♪ 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
♪ Let me love you Oh, sweet baby ♪
♪ Baby, baby, baby
♪ Let's give our love A fairer try ♪
Michael, would you please be quiet now? Come on.
Sorry, Thelma.
[MOUTHS WORDS]
Jack be nimble, Jack be fast,
Brother J is home at last.
Hey, Michael.
You look like one of those Motown Martians
with a bad case of Saturday Night Fever.
Hey, Michael, take off those headphones.
Can't you see your eminent big brother's talking to you?
And stop shakin' your booty like that.
Will you calm down, J.J.?
Hey, Michael, you mean to tell me.
Thelma ain't finished writing that play yet?
No, she still has got some extra work to do on it,
so be quiet.
Michael, I'm quieter
than a mouse skating across a bowl of Jell-O.
Oh, yeah?
Well, I'm more quieter
than the guest of honor at Ferguson's Funeral Parlor.
Michael, we all know that I am the quietest.
No, no, no, Brother J.
I am the quietest. I am the quietest!
I am the quietest! I am!
I am!
I'm quieter than...
I'm quieter than a feather...
Can I say something, please?
Yeah. Hold on there.
Thelma ain't finished writing her play yet. Anyway...
[ARGUING CONTINUES]
Hey. Thelma, Thelma, Thelma.
Were we quiet enough for you?
Oh, yes.
If it got any quieter,
we'll have a rock concert in here.
Hey, Thelma, you just about finished over here?
Yethe first draftave
to Mrs. Flicker, my teacher. Yeah?
I'm just waiting to hear from her.
Don't worry, Thelma. From now on,
we won't give you nothing but peace and quiet around here.
[LOUD VOICE] Peace and quiet!
Oh, thanks so much.
Hey, y'all. Have I got news for you.
Guess what. J.J. What?
Shh. Thelma's still writin'.
Okay, listen. But you got to hear this.
My daughter, Penny,
has been selected to play in the Easter pageant!
Congratulations, Penny. Very happy to hear that.
And not only that, the costume will be styled and designed
by the one and only, her mother, the star's mother.
Hey, Penny.
Whoo!
What part are you playing, Penny?
I'm a tree.
I wanted to be a bunny, but they ran out of ears.
Oh, a tree, huh?
So now when you trace your roots,
all you gotta do is take off your shoes.
[BOTH LAUGHING]
Oh, come on. Please be quiet. Come on, J.J., now.
I have to finish this one part.
It's the most important part in the whole play.
It's where the heroine talks about her dream.
You know, it's...
And I can't even hear myself think
with The Gong Showgoing on in here.
Thelma, honey,
don't you think you're going a little bit overboard?
After all, you've just been writing a very short time.
Willona, I have been writing for at least a dozen years.
Let me show you.
Thelma...
Thelma, writing on the elevator walls
doesn't qualify you to be Alex Haley.
Leave the child alone. She needs encouragement.
Twelve years.
Gosh, Thelma started writing before I was a kid.
Me too.
Oh, oh! What are those?
Those are my private diaries.
Private? Wow!
Get your hands off.
Don't you dare touch her books.
Come on, now.
You know, Willona... What?
Every night for the last 12 years, I've been writing about
everything that's happened to me.
Oh.My good times, my bad times...
my secret desires.
Oh.
My boyfriends.
My family.
All right, let me see that book.
Hey! Hey! Give me that book.
Wait, wait. Give me my book.
"Dear Diary.
Last night, me and... "Ooh!
Give me this diary. What is wrong with you?
This is Thelma's personal thoughts,
her innermost feelings.
You have no right to read her stuff.
Willona!
I just wanted to make sure
you spelled my name right, honey.
[KNOCKING ON DOOR]
Oh, boy.
That's all I need, another interruption.
Take it easy there, my little Shakespearess.
I'll hand this,
so you can keep scripting your scribe.
Hello, is this the... We don't want any.
Well, Thelma, how you like the way I handled it?
You stupid fool. That was Mrs. Flicker.
Evans' apartment?
Come on in, Mrs. Flicker.
I am so sorry that happened.
Um, everybody,
this is my drama teacher, Mrs. Flicker.
And this is Penny
and her mother, Willona Woods.
[EXAGGERATED STAGE VOICE] How do you do?
And this is my little brother, Michael.
[DEEP VOICE] What it is?
And this is my... My stupid brother, J.J.
"Unpredicated."
Thelma, I must tell you the wonderful news,
or I think I'll die...
or at least get sick.
What is it? Oh, oh.
I got a phone call.
I got a phone call from Mr. Nicholson,
head of the community theater.
