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 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 **

I'm telling you, Flo,

working in that boutique is education.

I see it all... from the hanky to the panky.

Let's skip the hanky and get to the panky.

I am not one to gossip, but you know Lucille Adams?

Live on the fourth floor,

work at the laundry?

That's the one. Uh-huh.

Girl, last night, that dude husband of hers comes strutting

in the store and bought this foxy baby-doll nightie.

So?

Honey, he bought a size seven,

and Lucille ain't wore size seven since she was 7.

I can't believe that about Jake Adams.

He's such a nice man.

Yeah, but nice to who? Had it all wrapped up fancy.

And while he was waiting for the package,

he calls Lucille.

Check this out--

[IN DEEP VOICE] "Lucille, honey,

"I got a little bad news for you.

"You see, I'll be home a little late tonight.

I got to go to the lodge meeting."

The old story about the lodge meeting, huh?

Uh-huh. That's what it was.

James? Huh?

You know Jake Adams, don't you?

Yeah, a matter of fact,

I saw him at the lodge meeting last night.

You did?

Yeah, poor guy had to miss his daughter's birthday too.

Bought her a nice present.

I was just saying what a nice guy he was.

Well, what do you see?

What do you see? What am I holding?

Nothing.

That's right, because there was something,

but now there's nothing, because I sold it.

Sold--

You sold a painting, Junior?

FLORIDA: Honey, which one was it?

The one with the kids by the fire hydrant in the water.

I called it My Ghetto Seascape.

I always knew you had talent.

Talent? That's his middle name.

Oh, we got a genius in the house.

I know.

Oh, J.J., where'd you sell it and who'd you sell it to?

At a sidewalk exhibit.

Actually, Michael was sitting with it when it was sold.

Yeah, this dude comes by, kind of walks past,

like, around three or four times.

Very sophisticated.

Mm-hmm.

You could tell he was interested,

so J.J. comes up

and looks over the dude's shoulder and says,

"Hey, man, that painting sure does look great.

"I mean, it sure does look groovy.

I have never seen art that cool before in my life."

J.J., you mean you shilled your own painting?

Sure, Ma.

Who else knows how great I am better than me?

Oh, J.J.

So J.J. says to me, "Hey, man,

I'll give you $5 for that painting."

So the dude says, "I'll give you 10."

So J.J. says, "I'll give you 20."

So the dude says, "I'll give you 30."

Then J.J. says, "$30? Are you kidding?

"That is an insult to the artiste.

I will give you 50."

So the dude said, "You got it, man,"

and walked off.

I thought y'all said you sold it.

We did sell it, Willona,

to the next guy that came by.

This time J.J. kept his mouth shut.

Oh!

How much y'all get for it, Junior?

Five dollars.

The paint and the canvas cost him $7.50.

Oh, it's all right.

As long as somebody recognized his work.

The money will come later.

Ma, Dad, have I got news! Whoo, whoo!

You got news?

Wait till you hear my news.

What do I care about your news? I got good news.

My news is good news.

Thelma, how come you always trying

to out-good my good news?

Okay, okay, open the grand canyon

you call a mouth, and tell me the good news.

I sold a painting for $5.

[LAUGHS]

That's wonderful, J.J. Congratulations.

All I'm doing is saving Mom and Dad $1000!

JAMES: Huh?

A thousand dollars?

What you talking about?

Something I always dreamed of is really happening.

Yeah, but what, Thelma, what? What are you talking about?

I won the alumni scholarship award

to the University of Chicago!

[SCREAMS]

JAMES: Oh, Thelma, I'm proud of you.

Did you hear that? Congratulations!

How soon, how soon they forget.

Huh?

All right, Thelma, I gotta admit,

I'm proud of you too.

Oh, thank you, J.J.,

and I'm really happy you sold that painting, I really am.

Well, Thelma, you got the brains,

and I got all the talent and good looks.

Well, I gotta be splitting.

I gotta go spread the good news about J.J. and Thelma.

That's right.

And retract the bad news about Jake Adams....

that, uh, some gossip started.

Mm-hmm.

Thank you, Willona.

I'll see you all later. THELMA: Okay, bye.

JAMES: See you, Willona.

Boy, Thelma, I can't tell you how happy we are.

J.J.: I can't believe it. I can't wait to see it.

Wait a minute, wait a minute.

Now I gotta tell you the bad part.

What?

The $1000 won't cover everything.

I could live at home,

but I'll still need at least $200 more to make it.

