Original subtitles

? What would you do If I sang out of tune? ?

? Would you stand up and walk out on me? ?

? Lend me your ears, and I'll sing you a song ?

? I will try not to sing out of key, yeah ?

? Oh, baby, I get by ? ? By with a little help from my friends ?

? All I need is my buddies ?

? High with a little help from my friends ?

? I'm sayin' I'm gonna get higher ? -? Try with a little help from my friends ?

- ? Whoa-oa-oa-oa, yeah ? - ? Ooh, ooh, ooh ?

All right, Willie Mays for Johnny...

[ indistinct conversation ] While the female remains with the young,

The male ventures forth Into a hostile environment

To find sustenance.

He returns after an unsuccessful foray,

Aggressive and unpredictable.

[ tires screech, dog barking ]

Notice the reaction of the startled mother

And her offspring

As they begin to sense the presence of the male.

Your father's had a bad day at work, so no noise.

Hi, hon. How was work?

Work's work.

The irritable male gives out unmistakable signals

That tell the young to keep their distance.

[ door slams ]

Let's go play catch.

Good idea.

[ Roaring ]

When my father had a bad day at work,

He'd just sit in the dark by himself and watch TV.

We learned early on that this was a danger signal,

And we adapted our behavior accordingly.

[ television plays Indistinctly ]

And when he had a really bad day...

I'm talking about a very not-good day...

He had this telescope,

And he'd go out In the back yard

And just look through it for hours.

"Etienne: 'maman, nous allons...

"diner en veau ce soire.'

Nicole: 'oui, Maman, dinons en veau.'"

That's very good, Kevin.

[ Tires screech ]

[ Car door opens ]

[ Clatter, car door closes ]

[ Sighs ]

Damn it, Kevin!

How many times I tell you not to leave your bicycle

Out in the driveway?!

But i... -You think they grow on trees?!

If you don't want to take care of it,

You don't have to have it!

But I was just gonna ride it over to Paul's later.

Well, now you're not gonna ride it over to Paul's.

You're gonna put it away,

And then you're gonna go to your room.

Now!

And then sometimes,

You knew you shouldn't do it,

But you just couldn't help yourself.

Okay, okay, get a grip on yourself.

You gave him lip.

What did you say?

Nothing.

I asked you a question, damn it. What did you say?

Nothing!

We have certain rules around here, young man,

And you're gonna follow them!

And the first one is you take care of your own stuff!

[ Door opens, slams ]

[ Sniffles ]

? All your life ?

I guess we really didn't understand

Why he was so hard on us sometimes.

Because sometimes...

And I remember these times so distinctly...

My Dad could be great. ? All your life ?

He could be so much fun.

You never wanted that feeling to end.

And then, for some reason...

It always would.

Now, look...

First you have to have something you really want to be,

And then you have to have your fallback position.

So, like, I want to be a professional baseball player,

But my fallbacks are either an astronaut or a forest ranger.

Okay, okay.

I want to be a professional baseball player, too.

And what's your fallback?

A professional football player.

What's your fallback a little further?

I don't know.

Probably go into business with my father.

Well, what's your Dad do?

I don't know.

He works.

You don't know what your father does?

I mean, that's the most stupidest thing

I've ever heard in my life.

Yeah, well, what does your father do?

He works at Norcom.

Yeah, he works at Norcom.

Norcom? What the hell is that?

It's a company, moron.

What does he do there? Is he the janitor?

No, he's the manager, jerk.

What does he manage, toilet bowls?

No, business, stupid! He manages business.

He manages business?

What the hell is that supposed to mean?

And that's when it hit me.

I had absolutely no idea what that meant.

Fortunately, Wayne was able

To salvage some of our family dignity.

See, you're too stupid to understand anyway, so...

So... pbht!

Oh, yeah? Pbht!

- Pbht! - Pbht!

Pbht!

[ Farting noises continue ]

In Saigon today, the government news agency said

That president Tieu

Will offer a new peace proposal of his own.

It's too long.

If I made it any shorter, It would be a headband.