Uh-huh.
He has decided to put on your play!
Whoa! Thelma!
[ALL SHRIEKING AND CHEERING]
Did you hear that?
My play. My very own play.
I mean, actresses on stage,
saying the words I wanna say.
Oh, girl. I can't believe it.
Hey, I tell you, this is the greatest thing
that's happened to the ghetto
since the Colonel got ribs.
Out of 83 entries,
yours was the play chosen to be produced.
My dear, Thelma,
you are going to be paid $250.
[SHRIEKS]
Whoa! That's money.
Thelma, I'm so proud of you.
Whoo.
Oh, Mrs. Flicker,
I've been in there making some changes...
Oh, don't touch a word.
Child, I'm so proud.
Whoo, child, if she gets any prouder,
Thelma gonna be too bent to boogie!
Oh, it's like a dream come... I just can't believe it.
All my life, I've wanted to write a play.
All of my life.
This is like a dream come true. You know that, Willona.
All right, a $250 dream at that.
I like that.
Well, this calls for a celebration.
Hey, what's your pleasure, Flicker?
Burt Reynolds.
I've got some goodies in my place.
Come on, Gramps, give me a hand. Some coffee...
Thelma, I just love the way you painted New Orleans.
And your insight into human nature
is remarkable.
This is only the beginning for you, Thelma.
Today, one small script for Chicago.
Tomorrow, it's Broadway.
Whoo!
I'm so excited.
I'm so excited I don't know what to do.
Hey, when do we start rehearsals?
Oh, we haven't even chosen the cast yet.
And I think we ought to have a reading of the play first,
just so we can hear how it sounds.
Oh, yeah? Well, we can have it right here.
Oh, if I may be so inconspicuous...
I'd like to volunteer my services
in some small, menial part...
such as leading man.
You're an actor?
Oh, my good God.
How do you feel about Stanislavsky?
They should have never traded him
to the Rams.
Well, it's all set.
They traded Stanislavsky to the Rams?
For Beethoven.
Oh, well, anyways.
Thelma, there are just a few minor changes
that Mr. Nicholson suggests.
But I thought you said
that not even a word should be changed...
It doesn't amount to a thing.
They're just the normal, ordinary changes
every playwright is asked to make.
Well... Well, hold on there.
If I may be so humble and vanishing...
speaking as the artistic director,
I'll just handle this.
All right there.
Look here, Thelma.
You ain't had a play published, written, or nothing yet.
They're gonna offer you $250. You gonna turn that down?
You better not turn that down.
[CHUCKLES]
Okay, Mrs. Flicker, make any changes you want.
Just go ahead and juxtaposition,
change pages, do whatever is necessary.
Um, well, what are the changes?
Well, now, Mr. Nicholson wondered
if you would mind changing the name of your heroine
from Pauline to something else.
But, uh, what's the matter with "Pauline"?
Oh, well, that's the name of Mr. Nicholson's ex-wife.
It was a very messy divorce.
How about changing it to Boom-Boom?
Mr. Nicholson suggests Yvonne.
That's the name of his present...
uh, friend.
Uh, Yvonne's fine with us.
Just fine. Right on.
Yes, "Yvonne" is very... A nice name.
We'll change Pauline to Yvonne. It's nice.
All right, dear. There's one other tiny thing on page 16.
Oh, okay.
It says that Loretta is a...
Well, I'd say a lady of the evening.
Now, Mr. Nicholson feels that it would be better
if you referred to her as a dance hall girl.
She is what she is.
Well, Mr. Nicholson
doesn't want to offend the audience.
Besides, there was some question about his ex-wife, Pauline.
Well, okay, she can become a dance hall girl.
That's nice too.
Oh, Thelma, you've been an angel about this.
WILLONA: Here we are,
ready to celebrate Thelma's hit play.
Come on.
Oh, Thelma, Thelma.
Just a minute.
If you don't mind,
there are just a few more changes.
Just a few more, dear.
Now, you know, throughout the play,
you use a lot of street language.
Now, Mr. Nicholson knows that people talk that way,
but he feels
that there are some people in the audience
who might take offense to it,
like his friends.
His friends are gonna be there.
So, now, on page 23 if you just change...
Hey, hey, hey.
Are you ready for the creation?
MICHAEL: Yeah.
Alrighty.
[IMITATES DRUM ROLL]
Come on, baby.
Any bird that doesn't wanna nest in that tree
ought to have his feathers plucked.
Can you dig what I'm sayin'?
Yeah.
Penny, you look sensational.
I think you got a bad case of black oak disease.
