeah, sure.

Better let me talk to her, please. Oh, George, don't, please.

Things are bad enough already.

Oh, come on, please, trust me this time.

Trust me.

Trust me.

Sit down, Florence.

Florence, you remember a couple of months ago when you were dying to see my

pictures and I wouldn't let you, so I hid them?

Yeah.

Do you remember where I hid those pictures?

Yeah, you hid them under Lionel's diploma in the spare bedroom.

Thank you. I've been looking all over for those pictures.

Okay, now to your problem.

Flirt, flirt, sit.

Okay, now, flirt.

I'm not going to lie and say I know how you feel.

I mean, when you have faith in somebody and they let you down, it's got to be

rough. But it's not the end of the world.

I mean, you read the Bible.

Who would know that any more than you?

But the man was a minister, Mr. Jefferson.

Listen.

You remember the story of Sodom and Gomorrah?

Yeah. Okay. You remember how, like, they had it all together until Gomorrah cut

off Sodom's hair?

Matt, not only did he lose his faith, but that also brought about the wisdom

Sodom.

He had to spend the rest of his days sleeping on a pillow of salt.

Who am I kidding?

I mean, you know all this, Florence. You're a student of the Bible.

I'm just trying to tell you, Florence, don't look back.

Oh, I'm sorry. I just can't listen.

No,

that's all right, Miss Jefferson.

He is right about one thing.

I've been looking back.

I mean, looking back was when church used to mean something.

And a minister was somebody to be admired, you know. But that's all over

I mean, it's just a business, a racket.

You might as well worship First National Bank.

I've been a sucker, you know. And you know why?

Because I've been looking back.

Well, I'm through looking back.

Well, where are you going?

To look forward.

I'm going down to that church one last time, and that's to get my things.

From now on, I'm going to live for me.

Florence, wait.

Now, I know how much the church means to you.

Why don't you talk to Reverend Taylor?

Because I don't have nothing to say to Reverend Taylor. If you want to talk to

Reverend Taylor, you talk to him. And while you're at it, tell him that him,

Reverend Daniels the crook, and Florence the sucker have all retired at the same

time.

Now, hold it.

I didn't tell her to go and quit the church.

See? That's how easy people can misinterpret the Bible.

information.

May I have the number of a Reverend Roy Taylor, please?

That's right, Taylor.

Well, this is it.

Here's your key to the front door.

You already got everything else I own.

That is, except for the heating unit.

But I'm sure you'll get another one.

I'm sure there's another sucker out there somewhere.

I'm through being a sucker.

Reverend Taylor.

Sister Johnson.

Down here mighty late this evening, aren't you?

Anything I can help you with?

No, I just lost my earring under this bench during rehearsal.

And I was trying to find it.

In the dark?

A bag full of shoes and old sheet music?

Isn't it funny, when you're looking for something specific, you always run into

a bunch of stuff you didn't know you lost.

Would you just look at all this stuff I didn't know I lost?

Good night, Reverend Tim.

Florence, you're about to lose your key, too.

Lord, I don't know where my mind's been lately.

Okay, Miss Jefferson talked to you already, didn't she?

Would you like to?

Not particularly. I just came to get my stuff so I could leave.

Leave?

Where are you going?

I don't know. Home.

Out. Somewhere.

Sure won't be Ohio, though, will it?

Choir can sing anywhere.

Oh, yeah.

They got a lot to sing about, too, don't they?

Things like hope and love.

I tell you what.

When you're preaching next Sunday, why don't you see if you can fit those words

into your sermon?

And then have the choir back you up with, I'm busted.

I'm sure Reverend Daniels would just love that.

That's funny.

You see, when I was here, the choir never sang to please me.

But I guess that was back when you all sang for love.

Oh, yeah, and there was a time when a preacher was somebody to be looked up

But I guess that was back when they weren't common thieves.

So now you have no faith.

Well, let's just say that getting kicked in the behind makes me a little

reluctant to bend over.

We'll just see about that.

Oh, what is this supposed to be, some kind of joke to you?

Oh, no, Florence, I'm too old to play games.

Too old to play, too ignorant to win.

But I know you.

And I know you got more sense than you're letting on.

What's that supposed to mean?

That you're not about to walk away from something that you'd give half of your

life to just because some fool took off with a load of money. It ain't just the

money.

He was a reverend, a man of God.

He was a reverend.

He's not a man of God.

Oh, and I'm supposed to know that?

We shouldn't even have to worry about things like that. And what about the

one? What are we supposed to do? Boat down the piano?

Check his arms for track marks?

Watch for peepholes in the dressing room?

What's the point in even coming to church?

To worship the Lord.

Well, you can do that on the subway. And these days, it's automatic.

No, Reverend Taylor.

You just want me to do what you want me to do.

You want me to go to church, praise the Lord, and have faith. Well, I had faith.

And what did it get me?

I could have had a normal life, you know.

A real life.

But I gave it all up for this place. And you know why?

Because I thought that this was the way.

Now, I've lost time.

I've lost love.

And my money.

Now, you look at me and you tell me what I got left.

What?

Sense enough to know.

But God's name ain't Reverend Daniels.

And sense enough to know that you don't come to church to worship the preacher.

And most of all, sense enough to know that you can't cash faith at a bank and

have somebody run off with it.

If just Daniels can do that to you, then you didn't have much faith to begin

with.

Well, reverends ain't supposed to steal.

Shoot, I know reverends ain't supposed to steal.

People ain't supposed to steal.

The last time I checked, they were doing it anyway.

But you never stole.

Girl, what are you talking about?

When I was a boy, I'd grab an apple or a hot loaf of bread with the best of

them. But I never said I was perfect.

But apparently somewhere down the line, Reverend Daniel said he was, and you

believed him. Well, no, but I... No buts.

You better get your guard straight.

I hate to see you giving up all that love on the wrong one.

You see, my God never stole money from me.

So it doesn't much matter what some man may do.

And you can forgive him that easy?

Who? Daniels?

Girl,

if it was my $300 he stole, next time I saw him, I'd put a knot on his

head.

Dig that.

There'd be snow covering the top of it.

I wouldn't leave the house of God on account of it.

Let him do that to you, and you'll be losing more than money.

And you know I'm right.

Or you wouldn't be crying.

Folks don't cry about something they don't care about leaving.

No, they don't, do they?

No, they don't.

Well, I'll think about what you said.

You do that.

I'll be seeing you.

Anytime you need me, just call.

Oh, Florence, I've been waiting on you. Listen, I just called Reverend Taylor.

Oh, that's all right, Miss Jefferson, I know.

I just talked to him.

Everything's fine.

You talked to him?

Yeah. You know, to tell you the truth, I didn't think it would work either.

But that man always knows the right thing to say.

I tell you, Miss Jefferson, good, bad, or different, they sure don't make him

like Reverend Taylor no more.

Did you hear what she said, Wiz?

Yeah.

You think I should call someone?

No, I don't think so.

What? But she said... I know, I know.

But, Wiz, now you made the phone call.

How could she have talked to Reverend Taylor if her sister said that he died

his sleep four hours ago?

I don't know.

But you know something?

I almost believe her.