Postponement of victory for south Vietnam.

In Paris, the North Vietnamese...

- Hey, Mom? - Hmm?

What does Dad do for a living?

What do you mean, what does he do for a living?

He works for Norcom.

Yeah, I know. But what does Norcom do?

It's part of the military-industrial complex.

It is not.

They make those little thingies.

You know, electro something. I forget what they're called.

Those little thingies are helping

To burn villages and kill children in southeast Asia.

They are this big, for god's sake.

They're not killing anybody's children.

But you admit that they're used for military purposes.

They're used in toasters and coffee makers.

Oh. So the military does need toast.

Karen, for god's sake.

But Dad doesn't actually make those little thingies, does he?

Well, no, of course he doesn't actually make them.

Then what does he do?

Well, he's a manager.

He manages distribution and product-support services.

My mother obviously hoped the tone of her declaration

Would forestall the one glaring question

That its substance raised.

What does that mean?

No such luck.

Kevin...

Why the sudden interest In your father's job?

I don't know.

I just wondered.

[ Tires screech ]

Well, that sounds like him now.

Why don't you just go ask him yourself?

Hi, hon!

How was your day?

A day's a day.

Yeah.

"ask him yourself."

Easy for her to say.

The man had grunted exactly twice

In three and a half hours.

I didn't see anybody else lining up

To probe his inner life.

Dad?

[ Baseball game plays Indistinctly on television ]

Dad, what do you do all day?

Aw, man! I can't believe they lost to the senators.

What'd you say?

I said...

What do you do all day?

What do I do all day?

Shovel other people's crap so you kids can eat.

Okay, that was pretty specific.

No need to press the issue.

No, I mean... What do you do?

What? I work at Norcom. You know that.

Yeah, I know, but what do you do there?

Come on, Kevin.

I work all day, and all I ask now

Is to sit here and watch this...

?buckle up, buckle up for safety...?

Great.

Is two minutes' peace and quiet

Too much to ask for around here?

?...If your seatbelt's buckled, everybody, buckle up?

Now, what do you want?

National Safety Council says,

If you don't have seatbelts, get them. Forget it.

If you do have seatbelts, use them.

[ door opens, closes ]

Now, I was in bed, sulking,

So I can only imagine what happened next.

But you have to bear in mind

That, when it came to surveillance,

The KGB had nothing on my mother.

Couldn't help but overhear a little bit.

Overhear what?

He just wants to know what you do, Jack.

He knows what I do. I work at Norcom.

Yeah, but he wants to know what that's like.

You got to relax a little, Jack.

Damn it, Norma, don't tell me to relax.

I mean, what does he want to know?

About the seven S-14 forms I got to fill out

Every time I turn around?

About the whining customers?

About the incompetent jackasses In shipping and receiving?

Yeah.

Yes, I think that's exactly what he wants to know.

He wants to know more about you, Jack.

I don't know why that's so hard for you to understand.

Uh...

Hiya, Kevin.

Oh, no, pal.

You think it's gonna be that easy?

You hurt my feelings,

And now you have to pay the piper. Uh...

So, you want to know what I do at work, huh?

That's it, don't look him in the eye.

Don't look him in the eye.

Don't look him... oh, geez, what are you doing?

You're killing me here.

It's, uh...

No big deal, you know?

Mostly pushing papers from over here to over there.

It's... Not some big, glamorous thing.

Okay, fine. Look at him.

Look at him all you want. Just no words, okay?

What do the papers say?

[Groans]

What's your office like?

It's an office.

Four walls, a ceiling,

A door.

Do you have file cabinets?

Yeah, I got file cabinets. Why?

I don't know. I just wondered.

Look, Kevin, um...

Why don't you come into the office with me tomorrow?

You see for yourself.

I'll write you a note, okay?

Okay?

Okay.

Okay.

Good night.

You set your alarm for 6:30.

I don't want to be waiting for you.

Years ago, the British government banned

Cigarette advertising on commercial television.

When commercial television began in Britain in 1955,

Cigarettes were advertised, but as more and more...

