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 above water.

Making a way when you can.

Temporary.

All done cleaning the bathroom, Thelma.

Good. Now you can take out the garbage.

Uh -uh. That's it.

So far this morning, I've cleaned the bathroom. I did the windows. I scrubbed

the kitchen floor.

I'm going to be the only kid in the eighth grade with housemaid's knees.

Look, Michael, I don't like it any more than you do when Mom and Dad are gone.

But they wouldn't miss Aunt Rose's wedding for anything.

Yeah, Thelma, you know, this whole thing seems strange.

Aunt Rose is at least 60, and now she's finally deciding to get married?

Yeah, she is kind of old, huh?

Oh, she's going to go on her honeymoon. honeymoon in an ambulance.

What's all this chatter in here?

Y 'all interrupted my beauty sleep.

Well, what do you care? It wasn't working anyway.

Oh, yeah? Look who's talking about looks. The only girl who uses industrial

strength afro sheen.

Hey, JJ, where you get up sleeping so late while we're out here working?

Remember, Mama said to share the work.

It's been a change in the plans, Michael. Now that Mondetta out of town,

your new commander -in -chief, and y 'all are my troops.

That's right. I'm your new four -star general.

And I owe five -star food.

That's going to get you KP, gal.

Which reminds me, did you make breakfast yet?

Yeah, and you missed it.

Good. Now if I play my cards right, I'll miss lunch, too.

Hey, JJ.

You know, Mom and Dad are going to be away for the whole weekend. You're going

to get awfully hungry.

Au contraire, Buck Private Miguel.

As your new commanding officer, I also now am in charge of the menu.

What? That's right. And from now on, we ain't have nothing but hamburgers,

pancakes, waffles, and chicken.

Hey, I can't make all that stuff.

You never could.

We're going to use that $20 that Ma and Dad left us. But that's for emergencies

only. Well, the only choice we have now is Thelma's cooking.

Which makes this an emergency.

Well, I've got the $20, and we're not using it for food.

Uh, Thelma, look here.

If I want the money, I will take the money.

You just try.

All right, gal.

You asking for it.

Get her, Michael.

You big chicken.

Watch,

y 'all be cool. I don't know why y 'all always fighting about looks. You know,

looks aren't everything.

At least I hope not for your sake.

I've had enough of this foolishness.

I'm taking the TV set into my bedroom.

Hold on, J .J. What do you mean, your bedroom? We agreed to share Mom and

bedroom, and tonight is my night.

Oh, there's been a slight change in the plans, Michael. That's not fair to

Michael now.

But that one's a good lesson.

Michael, life is full of little disappointments.

Yeah, that's what Mom and Dad said the day you were born.

Stay out of this, Thelma. You've always had your own bed.

All the votes are not in on that yet.

Hey, J .J., you're not going to get away with this because I'm going to tell Mom

and Dad the minute they get home. And if you do, I'll tell them that you have a

dirty magazine in your book bag.

J .J., there's no dirty magazine in my book bag.

There will be.

But that's blackmail.

I prefer to call it brown.

discussion. Now, look, kids, your family told me to watch you for the weekend,

and you promised me you wouldn't be hassling, right? Don't worry.

I'm watching the children. Oh, good.

And we ain't doing anything we wouldn't do if Ma and Dad was here.

Yeah, J .J. always stays out till two in the morning like he did last night.

J .J. Thanks a lot, moose mouth.

Look here, Wilona, I can explain this whole thing.

Well, come on, I'm waiting. I can sum it up in three words.

Francine the Furnace.

JJ, I don't want to hear no more about that, okay?

Yeah, well, uh... And how'd you know I was out till 2 o 'clock in the morning

anyway? She probably heard you. She didn't get in till 1 .30 herself.

Tell me.

Well, Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm has finally stepped in it.

waiting for an explanation.

Well, uh... A likely story!

Well,

you know how it is with Lona. Larry and I had a little fight. Yeah, well, y 'all

must have made up by the time he kissed you goodnight. I sure didn't hear much

fighting then.

Michael, was you up at 1 .30 in the morning? Oh, well... Come over here.

Now, listen.

I am responsible for you kids for the weekend, right?

And I will not have you running around the street all hours of the night. Do

understand?

I said, do you understand that?

