All language subtitles for Mrs. America - 01x01 - Phyllis.WEB.H264-XLF+WEBRip.NTb.English.HI.C.orig.Addic7ed.com

[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS IN DISTANCE]

[CLATTERING]

[CRACKLING]

[PATRIOTIC MUSIC PLAYING]

[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS]

Do these look real?

- No.
- No.

Where's Phyllis? She's up next.

Oh, um, she's already there waiting.

[AMPLIFIED VOICE] Next, we have the wife

of one of our biggest donors...
Mrs. J. Fred Schlafly.

Ready for summer in
this patriotic swimsuit

courtesy of Marshall Field.

Fred is an attorney in Alton, Illinois.

He and his wife have been
active in the Republican Party

for many years, and we thank
them for coming out to support

Congressman Phil Crane's
re-election campaign.

[SOUSA'S "THE WASHINGTON POST" PLAYING]

[CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS]

And next up is Mrs. Philip Crane,

the wife of the man of the hour.

Looks smart in this evening dress

from Neiman Marcus. It's...

- _
- ♪♪

- Are you gonna buy the mink?
- I prefer sable.

Thank God they asked
you to model this time.

You know, when you were campaigning,

I got stuck with the bikini,

and I'd just given birth to
Sarah about 10 minutes earlier.

You ran an incredible
campaign that year.

Oh, thank you.

If only you didn't have to
be a man to win downstate.

Oh, that wasn't the issue.
It was a terrible year for us.

You'd have to go back to 1934

to find such a bad year for Republicans.

My husband won.

Well, Fred said I would have won

if the Democrats hadn't
rigged the congressional map

in their favor.

How are your kids
adjusting to D. C. life?

- You bought a house in Alexandria.
- McLean.

Oh, I hear that's a lovely neighborhood.

- Are you ladies decent?
- Hi!

- Oh.
- Hi.

Did you have a good time out there?

- WOMEN: Yes.
- Okay. [CHUCKLES]

Now shoo, so we can get changed.

Okay, well, thank you all again.

This event wouldn't be
a success without you,

and I look forward to having
you on my show next week.

- Mm-hmm.
- Uh, please wear that.

[LAUGHS]

[FOOTSTEPS DEPART]

["A FIFTH OF BEETHOVEN"
BY WALTER MURPHY PLAYING]

♪♪

Synced & corrected by QueenMaddie
www.addic7ed.com

Looks good. We need to white balance.

- What about off her face?
- [CHUCKLES]

- Good afternoon, gentlemen.
- Good afternoon, Mr. Crane.

How are you?
I'm so sorry to keep you waiting.

- No.
- Hi.

Hey. I had to release a statement

on the Consumer Product Safety Act.

Oh. How will you vote?

You'll have to ask my chief of staff.

Mr. Crane,
we're starting in about a minute.

All right. Okay, so I will begin

by introducing the topic.

- Mm-hmm.
- And then I'm gonna ask you

to weigh in. It's debate style.

But I'm gonna throw
you some easy questions

so you don't seem in over
your head, okay? Thank you.

- Okay.
- And I might disagree with you

just to make it more
fun for the viewers, so...

Relax. Look like you're having fun,
even if you're not.

And, uh, don't forget to smile.

- What?
- Smile with teeth.

- Rolling!
- You wanna practice?

- [THEME MUSICPLAYING]
- I think I've got it.

Okay. [CHUCKLES] We're up.

- Action.
- [CLEARS THROAT]

Good evening and welcome to
"Conservative Viewpoint."

I'm your host, Philip Crane.

My guest tonight hails from
our home state of Illinois.

She burst onto the
national scene in 1964,

when she wrote "A Choice Not an Echo,"

which sold 3 million copies

and was widely credited
with helping Barry Goldwater

secure the Republican
presidential nomination.

She has since authored four
books on nuclear strategy

and served in national party offices.

Please welcome Phyllis Schlafly.

- Well, thank you for having me.
- Absolutely.

- You know, I gotta know...
- Mm-hmm.

How does a housewife with six children

from Alton, Illinois,
become so interested

in national defense and nuclear warfare?

Well, I was at Washington University

studying political science
when World War II broke out,

and I worked nights as a gunner
and a ballistics technician.

- A regular Rosie the Riveter.
- Yes, that's right, so...

Uh, tonight's topic is the crisis

in America's defense posture,

specifically the Strategic
Arms Limitation Talks, or SALT.

Now should we accept a deal
with a regime as reprehensible

as Brezhnev's Soviet Union?

From a defense standpoint,

this pact serves certain
common interests...

Namely, the avoidance of nuclear war.

You would agree with
that assessment, Phyllis?

- Well, not entirely, no.
- Not entirely?

