Good Times (1974–1979): Season 6, Episode 21 - A Matter of Mothers - full transcript

♪ Good times ♪

♪ Anytime you meet a payment ♪

♪ Good times ♪
♪ Anytime you need a friend ♪

♪ Good times ♪ ♪ Anytime
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 rip-offs ♪
♪ Good times ♪

♪ Scratchin' and survivin' ♪
♪ Good times ♪

♪ Hangin' in a chow line ♪
♪ Good times ♪



♪ Ain't we lucky we got 'em ♪

♪ Good times ♪♪

Hey, come on, Lisa.

Girl, what kind of
a man would I be...

if I was just attracted
to you for your body?

Yeah, you know, all of that has
changed since I started college.

I've learned to respect
women for their minds.

Yeah, I'm not joking. You know,
all last week I was telling people,

"You know that Lisa, she sure
does got a good head on her chest."

Uh... Uh, I mean, your
shoulders. Lisa? Lisa?

- I was just talking
to Lisa, Ma, you know.
- I know.

Hi, y'all. Hey, Willona.

Hi, Gramps. How you doin'?

Flo, I got a problem.
Yeah? What is it?



It's this. Whatcha think?

Yeah, you do have a problem.

If you're plannin' on
fittin' into that little thing,

the only thing you won't be
showin' is a little common sense.

Oh, Flo, it's not
for me. It's Penny's.

Jeffrey bought it for her.

That's the new
boyfriend? Mm-hmm.

Ooh, he sure is generous.

A little too generous.

This is 100% silk. Do you
know where it came from?

Well, now, if that's 100% silk,

I'd say a worm
somewhere in China.

Flo, Marshall Fields.

Jeffrey's credit card hasn't
got any rest since he met me.

Now, last week he bought
her an expensive tape recorder.

This week, this silk nightgown.
And God knows what's next week.

Maybe a guest spot
on Charlie's Angels. Oh.

Listen, what's going on? I
come in to ask you for some help,

and I get The Best of Groucho.

Flo, seriously though. I
don't know what to do.

I don't know whether I should let
Penny have this or not, because...

Well, he's coming on a little
too fast and a little too soon.

I don't want to
be that committed.

Suppose he wants to buy her
something else expensive. What do I say?

Why don't you just tell
Jeffrey that Penny needs...

four new law
books, a sports coat,

an electric shaver, you
know, and a basketball?

Oh, will you be
serious? I am serious.

Oh, Gramps. When I go
out this evening with Jeffrey,

I'm gonna have this
on my mind all night.

Willona, you shouldn't worry.

What you should do is
get yourself one of these.

And then Jeffrey will
have it on his mind all night.

All right, Michael. Get out of
here. Hey, Ma, I'm just jiving.

I'm leaving. See
y'all later. Okay.

I tell you.

I think that boy reached
puberty, liked it...

and decided to
stay there. Mm-hmm.

Oh, Flo, what am I gonna do?

Well, Willona, I think you have
to do what you think is best.

Mama?

Well, Penny.

- I think Mama has finally
decided you can keep this gift.
- Thanks, Ma.

You know, baby, it
makes me happy when you

get the finer things
in life that you want.

Are you sure, Mama?
"Absodutely, popsitively."

Okay, Mr. Bookman,
keep going. Okay.

What in the world?

Hold it. Hold it, right
there, honey. What is this?

It's the headboard for
Penny's new brass bed.

- Brass bed?

Yeah. It was too big
to put in the elevator,

so I had to drag it all
the way up 17 floors.

You know, I must've lost five
pounds. I can't afford to lose that.

Yeah, isn't it beautiful?
Just what I wanted all my life.

Willona, did you
order... No, Flo, I didn't.

Jeffrey has finally done it. Take
it back where you got it from.

What?

- Mama!
- Now. Take it out of here.

Oh, no, Ms. Woods.
That'll take all day.

I'll miss half my dinner.

Good. We'll ship the
other half overseas.

That should feed
about 2,000 people.

Now get it out of here.

Nobody knows the troubles I see.

But, Mama, you said it makes you
feel happy when I have the things I want.

Baby, that's before Jeff decided to
make Santa Claus look like a cheapskate.

Honey, there's a limit. He's
reached his limit. You can't have it.

- But you said...
- No "buts." You heard what I said.

Oh, yeah. I heard what you said.

Both times!

Hi, Gramps. We're
back. Hey, Willona.

Thanks for babysittin' for me.

I owe you $285
now. Hey, no problem.

Thank you, sugar. Mike, Jeff.

Hey, nice to meet
you, Jeff. My pleasure.