[ALL GROAN]

Thelma, you won't have to worry.

Shall we tell her now, James?

Florida, uh--

Thelma, we got a big surprise for you.

You don't have to worry.

We got the money!

Florida.

Oh, James, now, let me tell her.

I'm so excited I could burst.

Thelma, when you were a baby,

your daddy went to the bank

and opened an account for a college fund for you.

Oh, Daddy, for real? Thank you.

Yeah, believe me, Thelma, it ain't no big thing.

The heck it isn't, and it wasn't easy.

I remember you said,

"My daughter is going to college.

I'm gonna put away 50 cents every week in that account."

Hey, 50 cents times 52 weeks.

That's $26, and 26 times 18...

Oh, boy, I can't even think that high.

Hey, Daddy, how much money does Thelma have

in her college fund?

Eight dollars and 16 cents.

James...

Is that all there is?

Honey, I don't understand.

Sorry, baby, but I had to dip into it every now and then.

In case you all ain't aware, we living in hard times.

But, honey, why didn't you tell me?

I thought we always talked about these things.

Except when I don't want you to know about it.

Oh, baby, what I mean is

I had to take that money out of that college fund

for your operation.

If I told you where I was taking the money from,

you wouldn't have had that operation, and you know it.

Oh, wait a minute, now.

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

Maybe Thelma might not get to college,

but Ma's gall bladder might make it to medical school.

Oh, Junior, shut up.

Don't be for them 12 cavities,

I wouldn't have spent the money,

you raggedy-mouthed rascal.

Sorry, Dad.

Sorry, baby girl,

just wasn't nothing I could do.

That's okay, Daddy.

Oh, Florida, I tell you,

if it ain't one thing, it's another.

Either layoffs

or trying to put something under the Christmas tree,

keep these kids in clothes, and Michael there,

he growing so fast, he needs a new pair of shoes

every time he wakes up from a nap.

Sorry, baby,

just wasn't nothing I could do.

College always seemed

like something way off in the future,

but eating and living always been right now.

James, we understand. It's all right.

Aw, the hell it is, baby.

There ain't nothing I can do about it.

Honey, you had to do it. We know that.

Daddy, don't worry. It'll work out.

I can always go to city college.

Now, James,

don't start blaming yourself so much.

You have always been the breadwinner in this family,

and a darn good one.

A lot I got to show for it, baby-- $8.16.

James, don't worry about it. It'll all work out.

Where there is a will, there's a way.

Yeah, well, Will ain't been around here lately,

and I don't see no way.

[KNOCK ON DOOR]

Ah! Maybe that's Will now.

Will who? Will help.

Why did we bother to get your mouth fixed?

Michael, answer the door.

MICHAEL: Okay, Daddy.

Hello.

Is James Evans, Jr. here?

Yes, he is, come in. Thank you.

Yeah, I'm James Evans, Jr.

How do you do? I'm P.J. Hewitt,

president of Hewitt Trust and Savings Bank.

[CHUCKLES]

Assets over 10,000,000.

Oh, you can't have that much.

Dad's been pulling a little bit

out of his account.

I'm Mr. Evans. This is my wife, Mrs. Evans.

What can we do for you?

Well, it's your son that I was looking for.

I understand that you're a painter.

That's right, but I didn't paint those signs on your wall.

I ain't into spray cans.

No, uh...

In fact, I'm interested in your work.

I happened to see a painting of yours

that a friend of mine bought--

ghetto children playing at the fire hydrant.

I liked the way it captured the feeling

of the black community.

It had a certain--

well, I just can't find words to express it.

Try "fantastic."

Sure.

The purpose of our bank is to serve the black community.

"We are into black." That's the bank's motto.

Into black and in the black.

Clever, huh?

I wrote that myself.

You here to make a point, Mr. Hewitt?

Yes, of course.

I'm here to commission your son

to paint a mural for my bank.

A mural?

A whole wall?

Are you talking about painting it or rolling it?

Painting, of course.

Naturally, the bank will pay for it,

in line with our policy of supporting ghetto youth.

Mr. Hewitt, how much money you talking about?

Well, as you must realize,

your son is an unestablished artist

and this will be quite a break for him.

Shall we say... $250?

Two hundred and fifty dollars? Two hundred and fifty dollars?

Uh, now, hold on, hold on here.

Uh, as an artiste,

I usually don't accept a commission

unless I have complete approval of the subject matter--

Well--

And I approve.

Well, you are the artist.

