Original subtitles

* Good times Any time you meet a payment *

* Good times Any time you need a friend *

* Good times Any time you're out from under *

* Not gettin' hassled Not gettin' hustled *

* Keepin' your head Above water *

* Makin' a wave when you can *

* Temporary layoffs Good times *

* Easy credit ripoffs Good times *

* Scratchin' and survivin' Good times *

* Hangin' in a chow line Good times *

* Ain't we lucky we got 'em *

* Good times **

[HUMMING]

Hey, Thelma?

Yeah?

Why do they call it "men-o-pause"?

Michael, what are you

looking up a word like that for?

That's a term for women.

Then why don't they call it

"women-o-pause"?

You didn't answer my question.

Now, why are you looking up a word like that anyway?

Well, the way Mama has been

yelling and screaming and acting up

the last few days,

she must have it.

It's not true.

How do you know?

I'm a woman, so just take my word for it.

Just 'cause a woman is cranky doesn't mean she has menopause.

Boy, you men must be born with those dumb ideas.

Now, Mama does not have menopause.

Well, if she ain't got it now,

I sure don't want to be around when she catches it.

Michael, it's not anything you can catch,

but something is bothering Ma, though.

Oh, boy, she's really been on a warpath all week...

And her lazy son over there oversleeping,

isn't going to help any.

J.J., get up. It's after 7:00.

Aw. Why?

Come on, Thelma.

Just two more minutes. Two more minutes.

Let me finish this dream.

Oh, wow.

What a horrible finish.

I dreamt I was chasing this chick,

and her father was chasing me,

and the muggers was chasing him,

and the police was chasing the muggers,

sort of like a ghetto marathon.

Well, you'd better add Ma,

'cause she is going to be chasing you next.

She's real mean this morning.

Yeah, J.J., you keep lying there,

and you going to be laying

in your right position for your funeral.

I don't know what y'all is so worried about.

Just 'cause Mama's a little bit uptight.

A little bit uptight?

She's yelling at every little thing.

Last night, she jumped on me

for drying out my pantyhose

over the curtain rod in the bathroom.

I always dry out my pantyhose

over the curtain rod.

Yeah, I know.

Twice this week, I took a shower

without turning the water on.

The trouble is,

y'all two don't know how to handle Mama.

And you do, huh?

You looking at

the number one Mama handler in the business.

See, I give her my famous J.J. technique.

I lay on my charms, and she cuddles me in her arms.

[DOORKNOB RATTLING]

Mama, is everything all right?

Keep quiet. You'll wake up your father.

[DOOR SLAMS]

Good morning, Mama.

Don't move.

I want to remember you just as you are--

a vision of loveliness--

one perfect and exquisite rose.

That's not much, coming from one tall weed.

I wouldn't fall for that crock if you were Harry Belafonte.

But, Mama--

Shut up, J.J. Get out of that blanket.

You look like

the tent pole of a tepee.

Mama, could it be possible

that I'm turning you off?

Move it. Move it.

Thelma, why aren't you stirring this oatmeal?

I didn't know it was cooking, Ma.

It's not. It's burning.

And if you didn't drown yourself

with all that fancy toilet water,

you'd have smelled it.

Sorry, Ma.

I've got to go down to the laundry room.

Just keep stirring, girl.

If you find a lump in it, just unlump it.

Michael, what are you doing?

Just trying to stay out of your way, Mama.

Well, then do something useful and make up your bed.

Okay, Ma. Oh, never mind.

You always mess it up anyway.

I'll do it when I get back.

I should have been born an octopus.

You need eight hands to run this house.

Florida, if I hear one more door slam around here,

I'm going to...

Where's your mother?

Taking down the laundry, Dad.

Boy, that woman's about to drive me up a wall.

What's the matter with Mama, Daddy?

I don't know, son.

It's like she all of a sudden declared war.

I tell you, boy,

lately, sleeping with her

is like being in a phone booth with Joe Frazier.

Something's really bothering her, Daddy.

Who you telling, Thelma?

I come home last night

after working until 4:00 in the morning like a dog,

and she's laying up in the bed, asleep,

and I mean calling hogs, too...

So I get in the bed and go to sleep.

I ain't slept two minutes before she wakes up

with rocks in her jaws and talking about,

"James, I want to talk."

I said, "Well, baby, can't it wait until tomorrow?

I got to get some rest."

She said, "No, James. I want to talk now."

I said, "Okay, Florida. Let's talk."

Then she says, "James, I ain't got nothing to say."

Then she rolls over and goes back to sleep

and calls some more hogs,

and I'm up the rest of the night

trying to figure out what the hell's going on.

Good morning, Dad. How are you?

Oh, shut up, Junior.

So far I'm batting a thousand.

Hey, good morning, Florida.