Good night, baby.
Good night, Willona.

Why don't you sit down while
I check on the baby? Okay.

She's sleeping. Can
I get you something?

Oh, no, no, no. Say, baby, why
don't you just come and sit down?

- Relax for a while, huh?
- Good idea.

I'm a little tired anyway.

It's nice. Real nice, baby.

Why don't we buy two
flags and signal each other?

All right, Jeff. Hey, I'm
sorry about this evening,

but my mind has
been on Penny all night.

Yeah, I know. She hates me.

No, she doesn't. Yes, she does.

You should've heard the way
she said her prayers tonight.

She said, "Dear God, bless
Aunt Florida and all the family...

and all the little animals
and, oh, yeah, Mama too."

You know, it blows my mind to
think that when it comes to God,

I'm second to a turtle.

Well, if it bothers you that much, why
don't you just give her the brass bed?

No, no, I can't do
that. Sure you can.

Are you the kind of lady
that would let a brass bed...

come between the love
you and your daughter have?

Jeff, we've only known each
other two, three months now,

and that's an expensive
gift, and, no, I just can't...

Or the love you and I have?

I just can't... I... All
right, all right, all right.

You talked me into it. Oh, baby,
I haven't even started talkin' yet.

Coming! Coming, coming, coming.

You better watch yourself.

All right, Ms. Woods. I just finished
puttin' the bed away in the cellar.

- When do you
want it sent back?
- Booger, about the bed...

I changed my mind. Oh, come on,
Ms. Woods. Not that now, please.

I mean, what did I ever do
to you? Seventeen floors.

Booger, Booger. Now, would you
let Penny sleep on a lumpy old bed...

when she has a brand-new
one down in the cellar rusting?

Would you? Mm-hmm.
Yes, I would. Uh-huh.

Oh, come...

Coochie poochie.
Come on, Ms. Woods.

Come on now.

Come on. Come on, cutie-pie.

Come on now, Ms. Woods. Now
you're taking advantage of me.

Do me a favor.

Well, I hope this
makes you feel better.

Well.

I bet I know what would.

Not tonight. Oh, no, no, no.

Party. I mean, we could
have a party here tomorrow.

You could invite your
friends, I could invite mine.

We can have a real good time
and forget about all this hassle.

Hmm. A party. Tomorrow?

Yeah. Nothing big.

Just a little, uh, coming-out
party, you know? Mm-hmm.

To let the world know
we are together. Oh!

Put me down!

You know, you are
such a good salesman.

All right. We can have a party.

Okay. Well, all right then.

You take care of the
house. I'll get things set up.

Call me tomorrow?
Every hour on the hour.

Oh, very French. Get outta here.

Miss Gordon! What
are you doin' here?

I can't stand all the waiting.
Now, what's happening?

I set the party up
for tomorrow night.

Now give me a break.
The woman's upset.

That brass bed did it, huh?

Yeah. I knew it would.

But I think that... I
don't pay you to think.

Now, I told you before.
Penny was legally adopted,

and the only way I can get my daughter
back is to prove Willona's an unfit mother.

And that's exactly what I
intend to do. Do you understand?

Yes, ma'am.

Oh, Willona, everything
looks so pretty.

Doesn't it? I just know
it's gonna be a great party.

Oh, Flo, thanks
for helping me out.

Monsieur Jeffrey will
be here in a few minutes.

Good, I can't hardly
wait to meet him.

♪♪ Mama, can I
use the tape deck now?

Did Bookman finish putting the
bed up yet? No, he's doing that now.

- That's what I want to tape.
- I see. He is teaching you
how to set it up?

Well, not exactly.

You know, he smashed his
finger for the third time? Yeah.

And I've never heard a string
of swear words last that long.

Penny.

Speaking of incompetence, here
comes a whale that can't swim.

I heard that. It
ain't funny, man.

Hey, Ms. Woods, did you
see the size of that bed? Yeah.

Ooh, you know, I... Oh,
goodness. Look at the callous!

Look! Look! It's a callous! Oh,
what am I gonna do? I'm ruined!

- Workman's comp! Whiplash!
- Booger.

But it hurts, Ms.
Woods. It hurts.

It's dirt, Booger. Dirt.

See? Oh, I guess I'll
be getting back to work.

Yeah. Come on, Penny.

Don't strain yourself, Booger.

Oops! Here they come.

Party time. Whoo!

Jeff. Hello, Willona.

Brought your friends
with you? Sure did.

Come on in. Come on in, y'all.

Interesting bunch, huh, Ma?

Yeah.

But of what?

Jeffrey, are these your friends?

