Good Times (1974–1979): Season 5, Episode 1 - The Evans Get Involved: Part 1 - full transcript

A new neighbor girl, 10-year-old Penny Gordon, becomes friends with Willona and the Evans family. Later, they discover a horrifying secret - that Penny is viciously abused by her mother.

♪ Good ties ♪

♪ 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 ♪

Hey, Thelma,

I figured out exactly where
the honeymooners are today.

Oh, yeah? Where?

Yeah, well, from my
expert calculations,

Ma and Carl should
definitely be in Oklahoma City.

Or Amarillo, Texas.



Or Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Well, wherever they
are, I sure hope they call.

If you were on your honeymoon,
would you call your kids?

Michael, if I were
on my honeymoon,

I wouldn't have any kids.

You're not gonna
have any sauce, either,

'cause it's boiling over.

Oh! Well, that's good.

It's starting to thicken.

Thicken? Thelma,
lumps don't count.

The Gagging
Gourmet strikes again.

Uh, Michael, how
would you like it

if I didn't come to
your school carnival?

You'd have to get somebody else

to run your dumb
old kissing booth!

Well, that's fine with me,

'cause you can always be
replaced by a St. Bernard.

I think you mean

one of the little
girlfriends you go out with.

Yeah, and what about
them turkeys you date?

Oh, Michael, don't start again.

[PHONE RINGS]
You started with me.

Go answer the phone.
I'll get the phone.

Yeah, you better!
Get off my case, sister!

Hello.

Oh, hi, Ma.

Aw, no, Ma, we weren't hasslin'.

It's Ma! It's Ma! Let me talk.

Ma, guess what.

I've been elected chairman
of our school carnival.

You're in Flagstaff, Arizona.

[LAUGHS]

That's exactly where
I said you were.

Hey, Ma, how's the
honeymoon goin'?

Michael, you can't
ask your own mother

how her honeymoon's goin'!

What'd she say?

She said, "Have mercy!"

Whoo-hoo!

[LAUGHING]

All right, let me
talk, let me talk!

Hi, Ma.

Yeah, we're fine. Uh-huh.

How's Carl? Aw, that's good.

Hey, Ma, you know you caught me

right in the middle
of cooking dinner.

Uh-huh, I cook
dinner every night.

Honestly, Ma, we're fine.

Guess what happened
to me on the bus today.

Hey, J.J.! Ma's
on the telephone!

There was the craziest
little girl that got on...

Ma's on the phone!

Uh-huh. Hey, Ma, J.J.
just walked in. Here he is.

Hello there, Mrs. Dixon.

Yeah, I'm talking to you, Ma.

How's married life treating you?

Ma says she felt
the earth moved.

That means she and
Carl are really in love.

No, there was an earthquake.

Yeah, Ma, everything's fine.

Don't worry, I won't miss my
dental appointment next week.

Ma, you're on your honeymoon.

How come you asked me
about my dental appointment?

They're at the Grand Canyon.

Uh, Ma, can I speak
to Carl for a minute?

Hey, Carl, yeah,
Brother J on this end.

Hey, uh, look here, Carl.

Uh... you left the
ceremony so soon,

we didn't have a chance
to talk man-to-man.

You know y'all had all
those tin cans and shoes

tied behind the
back of your car.

Yeah, well, look here, Carl,

as the man who
gave away the bride

and as the number
one son around here,

I fell that it is my duty...

to tell you this:

One of them pair
of shoes was mine!

And... Give me that phone!

Hi, Carl.

Don't pay J.J. no mind.

You know, you just take
good care of Ma and be happy.

Yeah, we're gonna
miss both of y'all.

So have fun, all right?

And if you thinki"
about bringin'

any little babies
back in here...

Yeah, Ma, that was him again.

Okay. Bye-bye now.

Oh, Ma sounded great.

Like she's really
enjoying connubial bliss.

Nothing like two people
connubiallin' together.

