Original subtitles

Good times, anytime you need a payment. Good times, anytime you need a bring.

Good times, anytime you're out for Monday.

Not getting hassled, not getting hustled. Keeping your head up for water.

Making a way when you can.

Temporary layoffs. Good times, easy credit ripoffs. Good times, scratching

ass.

24, 25.

Huh?

They ain't growing none since the last time I counted them.

Hey, Soph.

What's happening?

Hi.

Ain't this a shame? Yeah, I am working steady.

It's bill paying time, and I'm almost $50 short. Ooh, child.

I'll lend you everything I got, but that would make you $80 short.

I wasn't talking about money. I just thought maybe you had a system.

I'm not used to doing this. You know, James used to pay all the bills around

here. Mm -hmm. Well, I do have a system, and the first thing I do is put aside

the rent. Oh, I'm counting on J .J. for that.

He's got two weeks' back pay coming. Oh, that's exciting. All we got to do is

organize what you got.

I put my bills into three piles, you know.

30 days overdue, 60 days overdue, and Malona Woods, honey, she don't live here

no more.

Well, that ain't gonna work for me.

They're about to turn off my...

this stuff again, maybe we can figure something out.

You know?

That's it, Michael.

I'm never, ever going anywhere with you again, never.

Why not?

Because you embarrass me. Do you have to talk to every girl that walks by?

What's up, Mom? I'm just being polite.

Oh! You call that being polite, huh?

Hey, hey, hey, Mama.

Now, what it is?

You sure looking fine.

So take me along, because I got the time.

Hey, what's up?

Hey, what can I say?

If you got the goods, it pays to advertise.

Look at him, strutting like a rooster, and he can't even grow feathers.

Hey, well, look who's talking, Penny Henny herself. All right, now, why don't

you just shut up? What? All right, you two, that's enough.

Look, just remember, I'm never, ever going anywhere with you again. You got

that? Oh, well, good, because I wouldn't want you along if I was really

hustling. When you're fishing for trout, you don't use tuna. I said... I said

that's enough.

the ham I sent you for?

Ma, at $1 .95 a pound, it's still in the store.

What?

That's double what it was last week. How could that happen?

Oh, maybe the pigs joined the union.

Now, Ma, honey, you mean there was no kind of meat you could buy with the

I gave you? Sure, Ma, but we didn't think you had a recipe for Alpo.

Well, I guess dinner will have to be future chicken.

Eggs.

Well, I have just solved your problems financially.

Come on over here, everybody. Take a look.

Now your refrigerator's back on, and you can eat again.

On the floor?

They just took the furniture.

I ain't never told nobody the system was perfect, did I? Oh.

Well, you know, there's got to be something we can do, and I think the

thing we can do without in this house is the telephone.

Hey, hey, maybe you can do without the telephone, but not me. None of my

boyfriends can reach me.

Thelma, I seen them creatures you call your boyfriend.

And you should be begging to have that phone yanked out of here.

There must be something we can do. I don't know what.

We'll find something. Hey, Jan.

Come on, JJ. You're just what we need.

Put it on the table.

We got something big to do.

All right, Ma.

Come on, JJ. We got some bills to pay.

Ma.

What's the matter?

Didn't they give you anything?

Oh, they gave me something, all right.

What'd you get? What'd you get? I got fired.

Oh, no.

Well, now Charlie's Roundup Roast Beef is Charlie's Bankrupt Roast Beef. Hey,

man, that's too bad.

Wait a minute, Michael. Let's look on the bright side of this thing.

I mean, I finally get a chance to get rid of this hat and go back to J .J.

Evans, the dry look.

Well, I could have at least given you a warning so you could start looking for

another job.

Yeah, I should have known when I spent the last month in that truck talking to

Coleslaw. That could drive you crazy.

Yeah, especially when it starts talking back.

Chase, didn't they even give you your two weeks back pay?

Well, when a business folds, you don't get back pay, side pay, front pay.

You get no pay.

There goes the ramp. There goes the phone.

There goes the furniture. We better set the floor for dinner.

