Original subtitles

That's no place like home.

With your family around you, you're never alone.

When you know that you're loved, you don't need to roam. Cause that's no

like home.

Times are changing every day.

We won't get by with those same old ways.

Pulling together, we'll make it round.

With help from our friends and family.

No place like home.

With your family around you, you're never alone.

When you know that you love, you don't need to roam.

Cause there ain't no place like. There ain't no place like. There

ain't no place like. There's no place like home.

I mean no place child.

to have a great rummage sale with all this stuff we've collected. Yeah.

But you know, this table of Lorraine's seems too nice to give away.

Oh, that's part of her divorce settlement.

I know.

She got the furniture in the apartment, and he got the car and a younger wife.

Would you believe it? Lorraine's husband leaving her for a younger woman?

What would be unbelievable is if he left her for an older woman.

Who was he with? The busybody steel door company?

Now, watch it, lady. If you're not careful, you're gonna end up like

You're not careful. You're gonna end up with a nose like Pinocchio.

Guess who I accidentally saw parked in a car across the street last night?

Pearl, now you know you can't see that far.

With my telescope.

Do you have to make that racket?

I'm sorry.

I didn't know this was the public library.

Well, take what you don't know and make a new world.

Rose, why did you buy a steel door in the first place?

Oh, they're sturdy, easy to clean, and they last forever.

In other words, the salesman was cute.

I gotta get going.

What does he want?

Us to throw him a party?

Miss Holloway, does something matter with your doorknob?

Now, you can open the door from the outside, but you can't open it from the

inside. Wait a minute.

You're going to leave it like that?

Well, I put a wedge under the door that just don't close it. I'll be back in a

couple of days with the new doorknob.

A couple of days?

Yeah. I'm going on vacation.

This is hard work.

Well, ain't that about a blip.

Ladies, ladies.

Oh, there you are. Wait till you hear this.

Can you keep a secret?

No!

Oh, no,

we're locked in here.

How did that happen? You, that's how it happened.

The door can't be opened from the inside.

Are we gonna die?

Pearl, we are not going to die.

Don't make such a big thing out of it. Calm down.

Thanks to you, Sondra, we're trapped in here.

Well, we can't be trapped.

I hope it's Superman, because that's the only way you're getting out of here.

He is faster than a speeding bullet.

Oh, what are we worried about?

I mean, Brenda and Calvin will be here soon. They'll find us. Look, all we have

to do is do what Mary says. Just stay calm and wait.

Yeah, well, that's great for you. You all need a dull existence anyway.

But I'm not going to the Bahamas.

and plucking straws. Then we're going to turn out the light, and the one with

the short straw gets to kill your butt.

Well, that's the thanks I get, huh, for being nice and coming down here to make

you envious.

Poor Calvin.

When I'm gone, who's going to holler at him?

Pearl, you are not going to die. You're not going anywhere.

You've been here almost 50 years, and you'll be here another 50.

50 years?

Rose, don't you think it's time you repainted my apartment?

Oh, you've been here that long?

Yeah, she was one of the first ones of us to move in this building.

I sure was.

I'll never forget that day.

Mom and I heard about this apartment for rent.

Well, I arranged to meet her there right after work to take a look at the place.

Of course, I was much younger then.

Carry that for your girl.

Big, strong, good -looking man like you?

Maybe you can.

What have you got in here?

My homemade fruitcake.

Be that to the Germans, we'll win the war.

No, you're here.

I'm not only here, I'm three bucks ahead and raising.

Do what you want.

But the lady across from you is holding three aces.

Four.

Girls, I've got to talk to my pearl here.

Now, the apartment is in the back, but it's very nice.

I put a six -month lease on it.

But I haven't even seen it.

Six months. It's been a time to see it.

It's not that big.

I was hoping for something spacious and airy with a view like this

apartment right here.

Sir, that's my place.

Well, honey, it's wartime, and you got to take what you can get.