Which part don't you agree with?

Well, I'm afraid all of it, Phil.

You see, the U. S. delegation

has naively been telling
the Russians, you know,

"Peace is wonderful.
Try it. You'll like it."

It's like Life cereal.
But I think they're gonna get

the last laugh because the only country

that's gonna comply with the
pact is the United States.

They don't comply, we'll know, won't we?

The experts maintain we have
the most advanced satellite

- technology systems in the world.
- Yes, but these are the same

experts that didn't find the missiles

that went into Cuba in 1962.

I mean, they didn't even
detect the Soviet-built MiG-17

flying from Cuba to
Homestead Air Force Base

in Florida two years ago.

Uh, so you think we're proceeding
down the wrong path

- with the SALT talks.
- Yeah, well, not only

are we proceeding down
the wrong path, Phil,

but Nixon's leading the parade.

[COUGHS]

All right. Well, we will be right back

after this commercial on more
Strategic Arms Limitation Talks.

- Cut.
- [BELL RINGING]

And I am having so much fun.

[CHUCKLES]

[LAUGHS]

Well, that was... electrifying.

[CHUCKLES] You are... Wow.

You are a star.

[EXHALES]

[CLICK]

These sound guys...
you know, they listen to everything.

Oh. [CHUCKLES]

Am I gonna see you
on the campaign trail?

I don't know.

I have to see what the
county chairman decides.

I've already lost twice.

Well, the third time's a charm.

You know, there's things you can do

to get these county chairmen
to come knock on your door.

- Hmm?
- I can introduce you

to some money guys.

When are you next in D. C.?

- I'm not sure.
- Well, Ashbrook and I

are setting up a meeting with Goldwater.

He's our best hope at convincing
Nixon not to sign this treaty.

And I think you should come for that.

Really?

You know more than any of us about SALT.

Well, that would be wonderful.
Thank you.

[BIRDS CHIRPING]

[CLASSICAL MUSIC PLAYING ON STEREO]

- You tried Marshall Field's?
- Mm-hmm, yes.

- How about Scrugg's?
- Yes.

Oh, nothing at Scrugg's?

Well, yes, but she says nothing fits.

Well, I'll have to go back in
the city and look some more.

Your sister can't do it?
She lives right there.

No. She works.

I... work.

- You're a good daughter.
- You're coming, right?

I don't think so.

The girls will want
their Aunt Eleanor there.

We only call it the
Mother-Daughter luncheon

because we're trying to
attract a younger generation.

- [FOOTSTEPS APPROACH]
- It's not literal.

It's open to any member of the DAR.

Willie just pulled
these out of the oven.

- Snuck you a couple.
- Thank you, Leonia.

[GASPS] Andy was looking for
his Little League uniform.

Oh, it's still in the dryer,
Miss Schlafly.

- Thank you.
- Thank you.

Do you remember Raymond Bacha?

Yeah, I saw him
at Phil Crane's fundraiser.

- He's divorced now.
- Oh, that's too bad.

- Oh, no. No. No.
- He's nice-looking,

and his children are mostly grown.

Do you want me to talk to Fred?

I think he represented him once.

I don't think so.

He's Catholic.

He is nice-looking.

Oh.

What are you smiling about?

The judges approved
the redistricting plan.

Mm-hmm.

[GASPS]

"The new map could mean the defeat

"of downstate Democrat
Representative George E. Shipley

of the 23rd district."

I need to talk to Fred.

- W-Would you...
- Drop Andy off at practice.

Thank you!

- Well, what do you think of him?
- Well, I don't.

Hmm, but you're friendly
enough to call him.

Well, I guess so,
but why am I calling him?

[SIGHS] To introduce him to your sister.

- But why?
- Oh. Because he's divorced.

Well, Eleanor's too old for him.

No, he's older than she is.

Raymond is a very successful man.

If he remarries,
it'll be to someone much younger.

Don't give me that look. It's biology.

That is not biology.

I married someone much younger.

And here I thought you
married me for my mind.

Not only did I marry you for your mind,

it's the reason I fall more
in love with you every day.

I just love to watch
the way your mind works.

Well, can you see the
way it's working right now?

Let's see. This morning,

I noticed that article in the paper

about the remapping of
congressional districts.

Next thing you know,
my wife shows up at the office

under the pretext of buying
my mother-in-law a dress.

Oh, I do need to buy mother a dress.

The muffins are the pretext.

Don't forget to sign the
charge card application.

I know you don't want to hear this,

but, uh, our district has only changed

from slightly Democratic
to slightly Republican.

Well, I was only slightly defeated.

You have a nice home here.
You can do whatever you like.

Write books, your newsletter.
Give lectures.

