Original subtitles

Good times, any time you need a payment. Good times, any time you need a free.

Good times, any time you're up and under.

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

Making a way when you can.

Beautiful children.

Well, Ma, you better look fast, because J .J.'s going to be here soon.

J .J.'s beautiful, too.

All of my children are.

Oh, there's a book on my bag.

Carl and I got it for you.

Quotations of great black leaders.

Hey, thanks, Ma.

Flo, the only quotations Graham's been using lately is, oh, come on, baby, what

are lips for?

Michael? Yeah, Ma?

You wrote me that you were spending all your time studying.

Ma must have missed the plane. I waited for over an hour and a half for our gate

number 12.

Ma, it's good to see you again. Oh, it's good to see you, J .J. Hug me again,

Ma. Well, now, I don't know if there's enough of you to go around a second

Oh, come on.

Ma, how'd you miss me at the airport? I was running all around looking for you.

I saw somebody dressed like you, but then I thought they had cloned a

of my quiet going to the airport to meet my clothes.

You can see my funky Saturday night disco get down in boogie clothes with

my high -rise boogie shoes.

High -rise boogie shoes.

You know, Mark, in order to get down, you've got to get up.

He's a revolting travolta.

greasy looks like crankcase oil.

Thelma, stay out of this coconut head.

This is my wedding, George number two, and you don't like it?

Oh, don't tell me that. Instead of marrying you off, we'll auction you off.

Flush. Oh, yeah.

I bet he hasn't felt this good since Burger King made him an honorary

Hey, Bookman, what you got there?

Oh, the missus baked a little welcome home present. It's a cake.

Half a cake, Bookman?

Home? Oh, I ate the welcome.

Don't blame Bookman, Ma. He went in for a stomach bypass, but instead they put

it in a freeway.

Thank you, Bookman.

And thank Mrs. Bookman for the cake.

I'll thank you if you don't tell her what happened today. Welcome.

You know I'm going to tell her.

Greedy. Greedy.

Oh, Flo.

Penny be home in a couple of hours.

Honey, she's so beautiful. I can't wait for you to meet her. Oh, I'm anxious to

meet her, too.

But you know the one I'm really anxious to meet is the groom.

And, of course, his parents.

Oh, Ma, his parents died when he was very young.

Oh, Selma, I'm so sorry.

Well, Ma, I'm having a late lunch with him and everything, so I'll invite him

over after the lunch, and then you'll have time to rest for a while, okay? I

could use a little rest.

Tell Ma I'm so sorry I wasn't able to be here to help you with your wedding

plans. Oh, that's okay, Ma. As resident man of the house, I've taken care of

everything.

It's always been my motto, you don't get rid of a sister every day.

But when you get rid of one like this, you have got to pay.

JJ, you don't mean that.

No, Ma.

I wish your thumb and hair the best of everything.

Oh.

You know, your father would have said the same thing.

Oh, JJ, you're so sweet.

Well, you know, what can I say?

You know, Ma, he wouldn't let me chip in for the wedding dress, and he picked

out the most expensive...

Honey, you should see the guest list. He invited everybody, from who's who to

who that?

I got everything covered, except for the champagne.

I'm not sure how many six -packs we're going to need.

JJ, maybe we should go over all the wedding arrangements.

No, Ma, I know you think I'll order the champagne and forget the caviar.

Caviar? Rich folks grits.

JJ.

caveat is a little out of line.

Too late, Ma. The sturgeon's already pregnant.

Well, Ma, I got to be going back down to the office. Got that big Webster

presentation to make. Think I'm in line for a real big bonus.

I'm proud of you, son.

I'll put your bags up, Ma.

Thank you, honey. Oh, Flo, honey, I know you gotta be tired, so I'm gonna go on

home, okay? Talk to you later.

But girl, remind me to tell you about Hazel Washington.

You know the chick we all thought was fooling around with the butcher at the

supermarket?

Well, honey, I do not want to gossip.

But Hazel has got to take a ticket and a number like everybody.

The butcher's no longer featuring Hazel's hair marks. He now has a special

Hattie Mae's tenderloin.

Ma, can I talk to you for a minute?

Sure, honey. What is it?

Oh, Ma, I'm so glad you're home. Oh, precious.

