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 lay offs *

* Good Times *

* Easy credit rip offs

* Good Times *

* Scratchin' and survivin' *

* Good Times *

* Hangin' in A chow line *

* Good Times *

* Ain't we lucky We got 'em *

* Good Times *

Can you imagine anybody arresting J.J.

for breaking into a liquor store?

All right, all right, all right now cool it.

Cool it!

We'll get him out. Just try and hold yourself together.

James how can I hold myself together

when they got my son behind bars.

He's our first-born, James.

He's my brother, Daddy!

Mine too!

Well, he ain't no orphan to me.

Now we gonna get him out here. Just let me do the talking.

Baby, just let me do the talking.

Okay, love.

Yeah?

I'm Mr. Evans and I wanna--

Our son has been arrested,

and we think it's a mistake.

He'd never do nothing like that.

Florida, let me do the talking here baby.

Yeah I'm Mr. Evans,

and you got our son locked up in here and we want to see him.

Our boy would never do anything bad.

He isn't that kind of boy.

Florida, please baby.

Okay, James.

Name of the suspect.

Evans, James Evans Jr.

He's never done anything real bad

in his whole life, and today's his 18th birthday.

Quiet, Thelma, let your daddy do the talking.

Thank you, baby.

Now officer, all we want to do

is get him out of here.

James Evans Jr. arrested on suspicion of 18-2

of the penal code. Armed robbery of felony.

I bet you wouldn't be sticking it to him if he was white.

Michael!

Officer, we know he didn't do it.

No, he didn't do that. He didn't do a thing like that!

Officer, there's got to be a mistake.

Our boy is not that kind of a child.

[INDISTINGUISHABLE YELLING]

y'all are popping off too much.

You're getting hysterical Now, just calm down.

Look all we wanna do is get him out of here.

The court will probably set bail at $5000.

$5000? That's ridiculous!

Where are we gonna find some money like that?

It's a discrimination against the blacks--

All right, that's enough out of you now.

Now, y'all popping off for no reason.

Now you getting hysterical. You got to calm down.

Just take it nice and easy, hear?

Now, where in the hell we gonna get $5000 from, man!

I've never seen that kind of money in my life.

You only have to pay 10 percent, $500.

Well, where in the hell we gonna get five hundred dollars!

I can't tell you in a million years

how to raise the money, but I can tell you

a lot about lowering your voice.

James, honey, please don't make it worse.

It's all right, baby, can't you see

I'm trying to be nice? I'm handling it calm and easy.

Now, look here, officer.

Sir, all we're trying to say is

that we don't have that kind of money.

Now what's gonna happen to our boy?

He'll be bound over the grand jury.

Well, when's that, tomorrow?

Well, the courts are pretty backed up.

I'd say two, three weeks if you're lucky.

Two or three weeks, ah man.

And our son's gonna remain in jail

for as long as that before you even know

whether he did it or not?

That's not fair! That's not fair at all!

We gotta take this to the Supreme Court.

They got a black judge there,

and he don't fool around like y'all do.

I just keep the log, sorry.

Now, look here, man, I'm through being calm and easy.

Now, I wanna see the head dude in charge.

That ain't no piece of meat you got back there.

Now, I know he don't mean

a damn thing to you, but he does to us.

That's our child you got back there.

And he ain't no criminal,

but Lord knows if you keep him back there for that long,

you just might turn him into one.

[INDISTINGUISHABLE YELLING]

I know, I know.

I don't understand how he could do a thing like that.

Sit down.

You have the right to remain silent, if you give up

the right to remain silent anything you say can

and will be used against you in a court of law.

You have the right to speak with an attorney

and have the attorney with you during questioning

if you so desire or cannot afford one an attorney will be

appointed for you without charge before questioning, okay?

Now start talking.

Would you mind repeating that?

Come on, come on start talking.

You're the one that robbed the liquor store.

No, I didn't rob no liquor store.

Look, I'm a solid citizen,

as a matter of fact, tomorrow I start a job.

So, if y'all excuse me, I gotta go home

and get a good night's rest.

Sit down.

Were you at Robinson's Liquor store at approximately 8:15?

Yeah, I was there, but--

And what were you doing there?

Well, I had this heavy date, so I went to buy some Certs.

Certs?

Yeah, I wanted to make out with my chick Henrietta,

like that dude does on TV.

You know, "Click, click"?

Is that all you did at that store?

