Good Times (1974–1979): Season 5, Episode 23 - Write On, Thelma - full transcript

Thelma writes a play, and the local theater is interested in producing the play. She is excited, until the owner tells her to change the characters, dialogue, and the setting. Also, Penny is going to play in the Easter pageant.

♪ 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.

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...

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?

Yeah, almost. I gave the first
draft 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.

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.

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 Show
going 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 has 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.

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.

How do you do?

And this is my little
brother, Michael.

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?

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!

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.

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.

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.

All right, dear. It's nice.

There's one other tiny
thing on page 16. 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.

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?

Yeah.

Alrighty.

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.

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. Huh?

Bookman can
handle 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.

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...

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.

Whaddya wanna
order, gambling man?

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...

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.

Uh, Eugene, I
have to talk to you.

Not now, baby, I
wanna hear Chops sing.

♪ Hello, Dolly ♪

♪ Yes, hello, Dolly ♪

♪ It's so nice to have you
Back where you belong ♪

♪ Oh, yeah ♪

♪ 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?

That's right.

Hey, sometimes you win,
and sometimes you lose.

Yeah.

All right.

And one day, I'm
gonna win them all!

Right on, honey!

Sis...

♪ 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 ♪

Good Times was videotaped
in front of a studio audience.

♪ Good times ♪