Do you happen to own a circus?

Come on, baby.
They're harmless. Oh.

Here. Hey, I want you
to meet Willona Woods.

Jazz.

"Jazz"? Well,
that means "hello."

You see, Worm here is on a
different wavelength than the rest of us.

Well, don't look now, but I
think the sucker just blew a fuse.

Willona... What do
you think you're doing?

Willona, what kind
of people are these?

Flo, I don't know.

Jeff? Jeff, Flo. Jeffrey,
what in the world...

Willona, there's a lady over
there spiking all of your punch.

- What's wrong with that?
- With goldfish?

- What? Jeffrey, go straighten...
- Relax, baby. I'll take care of it.

Oh, Flo, I... I feel a
migraine coming on.

Pill? Huh? Oh, Lord, now I know
I've got a migraine coming on.

Willona, Willona.

Willona, those pills
look funny. I know.

Hey, Ma. That ain't the only funny
thing that's going on around here.

You know Sugarfoot? He's
here with two of his girls.

Wa-Wa-Wa-Wait a
minute now. Drugs, hustlers.

Now, Jeffrey said
these were his friends.

Well, where'd he
grow up, on death row?

I don't know, but
I'm gonna find out.

Will you move your foot?

Jeffrey? Hey, baby.

Jeffrey, what kind
of party is this?

I told you, baby.
A coming-out party.

Coming out of what?
A straightjacket?

There are people here that don't know
who they are, let alone where they are.

And that guy Worm?

He's got enough drugs on
him to turn on Mount Rushmore.

Willona, Willona. Relax,
baby. I can explain that.

Explain.

You see, Worm here...

Now he doesn't
want this to get out,

but I'm afraid he
has a little allergy.

What's he allergic
to, waking up straight?

You see, baby, you're
getting excited again.

Oh, I'm sorry if I'm
getting excited, my darling.

But I'm not used to being
hostess to a chain gang.

But, baby, I can
explain all of this.

Don't explain nothin' to
me. You can't say nothin'...

Mama, can I tape some of
the music now? Baby, go play.

Thanks. Oh, Jeffrey.

I don't know where you're
coming from. Baby, I...

I don't want to hear
nothin' you got to say.

You brought the wrong kind of people into
my house, especially around my daughter.

Wrong kind? What do
you mean, "wrong kind"?

These are normal
everyday people.

Yeah, if every day
was Halloween.

Now you know what? You've got exactly
five minutes to get everybody out of here.

And I mean every...
Police! Freeze!

- Hey, what's going on?
- Raid!

All right. Hands on your
heads. You know the position.

Mmm, Charlie. Look what
the trashman left behind.

No wonder the
streets are so clean.

Look like everything
dirty is up here.

Check around, will you, Mike?

Officer, I-I don't
think you understand.

I know, sweet cakes. You
can explain everything, right?

No, no. You've got it wrong.

- I'm employed.
- Good.

- Then let Sugarfoot
get you out.
- What?

Come on, man. I work
here. I got a tool belt.

Look at my uniform.
Look at my calluses.

- Where'd you find that?
- Hidin' under the bed. Come on.

I was working, man. I work
here. I don't know these people.

Hey, tell 'em, Ms. Woods.
Tell 'em. Officer, officer.

He's right. I don't know what's
going on. This is all a big mistake.

That's right, Ms. Woods.

And the mistake seems
to have been yours.

Mama. Penny. Oh, Penny.

- So, it's you.
- Thanks for the tip,
Miss Gordon.

They were up here just
like you said they'd be.

Now wa-wa-wa-wait.
Wait a minute.

I don't know any
of these people.

They're not my friends. They all
came with Jeff. Right, Jeff. Honey?

Is that right, buddy?

No, sir, it's not. They
were here when I got here.

- Oh, Jeff.
- That's what I thought.

All right. Everybody
out! The party's over.

Hey, man, I work here.
Tell 'em, Mrs. Evans!

Let's go. Move. Let's
go. Let's go. Let's go.

Come on. Come
on. Let's go. Let's go.

Come on now. Move! Let's go.

You set me up for this. You set
the whole thing up, didn't you?

Willona, what's going on here?

Who is she? She's
Penny's natural mother,

and she had the whole
thing prearranged.

- But I thought...
- Assume what position?

Officer, I live in the building.
Mama, will you tell this...

I'll find out.

Look, I'll be right
back. Michael!

Okay. You too. Let's go.

Mama... Officer, please. Can I
just have a few minutes with her?

No way. You've gotta...
Officer, I'm on the 17th floor.

You think I'm gonna
fly out the window?

It's okay.

