Good Times (1974–1979): Season 4, Episode 7 - J.J.'s New Career: Part 1 - full transcript

♪ 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 ♪♪

Twenty-three,
twenty-four, twenty-five.

Well, it ain't grown none

since the last
time I counted it.

Hey, Flo, what's happening?

Hi.

Ain't this a shame?



What?

Here I am working steady,

it's bill paying time,

and I'm almost $50 short.

Whoo, child.

I'd lend you everything I got,

but that would
make you $80 short.

I wasn't talking about money.

I just thought maybe
you had a system.

I'm not used to doing this.

You know, James used to
pay all the bills around here.

Mm-hmm. Well, I
do have a system,

and the first thing I
do is put aside the rent.

Oh, I'm counting
on J.J. for that.

He's got two weeks
back pay coming.

Out of sight!

Then all we gotta do is
organize what you got.

I put my bills into three piles.

You know, 30 days overdue,

60 days overdue,
and, "Willona Woods?

Honey, she don't
live here no more."

Well, that ain't
gonna work for me.

They about to turn
off my phone, too.

Well, let's look
at this stuff again.

Maybe we can
figure something out.

You know, let's see now.

Well, that's it, Michael.

I'm never, ever

going anywhere
with you again. Never!

Why not?

Because you embarrass me.

Do you have to talk

to every girl that walks by?

Well, Thelma, I'm
just being polite.

Oh, you call that
being polite, huh?

[IMITATES MICHAEL]
"Hey, hey, hey, mama.

"Now, what it is?

"You sure looking fine,

so take me along,
because I got the time!"

Hey, well, you know.

Hey, what can I say?

If you got the goods,
it pays to advertise.

Look at him.

Strutting like a rooster,

and he can't even grow feathers.

Hey, well, look who's talking,

Penny Henny herself.

All right, now.

Why don't you just shut up?

What? Don't be starting with me.

All right, you two,
that's enough.

Look, just remember...
I'm never, ever

going anywhere with you again.

You got that?

Oh, well, good,

because I wouldn't
want you along

if I was really hustling.

When you're fishing for
trout, you don't use tuna.

I said...

I said that's enough.

Thelma, where's the
ham I sent you for?

Ma, at $1.95 a pound,
it's still in the store.

What?

That's double what
it was last week.

How could that happen?

Maybe the pigs joined a union.

Thelma... Honey, you mean

there was no kind of meat

you could buy with
the money I gave you?

Sure, Ma, but we didn't
think you had a recipe for Alpo.

Well, I guess dinner will
have to be future chicken.

What's future chicken?

Eggs.

Flo, I have just solved
your problems financially.

Come on over here,
everybody. Take a look.

Oh, great. Oh, let's see this!

You are about to
get a crash course

in the Willona Woods
School of Home Economics.

All right.

Now, these are
your bills, right?

Right.

All you got to do

is put a $5 payment
on each bill. That's all.

Well, that's great, Willona,

but there's nothing on this one,

which means they just
repossessed the refrigerator!

Oh, just hold on, honey.

That's the beauty of the system.

Look at that.

Now your refrigerator is
back on and you can eat again.

On the floor?

They just took the furniture.

I ain't never told nobody
the system was perfect, did I?

Oh.

Well, you know,

there's gotta be
something we can do,

and the only thing we can
do without is the telephone.

Hey, hey.

Maybe you can do
without the telephone,

but not me.

None of my boyfriends
can reach me.

Thelma, I seen them creatures

you call your boyfriends,

and you should be begging

to have that phone
yanked out of here!

There must be
something we can do.

I don't know what.

Hey, gang.

Come on, J.J., you
just what we need.

That's right.

Put it on the table.

We got some figuring to do.

That's right. Uh, Ma...
Uh, come on, J.J.,

we got some bills to pay.

Uh, Ma?

What's the matter?

Didn't they give you anything?

Oh, they gave me
something all right.

All right, what'd you get?

What'd you get?

I got fired.

Oh, no.

Well, now, Charlie's
Roundup Roast Beef

is Charlie's
Bankrupt Roast Beef.

Hey, man, that's too bad.

Wait a minute, Michael.

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

I finally get a chance
to get rid of this hat

and go back to "J.J. Evans...

The Dry Look!"

Well, they could've

at least given you a warning

so you could look
for another job.

Yeah, I should've known

when I spent the last
month in that truck,

talking to coleslaw.

That can drive you crazy.

Yeah, especially when
it starts talking back.

J.J., didn't they even give you

your two weeks back pay?

Ma, when a business folds,

you don't get back pay,

side pay, front pay.

You get no pay!

There goes the rent.

There goes the phone.

There goes the furniture.

We better set the
floor for dinner.

Wait a minute, now, y'all...

I can go to the employment
agency tomorrow

and get a job.