Hey, J.J., finish tellin' us
what happened on the bus.

Oh, yeah, Michael. It
was the funniest thing.

You know, this little
girl gets on the bus.

She don't have any money.

So this real mean bus
driver is gonna throw her off.

Oh, that's funny.

Anyway, she looks at me

with those real "Mr.
Blues City" eyes and says,

"Mister, could you
loan me 50 cents?"

Only I didn't have
any extra change.

Hmm, it gets
funnier and funnier.

So, anyway, I guess I
really felt sorry for her.

So I stood up and went
to the front of the bus.

Naturally as soon as I stood
up, some woman took my seat.

Anyway, I says to the whole
bus as I'm-a standin' there,

I says, "Er-rah-ha-ha,

brothers and sisters-a-ha..."

[HUMMING]

I says, "Brothers
and sisters-er-uh,

"you see standin'-uh
before you here-uh...

"You see standin'
before you here-uh...

"a sweet innocent child

"about to be evicted
into the cold, hard street

by the mean, cold
star-a-hera-ha of this bus."

Thank you!

I says-er-uh,

"Are we going to tolerate-a
this act of pettiness?!

"I personally say no.

"You'll be asleep tonight,
knowin' that this poor child

has been forced to
pedestrian..." Say what?

Say-a, "Pedestrian... All right.

"the polluted streets
here of Chicago!

"I say no.

"In other words,

are we going to turn our
back on this woeful waif?"

MICHAEL & THELMA: No!

"Hallelujah,
brothers and sisters!

"I want y'all to e-ee-eee-eeease

"your hands down into those
pockets, purses and pants

"and come up with
the heavy cash.

"Not the jing-a-ling,

"Abraham Lincolns and
George Washingtons.

"I'm talkin' about the Benjamin
Franklins, the Grover Clevelands

and contribute to the
salvation of this little lamb!"

And the funny
thing about it was,

she collected so
much money, Michael,

she was able to take a cab.

Even the bus driver
chucked in a buck!

Aw, J.J., you can be all
right when you wanna be.

[KNOCKING ON DOOR]

J.J.: The girl was the
craziest little girl in the world.

This is probably Willona.
She probably smelled the food.

Hi.

Is he here?

Is who here?

I don't know his name,

but he's tall,
skinny and beautiful.

Hold on now. Tall, skinny,
we got but beautiful?

Hi!

How'd you get here?

I followed you.

J.J., who is it?

J.J., what a super name.

It's the little girl
from the bus.

Is there something you want?

Uh-huh, him.

Well, you can't have me!

Are you married?

No.

Then I can have you.

Well, maybe she's lost.

Um...

Uh, does your mother
know you're here?

I don't have a mother.
I live with my aunt.

Oh. Well, what
about your dad, huh?

Uh, he never comes out.

He's got leprosy.

Hold on, I didn't know we
had leprosy in this country.

Leprosy is when
your fingers fall off.

I thought I saw
him lose a thumb.

Well, uh, what happened
to your forehead?

Oh.

I was jumping rope.

♪ Cinderella Dressed in yella ♪

Then I got hit by
the knot in the rope.

Hey, what's your name?

Esmeralda.

You were so nice on the bus.

I want to live with you.

Uh, you can't do that.

Yes, I can. I'm
not married, either.

You're the most wonderful
person in the whole world.

Yes, we all know this.

But, look,

we gotta take you back
to where you belong.

Can I belong with you?

I could sleep on the couch.

No, you can't do that

'cause, see, that's where
me and Michael here sleep.

It'll be a little crowded,

but I guess Michael can stay.

Thanks a lot!

Do you people ever
eat around here?

'Cause if you do,

I wouldn't mind being a guest.

Esmeralda, we
would love having you,

but what would your aunt say?

What aunt?

Uh, the aunt you live with.

Ohhh.

You mean Aunt Drucilla. Mm-hmm.

Uh, I was thinking
about Aunt Elizabetty.