In Congress, I would have influence.

I could get on the Armed
Services Committee.

They'll put you on Natural
Resources or Judiciary

and expect you to toe the party line.

Isn't this why we got involved
in politics... to do our duty?

To guarantee that our children grow up

in a free and independent country?

That's a nice trick,
repeating me back to me.

Still, I haven't recovered

from all the money I
sunk into your last bid.

[TELEPHONE RINGS IN DISTANCE]

What about Clem?

I don't know. Maybe you
could run into him at the club.

- [KNOCK ON DOOR]
- I heard there were muffins.

- May I?
- I brought them for the office.

Nancy won't keep any sweets
around the house.

She wants to try to
lose the baby weight.

How is the baby?

[MOUTH FULL] Oh,
he mostly just sits there.

Nancy keeps telling me to talk to him,

but what am I supposed to
talk to him about, Vietnam?

These are delicious.

Have you ever thought about
starting a baking business?

No, I've never thought about that.

[TELEPHONE RINGS IN DISTANCE]

I, uh, I'll talk to Clem.

Will you invite him
and Jessie for dinner?

Mm-hmm.

- So I can be there.
- Mm-hmm.

Ah!

Oh.

[B. J. THOMAS' "RAINDROPS KEEP FALLIN'
ON MY HEAD" PLAYING]

♪ Raindrops keep fallin' on my head ♪

♪ And just like the guy whose
feet are too big for his bed ♪

♪ Nothing seems to fit those ♪

But everyone keeps telling
me it's more convenient.

Formula just doesn't
have all the vitamins

your baby needs for his immune system.

And it doesn't help you
lose the baby weight.

- Oh, I thought that was a myth.
- No, let me tell you something.

I was 40 by the time I nursed Anne,

and after six months,
I weighed the same I did

on the day I was married.

Still do. You looked
teeny-tiny like Cheryl Tiegs

on Phil Crane's show, and supposedly,

those television cameras add 10 pounds.

You watched it.

Of course I did.
I'm your biggest booster.

Although, I have to be honest.
I was surprised

that you didn't come out strongly

against the Equal Rights Amendment.

Oh, I don't know what
all the fuss is about.

I mean, there are so many
more pressing issues

like national security.

Well, this is a matter
of national security.

They're going to ship our
daughters off to Vietnam.

Women could be subject to the draft?

And I heard it would get rid of alimony.

- Oh, I heard that, too.
- Buck could walk out on me

after 25 years without paying a dime.

I'd be left with nothing.

You know, this would be a
good topic for the luncheon.

I'm not the only one concerned.

Buck's never going to leave you.

Oh, only because I'd kill him if he did.

You have nothing to worry about.

You have skills and been
politicking for years.

Well, yes, but I barely
receive an income for it.

I mean, I couldn't do what
I do without Fred's support.

Still, you're not just a housewife.

You're never just a housewife.

There's no more
important job for a woman.

Well, tell that to the
host of the dinner party

we were invited to last week.

He was introducing
everyone at the table.

- Mm-hmm.
- Two of the wives work.

One's a lawyer. One's in business.

And after he introduced Buck,
he skips over me completely,

doesn't even say my name.

Hmm.

- Thank you, Gloria Steinem.
- [SCOFFS]

The rest of them I understand,
but Gloria Steinem...

She's so pretty.
How could she not find a husband?

I think she doesn't want one.

That's the whole point of the
women's liberation movement...

To be liberated from men.

I thought the point was to
be liberated from housework.

- [LAUGHTER]
- Your mother's all done.

Didn't she do a wonderful job?

Thank you so much. It's beautiful.

You hate it.

I hate it.

♪ Me ♪

[MOTOR REVVING IN DISTANCE]

[DOG BARKING IN DISTANCE]

Do you need any help?

Mother?

I think that's the one.

You don't think it's
big in the shoulders?

We could take it to my seamstress.

Let me take another look.

You have to wind the
clock every seven days,

or it stops working.

Well, I can't find the crank.
I should just get rid of it.

You can't get rid of Daddy's clock.

I'll take it.

It is smart.

It's very smart.

Did you... forget to pay some bills?

Why are you going through my things?

I wasn't going through
your things, Mother.

They just jumped out.

Do you need me to help you manage them?

Have you run through your savings?

I can't live on my
Social Security check.

- Mm-hmm.
- Your father didn't work

- long enough to be eligible...
- I know.

- ... for a pension.
- Mm-hmm.

- He was many wonderful things.
- Mother, please don't start.

But a good provider was not one of them.

You're very lucky you have Fred.

Remember to thank him for me.

- Oh, yeah.
- For the dress.

It's, uh... I love it.

