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 **

What are you sitting there for, J.J.?

Breakfast is finished.

I'm waiting for dessert.

J.J., there ain't no such thing

as dessert with breakfast.

How about a Twinkie dipped in oatmeal?

Well it's not in the Galloping Gourmet's

recipe book.

Now, get ready for school.

Aw, Ma, but my stomach's

really empty.

With you,

an empty stomach only means

that the rest of your body

is catching up to your head.

Now I know the day has begun.

The sun's come up, and the big mouth is open.

All right kids, that's enough of that.

Hey, J.J., don't you know what's going on?

The Defendersaid that there's a big food price crunch

in the country.

Yeah, and folks like us are the crunchees,

but the President has a solution for it.

He says we've just got to bite the bullet.

Bite the bullet? We already down to the powder.

Now, our food may not be fancy,

but it's nutritious and filling.

Yeah, I had enough to eat.

So did I.

I can't help it if y'all easy to fill up.

Me, I'm like a Cadillac.

I need a lot of fuel

before my luxury body can move out of park

and comfortably glide down the freeway of life.

Well, here's a solution

for your little fuel problem.

Next time you're gliding down the freeway of life,

get off at the exit marked "part-time job."

Ma, I been out there looking,

but there ain't nothing out there part-time,

spare-time, or no time at all.

He's right, Ma.

The Defendersays that the average unemployment figure

for black teenagers is 35%,

and the government's unemployment figure

for all blacks is 11%.

Well, we're getting up in the world.

Two years ago, we were 10% of the population.

Now, we're 11% of the unemployed.

Here's some good news.

It says here the stock market's

down 15 points.

Well, what's good about that?

We don't own no stocks.

Well, we may be taking that plunge

on the stock market soon

if everything works out all right.

Your daddy is up for a big job

in that department store,

and I may be up for something big too.

You are? Really?

What?

Well, I didn't want to say nothing about it,

but Willona told her boss that I was good at sewing,

and I might get a job altering clothes

in her boutique.

All right.

That's great!

When it comes to altering clothes, Ma,

you're the best.

Because my blue turtleneck, every time I wear it,

people give me compliments on it,

and little will they ever know

that that's half of Thelma's old gym shorts.

And the other half is my shorts.

[TELEPHONE RINGS]

I'll get it, Ma.

Hello, Evans residence.

Oh, hi.

No.

No.

No.

Yeah, bye.

What was that all about?

That was that old ugly Charlotte McDaniel.

I told her,

no, I wouldn't walk her to school this morning,

no, I wouldn't play with her at recess,

no, I wouldn't walk her home after school,

and, yeah, if she calls here again,

I'm not going to talk to her.

Girls, yuck!

I ain't got time for none of that mushy stuff.

The 12-year-old mind, a thing of pure beauty.

Except when it's trapped in an 18-year-old body.

Ma, I'm going to school early,

so I won't have to bump into that dumb Charlotte.

Later, y'all. Okay, love.

Hi. Bye, Willona.

Whoo-wee! He just set a new world's record

for the least time elapsed between hi and bye.

Good morning, everybody.

Hi, Willona.

Well, I'm all ready to go down to the boutique

to see about that job.

I got up real early and did my hair.

It may not look like much now,

but wait until you see it when I go outside

and let it blow in the breeze.

Oh, I remember the last time

I let my hair blow in the breeze.

It blew off.

The next thing I know,

some dude was driving around with a hairy hubcap.

Willona, you made that up.

Yeah, it was just a little joke to, uh, soften the blow.

What are you talking about?

Flo, honey, I don't know how to tell you this,

but my boss just called.

About my job.

Mm-hmm.

He couldn't afford to hire nobody,

so he got somebody to work free.

His mama.

Damn.

Ma...

Not in front of the child.

Florida, I'll tell you,

it's impossible to get work today.

You know things are so bad,

the newspapers are putting the want ads

in with the obituaries?

Which means employment is dead,

and since its dead,

I think I'll give it a little service--

Hell, yes.

Brothers and sisters.

The opportunity to get work,

so dearly beloved, has gone,

is no longer with us.

I say, it's no longer with us!

The other day,

I was walking down the street

past the unemployment office,

and there was a line about five miles long.

People was a'standing there hungry

looking for work,

but all the work was already gone.

Hey!

But those of us that are working,

we got to keep on keeping on.

We got to keep on struggling.

We got to keep on trying.

Ah, yes, sir.

Even though our salaries,

I say, our salaries are slowly...

slowly, slowly dying,

and all the while,

the old grim reaper called "inflation,"

yeah, I'm talking about inflation.

It's a'standing right outside that door.

Standing, a'watching, and a'waiting.

Hey! Can I get an Amen?

Amen!

Hallelujah! Hey!

The service is now concluded.

