Original subtitles

Crutch is filmed in front of a live studio audience.

Dad?

Dad, why is it a hundred degrees in here?

It's the middle of summer, we need the AC running.

The AC is temporarily turned off.

Are you serious?

Dad, I gotta meet with a client, I've already sweat through

three of my shirts.

Wait.

Why are you wearing a sweater?

'Cause my room is freezing.

Daddy, is the AC broken?

The only thing broken is the ATM at the bank of Crutch.

It's so hot upstairs.

I feel like I'm melting.

Huh. You two can suffer in this heat wave,

but my grand-babies...

y'all go to Grandpa's air-conditioned room. Now.

You know Avery?

That own them two buildings up on St. Nicholas?

Of course. He gave me my first job.

That man has a lot of stories.

Hey, nobody like a blast from the past like Avery.

Yeah. When he starts looking up at the sky,

cancel your dinner plans.

He's coming by the store tomorrow.

Why don't you come on by and say hi? He'd love to see you.

Will there be air conditioning at the store?

Damn skippy.

All paying customers get AC.

I'll be there.

Hey, y'all.

- Hey. - Hey. - Hey.

Damn, it's hot in here.

You should be used to this heat,

since you from Middle-earth.

You need Jesus.

And a tummy tuck.

Apparently, our loving father has

turned the air conditioning off

in every room except for his.

That's right.

I just got the electric bill and the water bill.

And it was so high, you'd think I was running a car wash.

So what are we supposed to do?

- Just hang out in your room? - No.

Stand in front of a fan,

put some ice chips in your mouth.

Be creative.

Grandpa, can I get a blanket?

It's cold in there.

Hmm-hmm. Coming right up.

And some hot cocoa.

Ooh.

Scuse me. Pardon me.

Scuse me. Scuse me.

Pardon me. Pardon me.

Ooh, I forgot the marshmallows.

Scuse me. Pardon me. Pardon me. Pardon me.

Scuse me, scuse me.

Jake.

♪ Tells it like it is ♪

♪ Crutch is here ♪

- ♪ For friends, family, kids ♪ - Yo, it's Francois!

- ♪ Crutch is Crutchfield ♪ - ♪ Crutch. ♪

Flaco, today is Jamilah's first day.

I think she'll be a fine addition

to Crutchfield's Uptown Flooring.

What about the incident in high school?

Flaco. That was a long time ago.

I'm quite sure she knows the difference

between feet and yards now.

I hope she does.

- Well, just keep an eye on her. - Aight.

I'll get it done.

Take charge, show her the ropes.

I'll be the Obi-Wan to her Kenobi.

You need to rewatch Star Wars, Flaco.

Remember, no special treatment.

Oh, don't worry. I'm the king of nothing special.

Hey.

I'm ready for my first day.

Welcome to Crutchfield's Uptown Flooring--

I got this.

For starters,

here at Crutchfield's Uptown Flooring,

- we value punctuality. - Uh-huh.

Five minutes early is two minutes late.

My name is Bennett, I ain't in it.

Got it. I-I'll be on time tomorrow.

- I'll give you a tour. - Oh, but

I know the store, Flaco.

But does the store know you?

Crutch! What's happening?

My man Avery. Two quarters. Come here.

You know me.

Still chasing a good woman

and a better bottle of Scotch.

Is Jake still coming through?

Yeah, he is. He can't wait to say hi.

I hope he say more than "hi."

I have a situation and I need a good lawyer.

Please tell me it pays.

Oh, it pays.

In that case,

let me make you a little bit more comfortable

in the office till he gets here.

- You want something to drink? - Yeah, what you got?

Nothing. I was hoping you'd say no.

Very good.

Very good.

Are you rating my sweeping?

No, I'm working on my grocery list.

I almost forgot the turnips.

Well, Flaco, I can do more than just sweep.

I'm sure you can.

And I look forward to the days

when you achieve great things

at Crutchfield's Uptown Flooring.

Well, when's that gonna be?

And now let's try dusting.

Wh--

Come on. Is this some kind of

Mr. Miyagi Karate Kid thing

where it's all gonna matter at some point?

Nah.

After this, I can give you a tour of the store.

But you just gave me a tour.

Of the store I grew up in.

You're right.

I think you're ready for trash duty.

Look at you.

A lawyer.

I remember when you used to shovel snow

in front of my building.