Well, at least we have a place all our own.

Right. It's all yours.

Between the hours of 8 p .m. and 8 a .m. What?

All the apartments, they're rented in shifts.

We match up the tenants according to their work schedules.

You mean to tell me I can't go upstairs right now and take a bath?

Not unless you want to share it with a 200 -pound night watchman.

What does he look like?

Never mind, child. He's more my type.

I don't believe this. I've been drafted.

I'm going to be leaving all my friends.

There, there.

Can we have your apartment?

Well, he came back from the war, and we argued about who would take over the

apartment.

So I married him, moved in, and kicked him out.

I'm desperate. Anybody got a hairpin? Oh, Sonny, this is no time to be worried

about your appearance.

Now I want to pick the lock. An old boyfriend showed me how.

You mean you dated a locksmith?

Mm -mm, a cat burglar.

It was only once, and I never saw him again.

I don't have a hairpin, but I got a paperclip.

What are you doing with... joints?

I see a jiggle to the left.

Wigger to the right.

She's talking about the lock or her walk.

What? My lock?

Oh, I knew I should have dated him a second time.

I don't want to die in a storage room.

Girl, if I have to tell you one more time, you're not going to die. I'm going

let you die here.

I told you Brenda will be home soon. They'll find us. Well, how can you be so

sure? Because this is her allowance day.

She'll find me anywhere.

Rose, you ain't going nowhere.

Lord, I haven't seen this since the day I moved in.

I had to do the moving in all by myself.

My husband was in the army then. And wouldn't you know it, he couldn't get a

furlough.

Hi. Hi, I'm Pearl. Your day was downstairs.

I thought you'd like to have a cup of coffee.

Well, right on.

Is that a yes or no?

It's a yes.

Good. I'll wait while you make it.

Oh, I'm sorry, Pearl.

My pot's still packed away.

That's illegal, isn't it?

My coffee pot.

Oh, okay.

I'll come back tomorrow.

That is if you're still here.

Wait, wait, wait. Why wouldn't I still be here?

Well, nobody lasts a night in this apartment.

Well, what...

Why don't they last the night in this apartment?

It's the Henderson curse.

The Henderson curse?

Uh -huh. The Henderson curse.

Well, what is it?

I'm sorry. I said too much already.

Good night.

But, Carl, wait a minute.

What is the Henderson curse?

That's my imagination.

Okay?

One thing's for sure.

It's not my imagination.

All right, check this out, Henderson.

Now, I don't know what your scene is, but, man, it's not my trip. So you can

rattle your bones someplace else, but I ain't scared of you.

Your neighbor.

Pardon me.

I'm Jeremy Whitestone.

I live across the hall.

I'll get right to the point.

My band and I rehearse every night.

If you find that inconvenient, I'm truly sorry.

But I have a three -year lease, and there's nothing you can do about it.

Peace.

Oh, by the way, I hope you'll buy our albums. We call ourselves the Henderson

Curse.

Child, I still remember you and these noisy bees.

We've been locked in here for two hours, and it's all Brenda's fault.

Oh, right.

Brenda came running in here to tell us the secret, kicked the wedge out the

door, and got us locked in.

Sure, take her side.

We're all gonna die.

I sure am glad I didn't pay last month's rent.

Would you guys stop being so negative?

Why don't you put your heads together and try to come up with a way to get out

of here?

Open from the inside. We're trapped in here.

Mom, I hope you have my allowance with you.

Stand back. Stand back, everybody.

Could y 'all let a man handle this?

I mean, it's only a door.

Door opens in, genius.

Oh.

Okay, now what?

Oh, there's still Lester. When he gets home, he'll be so hungry, honey, he will

come looking for me.

I don't think so, Mom.

Dad's not coming home.

Oh. Well, at least he waited till Brenda was grown.

What are you talking about, Brenda?

Dad called and said he's going to Philadelphia to see a ball game. He

back until late tonight.