Kevin, you look so nice!

Karen, doesn't your brother look just so nice?

He looks like a little running-dog capitalist pig.

[ Television plays Indistinctly ]

[ Chuckles ]

What, Uncle Sid finally kick the bucket?

Wayne!

Well, what's with sir Lancelot here?

Your brother had an interest In what your father does,

So he's going to the office with him.

You mean instead of school?

Yep.

Well, I've always been interested in Dad's work.

I want to go, too.

Give me that toast, butthead.

We better go.

Traffic's gonna be hell.

[ Dog barking in distance ]

[ Television continues playing ]

And so I went to work with my father.

I don't know exactly what I expected

To learn about him there.

I guess I was looking for clues...

Something to explain why he was the way he was. -? Ahh-ahh-ahh ?

? Ah-ahh ?

Everybody, this is my son, Kevin.

This is Phyllis and Stan and Betty and Marian.

Hi, there!

You look just like your old man!

- Oh, my goodness, he's adorable. - You're so cute!

What an angel. Look at those cheeks!

You got the feeling

They didn't see a lot of 12-year-olds around here.

And what are you gonna be when you grow up?

Are you going to come to work with us at Norcom?

Of course, I knew exactly what I was gonna be

When I grew up...

Either a center fielder for the San Francisco Giants

Or a crewmember of the first manned space flight to Mars.

Are you gonna go Into distribution

Like your father, hmm?

I don't know. Maybe.

Uh, come on, Kevin. I'll show you my office.

Excuse me.

Ohh!

[ laughter ]

Dad's office wasn't impressive

The way, say, the Apollo 8 was impressive.

But it did have a lot of pretty cool stuff in it...

A big executive desk,

A phone with lots of flashing lights and buttons,

And a swivel chair.

Can I sit in your chair?

- Sure. - Thanks.

Phyllis, pull the quarterly distribution reports...

Oh, and the, uh,

West coast shipping statements for September.

- Right. - Thanks.

Here. No, you can sit here.

No, no, no. it's okay.

It's okay. Sit down. Sit down.

Okay, first thing you got to learn about around here

Is the s-14 form.

You got to fill one of these babies out every time... [ intercom buzzes ]

Hang on.

Yeah, Phyllis? Jeff Meyers on one.

Okay.

Hello, Jeff? How are you?

Good, good. Really?

No, look, Jeff, I told him the same thing,

But he said that Nutech wanted those 1018s.

Well, Jeff, Jeff, that's not really my problem.

I mean, they should know their own system, right?

Yeah, okay. O-okay, I'll see you.

Mm-hmm.

[ Receiver clicks ]

Be with you in just a minute here, Kevin. [ intercom buzzes ]

Peter Dante on two.

Yeah, Phyllis, thanks.

Hello, Pete.

Yeah, Jack Arnold. How are you?

Good, good.

Listen, Pete, I was just talking to Jeff Meyers over at...

I don't know. I don't know!

I'm checking on it right now.

Oh, well, hell, Pete! They can just get someone else, then.

I had no idea what my father was talking about,

But suddenly I fell in love

With the rhythm and flow of it all.

The way he punched those phone buttons,

Flipped through papers, gave orders.

He had power, authority... just like at home,

Only here it was even more mysterious and impressive.

Hello, Pete, listen, I'm working on it right now.

I'll get back to you as soon as I can. Thanks.

Look, you call Albuquerque,

You tell them rusty ordered an A.G. Lanford,

And you get me the purchase orders from last week.

I forgot my briefcase In the car. Kevin.

[ Telephones ringing, typewriter keys clacking ]

[ Door closes ]

I imagined myself In that role...

Administering things, giving orders,

Chewing people out.

[ door opens ]

What the hell do you want?

Well, Mr. Arnold, sir,

I-if... if you're not too busy, sir,

I-I have some papers for your approval, sir.

Sure, I do everything else around here, don't i?

Thank you, sir.

Good morning, buttface!

Good morning, sir.

I spent all last night working on these

For your approval, sir.