[SIGHS]

[DOG BARKING IN DISTANCE]

[CHILDREN'S LAUGHTER]

- Can I have one?
- [DOOR OPENS]

- You'll ruin your appetite.
- [DOOR CLOSES]

- Hi, Mommy.
- Hello!

The spinach soufflé will
be ready in 10 minutes.

Everything else is on top of the stove.

Thank you, Willie. Mr. Schlafly home?

Not yet.

Alice came by and
dropped this off for you.

- _
- [DOG BARKING IN DISTANCE]

_

[DOOR OPENS]

Uh, Andy. Make yourself useful.
Ring for dinner.

- Phyl, would you?
- Anne, help your sister.

- [BELL RINGING]
- How did it go?

Can I take my coat off at least

- and settle in?
- Let me get that for you.

Who was there?

The usual crowd, Foster, Jerry.

So? What did Clem say?

Can we talk about this after dinner?

Oh, of course.

[FOOTSTEPS ASCEND STAIRS]

Can you just tell me what he said?

I invited him to dinner
like we discussed.

- No running, please.
- Sorry, Mom.

- When?
- Linda's handling it.

But he thinks it's a good idea.

- [SIGHS]
- I'm sorry, I'm sorry.

It's just very exciting.

Now it would be terrific
if the dinner could happen

before my trip to D. C.

What trip to D. C.?

The Goldwater meeting about SALT.

How long will you be gone?

It's just for the day.
Eleanor will be here.

I don't know how you
can stand that place.

Well, I don't love Washington either.

- But, Fred, if I win...
- I-I am not moving our family

to that lefty, godless swampland.

Well, the National Air
and Space Museum's nice.

I'm not, uh, telling you not to run.

I'm just telling you,
I am staying here in Alton.

I'll commute back and forth.

Oh, and how would that
work with the children

- and, uh, your mother?
- I'll... figure it out.

You know, it's what congressmen do.

- [SCOFFS]
- They stay in their district.

Well, it's different for a
man to leave his wife home

and go to Washington
than it is for a woman

to leave her whole family.
It's just plain different.

Do you want me not to run?

[SIGHS] That's your decision.

Is it?

Well, I'm not going to
apologize for asking my wife

not to split up the family.

Now you're just being ridiculous.

I will make it work, Fred.
You won't have to do a thing.

'Cause I don't understand
what's changed.

You supported my run two years ago.

You didn't think I would win.

[SIGHS]

♪♪

ALL: Bless us, Oh Lord,
and these, Thy gifts

which we're about to
receive from Thy bounty,

through Christ, our Lord. Amen.

[STEPPENWOLF'S "MAGIC
CARPET RIDE" PLAYING]

♪♪

♪ I like to dream ♪

♪ Yes, yes, right between
the sound machine ♪

♪ On a cloud of sound
I drift in the night ♪

♪ Any place it goes is right ♪

♪ Goes far, flies near ♪

♪ To the stars away from here ♪

♪ Well, you don't know what ♪

♪ We can find ♪

♪ Why don't you come with me,
little girl ♪

- ♪ On a magic carpet ride? ♪
- [CROWD CHATTERING]

♪ Well, you don't know what ♪

♪ We can see ♪

♪ Why don't you tell
your dreams to me? ♪

[AMPLIFIED VOICE] Please, make
your way over to the Capitol Building

for the Equal Rights Amendment.

[CROWD SHOUTING INDISTINCTLY]

Congresswoman Chisholm,
do you foresee any opposition

against the Equal Rights Amendment

in today's debate in the House?

Yeah, there will be
a handful of congressmen

who will oppose the
ERA based on the belief

that women have their place
and must be kept in it

for their own good,
but that belief is dying.

Now the truth is,
women have been protected

from working as waitresses at night

when the tips are large,

but they have never been protected

when working as charwomen,
scrubbing floors all night.

We don't need anybody to protect us.

♪ You don't know what we can find ♪

♪ Why don't you come with me,
little girl? ♪

Well, it's not that I don't
want to help you get

the raccoon out of your garage.

It's just that Woodside
is not in my district.

I'll tell you what.
I'm gonna have my office

transfer you to your
actual member of Congress.

I don't know if he answers
his own phone. Let's find out.

Sharon, line one is
for Pucinski's office.

- You answer your own phone.
- A few times a week, yes.

Otherwise, I...
I lose sight of the real issues

that affect my constituents
like a backed-up sewer,

a missing "TV Guide," or a raccoon

that has wandered
into some guy's garage.

- Oh. [LAUGHS]
- You're early.

Were you hoping to catch
some of the ERA debate?

- Oh, no.
- Yeah, I didn't think so.

And why not?

Well, you are wearing a dress.

Oh, libbers don't wear dresses?