Oh, fine.

He'll come home, tiptoe into the bedroom, slip into the bed, fall fast

We're dead.

It's only a matter of time before one of us has to go to the bathroom.

Time's up.

Oh, enough of this gloom and doom.

Let's think. Happy thoughts.

Yeah, did anybody see the Cosby show yesterday?

Oh, shut up, Cal.

Okay, Mary, why don't you tell us about when you and Lester moved into the

building? Oh, Rose, nobody wants to hear about that.

Yeah, right.

You see, I think it was a Tuesday.

Or maybe it was a Thursday.

To tell you the truth, so much was happening, I don't know what day it was.

welcoming committee.

Oh, how nice.

I'll be right out. Okay.

God, you're so nosy. I'm not. I'm trying to see what kind of people they are.

How? By checking out their deodorant?

I declare, who hangs wallpaper in their bedroom with wagon wheels and hoof

prints on it?

Welcome to the building. I'm Rose Holloway, and this is Pearl Shea.

Well, I'm Mary Jenkins, and this is Brenda.

Nice to meet you both.

No, thanks. I use dress shields.

We thought you might like a cup of coffee. And some fruitcake.

Oh, how nice. Thank you.

Try the fruitcake first.

So, are you married?

Pearl.

That's okay.

My husband's at work. He's the construction foreman.

I almost met a construction foreman.

Well, the day before the wedding, he was killed by a wrecking ball.

Well, I tell you, sometimes I wonder how some people get as far as they do in

this world. Oh, here's my hubby now.

These are our neighbors, honey.

This is Rose and Pearl. Hello. Pleased to meet you.

I got in a big fight with Dawson. He wanted me to approve substandard

for the building, and I told him no.

Well, good for you.

And I told him if he wanted somebody to cut corners, then he could get another

man. Well, good for you.

And then he put his hands on me and told me to get my butt back to work, so I

slugged him. Good for you.

And then he fired me.

Well, honey, you did what you had to do.

Well, Per, we better be going.

Now, if you guys need anything, just holler.

And leave the door open so the rest of us can hear.

And thank you for the coffee and the fruitcake.

You're welcome.

you, and you won't be able to get a job anywhere. Did you forget that I was

pregnant, and that we just moved in here, and there's a recession going on,

our bedroom looks like bonanza?

May, will you calm down? We'll get by.

Oh, we'll get by. Of course we will. Why, we can live off of this fruitcake,

if we slice it very thinly, it'll last us till Christmas, and we can take the

rest and make Christmas gifts.

Not so loud the neighbors can hear.

No, we can't.

going to do i mean i know you're good but what if nobody else hires you why

don't i start my own business be the boss and do things the right way don't

think we should wait until the muffin is out of the oven come on man this is our

chance to make it big i want to give it a try come on don't you believe in me

well of course i do and if that's what you want to do then i'm behind you and

that's what i want to hear i can see it now jenkins and son You mean Jenkins and

daughter.

Mary, I put that in the oven. That's a boy.

I'm baking it. It's a girl.

Whatever you say, but can we name her Brian?

How about Brianetta?

Three months later, Brenda was born, and everything turned out fine.

And now I'm 17, and Calvin's the closest thing I've had to a real boyfriend.

You call that close?

You never even really kissed.

Well, since the end is near, we can remedy that now.

You do, and the end won't be near. It'll be here.

This brings back memories of when I was a teenager five years ago.

You must have been a leap year, babe, because you sure leaped over a lot of

years.

remember the day you and I met.

Remember? I was looking especially cute.

Excuse me. Did you tell me who I talked to about the vacant apartment?

Oh, the owner's out of town. I'm in charge. My name is Mary Jenkins.

Mary. What a fascinating name.

Easy to remember. I bet it looks nice on an ankle bracelet.

Well, I can see the S on your sweater stands for Swift.

What's your name?

Sandra Clark.