You want to bet?

The elevator's probably

stuck on the 14th-and-a-half floor.

14th-and-a-half floor?

Mm-hmm.

See, there's the dude on the 14th floor

who makes out with the chick on the 15th floor,

and they kind of like to meet each other halfway.

I meant that joke to start the day.

I think I just finished it.

Damn.

Florida.

I felt like saying "damn" and I said it.

Now, I got it out of my system,

I don't have to say it anymore.

Where is that damned elevator?

Florida, honey,

you know who you remind me of right now? Me.

What?

I recognize the mood.

After my divorce,

I was so low,

I could have milked a snake.

Willona, I don't know what you're talking about.

Me and James ain't about to get no divorce.

I love him, and he loves me.

I know that.

I'm talking about a person

not being satisfied with herself

all of a sudden.

[POUNDS ON ELEVATOR]

Florida, I don't know

whether you're ready for this,

but when I got the downs, I went for help.

I went to this place where you could talk about these things.

I still go there now and then.

Helps me out a lot.

Willona, I got a house and family to take care of.

I ain't got time for that foolishness.

Well, what do you know?

The proud bird with the slow tail

finally rode in.

Hey, you coming, Willona?

No, you go on ahead.

I just remembered I forgot a few things.

James, can I come in and talk to you?

Well, the half that talks is already in.

You may as well bring the rest of it.

Hi, kids.

Morning, Willona.

James, I want

to talk to you about Florida.

Something's bothering her.

Hey, you kids hear that?

All week long,

your mother's been slamming doors, drawers,

and hollering at everybody,

and keeping me up all night.

Now the Rhona Barrett of the Projects comes in

with the hot news flash

that something's bothering her.

Well, thanks, Willona for telling us,

because we never would have known.

Ah, good morning, Willona.

Oh, shut up, J.J.

I'm having enough trouble with your father.

Still batting a thousand, J.J.

James, Lord knows I don't want to interfere--

Then don't.

Florida's my best friend,

and I care what happens to her,

and I think I'm the only one

who knows what's wrong with her.

Oh, you are, huh?

Okay, genius, let's hear these pearls of wisdom.

Come on, tell me, what's bothering her.

She doesn't have enough to do.

What?

She doesn't have enough to do.

Willona, your bread ain't baked.

Willona, Mama has plenty to do.

She's so busy,

sometimes she finishes a thing before she starts it.

Yeah, the other morning,

she folded up the bed, and I was still in it.

That's one thing

she can't never complain about

is not having nothing to do.

I let her do all the washing, cleaning, scrubbing,

sewing, shopping.

I ain't the kind of man

that interferes with a woman's pleasure.

That's mighty white of you.

James...

Now, you go off to work,

the kids go off to school.

You don't see her the way I do.

She spends her whole life

trying to stretch two dreary hours of work

into one big nothing of a day.

What?

Now, you think cooking and scrubbing and sewing

is Florida's thing?

She's wasting herself, James.

It's an empty existence.

Willona, the only thing empty around here

is your head.

Don't tell me nothing about my wife.

I'm her husband.

If there's something bothering her,

I know what it is.

Okay, what is it?

I don't know.

On second thought, I do know, too,

and I should have known a long time ago.

The only trouble with that woman is she's spoiled.

I've been pampering her.

Daddy's right.

We've been treating her like a princess--

Shut up, Junior.

I've been treating her like a princess.

From now on, no more Mr. Nice Guy.

I'm going to put that lady in her place.

Well, I can see

there is no use of me

trying to get through to you, James,

and with that, I will say goodbye.

See you kids later.

See you, Willona.

Willona, what you doing here?

I thought you said you forgot something.

You see how forgetful I'm getting?

I thought this was my apartment.

Excuse me.

I couldn't get the laundry done. All the machines were taken.

Thelma, the least you could have done

was put breakfast on the table.

Sorry--

Never mind.

You want something done around here,

you have to do it yourself.

Florida, I want to talk to you.

I'm busy.

Florida, what's bothering you?

Ain't you happy?

I'm happy.

You sure don't act like you're happy.

Well, I am happy. I'm very happy.

If she gets any happier,

she's going to break every dish in the house.

Well, for somebody

that's supposed to be happy,

you sure act strange.

Don't she act strange?

Personally, I think that she should--

Oh, shut up, Junior.

I ain't seen you smile in the last few days.

A happy person's supposed to smile,

so, come on, woman, smile.

All right, I'll smile.

You ain't going to win

no toothpaste ad with that mouth.

Florida, you ought to be

counting your blessings instead of complaining.

I mean, you got a nice home,

kids who love you, an understanding husband.

Ain't that right, Florida?

Ain't you got nice kids

and an understanding husband?