Wait a minute now, y 'all. I go to the employment agency tomorrow and get a

It isn't going to be that easy, J .J. You know how many people your age are

of work?

Hey, Michael, that's them.

This is me.

You know, I'm going to get a job.

That's the boy, J .J. Now, Flo, don't worry about it. You've been in this

position four or five times, and you always pulled yourself out of it. Uh

You mean James always pulled us out of it. Oh, maybe that's your answer.

Well, why don't you do what James would do?

Yeah, but what would Daddy do if he was here right now?

Oh, that's simple.

Dad!

Hey, my man, how would you like to buy a chain?

J .J.!

you in class. Copied every one of your test papers. That's why we dropped out.

I still remember the time in Mrs.

Gardella's biology class when you peeled off your shirt, took the place of the

skeleton.

Man, oh man, wasn't that funny when she pointed to the skeleton and the skeleton

pointed back?

And then she pointed me to the principal's office, and I spent two

beating and erasing.

Hey, but it was worth it. Not to me, but all that chalk dust on me, I came home

every day looking Caucasian.

Hey, well, it's good seeing you anyway, my man. Yeah, you guys, too. What you

guys been up to since high school?

Well, we dropped out because we had a little opportunity in the oil business.

Oh, yeah? Doing what?

Ripping off gas stations.

That ain't too bright.

You can never rip off as much money as the oil companies. We found that out.

Then we got, um, lucky.

We met this certain gentleman who set us up in our own business.

Now we're into a little numbers, a little bookmaking. Hey, easy money gigs.

Oh, yeah? Then what y 'all doing at the unemployment office?

Say what?

Hey, man, this is our office, too. Like, we got to go where the action goes.

I must admit, you guys look like you're doing pretty good.

Good!

Come here, my man.

Try this on for size.

Wow.

I never knew Benjamin Franklin was on the $100 bill.

Yeah, sure. Who'd you think was on it? Aretha Franklin.

Boy, if I had that kind of money, my problems would be over.

And why so down, bro? Lose your job?

Yesterday. Hey.

Hey, honey, we can't let no running buddy like J .J. down, not in his hour

need. Yeah, yeah. Hey, look here, my man.

Why don't you come on in with us, huh? Hey, there's plenty for everybody.

How would you like to start making some, uh, good bread?

That all depends on how hot the oven is.

I guess the man wants to spend his whole life making chump change.

Yeah, yeah.

Well, if you're ever in our neighborhood...

Drop on by anyway, huh?

Right on.

Nice seeing you. Okay, later on, man. All right, hang in there.

Hey, my man, how would you like to buy this chair?

Uh,

I'd like to apply for some unemployment. Sir, we do have rules here.

You just cannot butt in line.

in the basket and wait your turn like everyone else.

Oh, pardon moi.

J .J.

Evans.

Well, long time no see.

Full name?

James Evans, Jr.

Age? 20.

people who are very easy to place into new jobs.

Hey, that's fantastic.

And then there are people like you.

What's wrong with me?

Oh, Mr.

Evans.

I'm sorry, Mr. Evans. I'm afraid we have nothing in your own line of work.

Find me something in a new line. I'm ready. All right, all right. I'll see

I can do here. Let me see.

Hmm. Can you operate an IBM 316?

I got a driver's license.

It's a computer.

I know, I know. What else you got? Well, let me see. Here we have an opening for

an envelope machine adjustee who knows W -R, W -R -W, and W -R -K.

Consider the job still W -O -P -E -N.

He can spell.

But tell me something, Mr. Evans. Do you know anything about diesel maintenance?

I do fine painting.

Mold design.

I do great sketching. Die casting.

Expediting. Drill press operations.

Uh, you left out brain surgery.

Oh, come on, Mr. Evans.

You just know something about brain surgery.

No, but I figure since I might have a job, it might as well be a good one.

Mr. Evans, I am getting tired of this.

You come in here with absolutely no skills at all, and you expect me to find

a job?

But I do have skills. You just got to find me a place to use them. Mr.

Evans, there is nothing, nothing, nothing that I can do for you.

