02x12 - George and the Manager

[bunniefuu]

♪ Well, we're movin' on up ♪

♪ Movin' on up ♪

♪ To the East
Side Movin' on up ♪

♪ To a deluxe apartment ♪

♪ In the sky ♪

♪ Movin' on up ♪

♪ To the East
Side Movin' on up ♪

♪ We finally got a
piece Of the pie ♪

♪ Fish don't fry
In the kitchen ♪

♪ Beans don't
burn On the grill ♪

♪ Took a whole lot of tryin' ♪

♪ Just to get up that hill ♪

♪ Now we're up
In the big leagues ♪

♪ Gettin' our turn at bat ♪

♪ As long as we live
It's you and me, baby ♪

♪ There ain't Nothin'
wrong with that ♪

♪ We're movin' on
up Movin' on up ♪

♪ To the East
Side Movin' on up ♪

♪ To a deluxe
apartment In the sky ♪

♪ Movin' on up Movin' on up ♪

♪ To the East
Side Movin' on up ♪

♪ We finally got a
piece Of the pie ♪♪

Hmph.

What you hmph-ing about?

I was just reading
this horoscope.

What's it say?

"Try to please your mate more."

Well, that ain't
nothing to hmph about,

you're supposed to do that.

This was your horoscope.

Hey, listen to what mine says.

An annoyance will
come into your life today,

but don't lose your temper.

Isn't that amazing?

What's so amazing about that?

How did they know your
mother was coming over?

Look, that astrology
stuff's a lot of bull.

Don't be too sure, George.

Maybe the planets
do affect our lives.

Get out of here.

What about the moon?

Even scientists say that
some people act weird

when there's a full moon.

Hey, you know, you're
right about that, Weezy.

There was a full moon
when I proposed to you.

And it was still full
when I accepted.

[DOORBELL RINGING]

Get that, Weezy.

Why me?

Because you're closer
to the door than I am.

You know what I'm
thinking, George?

No.

I'm glad. Because
you wouldn't like it.

Oh, hi, Emily.
Hello, Mrs. Jefferson.

Is your husband
in? Yeah, come in.

Thanks.

Something wrong
down at the store?

Well, we have got a little
problem, Mr. Jefferson.

Did Old Man Harris come in
yelling about his buttons again?

As a matter of fact, he did.

I offered to pay him, but
no, he wants his buttons.

Those buttons mean a lot to him.

That's why he took them
off his World w*r I uniform

and put them on his blazer.

Well, I can't find any!

If he wants them that
bad, tell him to run over

to the American Legion
and mug an old doughboy.

But Mr. Jefferson...

And scratch one good customer.

No, we don't have to,
I got him his buttons.

Huh?

I called Brown's
theatrical costumes

and they've got plenty

of those buttons in stock.

When I told that to Mr. Harris,

he almost broke down and cried.

Hey that's great, Emily.

I don't know what
I'd do without you.

I'm always telling my wife

you're one of the best employees

I've ever had, ain't
that right, Louise?

That's right.

Thank you. Thank
you, Mr. Jefferson.

Then maybe you'll consider

making me manager of your store.

Manager? I already got a
manager. Lester Simpson.

Not anymore. Lester
quit this morning.

He what?

He came in, cleaned out
his desk and cleared out.

Without saying anything?

You know Lester.
He never talked much.

He did give me this
letter to give you.

He said it'd explain everything.

"Dear Mr. Jefferson, I
quit. Lester Simpson."

Like I said,

Lester was never
one for wasting words.

That ungrateful turkey.
Who does he think he is,

up and quitting on me like that?

Well, maybe he got a better job.

What kind of a better job?

One with shorter hours,
longer vacations, more money.

If that's what he wanted,

why didn't he come
and talk it over with me?

I wouldn't have let him quit.

Would you have
given him all that?

No, I would have fired him.

Now I've got to find me a
whole new manager, but quick.

What about Emily?

I could do the
job, Mr. Jefferson

Oh, yeah. Give me a
little time to think about it.

What's there to
think about, George?

You need a manager, quick,

and Emily's got all
the qualifications.

I know that, Weezy.

Like I said, Emily,

let me think about it
and I'll let you know.

When?

Just as soon as I
finish thinking about it.

I understand. Good.

Now get back downstairs
and take care of the store

like a good little girl.

Thanks, Mr. Jefferson. Bye.

Bye, Emily.

Weezy, why'd you go and do that?

Do what?

Put me on the spot like that.

You know I can't
make her a manager.

Why not? Because...

Because she ain't been
with me long enough.

George, Emily's been
working for you for five years.

Oh. Time sure
passes quick, don't it?

All right, George,
what's the real reason?

There ain't no real
reason. It's just because...

Because what?

Because... Hey, look who's here!

Good morning, Lionel.

Good morning.

Good to see you!
What you been doing?

You mean since I
saw you last night?

Yeah. Sleeping.

George, you still haven't
answered my question.

Will you stop thinking
about that question

and start thinking
about your son.

He's probably starving.

How about getting
him some breakfast?

All I want is some coffee, Mom.

All right.

Now, George, about
Emily, you said...

Is that all you want, son?
That's not enough for my son.