Yeah, Wilona. All right, now.

And, uh, Wilona, you don't relate this small, insignificant incident to Ma and

Daddy, will you?

Well, I'm warning you, if I hear one more hassle out of either one of you

I'm going to tell everything I know.

You don't have to worry about us, Wilona. We'll make the world look like

Hell's Angels.

Well, that's good, because I will be back.

Bye, children. Bye.

This is personal and private.

Hey, I mean personal and me.

Hello.

Yes, Marianne.

Why, certainly you can come over.

Of course I'm alone.

Uh, that was just a me.

Sorry, Nora.

Hey, JJ, what's going on?

Boy, Michael, you look terrible. What? You need some sun.

You got to get out and walk around the park. You're in terrible shape. And

Thelma, you can't let him go alone in this condition. You got to go in there.

Wait a minute, JJ. What are you doing?

It wasn't Mary Ann Thomas on the phone, was it?

Uh -uh.

So what if it was? I used to go out with her. Well, not since she's been going

out to study with the captain of the football team.

She's getting tired of all those field goals and wants to score.

Touchdown!

Well, we're not leaving this house just so you could be alone with Mary Ann

Thomas. That's right.

Thelma, she just wants to talk to me in private. That's all.

I mean, couldn't you take Michael to the zoo?

Maybe see some of the orangutans, some of the kangaroos, the cute little koala

bears.

You know I shouldn't do this, because I know all you're going to do is just get

us into more trouble.

Oh, no, I won't, Thelma.

Please.

This is for your older brother.

You know that I would do the same thing for you.

All right. Now, just this one time here.

Come on, Michael. I ain't going nowhere.

Don't worry, JJ. I'll leave.

But for a price.

A price? What price?

Well, let me see.

I get the TV.

I get the bedroom tonight.

And you get the dinner dishes.

That's blackmail. No, it ain't, JJ. I prefer to call it brownmail.

Come on, man. Just get on with it. Hey, don't push. Don't push.

Don't push now.

You don't want me to leave.

Push, man.

Hi, Marianne. Hey, JJ.

Listen, J .J., now I got to talk to you.

Oh, now, come on, sweetheart. Let's not rush things. Have a little drinky -poo

first. How about a Kool -Aid cocktail?

J .J., now this isn't important, now.

I ain't got time for that.

Oh, wow.

I want to skip the preliminaries, huh?

Yeah, shut up now. I got something to tell you.

Hey, lighten up, sweetheart.

Can't be that serious. Well, it is, and it's all your fault.

What's my fault?

What I got to tell you.

What's that?

It ain't easy.

Oh, now, come on, sweet thing.

You know you can tell me anything.

Okay.

Oh, CJ, I got VD in you.

can't believe this is happening i mean this only happens to other people wait a

minute to other people i am other people i just got to calm down

here think this thing out logically yeah i just oh i feel better already

now what was that trouble i was considering wow i can't remember

can't be that important

I got BD.

I got BD!

Oh, no.

Why couldn't it be something else?

Measles. Mumps.

That's elm disease.

Wait a minute.

I got to talk to somebody about this. That's what I do. I call them. I tell

that I have BD.

I think I'll straighten it out right here. Let's see.

T -U -V.

Here it is.

Hey,

where's Mary Ann?

Who?

Mary Ann.

She was here when we left.

Oh, uh, she split.

Well, J .J., she sure didn't stay very long.

Who?

Mary Ann.

Hey, J .J., what's wrong? You're acting kind of weird.

Did she give you some bad news or something? No, actually, I gave it to

What kind of bad news can you give Mary Ann Thomas?

Believe me, Thelma, it's bad news. Now, leave me alone. I got to think about

this. Hold on, J .J. If you got a problem, why don't you tell us? Maybe we

help you.

Yeah, that's a good idea.

Michael? Yeah?

I wish you were older.

Thelma? Yeah?

I wish you were my brother.

you doing with this medical book? You sick?

Hey, man, leave that alone.

Hold on, JJ.

Hey, JJ, you got BD?

You got what?

Uh, what makes y 'all say a thing like that?

Because there are only two things on this page, and I know you're not going

get a vasectomy.

JJ, you got BD?

You don't have to broadcast it on a six o 'clock news.