It isn't gonna be that easy.

You know how many people
your age are out of work?

Hey, Michael... That's
them. This is me.

You know, I will get a job.

That's a boy, J.J.

Now, Flo, don't worry about it.

You've been in this
position four, five times,

and you always
pulled yourself out of it.

Uh-uh, you mean James
always pulled us out of it.

Ooh, maybe that's
your answer. What?

Why don't you do
what James would do?

Yeah, but what would Daddy do

if he was here right now?

Oh, that's simple.

[DEEP MANLY VOICE] Damn!

Hey, my man.

How would you like
to buy a chance...

J.J.!

Hey, Ernie. What's
happening, man?

J.J.!

What's happening, my
man? How you doing?

Haven't see you
since Hoover High.

That's right.

Hey, we used to sit
right behind you in class.

Copied every one
of your test papers.

That's why we dropped out.

Hey, I still remember the time

in Mrs. Gardella's biology class

when you peeled off your shirt,

took the place of the skeleton.

Hey, hey.

Man, oh, man.

Wasn't that funny

when she pointed to the skeleton
and the skeleton pointed back?

And then she pointed
me to the principal's office

and I spent two
months beating erasers.

Yeah, but it was worth it.

Not to me.

With all that chalk dust on me,

I came home everyday
looking Caucasian!

Hey, well, it's good seeing
you anyway, my man.

Yeah, you guys, too.

What you been up
to since high school?

Well, we dropped out

because we had
a little opportunity

in the oil business.

Oh, yeah, doing what?

Ripping off gas stations.

That ain't too bright.

You could never rip off as much
money as the oil companies.

We found that out.

Then we got, um... lucky.

We met this certain gentleman

who set us up in
our own business.

Now we're into a little numbers,

a little bookmaking...

Hey, easy money gigs.

Oh, yeah, then what y'all doing
at the unemployment office?

Say what?

Hey, man, this
is our office, too.

Like, we got to go
where the action goes.

I must admit, you guys look
like you're doing pretty good.

Good?

Come here, my man.

Try this on for size.

Wow!

I never knew Benjamin Franklin

was on the $100 bill.

Yeah, sure, who'd
you think was on it?

Aretha Franklin.

Boy, if I had that
kind of money,

my problems would be over.

Why so down, bro? Lose your job?

Yesterday.

Hey. Hey, Ernie,

we can't let no runnin' buddy

like J.J. down.

Not in his hour of need.

Yeah, yeah. Hey,
look here, my man.

Why don't you come
on in with us, huh?

Hey, there's plenty
for everybody.

How would you like to start
making some good bread?

That all depends on
how hot the oven is.

I guess the man wants
to spend his whole life

making chump change.

Yeah, yeah.

Well, if you're ever
in our neighborhood,

drop on by anyway, huh?

Right on.

Nice seeing you.

Okay, later on, man.

Good stuff, all right.
All right, hang in there.

Hey, my man.

How'd you like to buy a chance?

Uh, I'd like to apply for
some unemployment...

Sir, we do have rules here.

You just cannot butt in line.

Put your card in the basket

and wait your turn
like everyone else.

Oh.

Pardon-moi.

J.J. Evans.

Well, long time no see.

Full name?

James Evans, Junior.

Age?

20.

Sex?

Occasionally.

Uh, uh, male.

[LAUGHS]

[MOCKING LAUGH]

Mr. Evans, is there any reason

that you are not
working full time?

Yeah, I don't have a job.

Mm.

Well, Mr. Evans,

I'm looking here
at your work record.

You know, there are some people

who are very easy
to place into new jobs.

Hey, that's fantastic!

And then there
are people like you.

What's wrong with me?

Oh, Mr. Evans.

I'm sorry, Mr. Evans,

I'm afraid we have nothing
in your old line of work.

Then find me something
in my new line. I'm ready!

All right, all right,
I'll see what I can do.

Let me see.

Hmm, can you operate an IBM 360?

I got a driver's license.

It's a computer.

I know, I know.
What else you got?

Well, let me see.

Here we have an opening

for an envelope machine adjustee

who knows W.R.,
W.R.W., and W.R. dash K.

Consider the job
still W-O.P.E.N.

Oh, he can spell.

But tell me
something, Mr. Evans,

do you know anything
about diesel maintenance?

I do fine paintings.

Mold design?

I do great sketchings.

Die casting, expediting,

drill press operations?

Uh, you left out brain surgery.

Oh, come on, Mr. Evans,

you know something
about brain surgery, hmm?

No, but I figured
since I'm out of a job,

it might as well be a good one.

Mr. Evans, I am
getting tired of this.

You come in here with
absolutely no skills at all,

and you expect me
to find you a job?

But I do have skills.

You just gotta find me
a place to use them.

