Original subtitles

Good times! Anytime you need a payment. Good times! Anytime you feel free.

Good times!

Anytime you're up and under.

Not getting hassled, not getting hustled. Keeping your head up above

Making a way when you can.

Temporary layoffs. Good times!

from his successful engagement at the local supermarket, the project is proud

present the famous animal act, J .J. Evans and his trained sister, Thelma.

My, he made me carry all the packages.

J .J., I'm going to fix you for this. I carried the chewing gum.

I guess you'll want us to chew it for you, too. Take that stuff into the

kitchen. Yeah, I lug all the stuff and you carry nothing.

Well, I guess we carry just about what we're worth.

Anyway, when they made you, they forgot to give you muscles.

I happen to have plenty of muscles, little girl. Just happens that they're

on the inside.

stop talking like that because I know who you look like underneath all that

makeup.

Who? Me.

Hi,

everybody.

Where have you been all day, Michael? I was getting worried about you. Down at

City Hall picketing the Board of Education meeting.

Militant midget strikes again.

If you have any classes, the grade school boiler is still broken. For the

day. You know this neighborhood has the worst schools in the whole city?

Missing school two days in a row? Boy, are you lucky.

Aw, J .J., don't be jealous.

If I'm not mistaken, you missed school today and you were there.

What do you think of my sign, Mama?

Let me see it.

If you can read this sign, you didn't go to Harding Elementary School.

What would your teachers say if they saw that?

Huh, nothing.

Most of them couldn't read it.

It's the truth, Mama. You don't learn nothing. Know what our hardest problem

in math class this year? What?

How to divide 40 kids into 20 books.

Michael, I know your school isn't much good, but nothing in this neighborhood

is.

I always tried to get the ones J .J. had the year before because they were

barely used.

I didn't have a great mind, little girl. And that's barely used, too.

Who's talking about smarts? When they pierce your ears, your brain's leaked

Seems we got a problem.

If I came home without getting hit by a problem, I'd think everybody had moved

out the house.

Is it a Thelma problem?

No.

I ain't surprised. She's a good girl.

Is it a Junior problem?

No.

Now that surprises me.

It's a Michael problem.

He missed another day from school, and I don't like it.

Well, Mama, maybe we should call the school board and complain.

Wouldn't do a bit of good, baby girl. James, it just isn't fair.

Fair? Baby, you can drive a truck between what we got and what's fair.

Ma, I know much a problem you're going to have tomorrow with Michael hanging

around all day, so I'm ready to make the supreme sacrifice.

Yeah? I'm willing to stay home from school tomorrow and take Michael to the

movies.

Some sacrifice.

But it's a very educational film, Ma. Son of Blackula.

dude who turns into a vampire at midnight and flies around Harlem giving

foxy ladies hickeys.

Okay, Mark.

Educational program.

Hi,

Miss Evans.

Mr. Pearson, what a pleasant surprise.

Won't you come in? Thank you.

James, we've got company.

Michael's principal is here.

Michael, you're here.

How are you doing there, Michael?

Hi, Mr. Pearson.

Goodbye, Mr. Pearson.

Michael, don't be rude. You stay right here.

Hello, Mr. Pearson.

It's nice to see you again Oh, you remembered Oh, I never forget a bright

student

Evans, how are you? Just fine. Good.

Can I offer you a seat? Thank you very much.

Excuse me, Mr. Pearson, but I have some studying to do. It was good to see you,

Thelma.

Can I offer you a cup of coffee?

No, no, thank you very much. I'm fine.

Michael.

Well, now, what can we do for you?

Well, Mr. and Mrs. Evans, I came by because I'm surprised at your attitude

toward the voluntary busing program.

What are you talking about?

Well, next week, a few select students from Harding Elementary School are going

to be bused to a school in Rogers Park.

Rogers Park?

Boy, that's a pretty fancy neighborhood, ain't it? We call it the detergent

district.

Everything there is whiter than white.

And they have an excellent school system.

And we found that students like Michael tend to learn a lot more when they're

surrounded by other students who are also very highly motivated to learn.

you hear that, baby?

They're going to send our son to a decent school.

Oh, Mr. Pearson, how can we thank you for the good news?

You know, this is really confusing.

I mean, today you're in favor of busing, but on that questionnaire you filled

out, you were dead set against it. What questionnaire?

The one Michael brought home for your comments.

I mean, your answers really threw me.

Somebody around here been throwing more than answers, but it wasn't us.