Oh, Flo, honey, I'm sorry about the job.

Oh, that's all right, Willona.

But if hear of anything, you know,

I'll sure let you know.

I'll see you kids later.

Okay.

Bye.

What you going to do now, Ma?

The only thing I can do, go see what's out there.

Hey, baby, we got any Band-Aids?

What's wrong, honey?

Nothing.

It's just that I'm dressed so sharp,

I'm liable to cut myself to death.

You do look mighty fine, James.

Thank you.

Sure do, Daddy.

Well, thank you, baby girl.

You know they say clothes make the man.

Yeah, them French designers would sure delight

in calling you Monsieur Dyn-o-mite!

Well, Junior, from now on,

this is going to be my uniform of the day.

No more breaking my back and coming home dirty

for chump change.

Tomorrow, I'm starting me a prestige gig.

A chance to go to work clean,

do a lot of smooth talking,

and make grand-theft dough.

You know something, Daddy?

That department store

couldn't have found a better man

to sell their appliances than you.

You know something, baby girl?

You are right.

Hold on, James. You ain't got that job yet.

Are you kidding, baby?

I got a grip on that gig like a vice.

The woman in personnel

told me I passed all the tests,

and as far as this interview goes,

now it's just a formality.

Hell, she thinks I'm the greatest thing

since red beans and rice.

Too bad soul food

ain't a hit on everybody's menu.

I don't follow you.

Forget about that job with Willona.

It's dead.

Yeah, we just had the services.

That ain't no reason to get upset.

Baby, that could be a blessing in disguise.

Now I don't follow.

Well, look, now you can go down to the department store

and get a job with me.

James, honey, you haven't been hired yet.

Are you kidding, baby? I got it made in the shade.

Do you know how many cats applied for that job?

Over 50. Over 50!

I came away leading the pack.

You know why?

Why?

Because, Junior,

when it comes to doing the do,

your father can do it to death.

Me, I just real cool,

like, laid a little bit of the James Evans charm on

and proceeded to charm the pants off that woman.

You what?

Figuratively speaking, baby.

What I mean is that, uh, I just turned on

what they call the male charisma.

You know, before I left that office,

I knew I could get anything out of that woman I wanted.

You what?

I mean like favors, baby.

Like getting you a job.

One of them good women's jobs.

What do you mean women's jobs?

Well, you know, like, uh,

wrapping packages and putting stuff away.

You know, all them good things

that women groove on.

What you mean things women groove on?

Why they always want to offer us the crummy jobs?

Now, Thelma, you and your mother got to realize

that men are cut out for certain work

just because of the way we're built.

Now, wait a minute, James.

That ain't what that Title VII says.

What's Title VII?

It's a part of a federal law

that I've seen tacked up

everywhere I went to look for work,

and it forbids job discrimination

on account of sex.

For participants or non-participants.

J.J....

Look, suppose you two go

and get ready for school.

Hey, where's the militant midget?

Oh, he cut out early

to avoid being the victim of the hormone revolution.

Well, Florida, you going to come on down to that job with me

and get it while the getting is good?

James, honey, you going to feel foolish

if you ain't reading that woman right.

Yeah, Daddy. Maybe it's her job

to be super nice to everybody.

Thelma, being super nice is one thing,

but when you're bitten by the James Evans charm,

it leaves an unmistakable mark.

Hah-hah.

It's called a hickey, right, Dad?

I'd better split before I get split.

Bye, Daddy. Ma.

All right. Bye, Love.

Good luck.

Later, Junior. Okay. Thank you.

Straight home from school, now.

James, you really think you could get me a job?

Baby, I am so positive that you're going

to come away from that place with a gig,

that if you don't,

I will push a needle down State Street

in 10-degree- below-zero weather

using my nose.

Now, is that confident enough for you?

Well, just fine, James, but I hope you're right.

Them cracks in the sidewalks'll kill you.

Florida, will you stop fidgeting and fussing?

You're about to give that chair a fit.

I can't relax, James. I'm worried.

About what, baby?

Honey, I don't want to be embarrassed,

and I don't want to see you embarrassed.

Ain't nobody going to be embarrassed.

I told you I got a lock on the whole--

Mr. Evans, come in. Come in.

Mrs. Rogers.

Good morning.

Good morning.

Morning.

How are you, Mrs. Rogers?

And how are you?

How are we today, Mr. Evans?

Mrs. Rogers, we are like a microwave oven.

We are turned on and ready to radiate.

That's very funny.

This is Mrs. Evans, my wife.

Oh, how do you do, Mrs. Evans?

Sit down, please, please.

Thank you.

Well now, Mr. Evans. I--

Mrs. Rogers, before we begin,

my wife is also looking for work,

so I thought you might want to lay a nice job on her

before we got started with my interview, you know.

