♪ Good Times
♪ Anytime you meet a payment
♪ Good Times
♪ Anytime you feel free
♪ Good Times
♪ Anytime you're Out from under ♪
♪ Not getting hassled Not getting hustled ♪
♪ Keeping your head Above water ♪
♪ Making a wave when you can
♪ Temporary layoffs
♪ Good Times
♪ Easy credit rip-offs
♪ Good Times
♪ Scratching and surviving
♪ Good Times
♪ Hanging in a chow line
♪ Good Times
♪ Ain't we lucky we got 'em
♪ Good Times ♪
[KNOCKING ON DOOR]
Just a minute.
[SOBBING]
Save it.
Nobody's home yet.
Oh.
I guess I got back from the funeral
before they did.
Yeah, I guess you did.
Oh, honey, there's people... Shh, shh, shh.
I think I hear the elevator.
[SOBBING]
No, it's not the elevator.
Oh, it isn't the elevator? No.
Come over to my place. Help me put some things together.
Okay.
Oh, I sure enjoyed myself at the funeral.
Honey, I know you did.
Okay, come on, kids, lend a hand.
Folks will be coming here any minute now.
Are you all right, Ma?
Well, yes.
I'm fine, honey, just fine.
Wasn't that a lovely funeral?
Yes, it was.
[SIGHS]
Hope I made enough food.
Folks are gonna be hungry.
Wasn't that some crowd at the church?
And at the cemetery too.
Your daddy had lots of friends.
The Reverend Gordon
said some beautiful things about Daddy.
Yes, he did.
Yeah, the one time.
Daddy would have enjoyed listening to the Reverend,
he couldn't.
That's true.
It was always hard getting your daddy to church.
Come on, Thelma, put the coffee on.
Ma, how'd you do it?
I mean, you didn't cry once at the funeral.
You know, Ma, it's healthy to let go.
Ma, you can cry if you want to.
With a whole houseful of people coming any second?
I'm all right, honey.
I'm all right.
All right?
You were fantastic, Ma.
I watched you all through the ceremony,
and you didn't cry once,
and it was me who blew his cool.
Uh...
J.J. get me the dishes from here, please.
Come on, J.J.
Come on.
Hold it.
Hold it right there, Booger.
Bookman. Bookman!
I know your name, Booger.
What I wanna know is why you're not going inside.
The least you can do is pay your respects to the family.
You did not show up at the funeral.
I hate funerals. I never go to funerals.
When I die,
they're gonna have to bury somebody else.
Well, from the looks of you,
they're gonna bury two somebody else's.
That's a cold shot.
I'm hip as a cold shot.
[GROANS]
Hello, how are you?
Oh, Mrs. Gordon.
Reverend Gordon,
That was a wonderful eulogy.
Thank you, sister.
I kind of liked it myself.
I particularly liked the part where I said,
"Family love as no other love
is a many splendored thing."
I thought that was a nice turn of a phrase,
don't you?
I liked it better
when Reverend Ike turned it Friday night.
I liked it better when it was a movie.
Ooh, child.
Well, come on, now,
and pay your respects to the family.
Uh-uh. Okay, cool.
Later for you.
This is your ham, right? Yeah.
Good, I'll just tell the folks it's from me.
Hey, hold on, that's my ham, and I should get credit for it.
Mrs. Evans, I just dropped by
to say she's carrying my ham.
That's very considerate of you, Mr. Bookman.
Well, I know you know what I mean.
I gotta be getting along. I got a lot of things to do.
Oh, please stay.
It was very thoughtful of you
to come by, Mr. Bookman.
Well, you know, I brought the ham.
Thank you.
Now, look, I know you and James
had your differences...
Yeah, but he had a kind word for me
from time to time.
Yeah, the kindest word he had for you
was "Buffalo Butt."
Mr. Bookman, please, have something to eat.
Well, I brought you a ham too,
but one look in that refrigerator, child,
it's like old round-up time
at the old hog ranch.
Oh, Flo, you're knocking me out,
the way you're taking this.
You know, I was just thinking.
James said some pretty nasty things
to me at times, most times,
but he was a sincere dude.
He really meant them.
Oh, he liked hassling with you.
It gave him something to do
until J.J. came home.
[LAUGHING]
[KNOCKING ON DOOR]
[SOBBING]
Wanda, Wanda, don't start.
Otherwise, you'll get me started again.
Oh, all right, J.J.