What you will have to do is apply for compensation.

Well, I guess I have a couple of dollars coming in. Point me to the money

window. We pay by mail, Miss Evans.

Miss Evans?

You know, you will not get it for at least three weeks.

Three weeks? But my family's dependent on me.

Eugene?

Michael, the faster we go, the better. We get a dollar a hundred.

Yeah, now, let's keep moving. It's not that hard.

Well, that's easy for you to say. You the folder and you the stuffer. You

haven't asked the liquor.

Pick up the extra money we're making.

Yeah, we're going to need it to retread my tongue.

Michael, we're all making sacrifices.

Now, poor J .J.'s been pounding the streets all week looking for a job.

As soon as we finish this pile, honey, then I'll start dinner.

Won't do me no good. By then, my mouth will be glued shut.

All shift.

Everybody move over one chair.

Hey, wait a minute.

That makes me the liquor.

That's right, Thelma. So pucker up and kiss your taste buds goodbye.

the head janitor.

I mean, you folks forget who your friends are.

Something breaks around here, and the first thing you do is call me.

And the last thing you do is fix it.

Yeah. You're always wearing that tool belt, but you never fix anything.

How come you're wearing it?

It's to hold my pants up.

I thought your belly did that.

You know, you can't sweet -talk me, Miss Evans, because it don't matter no more.

You know, the next few days, you won't have old Nathan Bookman to kick around.

Oh, you're leaving?

Not exactly.

Hey, Bookman, what you got there?

We getting evicted?

Oh,

cheer up, folks. Things ain't that bad. You got five whole days to come up with

the money.

$120? That's almost impossible.

I know.

You really enjoy doing this, don't you, Bookman?

Oh, no, don't get me wrong, Miss Evans.

I mean, to you, It looks like I'm tough on the outside.

To me, you look like you fat on the outside.

I'm going to miss that kid.

Hey, Bookman, give us a break. I mean, I just lost my job.

So why don't you get another one? There's plenty of jobs out there. Yeah,

there's 50 dudes lining up for each one of them. Oh, come on, man. If you want

to find a job, you can find one. I mean, they're hired right here in the

project. Hey, Bookman, if you got a job, I'll take it.

There's a job that pays $125 ,000.

Vacation, holidays, free, fringe benefits. Hey, Bookman, I'll take it,

it. Oh, you should have been here yesterday.

I gave it to my nephew.

I'm only trying to help.

Well, if you really want to help us, why don't you do something about our front

door? Well, what's the matter with it?

You're on the wrong side of it.

I was only trying to... Oh, where are we going to get $120?

I don't know, honey. I just don't know.

J .J., you have any luck at all today, man?

No, Michael, I answered every one ad in the paper.

I got rejected more than a chitlin' at a Chinese wedding.

Well, it's not your fault. I read that the unemployment rate of blacks is over

40%. I believe it. I was so desperate, I even went down for a male modeling job.

Whatever for?

Well, I figured Slim was in. But when I got down there, they told me Bones was

out.

Well, at least you tried, J .J.

It's terrible out there, Thelma.

I mean, there's Ph .D .s out of work.

There's always somebody with more experience than me.

Say, what about that dishwashing job?

They gave it to a lifeguard because he's used to working near water.

Don't worry, Ma. I'll see if I can pick up another paper route.

Yeah, and I already talked to Alona about working a few more hours at the

boutique. I appreciate that, kids, but we need the money now.

We'll have to sell the one thing we own outright, the TV.

Hey, that's a great idea.

Thelma, get Harry's Hot Shop on the phone.

Okay.

Ma.

Do we have to sell the TV tonight? I want to watch The Waltons.

If we don't sell it, we gonna be The Waltons.

I'm just afraid we won't get much for this set.

That all depends on how the negotiations are handled.

Okay, it's ringing.

Allow me.

Hello?

Harry, talk shop?

Yeah, look here, man. I got a TV.

I think, oh, I'd say it's about 37 inches.

What?

Salesmanship, salesmanship.

Yeah, has it got color? It got color you ain't even ever seen before.