Sorry, Mr. Evans,

but I don't believe we have any other openings.

Well, it don't have to be nothing

as good as my job,

but maybe something

in the package-wrapping department.

You know, you looking

at the last of the red-hot package wrappers.

Oh, oh...

Oh, it must be sheer heaven living with such an amusing man.

Sorry, no openings.

Well, how about something

in the stock-clerk department for her,

because that don't take no skill.

She'd be real good at it.

My husband's always putting me on a pedestal.

Excuse me. Mrs.Rogers, may I speak with you a moment please?

Of course.

My boss.

Will you excuse me, please?

Well, I sure hope your nose is in good shape

for pushing that needle down State Street.

Oh, you can do it.

It don't need no skill.

What's the interview for?

Well, I'm just hiring for that sales job

in appliances.

Good. She's just what we need.

Oh, no, no, no. That woman is his wife.

I'm hiring the man.

Wrong. You're hiring the woman.

But I practically promised Mr. Evans.

Mrs. Rogers, I promised myself,

my wife and my four children

that I'd keep my job.

The head of this store has promised to fire me

if we did not comply

with the government regulations

regarding the hiring of minorities.

Well then, what's the problem? He's black.

She's black too.

She's also a woman.

Therefore, when we hire a black woman,

we're capturing two minority butterflies

with one net.

The government is happy.

The head of the store is happy.

I'm happy, you're happy, and she's happy.

But what about him?

We can't all be happy.

Mr. Bridges, I all but told Mr. Evans

that job is his.

I just can't tell him he doesn't have it anymore.

I just can't.

You can't? No.

All right then, you don't have to.

Oh, good.

I'll tell him.

Mr. Bridges.

Thank you.

Mr. Bridges.

Thank you.

Hi. I'm Len Bridges, Mrs. Rogers' supervisor.

Mr. and Mrs. Evans,

boy, have I got news for you.

Yes?

Now, what the hell you mean,

you're going to give the job to my wife instead of me?

That's crazy.

Well, what's crazy about it?

Is there a better way to sell housewares

than with a housewife?

Yeah, Jack, with a house husband.

Now, Mr. Evans,

I sense that you're about ready to explode.

Yes, Lord.

I can understand how a man might feel

when he thinks he's got a job,

and it's offered to his wife instead.

I can see where it would make you feel frustrated

and betrayed and angry, uptight.

Keep going, man,

you ain't even dented the list yet.

I won't do it.

I won't take a job from my husband.

Well, Mrs. Evans, if you don't take the job,

I'll just have to offer it to somebody else.

You mean to say if my wife don't take the job,

you going to give it to somebody else besides me?

Another woman.

Well, Mrs. Evans, it's up to you.

The job is yours if you want it. If not...

Uh, excuse us a minute, will you please?

Uh, baby, let me speak to you over here.

Come on.

Florida, take the job.

What?

Baby, take the job.

I can always get back on at the car wash.

Take the job, baby.

James, you know what you're saying?

Yeah, I know what I'm saying.

Damn, if it's what I'm feeling.

Look, we done run into a roadblock, baby.

Ain't nothing to do but either go back the way we come from,

or keep on pushing.

Now, take the job, Florida. Please.

Florida Evans, saleswoman.

Florida Evans, salesperson.

You know, it sure does seem weird

with Mama working at days,

and her not being here

when we come home from school.

Yeah, and it's a shame Daddy had to go back to the car wash.

But at least he had some place to go.

Hmm. The real shame of it

is that we got to eat Thelma's ghetto garbage.

J.J., it's not too smart

to scream on somebody's cooking

you're about to eat.

They might put something bad in it.

Hm. Good. Your cooking can use all the help it can get.

What do you mean it can use all the help it can get--

Yes, I ain't saying nothing

this old Chef Boyardee ghetto stuff--

I don't care. You're going to eat it!

J.J. and Thelma, y'all better cool it.

Daddy's going to be home soon,

and he ain't in a good mood these days.

Hm. You telling me.

The other day, a mugger tried to attack Dad,

Dad gave him one of his mean looks,

and the mugger gave Dad a dollar.

J.J., you're making that up.

Just a little joke.

That's what we need around here.

I mean, if Dad is down,

we should try and cheer him up.

The man comes home to two lovely children, and--

You're not going to count yourself, J.J.?

As I was saying,

it's our job to cheer Daddy up.

How?

With love, warmth, and a little humor.

I don't think Dad's in a laughing mood,

but at least Ma had proven a woman can do a man's work.

Hm. I hope that don't go too far.

Some day, some dude's going to walk up to me and say,

"What does your mother do for a living?"

I'm going to say,

"She plays linebacker for Chicago Bears."

All right y'all.

Let's lay on the warmth and love.

Okay.