Well, you know you gave me my first paycheck.

Did it bounce?

No...

Oh. Well, I don't know why you even brought that up.

- Anyway, I have a tenant... - Mm-hmm.

...that I need you to help me get out.

Well... talk to me.

Okay. So, I have this tenant.

- Mm-hmm. - She won't pay her rent.

And I know it's a game.

So I gotta get her out before winter.

Yeah, otherwise you run into that winter eviction moratorium.

Then you'd be stuck with her till May.

- You really know your stuff. - Yeah.

Okay, let me get this straight.

So, uh, you want to put this person

out on the street?

Well, maybe not out on the street.

- Huh. - But how 'bout the sidewalk,

or the grass...

Just any place except my building, Jake.

Well, respectfully, Mr. Avery,

that's just not what I do.

I'm more of a tenants' advocate.

Landlords need advocates, too.

Listen, I know you're into helping people

and not making money...

That's not necessarily true.

Well, then, let me put some money in your pocket, Jake.

Okay. Well, let me just

look at my schedule and I'll get right back to you.

- Okay. - All right. But I gotta go.

- Okay, but you get back to me now. - Of course.

I've been knowing your father a long time, man.

We've hung out with just about everybody.

Now you're looking up.

I remember this night

when, uh... it was Earl the Pearl Monroe,

uh, Dapper Dan

and Sandman Sims.

Okay, we backstage at the Apollo, right?

And Sandman Sims has just swept off Terrence Trent D'Arby.

Terrence Trent D'Arby come off mad, right?

And he take a rubber band and put it in his hair,

and I said, "Need to change your damn name, too."

And he look at me like he want to fight.

And your father said,

"He ain't gonna beat nobody up in here,

not no light-skinned--"

He said he'd get back to you?

Man, when we were their age,

we'd jump at the chance to make some money.

Yeah, this generation, they're so consumed

with their dreams and their passions,

they forget there's a real world out there.

True that.

I'm-a be honest with you.

Professionally, I'm ready to sit my ass down.

I'm ready to sit down, too, but every time I go to sit,

there's somebody else in my seat.

Remember when we were kids?

We used to talk about changing Harlem.

- One block at a time, remember? - Mm-hmm.

Now all I want to do is change my zip code

and be out sunbathing on a yacht in the ocean.

I wish.

But having family around, that ain't happening here.

What? Now, wait a minute. That's a blessing,

having your kids and your grandkids back home.

Ain't nobody said that.

I love my family, but having 'em around

ain't cheap.

You know, my water bill, my electric bill just came in.

It's tripled.

And don't let me get started on my AC.

Well, your electric controls your AC.

Don't correct me, Avery.

R-- Remember that time

I corrected you at the Cult Jam concert?

It was me and you

and-and-and Dapper Dan,

and I think Andy Gibb was there.

- I got to go to work now. - And I feel like

I'm forgetting somebody.

Uh...

Was it Bowlegged Lou?

No, no, it wasn't Bowlegged Lou,

'cause Bowlegged Lou started Cult Jam.

Oh! Oh! Patti LaBelle-- Hey!

Crutchfield!

Hey, Pop, I got your text. You okay?

Yeah, I just wanted to know how your day was.

You do anything fun?

You called me all the way up here to see how my day was?

Yeah.

Oh.

Well, it was nice. Um...

I wrote this motion and the words just poured out of me--

You gonna help Avery or what?

I knew it.

No, Pop. I-I'm not doing that.

Why not?

Well, for starters, I don't have the time.

Even if I did, putting people out on the street

is not what I do.

It's a deadbeat who hasn't paid rent in months.

What don't you get about that?

Yeah, Jake. What don't you get about that?

I pays my rent.

Sometimes.

I believe that housing is a universal right.

Hard times can happen to anybody,

and it's our job to make sure those people are protected.

So how is Avery supposed to keep his buildings up

with tenants that don't pay rent?

I see this at Legal Aid all the time.

Do you know how many people are one paycheck away

from financial disaster?

I'm living with two of them.

Okay, that was a good one.

That was a good one.

But seriously, why aren't you on the side of the people?

Avery is the people, okay?

You think I would be asking you

to do this for anybody?

- Me and this man go back. - Yeah.

I know.

So why don't you at least look at his file?

Guess we're gonna have to just agree to disagree.