Yes, sir. No, wait a minute,

I haven't told y'all everything

Yeah?

While I was there I also bought her a Snicker bar.

See, I got it right here.

It's kind of melted because I been sweating a lot.

Now, according to this arrest record

you were seen running approximately 2 blocks

from the liquor store. Why?

I was going on my date.

Why were you running?

If you saw the way Henrietta's built,

you'd know why.

Now, look, you fit the description of the suspect.

A tall, skinny young black man.

You just described most of Chicago.

And half of the NBA.

Now why don't y'all just bring down the man

who owns the liquor store, he'll take one look at me

and he'll tell you that I ain't the one.

He couldn't identify you!

The one that robbed the store

had a nylon stocking over his face.

That proves it, where would I get a nylon stocking from?

My sister Thelma wears panty hose,

and my mother wears sub hose.

How'd you get rid of the gun so fast?

Gun? Yeah.

I never owned a gun.

Had a bean shooter once,

but it didn't work. It was bent.

Honest, I wouldn't kid y'all.

What'd you do with the $85 you took from the cash register?

$85?

Man, if I had $85 I wouldn't be running to meet Henrietta.

I'd charter a helicopter.

Now, look, kid, this is your first rap,

if you admit you did it and cooperate,

the judge will go a little easier on you.

You see, we're here to help you.

Want a cigarette?

Yeah, thanks man.

[COUGHS]

What's the matter?

I just remembered, I don't smoke.

James, we can't let J.J. stay in jail for God knows how long.

Don't worry, baby. We gonna get him out,

I'm just trying to figure.

Now, we need $500. Uh-huh.

All right, now I can borrow from Willie Kuntz, Jimmy Gamble,

Lunchmeat Muckford, my cousin Fred on the south side

and then there's your Aunt Hattie.

Well, that'll get us $50.

Now where we gonna get the other $450?

Now wait just a minute are you forgetting who's sitting here.

This is Willona, the closest friend of the family.

Now you know you can count on me.

Well, thank you, Willona.

Look here Willona, how much money you got?

Let's see now, in the saving account I got...

In the checking's account I got...

The emergency cash I keep in the coffee can I got...

Better you don't count on me.

Well, Daddy, maybe you can get a loan from the bank.

Thelma, how you sound.

After that department store computer bad mouthed my credit,

the bank loan ain't even up for discussion.

They're probably getting ready to foreclose

on that free calendar they give us.

Well, James, we got to do something.

J.J., are you all right? Did they hurt you, son?

No, Ma, I'm okay.

Mom, Dad, I didn't hold up the liquor store.

That's good enough for us, Junior.

Ah, do you have to have those handcuffs on him

like he's a criminal?

He ain't gonna hurt nobody.

That's right, I swear.

I think I need a smaller size.

Let's go.

Well, where you taking him?

I don't know, Ma,

but I got a feeling it ain't the honeymoon suite.

Junior, don't worry, son. We gonna get you out of here.

You got the whole family behind you.

Plus one. Don't worry about a thing, J.J.

And J.J., if you ain't out by morning

I'll be outside with my picket sign.

Thanks, Michael.

And can somebody get word to the messenger service

and tell them I won't be in tomorrow.

THELMA: I'll go, J.J.

I got a feeling I'm gonna be tied up for a few days.

Lord, if we ever needed your help, we need it now.

Baby, come on, let's go on home.

Ain't nothing else we can do here now.

Maybe we can get some help in the morning.

I ain't leaving James.

While they got my son locked up back there,

I ain't moving from this spot.

Ah, come on now, Florida.

James, I said I ain't leaving.

I don't care how long I have to sit here.

Right on!

Y'all may as well go on home because I'm gonna stay here

with your mother. We'll stay too.

I can start on my picket sign right now.

Willona will you take Thelma and Michael on home please?

Sure, come on, kids, let's go.

Go ahead, Thelma.

And, Thelma?

Yeah, Ma?

You make some breakfast for your brother, hear?

Okay.

Florida, I can make breakfast for Michael.

Either way I'm in big trouble.

Michael.

Daddy, I'm with you.

Thelma and Willona should go home, and us men

should just stay here.

What did you say?

I'm going home with Thelma and Willona.

That's what I thought you said.

Thelma, first thing in the morning,

I want you to go down to that messenger place

and tell them your brother won't be coming in tomorrow.

Okay, Daddy. And maybe the next day.