Damn right, so I don't want

to hear no more of your lip

or I'll button it, you hear?

That's right.

Look at that.

See what kind of troublemaker you are?

You make oatmeal too hot.

Who told you to put your fist in it?

I paid for that oatmeal.

I'll eat it any way I want to.

I don't want no more of your lip neither.

Maybe I ought to not hear any more of yours,

because I am getting--

Mom and Dad, please don't argue.

Stay out of this.

It's none of your business, Michael.

Now, listen to me, James.

No, you listen, baby,

because I'm going to do some talking now.

No, I'm going to talk-- Mama, please.

Michael-- Oh, my god.

Well, you know what I think?

I know. "Shut up, J.J.!"

All women not the same.

Ladies, while white women

are struggling to free themselves

from the confines of a typewriter,

we still busting our butts

to break loose from a bucket and a broom.

Right on.

Oh, I don't know,

that may sound good here, you know,

but just try telling that to my husband.

He don't listen minute number one.

He just sits there, gives me the silent treatment.

Well, honey, I'd settle for what you got any day, Bernadine.

Oh, no, you wouldn't.

Now, I tried telling the truth to George.

He listens, nods,

then knocks me back on my bucket.

Wanda, you get up off of that cake.

This is what's happening.

A man spends most of his day

getting his tail kicked by someone,

drags himself home,

and who does he take it out on?

The first one he sees, you.

Yeah, right.

If my man didn't beat me up on Friday,

I wouldn't know the next day was Saturday.

That's what I'm telling you.

You've got to find the inner strength

to stand up to him.

I'm loaded with inner strength.

What I got to find me is a good left hook.

Wanda, you still got a long way to go.

You got that right, Cora.

You back for a refresher course?

Yeah, it never hurts, and I brought a friend in need--

I don't need--

Florida Evans. Meet Florida Evans.

Hi. Have some coffee.

Now, Florida, these are the ladies

that are going to help you get your stuff together.

Right, girls?

Right.

Welcome, Florida.

Now, we're short on rules here.

We just keep rapping, and no holds barred,

so whenever you get the feeling,

you're welcome to join in

and let it all hang out.

WOMEN: Right on.

Hey, Bernadine, how you doing?

Things getting any better?

Well, my problem's not the same as Wanda's.

No, but you know, now that I'm working,

my husband got his nose out of joint

because I'm making more money than he is.

You know, if they only understood

that we were not out to get them.

We're out to find us.

You know, the big thing

stopping us is that most men still think

that we're only good for two things.

Now, if I've heard it once,

I've heard it a thousand times.

"Wanda, a good wife does her best work

"in the kitchen--

ALL: And the bedroom."

How about you, Florida?

Isn't that the way it is with you?

Well, I'm sorry to be different,

but it isn't at all that way with my husband.

Oh, you mean he considers you a person?

Yes, a person,

not just a cook or a sex object.

Oh, yeah?

How often you have relations?

That's none of your business!

And plenty.

Uppity, ain't she?

Florida. Florida...

why did you hit Michael?

She hit her husband?

You're halfway there, sister.

Michael is my youngest child,

and, Willona, this is no place

to discuss anything as personal as that.

This is exactly the place

to talk about it, Florida.

Florida, why did you hit your son?

I don't have to answer that.

I don't know.

She was ashamed it wasn't her husband.

Oh! Oh.

Florida, something is really bothering you.

Look, I don't know about the rest of you,

but I've got a family and a house to take care of.

Sure, Florida,

but for how many hours a day?

Your family don't need you

the way you think they do, honey.

Willona, I don't know what you're talking about,

and it ain't so.

You're probably holding on to them

because that's all you got.

That is not true.

My family depends on me,

and I don't need a bunch of cackling hens

with nothing else to do,

except trying to say what is bothering me,

'cause nothing is bothering me.

Nothing is bothering me!

I think she did rather well for a beginner, don't you?

Florida!

Uh-huh.

Ah. Ah. Oh, okay.

Thanks, Mrs. Anderson.

Sorry to bother you, you hear?

Yeah. Bye.

Boy, I don't know where she is.

You know, it ain't like your mother

to just run off like this

without telling us where she went.

Don't worry, Dad.

I'm sure nothing happened bad.

Matter of fact,

I read in a magazine one time,

that if women get the blues, they go to a beauty parlor

and try and change their hairstyles

and cheer themselves up.

Mama's liable to walk through that door

with a blond afro.

J.J., you think a woman's whole life

can be changed with a new hairstyle?

If you had something in your head

besides leftovers,

then you'd realize Mama has got a problem.

And it's all my fault.

Mama's all upset because she hit me,

and it didn't even hurt.

Mama didn't hit you, Michael.

She was hitting out at the world.

Maybe she was hitting out at me.