- Not pink ones.
- Well, actually,

- it's dusty rose.
- Actually, it is distracting.

[LAUGHS]

Now I was hoping to have
that talk about, uh, the, uh,

campaign financing before
the meeting with Goldwater.

Right, well, certainly his endorsement

would mean a great deal to donors.

Oh, well, as will yours.

My schedule's a little tight today,

but why don't we have drinks afterwards?

Oh, well, I'm not much
of a drinker, so...

Oh, well, so don't drink.
Watch me drink.

Or better yet, let's have dinner.
You ever been to Duke's?

Right, well, I am scheduled
to fly out before dinnertime,

but you, uh, mentioned
you could introduce me

to the right people.
Perhaps, uh, Bob Dole?

We would probably
run into him at Duke's.

Come on. You'll love it.
A lot of lobbyists hang out there.

A lot of PAC money to be had.

Can you fly out in the morning?

Well, I guess so. Uh...

[RINGING]

Hello. Senator Goldwater's office.

[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS]

Well, if you're not gonna vote

for the ERA because you think it
will boost your maverick image,

let me tell you, Senator, it won't.

It will boost your image
as a chauvinist pig.

I don't care.
I answer to a higher authority.

Your constituents will
hold you accountable

in the next election.

I meant God, but what
would you know about that?

Or Arizona.
It's all Republican all the time.

That's the beauty of the place.

Don't look at me like that, Bella.
I'm voting for it.

Well, you, I like.

[SIGHS]

Hi, Barry. You know Phyllis.

Phyllis, nice to see you.

Oh, the pleasure's all mine, Senator.

What do you make of
all this ERA business?

It's not her area of expertise.

- She's a woman.
- Yes, I think I can speak

from my own experience.

I've... I've never been
discriminated against,

and I think some women
like to blame sexism

for their failures instead of admitting

they didn't try hard enough,
so good for you for opposing it.

Well, not so good. I'm the only one.

We know you're short on time, Barry,

so, uh, I'll cut to the chase.
We need your help.

You have Nixon's ear.
He must be convinced not to sign

any arms control treaty with Moscow.

Oh, if, uh, if you don't mind,

we'd rather this meeting
stay off the record.

Margaret?

[FOOTSTEPS DEPART,
DOOR OPENS AND CLOSES]

This is Neville Chamberlain
all over again.

Well, look, I know you're
not going to want to hear this,

but he's determined to sign a treaty.

Well, I think we should
focus specifically

on our biggest concerns in the treaty,

which are the ABM limitations.

Now our superiority in
MIRVs does not compensate

for the Russian superiority
in ICBMs, SS-9s...

Hey, listen, could...
Could you take notes for us,

you know, so that
we have an unofficial record?

Well, you probably have
the best penmanship

of anyone here.

[CHUCKLES] Oh, yes, of course.

Margaret can grab you a pad.

Okay.

- [FOLDER RUSTLES]
- I'll be right back.

It's a one-sided pact that
doesn't do anything to stop...

Hello there. You must be Margaret.

- Could I have a... a notepad?
- Of course.

[INDISTINCT CONVERSATION]

[CONVERSATION CONTINUES, MUFFLED]

[WOMEN CHANTING IN DISTANCE]

Here you go, Ms. Schlafly.

[MEN'S CONVERSATION CONTINUES]

It's Mrs. Schlafly.

- I'm married.
- I'm so sorry, Mrs. Schlafly.

♪♪

[MUFFLED CONVERSATION CONTINUES]

... advantage in building
up their weapons

while we've been in a weapons freeze?

Well, soon we'll have
girls in the foxholes,

and then we'll really
be at a disadvantage.

[NOTEPAD RUSTLING]

Well, I'm sorry.
I held my tongue earlier

when you asked me about this ERA,

but I have to say, if you're in favor

of this fraudulent amendment,
I don't think you have

any business calling
yourself a Republican.

It's an innocuous piece of business.

H-Have you read it?

Oh, yes, I have read it, Congressman.

Have you read it?

[SCOFFS] What do you mean,
have I read it?

- Have you?
- Yes.

Then what does section two say?

I don't believe there is a section two.

Oh, no, section two

states that "Congress
shall have the power

"to enforce, by appropriate legislation,

the provisions of this article."

Now if the ERA passes,
it will give the federal government

a massive amount of power.

I mean, are we no longer the
party of limited government

and states' rights?

You have no idea the
pressure that we're under.

We have to give the
women's movement something.

Oh, I think you've given them plenty.

You've given them the Pay Equity Act

and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act,

both of which I supported,
not to mention

women are already protected
from discrimination

in the Constitution by the
Equal Protection Clause

under the 14th Amendment.