Ma, I'm so scared. I'm really scared.

Why, honey?

Because Keith is a great football player, Ma, and he's going to be making

much money as the President of the United States.

I hope he doesn't fumble as much.

You know, a kid from the projects.

I can't cook, I can't sew, I get caustic. He could have had any woman he

and he picked me.

Thelma!

Oh, I wish you could see yourself.

You're a beautiful woman.

Very beautiful.

You've been brought up to have pride and self -respect, no drugs, no bitterness,

and just enough sense to know that if you can survive here, you can make it

anywhere.

Oh, sure, Keith could have married any girl he wanted to, but he picked you.

Now, you know what that makes him?

A very lucky groom.

Oh, I love you.

I'm so scared.

He's outside.

But, Mr. Wilson, it wasn't J .J.'s fault that Thompson didn't buy the

presentation. He did a bang -up job.

J .J.'s a talented kid and a hard worker.

All right, we got to economize, but why him?

Last hired, first fired.

I'll take care of it.

Send J .J. in.

Hey there, Mr. Patterson.

Don't bother to stand up.

I'll sit down.

How about a little jujy fruit?

Thank you, J .J.

I was just talking about you to Mr. Wilson.

Well, I hope you were merciless in your praise.

Well, I better come right to the point.

Well, let's do that.

How much and how soon?

Right now.

I don't find this easy to say, but we're going to have to let you go.

Let me go?

For somebody who didn't find it easy to say, you sure said it pretty good.

I'll tell Sweet Daddy you paid.

Yeah, thanks.

Hey, bro, what happened to your arm?

I missed a payment.

I see they compound the interest and the fractures at the same time around here.

Yeah, way later.

Well,

I'm here to see sweet daddy about a lone sweet mama.

Park it, sucker.

He's not here yet.

Daddy, S .D.

Uh,

Bruno?

Uh, yeah, sweet daddy, those nice guppies you got there.

Guppies? Man, sweet daddy don't have no guppies. Those are piranhas, man.

Hey, J .J., you want to pet one? No!

You know, second thought, you better not, brother, because she just love to

it with a long, skinny ear.

Come on, brother, now.

Top of squat, man.

So, uh, tell me, what brings you to Sweet Daddy Bank of C &P?

C &P? That's right, brother.

Cash and pain.

Uh, well, Sweet Daddy, uh, my sister's getting married.

Well, brother, congratulations, man. I heard.

And guess what I also heard? I heard it's gonna be the biggest social event

the season. Definitely, definitely.

Yeah, well, come here, sucker.

Why wasn't Sweet Daddy invited?

Why didn't I get an invitation, man? You neglected to invite the godfather to

the get -up.

Uh, yeah, Sweet Daddy. I don't think Thelma had you on her invitation list.

you talking about? What's wrong with your sister?

Don't she know about the charity work I do for this community?

Sweet Daddy Williams is one of the largest donators to the local hospital.

Besides giving money, I'm their major supplier of patients.

Well, sweet daddy, I'll see what I can do about the invitation.

Do?

That's funny.

You're going to see what you can do.

You're going to see what you can do.

They ask you for a favor. You don't say, well, sweet daddy, I can see what I can

do. Uh -uh. You say, well, sweet daddy, I see what I can done, did.

Because sweet daddy conjugates the verb to do thusly. Do, done, dead.

So do it, dude.

Uh,

sure, sweet daddy. I'll do, I mean, I did, did, done.

Sweet Daddy, about the loan?

Oh, yeah, brother. How much you need?

Uh, how about a grand?

A grand?

Oh, man.

Let me look at my chump change purse.

Yeah, here you go.

A grand.

Oh, wow.

Uh, the usual rate, Sweet Daddy? Uh, six for five a week? Man, what's wrong with

you? Ain't you been reading the paper?

I mean, haven't you heard what Jimmy the Peanut says about inflation?

The price of diamonds, brother, have gone up so much, Milo Pinky, he is about

go naked, poor thing.

No, brother, it is now eight for five, and Sweet Daddy has reduced the week to

six days.

Sweet Daddy, that's a little steep. I'll be paying you back for the rest of my

life. If you don't, brother, it's going to be a short -term loan.

There's so much to talk about when young people get married, you hardly know

where to start.

Right, honey?