Poor Aunt Elizabetty.

Something happen to her too?

She got ran over
by a popcorn cart.

Ooh, I'll never
forget her lying there,

all covered with melted butter.

Er, uh, uh...

Why don't we
have a little dinner,

then you can tell us
where you belong,

and then I could take you home.

Would you like that?

Dinner, uh-huh.

Going home, uh-uh.

Well, I gotta go wash up.

Where you going?

I wanna wash up too.

Look here, Iz.

Sometimes "wash up"
doesn't mean wash up.

Ohhh.

Then if it's all
the same to you,

I'll wait outside.

Hi, y'all. THELMA: Hi, Willona.

Ugh, girl, I am so beat today.

I couldn't even stay for
dinner even if you asked me.

Even if you said pretty please
and put some saccharin on it.

Even if you begged and pleaded.

Even if you got
down on your knees

and ruined your best
pantyhose doing it.

Sure wish you'd change
your mind, Willona.

Hmm.

Well, you talked me into it!

Oh. Well, well, well,
who's little girl are you?

Her name is Esmeralda.
She followed J.J. home.

Oh, Lord, I remember the last
time J.J. was followed home.

It was by a cat,
came in the house,

went under the bed and...

You ain't gonna have
no kittens are you?

[KNOCKS ON DOOR]

I'll get it.

Good evening, folks.

Bookman, what do you want?

We were just gettin'
ready to eat dinner.

Look, I ain't got no
time for small talk.

One of the new tenants
reported a lost kid.

Says she never
showed up after school.

What she look like?

Oh, she's about age 10.

She's about 4-foot-7.

She's wearing a red T-shirt,
blue jeans and white sneakers.

Anybody seen her?

Er, uh, what color socks?

Ha-ha!

What're you hiding, J.J., huh?

My booty, Bookman.

Well, your booty's
wearing a red T-shirt.

Well, I'm glad I found you.
I've looked everywhere.

You wouldn't have
seen me if J.J. was fatter.

You should have hidden
behind Bookman, Esmeralda.

Then you would
have been lost forever.

Esmer what? Her name's Penny.

Hey, you told us a fib.

Uh, Esmeralda's my play name.

My real name is
Penny, short for Millicent.

You know, cent, Penny. Get it?

Oh, yeah. I get it,
honey, I sure do.

My ex-husband
used to call me Willie.

That's short for, "Willona,
I'll be home late tonight."

And Bookman
here is Buffalo Butt.

Penny, you didn't tell us
you lived in this building.

And what were you
doing downtown?

Um... Uh... The
school bus got hijacked.

Five kids jumped
on the bus and said,

[DEEP VOICE] "Take us downtown."

Hold on, Penny. Wait, wait.

You don't expect
us to believe that?

Well, the truth is,

I went downtown to see
a old Mae West movie.

And I love Mae West movies.

Uh, you not puttin' us
on again are you, Penny?

[IMITATING MAE WEST]
Well, if it isn't the men in my life,

it's the life in my men.

[IMITATING MAE WEST] Those
are my sentiments exactly, big boy.

[IMITATING W.C. FIELDS]
Well, that's all well and good.

But right now, this
little chickadee's

gotta go back where she belongs.

I wanna stay with J.J.

But you know you can't do that.

Hey, wait a minute, wait a
minute. Lemme handle this, okay?

Come here, little girl.

How would you like to go
bye-bye with Uncle Nathan?

Huh?

I'll buy you a gweat
big wowwie-pop!

What do you say to that?

No way, Mr. Buffalo Butt.

Why don't I take you
home where you belong?

I guess so.

Okay.

I'm crushed.

Mr. Buffalo Butt,

you gonna buy me a big
lollipop and take me home?

Ga-ga-goo-goo.

[KNOCK ON DOOR]

Is that you, Penny?

Well, it's about time you...!

Thank goodness you're all
right! Where have you been?

I've been so worried.