I'll be good, I promise.
All right, come on in.
Hello, Wanda.
It was so nice of you to come.
I brought you a ham, Florida.
I thought you might want... [SOBBING]
Wanda, Wanda, Wanda.
Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot.
J.J., will you get Wanda a glass of water?
A sandwich would do me more good.
I brought the ham.
Then I'll make you a ham sandwich.
Cut off the fat, honey, because it'll kill me.
Ooh, a lovely buffet!
Oh, Florida, you're so brave.
I don't know how you do it.
Such courage.
Such understanding.
Such... nice-looking pickled pigs' feet.
Yeah, people always saying, "Florida Evans got
the best looking pickled pigs' feet in town."
Mrs. Gordon, the Reverend's wife,
brought them.
Try one.
I remember James just loved pickled pigs' feet.
They were his favorite, you know.
Wanda, James never liked pickled pigs' feet.
He said they gave him heartburn.
Oh, well, it couldn't have been him.
Who was it?
Oh, I know.
It was my cousin Samuel who loved pickled pigs' feet.
Well, he passed away last year.
Wanda, that was two years ago.
Well, he's gone, anyway.
Poor Samuel, so full of life.
And pickled pigs' feet,
Oh, thank you, honey.
I trust you found the services satisfactory, young man?
Oh yeah, you did a great job.
Yes, well, we at Ferguson's Eternal Light,
we pride ourselves
on being more than just a mortuary.
We like to think of ourselves
as being a friend in time of sorrow,
one you can look to for comfort and economy.
Well, I won't be looking for you too soon.
Well, I'd appreciate
if you'd tell your friends about us.
You see, all of our business is referral.
We don't advertise.
We just pick up what we can
around the neighborhood.
Thank you for everything, Mr. Ferguson.
You're quite welcome.
Excuse me.
I want to give this to your mother.
[GRUMBLES]
J.J., why isn't Ma crying?
You know, everybody's noticing it.
I don't know, Thelma.
I've been wondering about that myself.
Yeah, I know,
but, I mean, I cried, you cried,
everybody cried but Ma.
I know.
I'm still crying.
Michael, you're a regular little soldier.
Yes, indeed,
and you're setting an example for everyone.
Yes, it is written:
"And a little child shall lead them."
Well, I'm not a little child, and I'm not a little soldier,
and I wish my father was here so he can throw you out!
Mrs. Evans.
Yes.
James was a fine man.
I brought you a ham.
Oh.
Look, Willona, another ham.
I see.
That makes four little piggies
in the icebox.
People said such nice things about James.
Oh, yes.
I only hope when it's my time to go,
that I'll be missed a 10th as much.
Oh, I'm sure you'll be missed
one-10th as much.
Mr. Ferguson, have some food.
Thank you, thank you.
Oh, Miss Woods.
Your friend, Lonnie Jackson,
I didn't see him at the services.
How is he?
Oh, I hate to be the bearer of bad news,
but he's in perfect health.
[KNOCK ON DOOR]
Hey, James.
Hey, what's happening?
All right, how are you doing?
We brought you some beer
from the guys down at Brady's.
That's nice.
James always did like a cold beer
after a hard day's work.
He preferred it to water.
He used to say that at the plant all the time,
"I don't trust water.
You see what it did to the Titanic."
Look, why don't I take these?
Ooh, boy, I'll tell you.
Florida, I brought you a ham.
Oh, another ham, just what we needed.
Ooh, child.
I'm glad we ain't Jewish.
Well, look, since you brought a ham,
why don't we try some of this?
Let me fix you all a plate.
MAN: Oh, well... No thanks, Florida.
We're doing just fine, honey.
[ALL HOOT]
I mean, just fine.
We were just talking about the wild things.
James used to do down at the plant.
Like the time with old larda...
Uh-oh, Moran the foreman.
Moran was a sergeant in World War II.
Sucker thought he could run Brady's
like a boot camp.
Yeah, he was always trying, going around
talking about, "Hup, two, three, four.
Move it, two, three, four."
James listened to this one day
just as long as he could,
and he just got up and went over
and picked up his hat and headed towards the door,
and old Moran said, "Hey, where you going?"
And James turns, slowly,
with a big smile on his face,
he said, "Man, you keep running this place
"like it's World War II.
You might as well mark me A-W-O-L".
Right on, right on.
Tell it like it is.
How can you laugh like that?