Come on, baby, let's go.

Oh, James, James, baby, I'm scared.

It'll be all right.

James...

Where's my breakfast?!

Don't they serve no food around here?

I get mean when I don't get my food.

Would you like half of my Snicker bar?

Hey, thanks.

That was good.

What I could really go for is a side of ribs.

Don't look at mine. They ain't got no meat on 'em.

You're okay, kid.

I like you.

Thanks, it's nice to be liked.

Yeah, you know it.

Yeah, it's nice to be liked, but not that much.

What're you in for, kid?

Armed robbery, but I didn't do it.

What are you in for?

Beating up five dudes, and I did it.

You hit me.

I don't like nobody hitting me.

Nobody!

Just trying to be friendly.

Just don't do it again, you hear?

Yes, sir.

You're a good kid.

I like ya.

Hundred prisoners in the jail

and I got to be in a cell with George Foreman.

That's funny.

Please don't like me no more.

About time!

Yeah!

Boy, this looks good.

Mm-hmm. But it ain't enough.

I was just gonna offer you mine.

Thanks, kid.

Hey!

What kind of joint is this?

They forgot to serve the napkins.

I get very unpleasant when they don't serve napkins.

James...

James!

You better answer, because I ain't no James.

I'm sorry, baby, I must of been dreaming.

Yeah, your dream must've been

in a dance hall, because you changed partners.

People ain't safe no place.

You even get molested in a police station.

I'm sorry, baby.

Oh, that's all right, honey. I was dreaming too.

I dreamed we was home and everything was all right.

But we still here and everything ain't all right.

You know, James, I was just thinking.

This experience might teach J.J.

not to make a joke out of finding things.

Hey, good morning y'all.

Hi Mom, hi Dad.

Hey Willona, hi sweetheart.

Hey, Michael, what you got there?

I made a picket sign.

The fuzz is unfair to brothers especially mine.

Michael.

You think that one is bad,

you should have seen the one he was gonna bring.

Hey, what we gonna do with this boy.

I don't know what you gonna do baby,

I gonna get him some more cardboard

so he can keep making these signs.

Right on, Dad.

Here, I brought you some nice hot coffee.

Thanks, Willona.

You guys get any sleep at all?

Not much.

We both slept kind of miserable, but James woke up happy.

I don't want none.

Florida, what are you talking about?

Nothing. She ain't talking about nothing.

Hey, Daddy, there's a brother over there.

Wouldn't he let J.J. out?

Long as he got that uniform on,

you ain't got to give his pigmentation no consideration.

I'll talk to him anyway.

Hey, brother, if you got any sense--

Wait, wait!

Now we got troubles enough. You sit down.

Damn!

James, what's the matter? The coffee too strong?

Ah, no, Willona. It's fine. It's fine.

You know, this could be a way of getting Junior out.

A couple of drops of this stuff, there'd be a hole in the jail.

James, I never said that I was Mrs. Olson.

Florida, what's happening with J.J.? Anything new?

Nothing. He's still sitting in there,

and we still sitting out here.

Say, Willona, did, uh, Thelma go by the messenger place

to tell them that Junior wouldn't be coming in today?

Yeah, I told her make up any kind of good excuse.

James, the more I think about this, the sicker I get.

$500, ain't no way in the world

we can get that kind of money.

Hey, there, I hear you all got caught in a long green squeeze.

Man, your troubles are over because plenty money is here.

Man, you better get the hell out of here.

That sure is foul, brother. That sure is cold.

Let me run it down for you.

Here in Chicago, ain't no bails bondsman.

So I'm here to fill in the gap.

I'm what is known as a public utility, dig?

Yeah, I dig, you're a loan shark.

James, wait a minute.

How much interest you charging?

Since we're all brothers, just 20 percent.

20 percent?

A week.

Nigga, is you sick?

Hey, man, you ought to be ashamed of yourself,

ripping off brothers.

Hey, can't look so fine

less you lay the bread on the line.

Mm, mm, mm.

Mm-mm.

You look awfully familiar.

Haven't we met some place before?

Could be, foxy mama. I get around.

Oh yeah, I remember you,

I tripped over you,

while you were trying to climb out the sewer.

What's wrong with you, mama? Get off my case!

Your case is already closed, tacky turkey.

Say, if you all got this hang up

about my charitable intentions, hey, I'll move along.

Later.

No, wait!

James, we got to get J.J. out anyway we can.