I sure hope a mugger don't try nothing.

Oh, J.J., don't say that. Oh, I ain't worried about Mama.

I'm worried about the mugger.

In the mood she's in,

she's liable to tear him to pieces.

There's one possibility Mama might be at a doctor.

It don't take all day to see a doctor, does it?

You ever been to the clinic?

Hi.

We were worried about you.

Baby, where you been? We've been worried about you.

Oh, it's not important, James.

I'm home and I'm all right.

James...

Hmm?

I'm sorry I worried you, and I'm sorry I was carrying on.

Oh, don't give it a thought, baby.

I'll fix dinner.

Oh, don't worry about no dinner.

Just sit down and relax.

Boy, Florida,

it sure is good to have you home.

Yeah, without a doubt.

Thank you, James. It's good to be home.

And James...

Hmm?

I love you.

I love you, baby.

Michael...

I'm sorry I hit you.

You know I love you too.

I know, Ma.

I love all of you.

I love this house and this family

more than anything in the world.

Mama, hearing that makes all the "Shut up, J.J."s worthwhile.

Shut up, J.J.

I mean, cool it.

Your mother's home now, and everything's fine.

Boy, Florida, we sure did miss you, huh?

Yeah, Mama.

We were thinking of all kind of places

you might have gone, baby.

Where were you?

Oh, James, it's not important.

Oh, you can tell me.

James, you wouldn't be interested.

I am, baby.

I went with Willona to one of those meetings

where women talk about their problems.

You know, all that silly talk

about trying to better themselves.

One of them women's groups?

Florida, I'm surprised at you,

wasting your time

at a crazy ladies' meeting like that.

Look at you,

sitting here bumping your gums,

when you ought to be in there making dinner.

James, you asked me to sit down.

I think you've said enough.

Boy, if there's one thing

I ain't got no patience with

is women trying to push in

and take over a man's job.

James, that is not what women are after.

Don't tell me, Florida. I see it every day.

They're taking the food right out of our mouth.

I think you've said enough.

Hey, woman, what's wrong with you?

You don't tell me when to talk.

See, you haven't been to one damn meeting,

right away you flying in my face.

But, James, that's not what it's all about.

I'm going to tell you,

you've been driving everybody crazy running around.

Now, you going to them women's meetings.

I'm going to tell you something my Uncle Ed used to say,

and maybe he was right.

There's only two places a woman belongs--

Don't say it James.

James, don't say it.

The kitchen and the bedroom, Florida--

the kitchen and the bedroom.

Well, ain't you going to say something?

I said, ain't you going to something, huh?

You going to say something?

Yeah, I'm going to say something.

You know something, James?

Huh?

When I left that meeting, I was convinced

that those women were wrong,

but now, listening to you,

I am sure they were right on.

Huh?

They hit it dead on the head,

what was bothering me,

only I didn't want to admit it.

I've made you and the kids my life,

and now I don't have a life of my own.

Baby, don't say that now.

Now, what is this, if it ain't your life?

I mean here, James, here.

Mama's right, and so is Willona.

We're all so busy thinking about ourselves.

No, Thelma,

I ain't blaming you and nobody else.

I dug this hole myself.

What hole, baby?

Now, what's wrong with being a wife and a mother?

Nothing, except my family is all grown up now,

and I still don't have nothing to talk about

but my husband and my kids.

James, there's a whole world out there,

and I'm not a part of it.

I want to be somebody too.

Florida, you always been somebody to me,

but what am I supposed to be with this new thing?

My husband, and I'm your wife.

James, I don't want to walk ahead of you,

but I don't want to walk behind you either.

Honey...

I want to walk with you.

Oh, isn't that nice, Michael?

Yeah, isn't that nice, J.J.?

Yeah, it's nice, but it's kind of confusing.

Now I don't know

which one to ask for a couple of dollars

and which one to ask to cook me dinner.

BOTH: Oh, shut up, J. J.!

What do you think?

I don't know.

Mama, that one looks interesting.

Oh, yeah.

Hey, whatcha doing, baby?

Nothing, I'm just looking through this booklet

to see what kind of courses

they got down at that night school.

If I see one I like, I might sign up.

Oh, yeah.

I looked over that book.

Hey, they got a class here on page nine

that would be perfect for you.

What's that?

Yeah, here it is.

Home economics. Sewing, cooking...

[***]

[***]

* Mm-mm-mm *

* Just lookin' Out of the window *

* Watching the asphalt grow *

* Thinkin' how It all looks hand-me-down *

* Good times Good times *

* Keepin' your head Above water *

* Makin' a wave When you can *

* Temporary layoffs Good times *

ANNOUNCER: Good Times is recorded on tape

before a live audience.

* Ain't we lucky we got 'em *

* Good times **