My father is dead
and you're standing here laughing.
Don't you care?
Doesn't anybody care?
Michael.
[DOOR SLAMS]
Okay, folks,
there's plenty to eat and drink.
The night is young,
and there's plenty of time left to party,
so come on, enjoy yourselves.
[CHATTERING]
Hey, come on, everybody.
Flo said we got a whole lot of food
and nobody eating it.
That's right.
So we're having a special on... Guess what? All ham.
You got that right. We've got all kinds of ham.
♪ We've got baked ham
♪ We've got boiled ham
♪ We've got hot ham
♪ We've got cold ham
♪ We've got ham on white Ham on wheat ♪
♪ Ham and cheese And ham on the feet ♪
♪ So don't sit there As quiet as a mouse ♪
♪ Come get your ham
♪ Or get your hams Out the house ♪♪
Come over here...
Go on, everybody, enjoy yourselves.
There's plenty of food.
Ma, can I talk to you inside for a minute?
Not now, honey, I'm busy.
Later.
[DOOR SLAMS]
[CHATTERING]
All right.
What's going on with you two?
What's going on with us?
Ma, what's going on with you?
What do you mean, Thelma?
Ma, you were out there laughing.
I know, Willona was so funny about the hams.
Ma, I don't understand you.
It's bad enough
you didn't cry at the funeral or at home,
but you're out there laughing in front of all our guests.
Oh, Ma, what's... What's wrong?
Thelma, Michael,
now there's some things you don't understand.
People have always acted this way.
It's part of your heritage.
Back in Africa,
folks marked the passing of a loved one
by running up, tapping on the drums,
singing and dancing.
They don't mourn the death.
They celebrate their life.
Ma, we don't care about the old days.
We want to know what's happening now.
Just a minute!
Now, I want both of you to remember who's in this room.
You are the children.
I am the parent.
Now, I don't have to act in a certain way
to prove anything to anyone!
Now, that includes you both.
Hey, what's happening in here?
Ma ran by me so fast,
I could've caught a cold from the draft.
J.J., what's wrong with Ma?
Why isn't she crying?
Thelma, I don't know why she ain't crying,
but one thing I know is,
she's suffering more than any of us.
Well, I wish she would show a little of it.
You cried.
Hey, Thelma, don't go by me.
I cry at stop signs.
The fact is that everybody cried at the funeral
except Ma.
That don't mean Ma didn't love Dad.
[PEOPLE LAUGHING]
Well, I'm going out there
to stop them from laughing like that.
Hey, Michael, take it easy.
Did you see those dudes from the plant?
They're tough.
I mean, not even I could stop them.
They got muscles in their breath.
Oh, J.J., but how could you stand the laughing?
I mean, it all sounds like they're having a ball out there.
You gotta laugh to drown out Wanda's crying.
Now, y'all coming out there with me?
No way. I'm gonna stay in here until they leave.
That ain't gonna do you all no good.
You should be out there with Ma.
She's doing all right,
out there laughing and beating drums.
Beating the drum?
What are you talking about?
I'm talking about our mother, J.J.
Daddy is dead...
and the three of us are really feeling it,
and Ma was just in here telling us we're wrong.
We're wrong?
No way, honey.
The way I see it,
James and I had a different kind of relationship
than most people.
Like cats and dogs.
Oh, Flo, come on.
Look, I gotta admit,
it wouldn't have won any awards for being good neighbors,
but I loved him, and he liked me.
Well, that's true.
Mm-hmm.
You were the bright spot in his day.
You know, James used to say... Flo.
No matter how bad things had been,
Willona was sure to do something
that'd make it look good by comparison.
And that was a typical compliment
from him to me.
Mr. Bookman.
Mr. Bookman, isn't it?
Yeah?
Nice gathering, isn't it?
Yeah, if you like funerals.
Well, no one really likes funerals, Mr. Bookman,
but a wise man prepares.
Tell me, do you and Mrs. Bookman
have some type of burial plan?
Yeah, we plan to put it off as long as possible.
The reason I ask, Mr. Bookman,
is that I have
two very choice plots available.
They're repossessions.
Repossessions?
Yes, you see, the man that bought them
is having some financial difficulty,
and he wants to get out from under.
Hey, isn't that Arthur Davidson,
the man with the terrible heart condition?
Oh, I'd better go check him out.
Sister Evans,
if there's anything that we can do...