Now I know of only one law that
is discriminatory toward women,

and that is a North Dakota
law stipulating that a wife

must have her husband's
permission to make wine.

So if a woman in North Dakota
really wants to make wine

and her husband forbids it,

she can sue for that right
under the 14th Amendment.

Okay. Maybe an amendment is unnecessary,

and, yes, maybe we need to do something

about that second clause,
but sometimes we have to vote

for laws that are symbolic
so we can the Dems to join us

in passing more substantive
items on our agenda

like tax reform.

Well, I hope your tax
reform bill is worth

writing off the 40 million homemakers

for whom the ERA is not symbolic.

The women I know are terrified.

They don't want to be
drafted into combat duty,

and you'll have to answer
to them come November.

I'm sorry. If saying all this
costs me your endorsement,

well, so be it.

[CHUCKLES]

I thought this wasn't
your area of expertise.

Well, I've been reading up.

Well, there's your stump speech.

Oh, no, no, no, I'm not interested

in running on women's issues.

Still, it's, um, a good spin.

Of course, if it were possible
to get 40 million housewives

to stop clucking and get out the vote,

I would have won the presidency in '64,

and Reagan would be
in the White House now.

That's our problem.

♪♪

I think you'll do very well here.

And what exactly does
"doing very well here" mean, Phil?

Sitting around all day horse trading

about bills you don't
even bother reading?

[CHUCKLES] What, is something wrong?

Oh, no, I'm just going to try
and catch the next flight out.

I thought we were gonna have dinner.

Oh, no, I've got to get home.

[CRICKETS CHIRPING]

Oh, thank you again for
putting the children to bed.

Uh, do you want to take some,
uh, food home for the weekend?

I broiled a chicken last night.
I'll make a salad.

Uh, did Fred ever get a chance
to talk to Raymond Bacha?

Uh... I don't think so.

[PEARLS CLACK]

Fred didn't think it was a good idea.

No, I-I figured when you
didn't mention it again...

so I just... I just thought I'd check.

Oh, Eleanor.

[CRYING]

Oh, your life is so full.

Oh, and you have your family
and... and your friends.

- You've got millions of friends.
- Oh, well, yes.

You should see the way they steer

their daughters away
from me when I'm nearby.

It's like they're going to catch it.

- And your work.
- [CONTINUES CRYING]

You're doing such important
work at the foundation.

Do you know why I threw
myself into the foundation?

You all were busy having babies.

I... I don't know why.

How come no one wanted to marry me?

You just had bad luck.

You know, the war and...

I'm so sorry. You
must think I'm pathetic.

- Now stop it.
- [SIGHS]

You are going through
a hard time, that's all.

- Now it'll pass.
- Yeah. [SNIFFLES]

Now I wanna say this.

You have been more of
a mother to my children

than most mothers.

- [SIGHS]
- They adore you.

Now did I tell you that
both Phyl and Anne asked

if you're coming to the
Mother-Daughter luncheon.

- They want you there.
- Aw.

So you're gonna come,
and you're gonna be celebrated,

and that's that.

[CHUCKLES AND SNIFFLES]

I should be going.
You must be really exhausted.

Mm.

[SIGHING]

Oh.

Oh, Anne took forever to go to sleep.

Well, I'm happy you're home.

No, you were right about Washington.

It is godless.

I can change that.

No, but I need you, Fred.

- I'm right here.
- [SIGHS]

[CHUCKLES] No, I've...
I've had a really long day.

Oh, wait, wait, where are you going?

Just to take out my contacts.
They're killing me.

- Oh, come on, come on. Don't.
- [SIGHS]

No, I smell.
I've been in this dress all day.

Well, then let's get you out of it.

[UNZIPS DRESS]

♪♪

[DRESS RUSTLES]

[SIGHS]

[SNIFFLES]

If visiting Moscow and Beijing

isn't enough to pull your support

of Nixon's re-election,
then I don't know what is.

- Who wants tea?
- Sure.

- Clem?
- I'll stick with this.

- Jessie?
- Thank you.

I'm not ideological like you.
It's like Mark Hanna said,

there are things that are
important in politics.

The first is money, and I can't remember

- what the second one is.
- [CHUCKLES]

Détente with China is good for trade,

which is good for business.

Still, everyone has
their line in the sand.

What if Nixon endorses the ERA?

Well, that affects my business.

Clem is apoplectic about it.

A billion here, a billion there.

It starts to run into real money.

Well, if it makes it through the Senate,

the insurance industry will be
the least of the casualties.

The left will demand
taxpayer-funded abortions,

state-run daycare centers,
women in foxholes.

Sounds a lot like the Kremlin's agenda.

The problem is, everyone
from Kennedy to Wallace

seems to be for it,
and there's no organized opposition.

