Original subtitles

Good times. Any time you need a payment. Good times. Any time you need a friend.

Good times. Any time you're up and under.

Not getting hassled. Not getting hustled.

Keeping your head up for water.

Breaking away when you can.

Temporary layoffs. Good times. Easy credit ripoffs.

Good times.

supposed to make Dad happy, not sick.

Well, then we better figure a way to cover up your face.

Mom!

You got so nervous.

All right,

children.

Now, I don't want any infighting tonight.

Gee, Thelma, this icing sure is good. Hey, Mom, how do you like my sign? I

spared none of my ebony genius.

Hey, J .J.

That looks great.

Oh, I'm getting so excited.

I believe that your daddy is graduating from trade school.

Well, just in case he don't make it, I got that covered, too.

What you talking about, J .J.? Daddy can't miss. He's the highest in his

I know, Michael. Just jiving, just jiving.

Just think, children.

When your daddy walks through that door, he's going to be a licensed heavy

equipment...

big machines, working on all those fancy construction projects.

Woo!

Yeah, but I'm going to feel a little weird walking up to Dad and asking him

the keys to the bulldozer. Oh.

Say, say.

With 16 on the floor.

Well, J .J., let me put it to you this way. When you and Delilah stand next to

each other, y 'all look like the number 10.

All right, children.

Michael, I'm surprised at you. You're never in these houses.

Mama, I've been in the sideline for 13 years. I think it's about time for me to

get into the game.

God have mercy.

Now I got three shouters and only two.

at the boutique. Your father's gonna love your present. Thanks, Wilona.

Speaking of fathers, where is the graduate?

He ain't back from school yet.

Oh, Flo, you gotta be proud.

There ain't many guys as old as James who could turn around and start over. Go

on to school at his age. Wait a minute, Wilona.

You are exactly the same age he is.

I never knew that.

Wilona, you mean you're fortunate.

Fortunate enough to be as young as your father, honey.

Pepsi generation, and I intend to keep those flip -tops popping until the day I

die. James!

Honey, what happened? Did you graduate?

Has the pig got knuckles?

Well,

it's supposed to be a party. Let's get it on.

Oh, James, it's beautiful.

Ain't it?

You are now looking at a skilled laborer. No more busting my back on the

dock at Brady's. This means good pay, good jobs, and goodbye, 79 -cent

and hello, dollar...

Well, it's cheaper than gasoline.

Every time I go out with a dude now, instead of using perfume, I put two

of high test behind each ear.

What you think you're doing? You ain't old enough to drink.

I'm 18. I'm old enough to die for my country. You don't put that glass down,

you're going to die in your living room.

Get some Kool -Aid with Thelma and Michael.

swizzle sticks.

Quiet, quiet, quiet, everybody.

Listen, I want to make a toast to my husband, the graduate.

Hey!

Now, there are not many men who has his love and courage and devotion and good

looks and modesty.

Hold on, hold on, hold on. I want to make a toast here.

Oh, no, please.

Short and sweet, honey.

Dad, until recently, We've just been getting by.

And getting by without getting a taste starts getting to you. Get me?

Well, starting tomorrow, we're going to start getting more so we can start

getting over, so we can start getting to the business of getting down.

Oh, my!

Jeremy, let me, Daddy.

I wouldn't get too carried away. Your daddy don't have that construction job

yet. Oh, Florida, with that diploma, there ain't going to be no problem. That

school practice has promised me a job.

Oh, Daddy, we all made this for you. What you got there, baby girl? Let me

here. Well, look at this.

Boy, I bet you ain't nobody in the city got one like this.

Start the ball rolling by giving me a raise in my allowance.

That's a good idea, Junior.

How much you getting now? Nothing.

I'm starting tomorrow. I'm going to double it.

Wait a

minute.

I'm just jiving, Junior. Look here. In honor of this special occasion, you can

have some champagne. Thanks, Dad.

that double nothing again.

Stick to yourself with a collard green.

All done, Michael.

Hey, great, Ma.

Time to try it out.

Okay. Now I have a club jacket like all the other guys.

Hey, Michael, what's that emblem stand for?

You don't know what black action is, J .J.? Sure, it's J .J.'s mouth running.

Tell Ma, please.

Don't try that again.

Black action is a club. We try to hit young brothers with black pride,

awareness, and get them into self -respect.

Mama, can you fix this zipper? It seems to be stuck.

I'll rub a little wax on it so it could move easier. Come on, go in the bedroom.

All right.

One of you kids get the door, please.

Sure, Ma.

The eldest will get it.

Hello. Hello. Are you Mr. James Evans, the man of the house?

I'm James Evans, Jr.

your father in. No, he isn't, but my mother will be out in a minute. Good,

good. My company likes to keep an eye on trade school grads in the area. We have

a fine investment opportunity for people just like your parents who are kind of

moving up in the world.

Well, then, you want to talk to me.

Sit down there, man. Go ahead on. Sit down. Thank you. Thank you. Now, what

of investment are you talking about here?

Stocks? Bonds?

Dream books?

No, no.

Land. Land?