All that we want

is something appropriate for the bank,

something depicting the life of the black community,

especially the happy side of ghetto life.

Happy?

For $250, you gonna get ecstatic joy!

Mr. Hewitt... we don't know how to thank you.

The pleasure is mine. We have another motto...

We are the bank that banks on the youth of today.

[CHUCKLES]

I wrote that one too.

[FORCING LAUGHTER]

It has a nice sound to it.

[ALL FORCING LAUGHTER]

Well, I must be going.

It has been a pleasure to meet you all,

but as we say in the bank, it is time for my withdrawal.

Good day.

Good day. Bye.

Good day, Mr. Hewitt.

Cheerios.

[ALL SCREAMING]

All right, J.J.! All right, Junior!

Oh, I'm so happy for you. It looks like everything good

is happening today. Yeah!

Yeah, J.J., you finally moving up, man.

Yeah, Rembrandt, don't get uptight,

because here comes Kid Dy-no-mite!

Hey, J.J., what are you gonna do with the money?

Well, according to the bylaws of the Evans household,

all money earned by any member of the family

goes into the family pot.

Well, I don't think it's gonna be hard

to figure out what to do with the money.

We're gonna give it to Thelma for college.

Right, J.J.? Right.

Ma, J.J., I can't let you do that.

We need the money for so many other things.

Oh, but, honey, this is the biggest thing

that's happening to us right now.

Your daddy and I have always talked

about you going to a good college,

right, James?

That's right.

Now, Thelma, that money is for your education.

I don't want to hear another word about it.

Thanks, Daddy.

Thanks, Ma... Oh.

And especially you, J.J.

* For he's a jolly good fellow *

* For he's A jolly good fellow *

* For he's a jolly good fellow That nobody can deny *

* That nobody can deny That nobody can deny... **

Yeah, look here, Lord,

now, you and me ain't had too much to talk about lately.

And you know I'm just as happy as everybody else

about this thing, but there's something about the whole thing

just don't set right with me.

Now, what is it? What is it?

Michael! Michael, are you awake?

Michael. Oh, what's the matter, J.J.?

I can't sleep.

Well, maybe you can't sleep, but I sure can.

Hey, J.J.!

Come on, Michael.

This is my big break.

I see my whole future flashing before me.

Today, I paint a mural at a bank.

Tomorrow, city hall.

And before you know it, the pope walks up to me

and says, "Brother J,

we getting tired of that ceiling on the Sistine Chapel."

Oh, boy. Hey, man, I can see it now...

The Sistine Chapel full of black angels.

And Ma's been working too hard.

We gotta get her a maid... a white one.

Yeah, but we'd better make sure she does windows.

Yeah, and Dad needs transportation.

I'm gonna get him four Cadillacs,

one for each direction.

J.J., if I didn't know you were Kool-Aid man,

I'd be worried about the way you be flying.

Michael, believe me, I haven't forgot about you.

We gonna send you through law school.

Well, Michael, tell me, how do them apples grab you?

Okay, you better rest up for law school.

Get ready to hit them books.

Hey! Hey! Hey!

What is it?

Oh, Florida, I was having a nightmare.

Baby, it was a bad one too.

What was it?

Florida, I dreamed

I was walking through this field.

Mm-hmm.

I came across this hole.

It was real narrow, about 20 feet deep.

I fell down in it, and, baby, I broke my leg,

and I couldn't get out...

and then right across from me was a stream,

and right on the other side of the stream

was a pack of mean crocodiles,

and when they saw me, they looked at me and they said,

"Sharpen your teeth. Here comes Sunday dinner."

I looked up at you, baby,

and you said you was gonna try and help me,

but you couldn't get through the hole

because it was too narrow--

Baby, it wasn't nothing but a dream.

Honest. See, I was just dreaming.

Anyhow, I looked up,

and I saw Junior's face smiling down at me,

and he said, "Don't worry, Dad,

I'll get you out. I'll save you."

But he couldn't reach me,

so you grabbed him by his heels, and skinny as he was,

you let him hang down the hole, and he grabbed me,

and baby, seconds, just seconds before them crocodiles

was gonna make me the blue plate special,

Junior reached down, grabbed me, and pulled me up.

Then he smiled to the crocodiles,

and he tipped his hat and said,

"Sorry you gotta miss your Sunday delight,

because Dad has been saved by Kid Dy-no-mite!"

Wow, that is a wild one.

Yeah, baby, I'll be doggone

if I can figure that dream out.

You know something, James?