Well, it's a long story. But
Penny can tell it better than I can.

Well, thank you so much, Mr...?

Evans. J.J. Evans. I'm
your neighbor upstairs.

Well, I'm Mrs. Gordon.
Lanella Gordon.

You must be Penny's aunt.

Her aunt? I'm her mother.

But Penny said that she...

Well, Penny likes
to make up stories.

I'm sorry, Mama. I won't
do it again, I promise.

But tell her about
the movies. You know:

"It's not the men in my
life, it's the life in my men."

You do that very
well, Mr. Evans.

Well, maybe if I
talk to your husband

we could straighten
this thing out.

Well, I'm not married.

But Penny said she had...

Well, like I told you, she
likes to make up stories.

Listen, thank you so much for
bringing her home safe and everything.

Yeah, sure.

Bye-bye. Bye.

Didn't I tell you to come
straight home from school?

Yes, Mama.

But you disobeyed
me, didn't you?

Yes, Mama.

You make me very unhappy, Penny.

And you know what happens to
children that make their mamas unhappy.

I locked it.

I knew that would be the
first place you'd try to hide.

Please, Mama, I promise I
won't be a bad girl anymore.

Please, I won't be
a bad girl anymore.

Please, I promise.

Please!

Oh, no, Mama, please!

Please don't do it!

Please!

J.J. said something's not
right about Penny, Willona.

He says she acted sorta
strange around her mother.

[MUTTERS]

Yeah, and all those
wild stories she told.

Well, of course, J.J.
could be imagining things.

And anyway, we
shouldn't get involved.

[MUTTERING]

But on the other
hand, Ma always said

you should never be
reluctant to get involved

when a child's well
being is at stake.

[MUTTERING]

Hey!

Guess what Alderman Davis
gave to our school carnival!

Ta-daa!

Come on, nobody wants a
picture of Davis for a prize.

Prize, my foot! This is the
perfect target for our dart game!

Let's see now. Whoo-hoo.

Great news, great news!

The ebony prince of pulchritude
has stormed the princess' castle.

Well, while you were
storming the castle,

I think you got smacked
by the drawbridge.

Thelma... Oh,
again... stand still.

Well, I finally got this
cute little receptionist

Charlene to agree to
recept with me tonight.

Well, we are going out in style.

Hers or yours?

She's got the van
and I am the man!

Charlene can't be to cool,
'cause she's dating a fool.

Thelma, Thelma! Aww.

Thelma, Thelma, that did it.

I just shortened your left knee.

Hey, has that silly little kid
been around here today?

No.

She sure is a cute little kid.

You know, if I
had a kid like that

I'd kiss her and hug her
and love her to death.

But I don't have a kid like that,
so, what am I talking about?

Well, I got to hustle.

Thelma, I got it. The
hem is absolutely straight.

But...

The floor kinda slants.
[KNOCK ON DOOR]

I'll get it.

J.J.: If that's Charlene, tell
her I'll be out in a minute.

Hi, Penny. Come on in.

Is J.J. home?

J.J.: I'm just freshening up!

He's home.

Hi.

Hi, how are you? Fine.

Oh, look at this doll. So cute.

Penny, why did you tell us
you didn't have a mommy?

I was just pretending.

Oh, like your father
having leprosy.

Come on, Penny, his thumb
didn't really fall off, did it?

It could have been his nose.

He has a terrible
time wearing glasses.

J.J.: Here I come, my chérie.

Ready or not!

J.J.!

You're excruciating.

Well, you know. What can I say?

I thought you were Charlene.

I'll be Charlene if
you want me to be.

Charlene's taller.

I'll be taller if you
want me to be.

Charlene is my
date for the evening.

Oh.

Hey, Penny, how'd you like to
come to our school carnival tomorrow?

I can get you in for
free. I'm the chairman.

Is J.J. going?

I have deigned to grace the sophomoric
event with my august presence.

Does that mean
he's going or not?