What kind of land?

Cemetery. plots. Mom!

Wow. Hello.

Hello, Mrs. Evans. I was just telling your children about something that I

you'll be interested in. My company's new project. It's called Eternal

Eternal Estates? Mm -hmm. Is that one of those retirement communities?

No, Ma. It's the next step.

Well, if my husband gets a job, we just might...

Consider making that move.

Ma, you don't understand.

Is it in a nice, quiet area?

Don't worry, Ma. You won't hear a peep out of the neighbors.

Mrs. Evans, I really think I should explain. Ma, right from long bread to

bread. James, what's wrong? What's wrong is there ain't a construction job

opening this town. But your school practically guaranteed you a job.

Yeah, but they didn't check with President Ford.

Maybe the recession is over for him, but it ain't for us. He's swimming and we

drowning.

What the hell are you selling?

Cemetery plots.

What? Cemetery plots?

Oh, that's just great. The economy done killed me, now this dude wants to burn

me.

Well, forget it, man.

Mr. Evans, you're really making a mistake.

Out. But, Mr. Evans... Out!

All right, Mr. Evans, you know, it's your funeral.

You can either pay me now or you know you're going to have to pay me later.

You want a down payment?

You're just going to have to calm down.

Why should I calm down, Claude? I invested a lot of time and money in

that diploma. It ain't worth a nickel because there ain't no jobs open. I

thought we was moving up.

Have you tried the union hall, Daddy?

Yeah. They gave me the want ads and the map of the city.

Well, James, there seem to be a lot of want ads there.

Yeah, that's because a lot of people want jobs.

Well, there must be some jobs in this paper.

Yeah, here's one.

Wanted fry cook.

Here's another one.

Wanted topless waitress.

Wait a minute.

They're both for the same job.

You see what I mean, Florida?

James, honey, there's still... no need to get so upset.

You can't fight the economy.

Fight it? I ain't even laid a glove on it.

Mr. Floma, I got a good mind.

Oh, no, no, no.

Oh,

what's the use?

No, honey, I'll get it.

Hello?

Yes, he is.

James, it's for you.

Come on, honey, it's the union.

Come on.

Yeah?

Speaking.

What?

Oh, you jive.

Really?

Yeah. Wait a minute. How much does this job pay?

Now,

where's the job located?

You want to say that again?

I'll be down there tomorrow to sign up. Right.

Y 'all get yourself together because this construction work is taking you

You got me a job.

Let's go now. Oh, Moonsuck in South Dakota? Will you please?

I know a daddy in Seattle, Washington.

No, but you're getting warm now. Come on, let's go now.

James, where's the job?

Oh, baby, the good job is good for one year, $500 a week. Let's go eat.

James, where is the job?

Alaska.

All right, baby, Alaska.

I'm going to be working on the pipeline.

James, I don't know if I could just pick up and move to such a godforsaken

place. Yeah, Daddy, and I don't want to leave all my friends.

And neither do I, Daddy.

Don't worry about me.

I'm going to start going out with Eskimo chicks.

Rubbing noses don't exactly turn me.

Look, there's something you all don't seem to understand.

We ain't going to Alaska.

I am.

James, what you mean?

Oh, baby, that pipeline is out in the middle of nowhere.

Well, you just can't pick up and go off and leave us for a year.

Well, what am I going to do, Floyd? I can't find no good paying jobs around

here. You still got your job at Brady's. You're assistant foreman.

Some assistant foreman. They fired the one dude that was working under me.

Baby, this job in Alaska pays $500 a week. You know what that means?

Honey, the money is good, but nothing, baby. It's only going to be for one

Florida, with that money, we'll be able to save up money for the kids at

college. We'll be able to move out of here and start living good.

Oh, James, I don't want to live good. I want to live with you.

Huh?

You know what I mean.

Yeah,

Daddy, we want to live with you, too.

Look here, kids.

The seniority I get on this job, when I get back, I'll be able to get jobs I

ain't got a chance at now.

Yeah, and being black in Alaska has its definite advantages.

They'll never lose Dad in the snow.

I

just

can't believe you'd do this. You're going to leave three children without a

father for a whole year.

Now, wait a minute. Florida?

I thought about that. But look at them. They ain't kids no more. I mean, they're

practically adults.

Michael is only 13.

A boy that age needs a father, especially in this neighborhood.

Those streets are full of bad habits just waiting to be picked up. Now, look,

babe, we didn't raise no ignorant kids. I mean, they know right from wrong.

And if they forget while I'm gone, just give them a refresher card.

That's a father's job.

Now, wait a minute. You the one always telling me a woman can do anything a man

can do.

Well, I was wrong.

There ain't a...

stubborn as you are.

Stubborn? Now, what makes you say I'm stubborn? I ain't stubborn.

I'm just saying ain't nobody going to make me change my mind. I'm going to

Alaska. Over my dead snowshoes.

Dad, you want to know what I think about this? No.

See, he's done what I told you not to. I don't understand you sometimes.

All I'm trying to do is make a better life for all of us.

James, is it worth it leaving your family for a whole year?