Hi, Daddy.

Hi.

Hi, Daddy dear!

Yeah...

Hi, Dad. How'd the day go?

Rotten.

Hey, Dad, there's a great new joke going around.

Did you hear the one about-- Yeah, I heard it.

It ain't funny, and shut up.

Well, now that I got him all cheered up,

you take over, Thelma.

Daddy, we know things are rough right now,

but it'll get better.

I don't know, baby girl.

They laying off

all over the place.

They laid off Willie Washington and Lunchmeat Mumford

down at the car wash.

Boy, they laying off thousands at the auto plants.

The President said

he was going to bring us all together.

None of us knew the meeting place

was going to be the bread line.

Hey, Dad, you want me to turn on the 6:00 News?

I'll see what the government is calling it today.

Stagflation, recession, depression,

or a nostalgic look at hunger.

Hey, everybody.

Hey Mom!

What you got in the box?

Ah, a nice cake I picked up.

Oh, Mom, what are we celebrating?

You got a raise at the store?

You'll see.

Hi, James.

Uh...

Is that all you got to say to me? Huh?

Aren't you glad to see me?

One thing about Dad's kind of joy,

it'll never get you busted

for disturbing the peace.

Why don't we set the table,

Chief Runningmouth.

All right.

Okay, James. Something's wrong. What is it?

Nothing.

Now, James, something is bothering you,

so let's talk about it.

I don't want to talk about it.

But I think we should talk about it.

Yeah, well, I said I don't want to talk about it.

Okay then, we won't talk about it.

You want to talk about it, huh?

Uh-huh.

Well I don't want to talk about it.

[DOOR SLAMS]

James, let me tell you why I bought the cake.

I don't want to hear about no cake.

At least let me tell you why I bought it.

Lord, I said I don't want to hear about no jive cake.

Oh, you'll want to hear about this cake.

Well, you just got to rub it in, don't you?

What do you mean I just got to rub it in?

It ain't enough that you're going to be the breadwinner,

now you got to show off

about being the cakewinner too, huh?

James, you still mad,

because you didn't get that job.

I am not mad.

That's why I didn't want to take that job,

why I had second thoughts about it,

but, no, you insisted--

I didn't insist.

You did too!

Well, you ain't got to listen

to everything I say.

Well, from now on, I won't

if that's the way you feel about it.

Well, Florida, how do you expect me to feel?

I been beat out of more jobs

for more reasons than you can imagine

all my life.

Wrong paint jobs,

overqualified, underqualified,

too much of this, not enough of that.

Boy, they found every reason in the book to keep me down.

Then just when I think I got it made,

they come up with a new one.

Do you realize I'm the first man in America

to lose his job to his wife?

It wasn't my fault, honey. The whole thing was an accident.

Yeah, the flying foot of fate done caught me

in the same place as usual.

Honey, the flying foot of fate

don't play no favorites.

That's why I bought the cake.

Well, look, you can take that cake and eat it.

Do whatever you want to. Just get it out of my life now.

I am not going to eat it,

and you're going to listen to what I have to say.

You want to have some more conversation about cakes?

You have it with Betty Crocker.

I ain't going through no more changes about no damn cake.

You don't have to go through any changes.

I'm going through enough changes

for both of us.

James...

I was laid off.

Now, I said I don't want to hear no more about it.

I don't want to talk about it no more, hear?

James, you haven't heard a thing I said.

I said I don't want to talk about it no more, hear?

James! I was fired.

Damn. I mean, you just got started working there

three days--

Well, people just not spending

as much money as they used to

and the stores had to cut back.

Yeah, and while they was cutting back,

they was playing our song, huh?

The last-hired, first-fired blues.

It all happened so quick.

By the time I got over the shock of it,

I went out and bought that cake.

I thought it would bring a little joy

into the house...

after we sang the blues.

That was a wonderful thought, baby.

Just wonderful.

I'm sorry I did all that hollering and screaming.

Oh, you had to get it off your chest.

Yeah, but I didn't have to put it on your back.

It's all right. Forget about it, James.

Cakewinner, breadwinner.

Baby, you just a plain winner.

Oh. Thanks, honey,

but I got to tell you, I'm worried.

About what?

With you just having a part-time job,

I wonder how we going to make it.

Oh, relax, baby.

We'll make it

the same way we always have.

Somehow.

What you mean I couldn't get a job

if my life depended on it?

That's right.

The only job you can get is modeling popsicle sticks.

If your brain was as big as your mouth,

you'd need a head like a Goodyear Blimp.

James, Thelma,

why don't y'all stop fighting?

[UNINTELLIGIBLE YELLING]

Yeah, we'll make it all right.

We got all the ingredients.

Family, love, and togetherness.

[KIDS SCREAMING]

[***]

[***]

* 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 **