Huh?

It just might have something to do with J.J. coming through

with the money today just when we needed it.

What you talking about, Florida? What could that have to do

with me dreaming about him saving my life?

Well, it could be that you a little disappointed--

well, you know--

because you weren't able to help Thelma yourself.

Aw, baby, that ain't got nothing to do with it.

I mean, I love the kids.

I love all of them,

and I'm proud of all of them.

That ain't got nothing to do with nothing.

She's right.

That's what it was. That's what's eating me up.

Well... now that I know what it is, I can deal with it.

James, did you say something?

Huh? Oh, yeah, I said, uh...

as long as we up, how about, uh...

How about what?

How about making me a sandwich?

I been down that hole a long time.

[VOICES MURMURING]

Attention, please, attention, please.

Attention, please. Shh.

Ladies and gentlemen,

not only does Hewitt Trust and Savings

offer a full range of services, maximum interest,

free travelers checks, safety deposit boxes,

and our new personalized African motif checks...

With all that wind,

he should be playing the tuba.

Willona!

It is with great pleasure

that I present to you a young man

who, through the generosity of this bank,

assets over 10,000,000...

Together with his own drive and determination,

has brought him to this proud moment.

Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. James Evans, Jr.

[CROWD CHEERING]

That's my boy! That's my son.

[STAMMERS]

Thank you there, Mr. Hewitt.

Ladies and gentlemen...

uh, cats and kitties, dudes and dudettes...

Uh, I'd like to thank all the people

who made this moment possible--

first, my mother,

who encouraged me to paint at every moment...

Oh, hear, hear! Hear, hear!

FLORIDA: Thank you.

[APPLAUSE CONTINUES]

And next, my father, who beat my butt whenever I didn't.

And my sister Thelma,

and my little brother Michael.

All right. All right.

[CROWD APPLAUDS]

Flo, Flo, he left me out.

And to my neighbor and dear friend, Willona Woods.

Hey, hey!

That's me, that's me, folks.

Willona Woods, with two O's.

These hands are the hands that changed his diaper.

Isn't that something?

Thank you all!

Thank you. Yeah.

Ahem.

And now for the moment we all been waiting for,

the grand unveiling.

May I present to you... Mr. Hewitt.

[CROWD APPLAUDS]

Yeah, all right!

[CROWD OOHS AND AAHS]

Baby, that's the best thing

you ever done!

JAMES: I'm so proud of you, I could bust.

J.J., I just love it!

J.J., I'm so proud of you.

Uh, don't panic, sweetheart. She's only my sister.

Uh, Mr. Hewitt,

you may now unveil the bread.

I refuse to pay for that piece of trash.

Trash?

What are you talking about?

That-- That idiotic painting?

I commissioned your son to paint

the happy side of ghetto life.

Well, uh, what can be happier

than shooting a little eight ball?

This is a bank, not a pool room.

But, Mr. Hewitt,

I thought you said I could paint

anything I wanted to.

Within limits.

That painting is sordid,

and totally unfitting to the dignity of this bank.

He worked for hours every night.

I don't care how long he worked.

I'm not going to pay for it.

I'm going to have that wall repainted,

and I refuse to pay a cent for that junk.

FLORIDA: He just--

Oh, now, wait a minute, Mr. Hewitt.

I don't believe I heard you right.

I said I am not going to pay.

Oh, no, you gonna pay him, bourgie.

Now, you told my son to paint what he wanted.

Now, he likes it, I like it, and everybody like it,

don't everybody?

[SHOUTING AT ONCE]

The main thing is my son is a fine artist.

He painted it the way he saw it,

so that makes it good.

Now, wait-- No, you wait!

You know how many years it took him to learn

how to paint like that, huh?

You know how many hours he had to stay up doing that?

Do you?

Now, that painting is worth 10 times

what you trying to rip him off for,

and if you don't pay him,

I'm gonna shove you in the night deposit box.

All right.

All right... All right.

You don't have to get rough. This is a bank.

James...

I suppose it does have a certain basic...

appeal to it.

You're right about that.

Dad, take your hat.

Boy, Dad, you really told that dude off.

I could've never stood up to a dude like that,

not even with a pair of brass knuckles.

Aw, Junior, I was just doing what I had to do.

No, Dad, it's more than that.

I mean, when something's wrong,

you got the guts to make it right, and I don't.

Dad, I'll never be the man you are.

I'm proud of you.

You hear that?

He's proud of me!

Oh...

* 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 **