I guess we gonna have to agree

that you like lights, food, and AC.

Well, I like all that, too.

Especially the food.

Miss Pearl, do you mind?

Well, both y'all make good points.

Y'all should have a podcast.

Fine. (scoffs) Fine.

I'll take a look at his file

under one condition.

You turn the AC back on.

Deal.

Deal.

I was gonna turn it back on anyway.

The living room's starting to smell

like cat food in a hot car.

Mm.

NARRATOR And finding the axe in her skull

was just half the story.

WOMAN The wait is over...

The boyfriend did it.

How do you know?

Little girl, I'm a professional.

It's in those eyes.

He's got those cold-blooded,

"I'm-a drug you and kill you

and then join the Peace Corps" eyes.

I think it's the sidechick. I don't like her limp.

So how was your first day at work?

Oh, you know, I swept for four hours,

dusted for three,

and got an in-depth tutorial on the dumpster.

That sounds boring.

It was. When Dad hired me,

he said I could become the next generation,

but they're not giving me anything to do.

How long you been there?

One day.

And you haven't already transformed the business?

I hear you, Aunt Toni. I just...

I really hope he didn't give me that job out of pity.

Hmm. Your father would do anything for his family,

but when it comes to that store,

he does not do pity.

But...

I just really want to do something to help Dad.

Especially since I overheard him today

talking again about how his bills have gone up

since we got here.

Well, if they don't give you something to do,

find something to do.

The main thing is, be patient with yourself.

You're right.

Ooh, it's back on.

NARRATOR But in the end,

it was her limp that gave her away.

Told you.

Told you! I knew that leg had a story to tell.

This is an HR presentation.

On a cassette?

Two cassettes.

Is that you, Flaco?

It is.

...linoleum.

- ...sexual harassment. - Sexual harassment.

Uh...

This is a waste of time, Flaco.

- Can I at least help a customer? - Whoa.

Slow down. You got to walk before you run.

Can you give me something real to do?

I really don't know what else to give you.

I'm the manager, sales associate,

customer service rep,

and, as you recall, HR.

I-I really don't have anything left.

Well, what about your social media presence?

- I do that, too. - Oh.

You got one post from five years ago.

I really haven't found anything else

worth sharing with the world.

Well, what about those rugs over there?

Uh, yeah, let's not talk about the rugs.

- Oh, okay. - Okay, fine.

Ten years ago, I convinced your father to buy these rugs.

It was my big idea to expand the business.

- It did not expand the business. - Oh.

I didn't sell one rug.

It's my secret shame, and it still haunts me till this day.

Oh, don't beat yourself up, Flaco.

It's like when I worked here in high school,

and I mixed up the yards and feet.

Not that bad.

Well, I have an idea that I think will redeem us both.

We're gonna sell those rugs.

Pop, uh, I looked through Avery's file,

and you're not gonna like what I found.

You want some onion rings and cantaloupe?

No.

Then what are you talking about?

Over the past two years,

Avery's put out six tenants in his apartments.

Do you know how many of those apartments he's rented out?

- All of them? - None of them.

Avery's what you call a slow walker.

Oh, oh, like on Game of Thrones?

No, Miss Pearl. That's a White Walker.

Oh, my second husband was a White Walker.

He worked at a nursing home in Yonkers.

What the hell are you talking about, Jake?

Okay, Dad, so a slow walker is a landlord

that slow-walks repairs in their apartment

until the tenants get frustrated and leave.

Oh, that's what y'all call them.

We used to just call them slumlords,

but that don't make no sense. Why would he do that?

Because once the apartments are vacant,

he can sell the buildings to a corporation.

Oh, wow. That's messed up, but that don't sound like Avery.

Well, Dad, it's all online. The city has a website,

and you can check out all the complaints against Mr. Avery.

How do we know that's true?

Well, there's one that says he should stop telling

long stories and make repairs.

- That's him. - Yeah.

What are you doing, Flaco?

You said we were taking pictures with the rugs.

I said we were taking pictures of the rugs.

- Ah. Sorry. - Oh, well, wait, wait, wait.

I kind of like this look. Do that pose again.

Where did you get that hat, anyway?

Oh, I was gonna wear this on the hip-hop cruise with your dad.

I bought a whole bunch of stuff.

Oh, this is gonna be fun.

Okay, come on.

Uh... can you smize for me, Flaco?