I know all about VD. You do? Yeah.

Thelma, leave the room.

Hold on. I'll go get my textbook.

JJ, are you sure you got it?

I mean, there's only one way to get it, you know.

Despite all the myths about BD, it can only be caught through sexual contact.

Ooh!

I

go,

will you go ahead and read the thing?

Well, if detected in time and treated properly... VD is 100 % curable. Well,

see, now that's the answer.

Come on, JJ, we gotta get to the doctor right away.

I can't afford to go to a doctor. Even doctors can't afford to go to doctors.

Hey, JJ, you don't have to pay.

Hey, it says here that the public health department gives free treatment in

every major city in the country.

Maybe if I take some aspirin, it'll go away.

JJ, it won't go away. You may lose the symptoms, but you'll still have the

disease. And that can turn into heart disease, blindness, mental illness.

And it can even be fatal.

If Ma and Dad find out about it, it will be fatal.

But, J .J., they don't have to find out about it. In Illinois and most other

states, a doctor can treat anyone over the age of 11 for V .D. without their

parents' permission.

See, J .J., there's nothing to think about. It's a dangerous disease, and

got to get to...

Hi, Ma.

to what JJ caught.

I can't go in there. I'm too embarrassed.

JJ, you should have thought of that before.

I'd like to see a doctor about a minor ailment. Okay.

I'll need your name, address, and the nature of your ailment.

Yeah, uh, James Evans, Jr., 963 North Gilbert, and I want to see a male nurse.

We don't have one. What is the nature of your ailment?

Nature of my ailment?

apart. That doesn't happen every once in a while. No big deal. I'll see you

later. All right.

Uh, it'll be a few more minutes.

Uh, now, we're worried.

What is the nature of your ailment?

Uh, I got... Well,

why didn't you say so? That's nothing to be ashamed of.

or be with you in a minute.

Uh, anybody sitting here? No.

What are you here for?

Uh, I got a... a cold.

Cold? That's funny. Everybody else is here for V .D.

know each other? Where you been? Out of the country?

VD's an epidemic.

But because of the way you get it, a lot of people are afraid to admit they've

got it.

That's simply ridiculous.

Positive. A germ's a germ, ain't it? I mean, really, what's the difference

between VD and your cold?

Very little.

James Evans, Jr.? Uh, yeah, right here.

Would you step in here, please?

Yeah.

Step right in, please.

Mr. Evans, I want to thank you for coming in.

Huh?

Oh, you'd be surprised how few people who suspect they have VD will even seek

treatment. And VD is the biggest problem with kids around your age.

But I thought it was an older person's disease.

Oh, no, not at all. The next biggest group to get it are kids younger than

Matter of fact, it's so out of control now that one out of five high school

students will get VD before they graduate.

And I guess the other four get it after they graduate.

Just about.

And it's not the bad guy's disease anymore, either. Anyone can get it, and

do. Look, the best way to prevent V .D. is to not mess around in the first

place.

But if the people who do would just come in and take the test, why, we could

wipe it out in no time at all.

Are you ready for your test?

Is it gonna hurt?

They've been in there for almost two hours. When are they going to be done?

Michael has to wait for the test results.

Oh, hi, Mary Ann. Selma.

Uh, JJ's in there getting his test now.

Oh. Well, it's about time he did something to get cured.

See? Oh, no.

Oh, I can't believe this.

But Mary Ann.

JJ, let me talk to her.

Mary Ann, JJ doesn't have it.

Now, I know you hate to admit this to yourself, but that means that someone

came in contact with does.

But see, Thelma, there's only been one other person, and we're going to get

married. We're engaged to get married.

He has it. Mary Ann, it has to be him. But, Thelma, we're engaged.

How am I going to tell him?

Well, the worst thing you can do is not tell him.

J .J., I'm sorry for putting you through all this.

No, I'm glad you did.

If I'm sick, I want to be amongst the first to know about it.

Thanks, Thelma.

I'm going to go in here and get my follow -up exam, and then I'm going to

huddle with a certain football player.

Well,

gang, I owe you all a lot for bringing me down here like you did.

Don't be silly. We love you. Yeah, man.

Well, I learned one thing from this.

I'm not going to be involved in love anymore.

It ain't nothing but trouble. Come on.

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.