I'm gonna enjoy this.

I'll be waiting outside.

Mama, what are you doing here?

Mama's come to take you home.

Well, what do you
mean, take her home?

She's already home. I'm
not talking about this home.

No, I'm talking about a brand-new home
with a backyard and a swimming pool.

And... a home where you'll
have a mother and a father.

Father?

That's right, Ms. Woods.

I got married.

Of course, I didn't know at the time
that he was from a wealthy family.

But he is, baby.

Ms. Woods, do you
know what it's like to have

everything you could
ever possibly dream of?

No, I don't.

Well, neither did I.

But there's still
something missing.

Something even money can't buy.

Hey. Just like that?

Just like that, you're
gonna just walk in here.

I'm supposed to pack
up my child's clothes,

get her ready and give away my
daughter? She is not your daughter.

- She is too my daughter!
- Mama...

Yes? What?

Penny, baby, come with Mama.

Go in the room so I can
do a little talking, okay?

Okay.

Now we can pick
up where we left off.

Come on. That's all in the past.

You know, I know you're
not wrapped too tight.

But you come in here talkin'
about it's "all in the past"?

Let me tell you
a little something.

That little girl wakes
up at night screaming,

thinking about your
abuse, your beatings,

the bruises, the cuts,
the burns with the hot iron.

She ain't gonna forget it. You
see, you remember it, I remember it.

I only hope to God one
day she can forget it.

Look, times change, people change.
Look, there's no need to bring up all that.

"All that"? What about all this?

You come here and set me up
like I'm some kind of gangster.

Okay, okay. I'm sorry.
That was unfortunate.

But I needed insurance in case
you want to take this to court.

Well, behind you trying to frame me, you
better believe we're taking it to court.

I'll tell you something else.
Your plan ain't gonna work.

I got too many people
to vouch for me...

People at my church, where I
work, this whole neighborhood.

And I've got two policemen,
pictures, and a dozen witnesses...

that will swear you were throwing a
wild party in the presence of a minor.

Add that to an uptown lawyer and
tell me who the judge is gonna believe?

Come on, Ms. Woods. Now can't we
just talk this thing out, woman to woman?

That depends.

What woman is
gonna talk for you?

Damn it. Didn't you see
the look in that kid's eyes?

She wants to come home with me.

It was those gifts I gave her. That
tape recorder and that $2,500 brass bed.

What could you possibly
give her to top that?

Love.

Can you?

Huh? I'm here, ain't I?

So is the garbage.

It don't make no difference.

Okay. All right. You wanna
take this thing to court?

Let's take it to court. But
nothing you say, nothing you do,

is gonna stand in the way
of me gettin' Penny back.

You just try it.

Come on, Jeff.

You.

You were in the
whole thing, huh?

Oh, yes. He was a very
expensive part of the whole thing.

And a mighty fine actor.

An actor?

- Bravo!
- That's right. I hired him.

You know, it just proves to me that
money can buy almost everything...

Lies, deceit, deception.

Look, you get your little bit player
and all your props and get out of here...

before I break your neck.

Oh, no, you can't be serious.

Oh, yes, I am...
serious as suici...

Penny?

How long has this been on? It's been
on since those people came to the party.

Rewind it.

- What do you think
that's gonna prove?
- I don't know. Maybe the truth.

What do you mean, "all
that"? What about all this?

You come barging in here
like I'm some kind of gangster.

Okay, okay, I'm sorry.
That was unfortunate.

But I needed insurance just in case
you wanna take this thing to court.

That's you... on tape.

P-P-Penny. Penny,
give that to me.

Penny, give it to Mama.

Penny. Penny, no. Give it to me.

I said give it...
Mother, please stop!

Hold it!

Now you tell me. All your
violence is still in the past?

God.

Let's go, Miss Gordon. I...

Oh, Penny, I... Willona?

Any other time, any other place,

you still would've
been too good for me.

Jeff, get out.

Bye, Willona.

Well,

I guess you better go out
there and tell the police...

everything is cool in here.

I don't think you wanna
go to court, now, do ya?

No. I... Here. I don't want it.

Penny, baby. I... We
need that for evidence.

I-It doesn't matter.

No matter what the court says.

No matter what she says.

No matter what anyone says.

I'll always be with you, Mama.

♪ Keepin' your
head above water ♪

♪ Makin' a wave when you can ♪

♪ Temporary layoffs ♪
♪ Good times ♪

♪ Easy credit rip-offs ♪
♪ Good times ♪

♪ Ain't we lucky we got 'em ♪

♪ Good times ♪♪ Good Times was
videotaped before a studio audience.