What?

Smile with your eyes.

It was me, Billy Ocean,

Ed Bradley,

Meadowlark Lemon,

a-a-and we're playing pinochle, right?

Door opens, guess who walked through the door.

Let's put a pause on the story time.

But wait. Wait, wait.

Don't you want to know who walked through the door?

I need to ask you something.

It was Richard Pryor.

Richard Pryor walked in the door.

Enough, Avery.

Jake told me that you're doing

some real shady shit with your tenants, man.

And I can't believe it's true.

What are you talking about, Crutch?

Mr. Avery, we know

you're trying to empty out your building so you can sell it.

Not sell it, e-exactly.

I-I'm pulling in some investors.

I'll be a partner. I'll still be involved.

Yeah? Well, I'm guessing those investors

aren't from the community.

Oh, you know how that works.

You attach a local face, it helps the deal.

So it's true? You've been slow-walking your repairs?

Yeah.

But soon, it's gonna pick up in a big way.

And there'll be a nice piece in it

for you, Crutch.

We going top-notch.

Tile, terrazzo, hardwood floors.

So this how you treat the people you grew up with?

The people that make Harlem Harlem?

Avery,

you gonna sell out this whole neighborhood?

Yes.

Man, I can't believe you. What happened to you, Avery?

Crutchfield, if this deal goes through,

I may never have to work again.

Isn't that why we work so hard?

- For this kind of opportunity? - No.

Not at the expense of my people.

Oh, man.

So, I guess we ain't got nothing else to say.

Your son's rubbing off on you.

Suddenly, you don't like money, either?

No, I like money. I just don't like you.

And you don't know Richard Pryor.

Dad, I-I know how hard that must've been

to do that to a close friend.

You know, a fine young lawyer once said to me,

"Housing is a universal right."

Thank you, Pop.

You know, I'm-a be telling this story

about what you just did for years.

Remember that time it was me and you

and that slumlord Mr. Avery,

and you-you told him what's what,

and you slammed the door right in his face,

and stood up for all of Harlem?

Damn skippy.

Wow. It is packed in here.

What's going on here? We giving away free cheese?

Better. This won't constipate you and feel good on your feet.

Check this out, Dad.

I'm a rug influencer.

We're rug influencers.

What does that mean?

It means we're making money. Bla-dow!

Turns out, if you buy rugs

and hold on to them long enough,

they become vintage and sell like hotcakes.

You did all of this in just a few days?

The internet works fast, Dad.

I posted pictures of these rugs on Marketplace,

and I tagged the Mocha Moms Instagram page.

I trained her well.

Baby girl, I love the fact

that we are making money here

- in Harlem the right way. - Mm-hmm.

And my store is filled with women.

And we're so busy, I had to enlist

the next generation of Crutchfields.

Are we getting paid?

Oh, you're getting paid in hugs and kisses.

That's a raise. When your mother was younger,

I paid her with pats on her back.

Flaco, you really trained her well.

Thank you.

And he's an excellent model. We've been posting on the new

Crutchfield's Instagram page.

Hashtag "playtime with Flaco."

Damn, baby girl, you just started,

and you making me money.

- I got to put you up on that sign. - Yeah.

Call it "Crutchfield and Daughter Uptown Flooring."

How does that sound, Flaco?

It's all right.

Ugh. Come on, Dad. You still doing this thing with the AC?

I ain't do nothing. The AC is broken.

Could it be that somebody's stubby fingers

played with the knobs too much?

Are you questioning my mechanical abilities?

No, Dad, but maybe we should call a professional to fix it.

Ain't nothing happening on Sundays.

They charge a arm, a leg, a thigh, and a kill breast.

I'm too sweaty to FaceTime my friends.

Guys, global warming is not cool.

Don't worry about it. Once I plug up these fans,

we gonna be cool in no time.

Francois, you're an idiot.

You look better in the dark.

Captioned by Media Access Group at WGBH access.wgbh.org

♪ Sometimes life can deal you ♪

♪ A messed-up hand ♪

- ♪ But when it hits the fan ♪ - ♪ Hits the ♪

♪ Never fear ♪

♪ The Crutch is here ♪

♪ Crutchfield, Crutchfield ♪

♪ He keeps it real ♪

- ♪ Crutchfield, whoa! ♪ - ♪ Whoa! ♪

What's that, bro bro?