Your answers were not just anti -bussing. I mean, they were downright

inflammatory. Excuse me, I've got to go to the bathroom.

Freeze!

Here it is, and with both your signatures.

We will never allow our son, Michael Evans, to be bussed for the very valid

reason that, in our estimation, bussing stinks.

Let me see that.

Black ain't beautiful on a yellow bus.

You're wrong if you think you're fooling us.

Bussing ain't nothing but a bunch of hunky four -wheel jive.

Mr. Pearson, we never saw this.

But if you've never saw this, then who signed it?

I mean, it was the only thing a self -respecting black would say.

And besides, I get busted.

How could you do such a thing?

Mama, desperate situations call for desperate action.

I'm going to put some desperate action on your CDL behind.

Mr. Pearson, don't worry.

Michael is going to be on that busing program. That's really good to hear, Mr.

Evans. I'm glad we were able to get this thing all straightened out, and it was

really nice talking to you. Thank you, Mr. Pearson.

Now I just have one more stop to make, and then I can call it a day. Another

busing problem?

No, it's good old Joseph Cumberbatch.

Cumberbatch? Wait a minute, he's the janitor, ain't he?

Why you gotta stop by his house?

Oh, well, you see, his union won't allow him to come to the school to fix the

boiler. Oh.

Until the boiler's fixed.

Oh.

Come here, Michael.

Mama, Mr. Pearson said boasting was voluntary.

Well, I don't volunteer.

Michael, it ain't... that much busing being done for school integration.

In fact, it's only about 15 % of all busing. Well, why did it have to be me?

You know, son, you got a lot of smarts. It'd be a shame to waste that God -given

talent in a bad school.

If God gave me talent, it was meant to be used in my own neighborhood with my

own people. Don't be so sure.

Maybe God wanted you to be bused. Yeah, that's easy for him to say because his

son was never bused.

Michael, aren't you always told me that one day you want to be on the Supreme

Court? That's right.

Well, here's your big chance, man.

You make it to the Supreme Court. You can get them laws changed and make it

for everybody.

But I got news for you, my man. The Supreme Court don't hold no sessions in

ghetto. How come you so much for busting? You were never bust.

Yes, I was, too.

You were?

Yeah, when I was a kid in Mississippi, I was bust.

By foot.

I had three beautiful white schools to one crummy black one.

You see, Michael?

There are lots of children out there who are dying for the chance that you've

got.

Any kid wants to ride to Rogers Park, they can have my seat.

You can yell all you want, but if it means better schooling, you're going.

I don't want to go to that school. I'm never going to sit on that bus. Michael!

Oh, both of you are right.

Michael's going to be on that bus, but he ain't going to be sitting.

is the beginning of busing. Michael's got to get his rest. He's got to get up

hour early to make that bus.

Well, I can't go to bed this early. Why not?

Because I'm a night person.

You're looking at a finely tuned machine.

I don't turn my motor on until 11 o 'clock.

Then about lunchtime, I eases into first.

Then when school's out, I shoves into second.

Then about dinner time, I...

double clutches into third.

And right about now, I'm popping into overdrive.

Well, you better take it into reverse.

Why

couldn't you be

busier? to night school.

Brush your teeth, honey?

Yeah. Mama, do I have to go to that school?

Oh, now, Michael, I thought your daddy sat you down and told some sense into

your head.

If he was trying to get to my head, he was working at the wrong inn.

Come on.

You're still upset, aren't you?

Come on.

Give me a smile.

And the way the streets look, they drop it in the office instead of picking it

up.

Go to bed, JJ.

Good night,

honey. Good night, Mom.

And don't worry.

Everything's going to be all right.

Good night, JJ.

What's the big deal?

A school's a school.

Yeah, but this was white.

I don't know how to act, what to say, or anything.

Oh, it ain't nothing to handling white people.

What do you mean?

Like when they ask you where you come from.

Just say...

from the southern portion of the nation.

Where my grandfather was in textile.

But you don't tell him he was up to here in cotton.

Like, whenever they're drinking something, they always stick their

out like this.

Why? That's Caucasian for saying, don't bother me, I was drinking something.

How am I going to learn all this, J .J.? You'll pick it up in no time at all.

Matter of fact, after a while, you'll be eating ribs and mayonnaise.

Don't worry about it, Michael.

Now go to sleep, and everything will be okay.

All right?

Night, JJ.

Come on, Henrietta, that's enough for me to go around.