Baby, once these cats get you on a hook,

you don't never get them paid off.

They keep you paying till the day you die.

Then after that they go into the ground

after you to get the gold teeth out your mouth.

Honey, we can't let J.J. stay in here

for God knows how many weeks before they even have a trial.

I don't think I could live through it.

Oh, please, James. James, please.

All right, Mr. Clean. Let's deal.

Always happy to lighten your burden.

Is that enough, mama? I got plenty more.

Come on, man.

Get out of here.

Say, man, just trying to conduct a little honest business.

Move!

Say, okay. If you need me I'll be across the street.

I also make loans on TV sets, stereo's, toasters.

Get out of here!

Okay, okay, cool it, daddy, solid, man.

I'd like to put that cat up under the jail.

He was our last chance to get our son out of jail.

Well, that's what I came out here to tell you.

Mr. and Mrs. Evans, your son is in the clear.

What! Are we hearing you right?

Your son is in the clear!

All right!

We found the one that robbed the liquor store.

My partner is questioning him right now,

and he's the one because we found the gun on him.

Now just a few more technicalities,

and your son will be out real soon.

Yeah!

Yes, may I help you, please?

Yes, my name is Thelma Evans,

and I'm here to tell you that my brother James Evans Jr.

can't make it to work today.

You see, he suddenly caught the 24-hour flu.

And sometimes the 24-hour flu takes 48 hours

or even 72 hours if you don't have a good lawyer--

I mean, doctor.

My brother told me to tell you even though he's in bed

with a 104 fever, as soon as he gets out of bed

he'll report to work because he's very anxious to start

and he'll make it up to you by delivering

twice as many messages.

He's got real long legs that can move fast.

In fact, I call him the roadrunner,

and you'll feel the same way when he comes into work for you.

He's not only fast he's hard working, dependable, honest.

How long will your brother be in jail?

What's taking so damn long to let him out?

Honey, they said there were technicalities.

Technicalities, I got a good mind to sue them

for false arrest.

Please, James, don't make waves.

Let's just get J.J. out of here

and get him home, and then tomorrow morning

I'll come back, and I'll sue them for false arrest.

Yeah, baby, you do that.

J.J.!

There he is. Hey, honey.

How y'all doing?

J.J., I'm so happy.

Don't cry, Mama. Don't worry about it.

I never doubted it for a minute.

Hey, J.J., were you scared?

Scared?

Are you jiving?

At first the man thought he was dealing

with some frightened little boy,

then he took one look at me and realized

he dealing with Kid a Dy-no-mite!

Yeah, baby, he's all right.

Mm-hmm.

But they kept trying to confuse me

by firing questions at me, but I kept confusing them

by pleading the Fourth Amendment.

You mean the Fifth Amendment.

That's what confused them.

Junior, did you have any trouble in there?

Naw, they threw me in a cell with this guy

that was in for beating up five dudes.

Oh, my lord.

No, don't worry about it, Mama.

I just gave one of my mean looks

and he turned whiter than Lawrence Welk.

After a while he got so afraid

that he started feeding me his oatmeal.

Sarge, you wanna call George and have him come down

and book this guy for that liquor store robbery.

Is this the one that robbed the liquor store?

Yes, ma'am.

Well, I can see how you made a mistake.

They're practically twins.

Sorry for the little inconvenience.

Your son is free to go.

Well, let's get out of here before they book J.J.

for being an 80-year-old midget.

Yeah, I wanna get home and go to my job this afternoon.

Mom, Dad--

Oh, Thelma, did you hear the good news?

J.J. is free.

Yeah, ain't that great?

You should of seen the one they arrested, Thelma.

He was a fat little butterball, half J.J.'s size.

You should've seen him.

Baby, didn't you hear what we said? J.J. is free.

You don't look all that happy. What's the matter?

That's right. Smile up, little sister. My problems is over.

I lost the job, huh?

You mean they already found out that J.J.

was arrested last night?

Yeah, Ma.

I bet you it's them damn computers again.

Now they jam me down at the department store

for a payment I didn't miss, now they jamming Junior

for something he didn't do.

The way they work,

probably 10 minutes after J.J.

was arrested, his record was all over the country.

I bet his record is everywhere by now.

Ah, baby, you can't win for losing.

Now wait minute now, y'all.

Let's look on the bright side of this thing.

Over night my record's at the top of the charts.

Let's get him home.

* 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 *