And it's got that special one -button tuning. Now, that's the truth. All the

rest of the buttons fell off.

Negotiations, my negotiations.

Yeah, of course it's one of them fancy deluxe models.

Yeah, tells you the channel, the time, and your body temperature.

All right, talk to you in a little bit.

Bye.

Well, he'll give us $135 for that set.

Great.

I wonder how much he'll give us for this set.

Probably less.

But you got to get started somewhere. Well, let me get on out of here with the

thing.

Oh,

J .J.

Well, these arms are made for loving, not lifting.

Give it another shot.

Hey, hey, J .J.

Why don't you just leave it on the stand and roll it out of here?

Good idea, Michael. Just wanted to see if you were thinking.

Well, rolling on.

Goodbye, John boy.

Well, Michael, clear the table.

Somebody come and help me with the dinner. Okay, ma 'am. Ma, you know, it

is going to seem weird not having a TV around here anymore.

You may not believe it, but when I was your age, we didn't even have

Oh, really?

Uh, did you have electricity?

Yes, we did.

And we had a lot of fun without the TV.

Oh, what'd you do after dinner? Sit around and watch the light bulbs?

No. We read, we talked, and we played games.

Oh, well, that sounds great, Ma. Just think how close we'll all be.

Oh, now I'm really gonna miss that TV.

Hey, Ma, I got mugged. What?

I'm fine, Ma. I'm fine. What happened?

Some dude jumped out of the elevator, said, empty your pockets.

Well, what did you do?

I told him when I brought the pants, the pockets were empty, and nothing changed

since then.

So he ran away with our TV set?

No, Michael. He rode away.

Oh, did you get a good look at the guy?

Just his... right hand. His right hand?

Yeah, it was wrapped around a great big black gun. What?

Is that all you saw?

That's all I needed to see.

So, JJ, you just let him take our TV set?

Michael, I said the brother had a gun.

Now, if a man had asked me, I would have adjusted the vertical hold.

is you didn't get hurt.

Second most important thing is that guy just rolled away with our rent money.

Well, I guess I better call the police.

Oh, that won't do any good, Ma. If they catch the thief, it'll take at least a

month. Yeah, we'll be evicted by then.

Well, at least we'll have a short walk from the park from now on.

That's where we're gonna be living.

Lord have mercy.

It's all my fault.

First I lose my job, now I blow the only chance we have to pay the rent.

J .J., don't talk like that. You're doing the best you can. We all are.

The best I can ain't good enough.

Dad would be real proud of me, wouldn't he?

Yes,

I'll hold on. J .J., wait a minute. Wait a minute. I'll talk to him. Okay,

Thelma.

Consult me. Oh, now, come on, Thelma. You know it's all my fault.

Oh, J .J., ever since Daddy died, you've been trying to fill his shoes.

Well, somebody's got to. Yeah, I know, but it's just too hard for one person.

The whole family has to.

Thelma, the whole family's getting thrown out in the streets.

Well, maybe not. You know, when I talked to a loaner, she said she could put me

on full time at the boutique, and I could make a lot of money.

But, Thelma, you're going to college.

Well, I just have to drop out for a little while. That's all. Oh, no, you

Then you'll never go back and you'll be unemployable just like me.

Look, J .J., I am an adult now, and I'm capable of making up my own mind, and I

say I'm going to do it, and I'm going to do it. Did you tell Ma about this yet?

No. She'll kill me.

Yeah, not before I get to you.

Look here, Thelma, you ain't dropping out of school, and that's final.

Oh, but, J .J., somebody's got to do something.

Somebody's going to do something.

Should have thought about this in the first place.

I know where I can get the money.

You know where you can get the money?

Where?

Look, baby girl, you just go back in there and don't tell them why you

me out of school, you hear?

J .J., hey, what are you doing here?

I just came by to see if that job was still open.

Yeah, sure.

Come on in.

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

thinking how it almost can be done.

Oh, yeah.

Keeping your head above water,

making a wave when you can.

Temporary layoffs.

Good times is videotape in front of a studio audience.