You don't need a bell, Henrietta, it's all right.

Hey, Michael, it's time to get

up.

Michael, it's time to get up.

He's split.

Mom.

Mom. What?

I don't want to get you excited, so remain cool.

And by all means, don't wake up.

Michael ran away.

to wake JJ.

You were up all night?

Come on, let me make you some hot chocolate.

I kept thinking about going to school in Rogers Park.

I don't want to go any place where I'm not welcome.

I understand that you're scared, Michael, but I've never heard of any

trouble going on in Rogers Park.

That's because they ain't got no racials there.

The only color problem they have there is matching the carpets to the drapes.

What you talking about, Michael? I bet you they got plenty of black people

living in them houses. Oh, sure they have.

But they all in white uniforms and get every other Sunday off.

Now, come on, Floyd.

James, I've been thinking about this busing business, and it had me tossing

turning all night long.

The more I think about it, the less I want him to be bused.

I thought we both agreed that we want him to get the best education he can.

I do, and you know that I want Michael to have the best education.

But when I... I think of him getting on that bus in the morning, going so far

away from home. James, I just can't.

Daddy, you know it isn't easy to just pick up and go to a new school.

Michael will be leaving all his friends.

I wish y 'all could hear yourself. You talking about Michael going to miss all

his friends?

Florida, you talking about you going to be worried about him? Well, baby, I'd be

worried about him, too.

But I'd worry less about him making his mark in the world if I know he got a

chance to get a good education.

We all want that, James.

Yeah, but two minutes ago, y 'all was talking just like white people do about

busing. The only reason they talk that way is because they're trying to cover

for the fact they don't want to go to school with her. Well, why should I go

school with people who don't want to go to school with me?

What if they give me a hard time?

Well, what would you do if the people give you a hard time at the school

going to now?

Protect myself.

Different folks, same strokes.

James, he's only a baby.

How about those people that turned over that bus with all those little kids in

it? Honey, I... I can't get that picture out of my mind. Maybe the people that

turned that bus over were sick.

Now, how can I show you?

Look, suppose I was to get me a good job to double my salary.

Huh? That'd be nice, James.

Yeah.

Suppose the job was located way across town and it required two bus transfers

and a mile walk and I didn't get home till midnight.

Hmm? Well, that's the point, baby. Anything worth having is worth going

the trouble to get.

Huh?

Okay, Selma.

JJ, get ready for school.

Oh, Mom, but it's just starting to get good.

You want some of this?

Second thought, maybe you're right.

Well, Michael?

I don't want to go.

All right, Florida, you heard the boy. You don't want to go to school? It's

okay.

Ain't nothing we can do if he's ashamed of being black.

What do you mean, ashamed of being black?

Oh. That was just a mistake. Your father didn't mean it.

I ain't ashamed of nothing.

Of course you're not.

Maybe you're just scared to sit down there with all those white kids and

to them that you're just as smart as they are.

That ain't it.

That's all right, son. There's a lot of players in the minor leagues ready to

stay there and try and face major league pitching.

I can get just as good grades in that school as they do, if I wanted to.

I guess we'll never know.

You don't think I can?

There's only one way to prove it. Still got time to catch that bus.

You think I'm afraid of them.

You must be.

I don't see you moving.

Michael, you forgot your lunch.

Thanks, Mom.

And look, Michael, when you get outside, don't forget to keep your jacket

buttoned up. Okay. And listen, if you don't feel well, you can always go and

the nurse. I will. And if anything goes wrong, always call home. You're tired of

the boy ain't going to boot camp.

Just remember everything your mama told you, yeah? Just take it one step at a

time. Okay. See you, Ma.

See you later, Dad. All right, old man. Have a nice day, yeah? Yeah, take it

easy, yeah?

Yeah,

no, it worked, though.

Michael! Oh, don't worry.

I didn't change my mind.

I just wanted you to know that I was hip to what you were doing.

And you know, it ain't right for two grown -ups to try to count a little 12

-year -old.

Hi, everybody.

Michael, you're back.

Come on, tell us how did it go your first day, baby?

Yeah, you having any troubles today?

No, and it was kind of fun.

And J .J., you were wrong. What? They don't eat spare ribs with mayonnaise.

They don't? No, but they do think Fatback is the guy who plays between

quarterback and fullback.

Just looking out of the window.

Watching the asphalt grow Thinking how it almost had me

down Good times, good times Keeping your head above water

Making a way when you can Temporary layoffs Good times

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