Well, nobody wants to
vote against an amendment

that has the words
"equal rights" in the title.

Which is exactly why
they put it in the title.

Which is exactly why
we keep losing to them.

Ah-ah.

- I can't sleep.
- Oh.

Try counting sheep.

Do you wanna come sit with the grownups

till you get sleepy?

Here, let me help with the tea.

Mm. She wrote most of her books

with this one sitting on
her lap while she typed.

I think she can handle tea.

When you get elected, Phyllis,
you'd better be ready

to deal with the libbers.
They're all over D. C.

I appreciate your support, but, uh,

I've decided not to run this year.

Washington's broken.

I think it's a waste of
time to try and fix it.

I think I can shake
things up more effectively

through my grassroots
organizing right here at home.

Well... I always say that real change

comes from the bottom up.

Besides, my mother will
be moving in with us soon.

She's getting older, so it's just...

not a good time.

Mmm.

Oh, it's all over the rest.

[LAUGHTER]

Ah-ah! Roger, go make yourself useful.

Those are ready to go out now.

[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS]

- Now I have, uh, no doubt...
- Shh, shh.

... that in the, uh,
car ride over today,

that you warned your daughters

that I am Chairman of National Defense

for the Daughters of
the American Revolution,

and as such, to, uh, prepare themselves

for a lecture on the, uh, need

for an anti-missile defense system...

or the end of U.S. nuclear superiority.

So it may come as a surprise, uh, you

that, uh, today I am not going to talk

about the Soviet military threat
but rather another threat...

A threat to the traditional
American family,

a threat that is just as dangerous

and even more insidious...

The threat of the women's
liberation movement.

- [WOMEN MURMURING]
- But let me be clear.

I am not against, uh, women succeeding.

I am not against women
working outside the home.

That's their choice.

But what I am against is
a small, elitist group

of Northeastern establishment liberals

putting down the homemakers.

- [WOMEN MURMURING]
- Now the libbers love to say

that they're dedicated to choice,

but if you dare to choose
the path of full-time mother,

well, there must be
something wrong with you.

I mean, if you don't feel enslaved,

well, you're just dumb
and unenlightened.

In fact, you're not even a person.

- [WOMEN MURMURING]
- 'Cause, you see,

the women's liberation
movement is basically

a very negative attitude toward life.

It... It tells women,

"Sister, the cards
are stacked against you.

"When you wake up in the morning,

"you won't get a job, and if you do,

"it won't be a good one,

"and if you get a good one,
you won't get promoted,

"and if you get married,

"your husband will
treat you like a servant,

"and marriage is just
a lot of dirty diapers

and dirty dishes."

But don't take my word for it.

Read their own literature.
Betty Friedan,

mother of the movement,
wrote in "The Feminine Mystique"

that marriage is,
and I quote, "a comfortable

- concentration camp."
- [MOUTHING WORDS]

But it is not enough

that they're demeaning us in the press.

Oh, no. Now they want to use
our miraculous Constitution

to create a sex-neutral society

through this so-called
Equal Rights Amendment,

which will mean that that
baby girl will be drafted.

And the men will be at home,

- nursing the babies.
- [LAUGHTER]

I mean, can you imagine if Buck

was left in charge of your children?

- Oh, God, help us.
- [LAUGHTER]

Yes, that's right. It's ridiculous,

and it's downright un-American,
because women

are the primary caregivers in the home

because we bear the children.

And if the liberationists
have a problem with that,

they're gonna have
to take it up with God.

- [WOMEN MURMURING]
- 'Cause what is going to happen

if you push women out into the workforce

is that women are
going to find themselves

with two full-time jobs.

And they're going to be
exhausted and unhappy

and feel like they're
not doing either well

until eventually they decide
not to have children at all.

Maybe that's the liberationists' goal.

I mean, after all,
their hero is Gloria Steinem,

a single, childless woman nearing 40,

but she's the sort of, uh,
miserable, pathetic woman

- they aspire to be.
- [LAUGHTER]

She wants some kind
of constitutional cure

- for her personal problems.
- [LAUGHTER]

And perhaps that is why the
liberationists are trying

to sow these seeds of discontent
among we happily married women.

They want us to join them
in some new sisterhood

of frustrated togetherness

because none of them can find
a man who wants to marry them.

[LAUGHTER AND APPLAUSE]

♪♪

[WHIRRING]

[ENVELOPE RUSTLING]

_

[TYPEWRITER KEYS CLACKING]

MAN ON TV: Next, ABC's Bill Zimmerman

covered the story in Brooklyn, New York.

Mrs. Chisholm,
how are you feeling today?

Oh. I feel wonderful.