I mean, there's just oodles of things to talk about, like where you're going to

live. Michigan Drive.

Michigan Drive?

Yeah, I meant to keep it as a surprise, honey, but I leased an apartment that'll

be great for us. It overlooks the lake.

Well, Keith, why didn't you take me to go check out the apartment?

After all, I am going to be living with you.

Hey, baby, I just looked at it and I knew you'd love it.

It's the penthouse.

Oh, the penthouse. Yeah, you can look down on the whole south side.

Well, see, I'm part of the south side, so I don't be looking down on it.

Homer, I don't think Keith meant it that way.

What way did he mean it, Mom?

Any way you'd like him to mean it.

Keith, can I get you a cup of coffee? Sounds great.

How'd you like it?

Black. Full -bodied and satisfying, just like Thelma.

Don't be talking like that in front of my mother. It's all right, Thelma. It

just a joke.

Keith, look, your jokes are starting to get on my nerves. Hey, baby, if the

apartment upset you, I'm sorry.

I'm not upset!

Then why are you shouting?

Because I'm upset.

Can't you talk this over quietly with Keith?

Yes, but can't Keith talk anything over with me? He didn't even discuss...

We're going to move into. What's there to worry about? It's a great

to raise kids.

Kids? You didn't tell me anything about kids. I was the one who mentioned kids.

I talked to your mother about the kids.

My mother? You talked to my mother about kids? Come on. Mommy, will you stay out

of this? This is my life. I'm a grown woman. I can handle my own affairs.

Man, this is nowhere. I mean, I could carry on a better conversation with some

of those empty -headed chicks.

Oh, right. You're right about that.

You are an expert on empty -headed chicks.

All she wanted was for me to give her my autograph.

Oh, really? That's not all she wanted you to give her.

Can't we talk about the wedding? I've never tried to hide anything from you.

know I've been around.

Oh, so now you're admitting it. Would you think I was a virgin?

Now, both of you, just cool down.

I never asked you if you... You're a virgin.

That's none of your business. Where are you?

All right, Keith.

Now you've gone too far. Stay out of this, Ma.

I'm sorry, Mrs. Evans.

Come on, Thelma, honey, baby, sweetheart. When you're on the road in a

hotel room, how much gin rummy can you play?

So you had to try strip poker, huh? All right.

Now this has gone far enough. Both of you, just simmer down before I heat up.

Listen to your mother. She's got more sense than you have. Keith.

have a wedding.

Not unless you're gonna marry yourself.

What do you mean?

It's off.

Now you get out.

Come on, baby, you don't mean that.

I mean that. I mean that.

Okay, you mean it. You're damn right I mean it.

Well, if that's the way you feel about it, goodbye.

Keith, please, sit down a moment. No, she broke it off, Mrs. Evans. I'm

here a minute.

Please.

Gee.

And Keith.

Keith.

Don't stop calling me mom.

That's right, baby. Get it all cried out.

everything's gonna be all right.

No, it's not, Ma.

Not gonna be a wedding. It's off.

You know, I said the same thing to your daddy before we got married.

You did?

Sure. You think you and Keith had a big fight?

Compared to me and James, y 'all didn't even work up a sweat.

What are you fighting about?

Who remembers?

I think I said something like, It looks like snow, and James said it looks like

rain. And the fight was on.

That is silly.

Sure it is.

And right in front of the church on our wedding day.

Now, what happened?

Well, we had been arguing all the way to the church.

So when we got there, James was so mad that he hopped out and wouldn't open my

door. So I got mad and started to drive off.

I couldn't drive.

I must have stepped on the reverse pedal because there I was, the first bride to

back down the aisle in a 48 Chevy.

When the band saw me coming, they stopped playing Here Comes the Bride and

out with Swing Low, Sweet Cherry.

It ended up with James on one end and the preacher on the other.

And then he said, do you promise to love, honor, and obey? And I said, yes.

James said, well, then stop the damn car.

Ma,

you know, Keith sounds a lot like Daddy.

Then why don't you go out there and tell him that?

Ma, he's out there.

So you told me, was that true?

Of course not. Your daddy didn't have no 48 Chevy.

is colorblind.

But what I told Thelma just now, I hope you mark that down as one of those

little white lies.

Good times is videotaping for a studio audience.