Oh, Penny, you look so sharp.
Doesn't she look beautiful?
My own tree, honey.
Oh. Come on. Look at this place.
It's all messed up.
J.J., you promised to help me clean up.
Mrs. Flicker and Mr. Nicholson will be here in a moment.
[KNOCKING ON DOOR]
Will you please help me clean up?
Oh, my goodness, that's them.
Willona, how's my suit? My hair?
You look good. You look fine. You look great.
I'll handle this.
Here we go. I'm calm...
Yeah, Bookman, what can we do you for?
Remember when I told you I'd get a plumber up here
to fix the valve on your flusher?
Oh, Bookman, you cannot change a valve now.
We're getting ready to read my play.
No kidding. You wrote a play? Yeah.
Hey, you got any small parts to fit me?
I beg your pardon.
Small parts to fit you, Booger?
There ain't no part gon' fit you.
Well, I guess I'll get the plumber
so we can go to work.
In here, Shorty.
Ooh. Good golly, Miss Molly.
You sure look good to me.
What do you think you doing, plumber?
Oh, about eight dollars an hour.
Hey, come on, man.
I'll show you, Shorty, where it is.
Hey. Bookman can handleHuh?
The little things. But when you want to
hit a home run... Uh-huh...
I am the Reggie Jackson of the lavatory.
Oh, I see.
You the Reggie Jackson of the lavatory.
[KNOCKING ON DOOR]
Willona? Okay?
Thelma, my love. I'm so excited.
I can't wait
to get your brilliant play up on its feet,
as we say in the theater.
Uh, what happened to Mr. Nicholson?
Isn't he coming?
Oh, dear, he was held up at the last minute.
But, um, I wanted to meet him
so we can talk over the changes.
Perhaps later, dear. Perhaps later.
Now, shall we start the play?
Hey, folks, can Shorty use the phone?
Yeah, I wanted to call my old lady.
Hey, how come you didn't call her
before you came from work?
Man, are you kiddin'?
My wife would kill me.
When we start the play, our heroine, Yvonne,
has left Chicago
following her Creole boyfriend, Eugene,
who is a low-down, dirty, conniving, despicable gambler.
Well, I'm gonna have a tough time
acting that part.
Now, unknown to Yvonne, Madame LaFitte...
Oh, that's me.Yes.
Starring role.Yes.
Has her eye on Eugene.
Eye on Eugene. Got that.
Now, nobody knows about this except Loretta,
a dance hall girl
in Madame LaFitte's sleazy bar.
Now, as the play starts,
we are at the Bourbon Street Café,
where Geoffrey, the Jamaican bartender...
[RASTA VOICE] ♪ All day, all night
♪ Mixin' drinks
♪ All day, all...
Is listening to Chops, the trumpet player
wailing away on his horn.
Can I play Chops? Please?
Can I? Can I play Chops?
Oh, Bookman.
Here's an extra script. Here. You play Chops.
Well, golly.
Everybody, imagine yourself
at Madame LaFitte's dimly...
You're over here, dear... Oh, I see.
At Madame LaFitte's dimly lit Bourbon Street Café.
Geoffrey, the bar is over here.
Loretta, you come over here.
Yvonne, you make your entrance up center, please.
Up center, okay.
Now, remember this is New Orleans, 1955.
There are a lot of people around gambling, drinking...
And dancing.
Yes, dancing, having a lot of fun.
Now, Loretta speaks first.
[MAE WEST VOICE] Whaddya wanna order,
gambling man?
[CLEARS THROAT]
Bring me a Ragin' Cajun.
What's a Ragin' Cajun?
That's a jigger of gin, a jigger of vodka,
a shot of yak juice,
and something to hold onto!
Coming right up, big boy.
Thelma, Mr. Nicholson has a note here
about alcoholic beverages.
He's afraid that some people will find it objectionable.
Well...
What is Eugene suppose to order, a root beer float?
Perfect. Perfect.
Hey, yo, mon,
I'd rather make a Ragin' Cajun.
Okay, all right. I'll change it.
Good. I'll change that.
Read on, Willona. Okay, okay.
Eugene, mon cheri, amour!
Where is your little girlfriend
from Chicago, huh?
Look here, Madame LaFoot... Oh!
That is Madame LaFitte.
That's right. She do have two feets.
Well, look here, Madame "LaFootses,"
just because I works for you,
that doesn't mean I'm your love slave.
I am my own man, and I plays the field.
But, monsieur, you must understand
that if you do not give me your whole heart...
[LAUGHS]
...your little Creole butt will be tossed into the bayou.