Mr. Evans, there is
nothing, nothing, nothing,

that I can do for you.

What you will have to do
is apply for compensation.

Oh, well, I guess I'll have

a couple of dollars coming in.

Point me to the money window.

We pay by mail, Mr. Evans.

Mr. Evans...

You know,

you will not get it for
at least three weeks.

Three weeks!

But my family is
depending on me.

Mm.

Eugene Pruitt.

But my rent's due on Friday!

Eugene Pruitt.

But you got to do
something to help me!

Eugene Pruitt!

Hold on there, lady.

I hope everybody gets a job.

Then you'll be out of work,

and you'd have to stand in line

and deal with somebody like you.

Ugh.

Hey, wait, wait.
Hold it, hold it.

I gotta rest.

Michael, the faster
we go, the better.

We get a dollar a hundred.

Yeah, now, let's keep
moving. It's not that hard.

Well, that's easy
for you to say.

You the folder,
and you the stuffer.

You haven't asked the licker.

Think of the extra
money we're making.

Yeah, we gonna need
it to retread my tongue.

Michael, we're all
making sacrifices.

Now, poor J.J.'s been
pounding the streets all week

looking for a job.

As soon as we
finish this pile, honey,

and I'll start dinner.

Won't do me no good.

By then, my mouth'll
be glued shut.

All right, let's all shift.

Everybody move over one chair.

Hey, wait a minute.

That makes me the licker.

That's right, Thelma,

so pucker up and kiss
your taste buds goodbye.

[KNOCKING ON DOOR]

Come on in. The door's open.

Hey, folks, how you doing?

Bookman, what do you want?

Now, is that any way

to greet the head janitor?

I mean, you folks forget
who your friends are.

Something breaks around here,

and the first thing
you do is call me.

And the last thing
you do is fix it.

Yeah. You always
wearing that tool belt,

but you never fix anything.

How come you wearing it?

It's to hold my pants up.

I thought your belly did that.

You know, you can't
sweet-talk me, Mrs. Evans,

because it don't matter no more.

You know, the next few days,

you won't have old Nathan
Bookman to kick around.

Ooh, you're leaving?

Not exactly.

Hey, Bookman.

What you got there?

We getting evicted!

What? What is this?

Oh, cheer up, folks.

Things ain't that bad.

You got five whole days
to come up with the money.

$120... that's
almost impossible.

I know.

You really enjoy doing this,

don't you, Bookman?

Oh, no. Don't get me
wrong, Mrs. Evans.

No, I mean, to you,

it looks like I'm
tough on the outside.

Mm-mm, to me you look
like you fat on the outside.

I'm gonna miss that kid.

Hey, Bookman, give us a break.

I mean, I just lost my job.

So why don't you
get another one?

There's plenty
of jobs out there.

Yeah, but there's 50
dudes lined up for each one.

Come on, if you want to
find a job, you can find one.

I mean, they're hiring
right here in the projects.

Hey, Bookman, if
you got a job, I'll take it.

There's a job that pays $125.

All vacation holidays
free, fringe benefits...

Hey, Bookman,
I'll take it, I'll take it!

Oh, you should have
been here yesterday.

I gave it to my nephew.

Uh-huh.

I'm only trying to help.

Well, if you really
wanna help us,

why don't you do something

about our front door?

Well, what's the matter with it?

You're on the wrong side of it.

Get out!

I was only trying to...

Oh, where are we gonna get $120?

I don't know, honey.

I just don't know.

J.J.?

You have any luck
at all today, man?

No, Michael.

I answered every
want ad in the paper,

and I got rejected more

than a chitlin at a
Chinese wedding.

Hey, man, well,
it's not your fault.

I read that the
unemployment rate of blacks

is over 40%.

I believe it.

I was so desperate,

I even went down for
a male modeling job.

Whatever for?

Well, I figured slim was in,

but when I got down there,
they told me bones was out.

Well, at least you tried, J.J.

It's terrible out there, Thelma.

I mean, there's PhDs outta work.

There's always somebody

with more experience than me.

Say, what about
that dishwashing job?

They gave it to a lifeguard

because he's used
to working near water.

Don't worry, Ma.

I'll see if I can pick up
another paper route.

Yeah, and I already
talked to Willona

about working a few
more hours at the boutique.

I appreciate that, kids, but
we need the money now.

We'll have to sell the one
thing we own outright...

The TV.

Hey, that's a
great a great idea.

Thelma, get Harry's
Hock Shop on the phone.

Okay.

Ma, do we have to
sell the TV tonight?

I wanna watch The Waltons.

If we don't sell it, we
gonna be the Waltons.

I'm just afraid

we won't get much for this set.

That all depends

on how the
negotiations are handled.

Okay, it's ringing.

Allow me.