But all my friends call me Sparkle.

That's because I brighten things up wherever I go.

So weird. And I thought it was the sun.

Do you have any references?

Oh, here you go.

Sparkle is the greatest. Tommy. Is that your boyfriend?

No. He was my favorite feature.

To whom it may concern, if I had a place, I would want Sandra to live

Jack. Another teacher.

Jack. Oh, he's the bus driver. I met him on the way over here.

Wow, what a morning.

Look how bright it is out here today.

No, it's just me.

This is my husband, Lester Jenkins, honey.

Meet Miss Sunshine, Sandra Sparkle Clark.

She's here for the apartment.

Oh, nice to meet you, Miss Clark. What do you do for a living?

I'm a cheerleader.

Don't see many calls for that in a classifier.

Oh, but I'm very, very good. I was head cheerleader at my high school.

Listen to this.

Sounds very hot. Sounds very hot. We play clean. We play fair. We don't play

dirty, but we can if we have to. Yay!

I thought that myself.

Let me guess. You graduated magna from loony.

I know this is no time for logic, but since you're in between cheers, how do

intend paying for this apartment?

Oh, I saved up quite a bit of money. And when all that's gone, I'm going to look

for a job.

You know, I don't think that this is... Oh, then I don't say no.

Now, I know things are going to work out. People are so nice in this town. On

way over here, this man offered to pay my bus fare.

But it was to his house that I had to say no.

Isn't that nice of him, though?

May I speak to you for a minute?

Why don't you give the kid a break?

Are you crazy? Come on, what are you worried about? The poor thing sounds

she fell off a turnip truck.

She got pushed off the turnip truck.

Well, whatever you decide.

I gotta get to work. Nice meeting you, Miss Clark.

Bye, Mr. Lester.

So, Sparkle, dearie, now you're young and obviously very, very popular, and

sure that you would like to have lots of parties.

Oh, now I get it.

Don't worry.

You and Mr. Lester will be invited to all of them.

I'm afraid that this isn't the right place for you.

You think I could talk to the owner?

I'm afraid Mr. Calloway is out of town for quite a while.

Mister? The owner's a man?

How are we there?

Neighbor.

Well,

Sondra, you haven't changed a...

clearly this outfit on special occasions.

Well, you know, a lot of things have changed over the years, but there's one

thing that hasn't changed.

That's us. We're still together.

Still friends, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and

in health.

We're just friends, Rose. Dang, we're not getting married.

You know, this might be a good time to clear the air, what's left of it.

Pearl?

There's something that I want to tell you.

You're paying entirely too much money for your apartment.

Now, Rose, there's something I want to tell you, too.

I'm the one that reported you to the housing commission.

Uh, Linda.

Um, remember two years ago when I couldn't take you to the sock hop and I

you that I had strep throat?

Well, the truth is, I went to the Redskins game.

Yeah? Well, remember I told you I was going to stay home that evening and wash

my hair?

Yeah, and you were lying, too?

No, I wasn't, and I'm never going to speak to you again.

Mary, this might be a good opportunity for you and Sandra to straighten things

out between you.

How?

Okay.

Sandra?

You owe me for 672 uninvited meals that you ate at my house.

Maybe. Be serious.

I'll start.

I want to apologize to you for all the terrible things I ever said to you.

You accept my apology?

Oh, of course.

And I would like to apologize for all the rotten things I've said to you.

And someday I will.

God, you can't. Dad, don't let the door close. If it does, we can't get out.

Right. We've been trapped in here since this morning.

Isn't that just like a bunch of women?

No offense, Calvin.

To get themselves into a dumb jam like this is a good thing I came looking for

my baseball glove.

You know, this could have happened to anybody.

No, it couldn't. Only to a bunch of women. No offense, Calvin.

Well, let me out of here. Yeah, here comes my mama, mama.

Thank you, Mr. Jenkins.

Oh, there's my mint.

Thank you.