N'est-ce pas?
Hold it. Hold it.
Again? Yes.
There is another note.Thanks.
Yes.
Now, Mr. Nicholson suggests that "your little Creole butt"
is suggestive.
And I must admit that, uh...
Oh, come on, that too?
Yes, dear. Yes. But I...
Now, we must not argue with Mr. Nicholson.
Read on. Yes.
Well, in that case,
I better go break the bad news to Yvonne.
My bigshot gambler, Eugene,
is gonna break poor Yvonne's heat.
Hey, he can't help it if he's loved by two women.
I know what he's going through.
Thelma, it's your line.
Your line.
[CLEARS THROAT]
Uh, Eugene, I have to talk to you.
[CLEARS THROAT]
Not now, baby, I wanna hear Chops sing.
[IMITATES LOUIS ARMSTRONG] ♪ Hello, Dolly
♪ Yes, hello, Dolly
♪ It's so nice to have you Back where you belong ♪
[BOTH SCATTING]
♪ Oh, yeah
You can always tell
when Chops has had one too many...
root beer floats?
Eugene, I have to talk to you now.
I'm tired of being your doormat.
I left my family all the way in Chicago
to come out here to see you,
and I never see you.
C'est la vie, baby.
Well, I'm tired of it.
And I'm going back home.
I'm tired of your phony dreams too,
'cause I have dreams of my own.
Very funny.
Eugene, tell her the truth.
Tell her now.
Get away from me, Frenchie.
But Yvonne, baby, this is our dream,
right here in New Orleans.
It's gonna come true.
It's right here in the palm of our hands.
Holding on to dreams that you can touch, Eugene,
are not the best kind of dreams to have.
You know, my daddy once told me
that sometimes,
you have to reach for dreams that nobody can see but you.
And those are the kind of dreams
that will give you more
than just a pat on your back from your friends.
Yeah.
Those are the kind of dreams that'll give you your future.
And they're out there. They're out there.
And this is one black woman that's gonna reach her dream.
Hey, all right. Hey, Thelma, nice play.
Girl... Hey, did you write that?
Yeah.
Those are words to live by, Thelma.
It is beautiful, Thelma,
but all Mr. Nicholson wants is just one word change.
What word change?
Well, you know, he feels that your play should be
for everybody, just not a few people.
It's not universal enough the way you've written it.
It's too heavy. Too black.
Oh. Oh, so that's the little word change?
"Black"?
Well, yes. Yes.
All you have to do is take it out and put in...
Look. Change it to this. Look, right here, dear.
"This is one woman that's gonna reach her dreams."
What's wrong with that?
Everything,
because the play is not about being black.
It's about being a woman.
And the woman happens to be black.
So you can tell Mr. Nicholson
he can go butcher up somebody else's play.
Thelma, you know what this means?
Mm-hmm.
It means forget about Mr. Nicholson,
and forget about doing my play!
Somebody talk to her.
Tell her what she's passing up.
I'm sorry, honey,
this is between Thelma and herself.
Thelma, I think you're making a mistake.
Sometimes compromises are necessary.
I've had to make them all my life.
Do you think I like playing errand girl
to Mr. Nicholson?
I've gotta keep my job.
I need it.
So what's wrong with a little compromise
if it puts $250 in your pocket and gets your play done?
I understand about compromise, Mrs. Flicker.
But compromise to a certain point
becomes surrender,
and I'm not changing another word.
All right, Thelma.
I'll tell Mr. Nicholson.
Thelma, I wish I had your guts.
Hey, Thelma.Thelma.
Sis, I'm so proud of you.
The words just... Thelma, honey, I'm proud.
Girl, you have done it. You have done it.
Yeah, but the play won't go on, you know.
I won the battle, but I lost the war.
Thelma, listen to me, now.
You just keep on trying. You keep on writing.
You understand me?
J.J.: That's right.
Hey, sometimes you win, and sometimes you lose.
Yeah.
WILLONA: All right.
And one day, I'm gonna win them all!
WILLONA: Right on, honey!
Sis... [CHATTING INDISTINCTLY]
[♪♪]
♪ Just lookin' Out of the window ♪
♪ Watchin' the asphalt grow
♪ Thinkin' how It all looks hand-me-down ♪
♪ Good times ♪ Hey, yeah
♪ Good times
♪ Keepin' your head Above water ♪
♪ Makin' a wave When you can ♪
♪ Temporary layoffs
♪ Good times
♪ Easy credit Ripoffs ♪
♪ Good times
ANNOUNCER: Good Times was videotaped in front of a studio audience.
♪ Good times