Oh, Reverend Gordon, you've already done enough
and Mrs. Gordon, thank you so much
for the pickled pigs' feet.
Wanda told me how much James liked them.
James never... Oh, they were his favorites.
Oh, yes.
Well, thank you.
Well, thank you for coming.
Press on, son.
Hang tough, rev.
Mrs. Evans? Yes.
I must be leaving now.
Oh, thanks for that ceremony.
Oh, you're quite welcome.
Oh, Wanda, I'll see you Thursday.
Whose funeral is it?
Oh, no one you know, but I'm sure you'll be there.
Well... it's going good.
WILLONA: Flo, Ned the wino is here,
and he's got something in a brown paper bag.
Ned always got something in a brown paper bag.
Oh, Ned, I'm so glad you came.
Thanks, Florida.
Oh, I brought you something.
Oh?
It's a turkey.
[LAUGHS NERVOUSLY]
A turkey, how nice.
Thank the lord.
I wanted to get you a ham,
but the store was all out.
This'll give the piggies something to talk about.
Here, Willona.
Give me the bag.
Ned, why don't you stay and have something?
Well, thanks, Florida,
but I gotta get back on my hustle,
because, you know,
raising the money for that turkey
put me way behind in my muscatel time.
You know what I mean?
But I wanted to say I'm sure gonna miss James.
We all are.
Oh, thank you, Ned.
Thank you.
Oh, Ned, wait a minute.
This is for you.
California wine.
Mm-hmm.
My old stomach
ain't used to this imported stuff,
but I sure thank you.
I gotta run now, Florida,
but I'll come back to see you
as soon as I can. Okay, Ned,
thank you again for coming.
Yes, the lord do move in mysterious ways.
[SIGHS]
Good old Ned.
MAN: Hey, Florida.
Yes?
That was a most magnificent spread.
Thank you.
Yeah, real good, real good.
I'm glad you enjoyed it.
There's something I keep... Oh, I remember.
Florida, here's a little something
from the boys at Brady's.
Oh, how nice.
Be strong, Sister.
I will. I will.
This was the best "paying respects"
I've ever been to.
[CHATTERING]
J.J., I think you ought to go back there
and see how Michael and Thelma are.
Oh, they're all right, Ma.
I don't think so.
They were pretty mad at me.
Ma, they're not mad.
It's just that everybody's under a little tension here.
I mean, look at me, Mr. Cool.
And I broke down at the funeral,
and I'm not sure what I was crying for.
What do you mean, J.J.?
Well, was I crying because I miss Dad
or because I'm suddenly afraid
of becoming the man of the house?
Well, son... Well, I gotta be on my way.
I've got things to do.
Thank you, Mr. Bookman, for coming.
Yeah, if you hadn't stayed so long,
we'd still have two hams left.
Oh, by the way,
the laundry room will be closed tomorrow.
Oh... What'd you do?
Rent it out for another crap game?
That's enough, J.J.
Thanks again for coming, Mr. Bookman.
Bye.
Well, Florida, I got to go.
I got to catch the late bus to Detroit.
My cousin, Walter,
went to the hospital for a checkup.
Poor Walter.
I just can't believe he's gone.
Wanda, maybe he'll recover.
But I already got the bus ticket.
Well, Florida, you be brave
and you take care of her, you hear, J.J.?
[SOBBING]
Well, listen,
if you all want to come to my house for dinner,
you're welcome.Good.
I think I know
where I can get a couple of hams.
Well, um, call me if you need me.
Okay, yeah, yeah, fine.
Well, that's that.
Ew, this place is a mess.
I'd better get started.
Hey, Ma, let us help you.
Hey, Thelma. Michael.
No, that's all right, J.J.
I don't need any help.
J.J., I said, I don't need any help.
THELMA: Oh, no, no, Ma. We're not gonna...
[ANGRILY] Thelma, I said, no!
Damn, damn, damn!
[SOBBING]
It's all right, Ma.
It's all right. You'll be okay.
♪ Mmm
♪ Just looking Out of the window ♪
♪ Watching the asphalt grow
♪ Thinking how It all looks hand-me-down ♪
♪ Good Times, yeah, yeah
♪ Good Times
♪ Keeping your head Above water ♪
♪ Making a wave when you can
♪ Temporary layoffs
♪ Good Times
♪ Easy credit rip-offs
♪ Good Times
ANNOUNCER: Good Times is videotaped in front of a studio audience.
♪ Good Times ♪