Hello?

Harry's Hock Shop?

Yeah, look here, man.

I got a TV. I think...

Oh, I'll say it's
about 37 inches.

What?

That thing isn't even 15... Ssh.

Salesmanship.

Salesmanship.

Yeah. Has it got color?

It got colors you ain't
even never seen before!

Yeah, and it's got that
special one-button tuning.

Now, that's the truth.

All the rest of
the buttons fell off.

Negotiations, Ma.

Negotiations.

Yeah, of course it's one of
them fancy deluxe models.

Yeah, tells you the
channel, the time,

and your body temperature.

All right, talk to
you in a little bit.

Bye.

Well, he'll give us
$135 for that set.

Great.

I wonder how much
he'll give us for this set?

Probably less, but you
gotta get started somewhere.

Well, let me get on out
of here with the thing.

[GROANS]

Oh, J.J.

Well, these arms
are made for loving,

not lifting!

I'll give it another shot.

Hey, hey, J.J.

Why don't you just
leave it on the stand

and roll it outta here.

Good idea, Michael.

Just wanted to see
if you were thinking.

Well, rolling on.

Goodbye, John-boy.

Well, Michael, clear the table.

Thelma, you come
and help me with dinner.

Okay, Ma.

Ma, you know, it sure
is gonna seem weird

not having a TV
around here anymore.

You may not believe it,
but when I was your age,

we didn't even have television.

Oh, really?

Did you have electricity?

Yes, we did,

and we had a lot of
fun without the TV.

Oh, what'd you
do after dinner...

Sit around and
watch the light bulbs?

No.

We read, we talked,
and we played games.

Oh, that sounds great, Ma.

Just think how
close we'll all be.

Oh, now I'm really
gonna miss that TV.

Oh.

Hey, Ma!

I got mugged!

What?

Somebody stole the TV!

J.J., are you all right?

I'm fine, Ma. I'm fine.

What happened?

Some dude jumped out
of the elevator and said,

"Empty your pockets."

Well, what did you do?

I told him when I
bought the pants,

the pockets was empty,

and nothing's
changed since then.

So he ran away with our TV set?

No, Michael, he rolled away.

Ooh, did you get a
good look at the guy?

Just his right hand.

His right hand?

Yeah, it was wrapped
around a great big black gun.

What?

Is that all you saw?

That's all I needed to see.

So, J.J., you just
let him take our TV?

Michael, I said the
brother had a gun.

Now, if the man had asked me,

I would've adjusted
the vertical hold.

Well, honey, the important
thing is you didn't get hurt.

The second most important thing

is that guy just rolled
away with our rent money.

Well, I guess I
better call the police.

Aw, that won't do any good, Ma.

If they catch the thief,

it'll take at least a month.

Yeah, we'll be evicted by then.

Well,

at least we'll have a short
walk from the park from now on.

That's where we gonna be living.

Lord, have mercy.

This is all my fault.

First I lose my job,

now I blow the only chance
we have to pay the rent.

J.J., don't talk like that.

You're doing the best you can.

We all are.

Ah, the best I can
ain't good enough.

Dad'd be real proud
of me, wouldn't he?

Yes, I'll hold on.

J.J., wait a minute, baby!

Wait, Ma. I'll talk to him.

Okay, Thelma.

Hey, hey, J.J.

You can't leave now.

You know, I'm
cooking dinner tonight,

and I need someone
here to insult me.

Oh, now, come on, Thelma.

You know it's all my fault.

Oh, J.J.

Ever since Daddy died,

you've been trying
to fill his shoes.

Well, somebody's got to.

Yeah, I know, but it's just
too hard for one person.

The whole family has to.

Thelma, the whole family

is getting thrown
out on the street.

Well, maybe not.

You know, when
I talked to Willona,

she said she could put
me full-time at the boutique,

and I could make a lot of money.

But, Thelma, you're
going to college.

Well, I'll just have to
drop out for a little while.

Oh, no, you won't!

Then you'll never go back,

and then you'll be
unemployable just like me.

Look, J.J., I am an adult now.

I'm capable of making
up my own mind,

and I say I'll do it,
and I'm gonna do it!

Did you tell Ma about this yet?

No, she'll kill me.

Yeah, not before I get to you.

Look here, Thelma, you
ain't dropping out of school,

and that's final.

Oh, but J.J., somebody's
gotta do something!

Somebody's gonna do something.

I should have thought about this

in the first place.

I know where I
can get the money.

You know where you
can get the money?

Where?

Look, baby girl.

You just go back in there,

and don't tell Ma you're
dropping out of school,

you hear?

[DOORBELL RINGS]

J.J., hey, what are
you doing here?

Uh, I just came by

to see if that job
was still open.

Yeah, sure. Come on in.

♪ 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 ♪♪