It's one of the most marvelous
things to happen in our country

at this moment.

Uh, for the first time in
the history of our nation,

a person of color, a woman at that,

is running for the highest
office in the land,

and it's a wonderful thing to know

that in spite of the many
obstacles on my path,

a large, large cross-section
of America is behind me saying,

why not?

Why not dare to dream

like so many others
have dreamt before me?

So I'm very excited, and I feel fine.

And do you really expect to go
all the way, Mrs. Chisholm?

Yes, I expect to go all the way.

[ETTA JAMES' "FIRE" PLAYING]

A new hat, or rather
a bonnet, was tossed

into the Democratic
presidential race today...

That of Mrs. Shirley Chisholm,

the first black woman
to serve in Congress.

Mrs. Shirley Chisholm today announced

that she's going to run for
President of the United States.

Would you vote for a
woman for president?

- Yes, I would.
- Why?

Well, I think it's about time
we had a woman for president.

I don't think they're as
level-headed yet as the men are.

I think it would be a good
idea to have a woman president.

Why?

Because it's good to have a change.

I think president is a man's job.

Yeah, I think she will
make a good president,

but I doubt if... I doubt that
she would be elected, though.

In the historic decision,
the Senate voted 84 to 8 today

to approve a constitutional amendment

guaranteeing equal rights to women.

The proposal goes to the
states for ratification.

♪ Fire, I'm on fire ♪

Did you call the Speaker of the House

- a 4-letter word?
- No.

- Are you sure?
- Yes, I'm sure.

"Ass" is a 3-letter word.

Come on! Come on! Come on!

[LAUGHTER] I'm in heels.

- _
- ♪ Fire ♪

♪ Fire ♪

♪ Fire ♪

[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS CONTINUE]

When I founded

this national women's
political caucus...

We all founded it, Betty...
You, me, Gloria, Shirley.

Yes, yes, but it was my concept.

Ahem!

[SCOFFS] Fine.

My point is that I felt
that we needed to take

our movement from
the streets to Congress,

and here we are, just a year later,

- and we are a political force.
- Here you go.

And we have our first serious
female candidate for president.

- Chizzy for President.
- Chizzy for Prezzy!

And yesterday,
the Equal Rights Amendment

- sailed through the Senate.
- [CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]

Hawaii ratified less than 30 minutes

after the Senate vote.

Delaware, New Hampshire will
have it ratified by tomorrow.

We have seven years,
but we'll get it done in one.

No, and even Nixon is on our side.

And thank you for that
last minute endorsement.

- See? He's not all bad.
- He's mostly bad.

If you would like our women's
caucus to be bipartisan,

perhaps the Democrats in
this room could refrain

from trashing the
president at every meeting?

I thought trashing Nixon was bipartisan.

[LAUGHTER]

No, but, you know, Jill is right.

Our movement is about fighting
oppression of all women.

You know, there are too few of us,

and we're not each other's enemies.

What are you talking about?
There are plenty of us.

Does this mean that you're
now for lesbian rights?

I never said I was
against lesbian rights.

I said that I didn't wanna
declare at the press conference

that we're all lesbians,
'cause we're not all lesbians.

- [POP]
- [ALL CHEERING]

Sorry to interrupt, but you asked me

to track opposition to the ERA.

Oh.

Who the hell is Phyllis "Schafly"?

- It's Schlafly.
- Oh, she's a right wing

- nut from Illinois.
- Oh, we don't need

to worry about stuff like
this on the fringe.

I've never even heard of
"The Phyllis 'Schafly' Report."

- It's Schlafly.
- What?

- There are two L's.
- [WHISPERS] Two L's.

Oh, well, what do I care
if it's "Schafly" or Schlafly?

It's not like I'm ever gonna say
that fucking woman's name again.

[LAUGHTER]

- To the ERA.
- Yes.

[ALL CHEERING]

[MAMA CASS ELLIOT'S "MAKE
YOUR OWN KIND OF MUSIC" PLAYING]

♪♪

♪ Nobody can tell ya ♪

♪ There's only one song worth singing ♪

♪ They may try and tell ya ♪

♪ 'Cause it hangs them up ♪

♪ To see someone like you ♪

♪ But you've gotta ♪

♪ Make your own kind of music ♪

♪ Sing your own special song ♪

♪ Make your own kind of music ♪

♪ Even if nobody else sings along ♪

♪ You're gonna be knowin' ♪

♪ The loneliest kind of lonely ♪

♪ It may be rough goin' ♪

♪ Just to do your thing's ♪

♪ The hardest thing to do ♪

♪ But you've gotta ♪

♪ Make your own kind of music ♪

♪ Sing your own special song ♪

♪ Make your own kind of music ♪