They stink!

Do 'em over again.

Thank you, sir.

Yeah, this was okay.

Like father, like son, I guess.

[ door opens ]

Wisanski, bring the purchase orders.

Phyllis, get Pete back for me. Okay.

What's this?

- Uh, we need these approved by Friday. - Uh-huh.

And we're having a problem with STI in phoenix.

The October shipment's late.

[ Sighs ]

What do you mean, "late," how late,

And when'd you find this out?

Well, they called yesterday,

But I thought maybe It would get there by today.

It went out on the 14th. You thought maybe it would get there by today?

What the hell?

Phyllis, get me Southwest Express, please.

Well, actually, we're using a new carrier.

Maybe they, um, you know... You what?

You went with a new carrier?

Jesus, Wisanski, you didn't clear that with me.

If this screws up the damn account,

We're all gonna be... Look, I'm sorry.

Maybe I should go down there. Look, no.

It's okay. I'll handle it.

Next time, check first with me.

[ Door closes ]

Tell you what, Kevin...

It is time you learned

About the most important part of the working day...

The coffee break.

Come on. [ Knocking on door ]

Jack, Mr. Keller's on line one.

[ Sighs ] tell him I'm not here.

Oh, uh, b-but he sounds like it's important.

Come on.

Uh...

Sure that's what you want?

Yeah.

I like it black.

Uhhuh.

Huh. You learn something new every day.

Dad?

Hmm?

When did you decide you wanted to become a manager

Of distribution and product-support services?

[ Chuckles ]

Oh, sorry.

It's just a funny sort of a thought...

Really wanting to be the manager

Of distribution and product-support services.

I mean, it's a good job, but, uh...

It's not what I thought I'd be doing with my life.

What did you want to do?

What, are you kidding? Professional baseball player.

No, really.

Really?

Well, I did have a fallback position.

This job?

No. Not this job.

I never told anybody this before...

Not even your mother...

But when I was your age,

I wanted to be a captain of a ship.

The captain of a ship?

Yeah, you know, one of those big ocean liners

Or a freighter or an oil tanker or...

Be out there on the ocean In the middle of the night,

Navigating by the stars.

Of course, they use instruments for all of that now,

But I didn't know that.

Yeah, I thought it would be the greatest thing in the world.

How come you didn't do it?

How come?

Well, you know, one thing leads to another.

Went off to college, met your Mom.

Next summer, I got a job on a loading dock here at Norcom.

The rest is history.

You would have made a great ship's captain, Dad.

Nah, probably not.

Probably get seasick. [ chuckles ]

You know, Kevin,

You can't do every silly thing you want to in life.

You have to make your choices.

You have to try and be happy with them.

I think we've done pretty well. Don't you?

Yeah. I think we've done great.

But as we walked back to my father's office,

I suddenly realized something

That made a lot of things make sense.

My Dad was too good for this place.

Sure, it was a good job,

And we were all lucky he had it and all that,

But my Dad had something finer in him

Than s-14s and distribution reports.

I'll never forget how I felt at that Moment.

I felt that my father was a great man.

[ telephone ringing ]

What the hell is this, Arnold?!

This is incompetence, just plain incompetence!

Look, Al, Wisanski's a little...

No, never mind Wisanski! He works for you!

Now, this is the third major screw-up in your department

In the last two months.

Now, if you can't hire competent people and supervise them,

We can find somebody that can!

It's being taken care of.

Well, it sure as hell better be!

Oh, and one more thing.

The next time that I try to get you on the phone,

You better be there to take the call!

Now, do you read me, Arnold?!

Do you read me?!

Yeah, Al, I read you.

Good!

[ Tires screech ]

[ Car doors slam ]

That night, my father stood there,

Looking up at the sky the way he always did.

- ? all your life ? - But suddenly, I realized

I wasn't afraid of him In quite the same way anymore.

The funny thing is, I felt like I'd lost something.

Come here, Kevin.

That's Polaris, the North Star.

That's how the sailors used to find their way home.

? Blackbird fly ?

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