We're all going in costume.

As you can see, Thelma here
wears her mask all the time!

Then I guess I can't go. I
don't have anything to wear.

Well, don't you
worry about a thing.

Willona just happens to
have a magic costume room.

I'll be right back.

Willona, a costume room?

Trunk of old clothes, honey.

J.J., want to play
house with me?

I don't think so. I'm a real dumbo
when it comes to playing house.

Why don't you ask Michael there?

Michael's gotta play chairman.

Besides, I have to stop by
Ferguson's Funeral Parlor

and pick up some folding
chairs he's got down there. Later!

Come on, J.J., please.

All right, Penny, I'll play house
with you but just for a little while.

Okay. I'll be the mother
and you be the uncle.

Hey, Penny, do
you have an uncle?

Lots of them.

Now it's time for the
baby to go to sleep.

Say goodnight to Celeste.

Later, Celeste.

Give her a kiss.

Do I have to?

You know something,

when it comes to playing
house, you are a dumbo.

Now take her in your
arms and rock her to sleep.

Thelma, help me!

When I was little,

I would have loved
being rocked to sleep.

Come on, J.J., go ahead
and rock her. That'll be cute.

Go on and rock her.

♪ Rockabye baby
On the tree top ♪

♪ When the wind blows
The cradle will rock ♪

Sing.

♪ When the bough breaks ♪

♪ The cradle will fall ♪

♪ And down will come baby ♪

♪ Cradle and all ♪

Hello, J.J.

Oh!

Hello there, Charlene.

I was just helping the
kid out with her little doll.

He was playing house.

Well, J.J., you
have a hidden talent.

And let's hope it stays hidden.

This here's my sister, Thelma.

Hi, Charlene. And our
little neighbor, Penny.

Hi, Penny.

He's mine. I saw him first.

J.J., would you mind if we
got started? We're late as it is.

Sure. Right away.
See you later, Thelma.

Bye-bye, Penny.

J.J., please don't go.

J.J., we're late.

I love you, J.J.
I just love you.

Yeah, Penny, could I
talk to you tomorrow?

You rotten, lousy kid.

It was all your fault.

If you would have been
good, he would have stayed.

You rotten, lousy kid!

Penny, look what I've got you.

It used to be a mini on me, but
it'll be a beautiful gown on you.

Isn't that beautiful?

Thank you, Willona.
It's so pretty, isn't it, J.J.?

J.J., come on!

Yeah, in a minute. It is pretty.

Want to see it on me?

Hold it!

Now, first we've got
to take off your sweater.

Don't go away, J.J.

Honey, what happened
to your arm here?

I think I burned myself.

How could you burn
yourself like that?

Um, I tripped over my pussycat
and I fell against the stove

and there was a pot
cooking with hot chocolate,

and it spilled all over my
arm, with marshmallows.

You never told us
you had a pussycat.

I don't believe
this! Now it's pets!

J.J., are you
coming or aren't you?

Look here, mama, you
ain't double-parked out there.

I mean, first things first.

You can see
Penny's hurtin' here,

so just take a number
and wait in line.

Well, I never...!

And at this rate,
you never will.

I'm sorry, J.J.

That's all right. She was just your normal,
everyday groovy, foxy, fantastic lady.

But you, kid, you're
something special.

Oh, no!

Oh, my God, Penny,
what happened?

Uh... Uh... I fell.

I always fall.

My feet are all thumbs.

Come here, babe.

Now, Penny, uh, I
know you like to pretend.

But I want you to tell
me the truth, okay?

Who burned you?

Honey, who beat you up?

Who did those
terrible things to you?

Penny, tell me, who did
this? [KNOCK ON DOOR]

Hello there. I've come
to take Penny home.

Honestly, Mama. I
didn't tell them anything.

I didn't say a word. I
didn't tell them anything!

Uh... Tell them about what?

What would you
have to tell them?

[♪♪♪]

♪ 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 ♪