Well, let's face it, Florida, we don't live that good.

I mean, we are poor.

And if you was to make a list of all the things that people want to be, poor

would be right down at the bottom of the list. Just above sick and dead.

So what?

We've been poor all our lives, and we always got through without you leaving

family to do it.

James, why are you doing it?

First time in my life I had a chance to accomplish something. Then you're not

doing it for us. You're doing it for you. I'm doing it for us.

Well, us don't want you to do it.

Look, I'm taking a job and I don't want to hear no more about it.

I'm going to Alaska. Now let's go out and celebrate the good news and have

fun.

I'm going to a club meeting. See you later, Mom.

Okay, sweetheart.

Okay.

James still hasn't changed his mind, huh?

Well, I just want to tell you that whatever goes down, you can count on me.

What does that mean, Milana?

Now, if I tell you something, you promise you won't get upset?

Tell me.

You know Dwight Johnson, the guy I used to go with? Yeah.

Well, honey, he used to work on a pipeline, too, for 18 months in Texas.

those dudes were stranded so far from the sticks, the company flew in

entertainment every weekend.

Entertainment? What kind of entertainment?

13. L -I -V -E -L -I.

13.

Okay, Malona.

I get it. All right.

I told you the answer's no.

What's going on?

I told Daddy I can get a full -time job at the county hospital.

And I'll sell my op supplies.

And Michael's trying to get a job at the drugstore delivering orders.

You hear that, James?

They're all willing to sacrifice to keep you home.

home is it gonna be with everybody working won't be nobody home the answer

well

it's

nice to see you keeping an open mind

Come on, baby, stop crying.

It's going to be just as tough on me as it is on you.

I ain't going to be doing nothing but working and getting homesick.

And being entertained.

Huh? Oh, Walona told me what goes on in them construction camps.

Oh, Walona, princess running mouth.

Look, I heard all about them camps, too, but you don't think I'm going to be

involved in none of that stuff, do you?

No, you wouldn't, James.

All I'm going to be doing is marking on the calendar and writing letters to you

every night.

Like this?

What's that?

It's a letter I got a long time ago.

James, you know, we only been apart one day in all the 20 years of our marriage.

Yeah, that was one day I went out of town looking for work.

Mm -hmm.

You weren't even gone 24 hours and you wrote me a 10 -page letter.

Every time I tried to fall asleep, I had to add another page.

James, this is only for one day.

What you gonna do when you're gone for a whole year?

Use up a hell of a lot of pimples.

You know, this is the only love letter I ever got.

It better be. It's the only one I ever wrote.

I didn't get the job, Florida, but I don't care.

Being away from you, Hurts me too much.

I'll never leave you again.

Oh, Floyd, that was a young boy talking.

Whatever happened to him?

He grew up.

Floyd, are we talking about $500 a week? James, I'm talking about you.

Well, baby, when's the last time anybody around even seen $500 a week?

I've been knocked around enough to know you just can't pass up a chance like

this, baby.

Oh, now, come on, now. Come on.

It's pretty quiet in there.

Maybe Ma gave in.

Not a chance.

Maybe Dad gave in.

Never.

Well, maybe I should go in there. They probably need some advice from a neutral

party.

Just a thought that popped inside my head.

It must have been awful lonesome.

Oh, Michael! What happened there? I'm okay. Michael!

Honey, are you hurt?

No, Mom, I'm okay.

Michael, you been fighting? Yeah, Daddy, I had to fight.

Keith got beat up and robbed.

And I don't know how bad Eddie's hurt, but I barely got away myself.

Sound like a job for dead.

Julia, shut up.

Now, I want to know what happened, Michael.

Well, Daddy, we were down the block selling to Defender, trying to raise

for our club, when these six cats from the State Knights came and started

pushing us around.

After they robbed Keith, one of them pulled a knife on me. My God.

So I hit him with a stack of papers and ran.

Michael, baby, you could have really been hurt.

Now, calm down, baby. It's all over.

Yeah, for now.

But we gonna get back at those dudes.

No, you ain't getting back at nobody.

Daddy, what kind of club will we be if we let everybody push us around?

That's what we stand for.

Black pride.

If you come down on a guy wearing one of these jackets, you coming down on all

of us.

Now, now, wait a minute, mister.

You just back up.

The only reason I let you join this club is because you said it stood for self

-pride and awareness.

But if your club is talking about revenge, then they become nothing but a

and you just quit.

Hey, Daddy, you can't take my jacket from me. Looks to me like I just did.

Now, you want to discuss it?

No.

Well, what about black pride?

What about it?

You don't need no gang for that. You black, just be proud.

I'm going down to Union Hall, seeking to find me a job here in town.

Well,

Florida, I'm ashamed of you. Letting me go off to Alaska knowing my son needs me

here in this jungle.

Well, woman, sometimes you really surprise me.

Just looking out of the window, watching the asphalt road,

thinking how it all looks when we die.

Good times, good times, keeping your head above water,

making a way when you can.

Temporary layoffs, good times.

Good Times is recorded on tape before a live audience.