How about some eggs
and cereal and pancakes?

Here you are,
Lionel. Thanks, Mom.

All right, George, give
me a straight answer.

Why won't you hire Emily
to manage your store?

Hey, that's a great idea.

Emily would make a
wonderful manager.

Who asked you?

Nobody, but...

Don't butt in where
you ain't wanted.

What happened to all that
"Good to see you, how you been?"

It just changed to
"Bye-bye, who needs you?"

That's right, I don't need
anybody telling me who to hire.

And I have just decided not
to make Emily my manager.

Why? Because she's white?

That's only half the reason.

What's the other half?

She ain't black.

But you got a white
manager in your Queens store.

That's right. I already
got my token white.

Pop! George!

Look, before y'all
start yelling prejudice,

I want you to
understand something.

I am a black businessman,
running a black business,

and I ought to be
hiring black people

to manage my black stores.

I mean, if I don't hire
black managers, who will?

He's got a good point, Mom.
You can't argue with that.

I'm not. I couldn't
agree with you more.

Good, then that's settled.

But I still feel kind
of sorry for Emily.

She deserves a promotion.

She sure does.

Don't be feeling sorry for her.

She's still got
a job, ain't she?

That's more than a lot of
people can say these days.

Hey, Pop. Maybe I can
help you get a new manager.

You?

Yeah, me.

There's a minority employment
agency right next to my school.

I could drop by and tell them
you're looking for a manager.

Hey, that's great.

Make sure they send
me the right minority.

Hey, leave it to
me. I'll call you later.

Right. Well, I got to
get down to the store.

Make sure everything's
under control.

Uh, George, please
try to get home early.

Remember, your
mother's coming over.

Well? Can't you
take care of her?

I'd love to.

But there's a law against it.

Ha, ha.

Another minute, honey,
and we'll be through.

I wish I could have
met you sooner, Jenny.

I could have saved a fortune.

You mean you're not
going to tip me? Huh?

Not so close!

I wouldn't hurt my
baby for the world.

Get back to work.

How's the haircut coming, Jenny?

Well, I would have been
finished a long time ago

if Lionel would stop squirming.

If you think he's bad now,
you should have seen him

when he was a little boy.

The moment I took the scissors
in my hand, he'd start to cry.

Aw, come on, Mom, you
don't have to tell her that.

No, now wait a
minute, I want to hear it.

How did you get
him to take a haircut?

We played cowboys and Indians.

Lionel was the cowboy,

and George and I
were the Indians.

Imagine two grown
adults acting like idiots,

going "Whooo, whooo, whooo."

I wish I could have been there.

Then we'd capture the
cowboy and tie him to the tree,

which was the chair.

Then I'd come along
with the scissors

in my hand to scalp him.

That, he sat still for.

All right, now sit still or
whooo, whooo, whooo!

Cut it out, Jenny.

GEORGE: Weezy!

Ah, yonder comes Sitting Bull.

Hi, Weezy. Hi, George.

I got Lionel's message,
is he home yet?

Yeah, he's in the kitchen.

He told me he came
up with a good prospect

for a new manager.

Hey, that's my boy.

What the...

Hi, Pop. Welcome to
Jenny's barbershop.

Hi, Mr. Jefferson.

You letting her
give you a haircut?

Might as well. She's always
getting in my hair anyway.

Your mother tells me
you got somebody for me?

Not just somebody, Pop.

Hey, listen to this.

It's from the employment agency.

"Dale Parker, 32 years old.

"College graduate,
Syracuse University.

"B.S. Degree in Economics.

"Bbeen in the cleaning business

"for over 10 years.

Managed one of the
largest cleaning chains"

in Buffalo for three years."

Hey, out of sight!

Now look, you make
one more move like that,

and you're going to end
up with a hearing problem.

Huh? No ears.

When do I get to
meet this Dale Parker?

Any minute. I made
the appointment for 4:30.

Hey, Lionel, you're my main man.

Look, here, take
this for your trouble.

Now Pop, you don't...

No, no, no, take it, take it.

After that hair cut, you're
going to need it to buy a hat.

Now look, don't you think I
can give him a good haircut?

Look, all I know
is that a man's hair

ought to be cut by a man barber.

Typical male chauvinist.

No, I ain't. I just
don't think women

ought to be pushing themselves
in where they don't belong.

Taking over men's jobs.
Wanting to become managers.

Why not? Yeah.

Because a woman ain't
happy just being boss.

She's got to be bossy.

I don't want no woman
managing my store.

You really are a sexist.

Don't talk dirty, young lady.

What Jenny meant, Pop, is
that you look down on women.

[DOORBELL RINGS]

Lionel. I'm surprised at you. I
mean who should know better

than my own family the
respect I have for women.

[DOORBELL RINGS]

Weezy, get the damn door!

LOUISE: I'm busy.
Get it yourself.

You could have stopped doing
that and answered the door.

But you're closer
to it than I am.

[DOORBELL RINGS]

Mr. Jefferson?

Yeah, what can I do for you?

You can make me your new
manager. I'm Dale Parker.

It's a pleasure to meet
you, Mr. Jefferson.

Here's a copy of my resume.

Oh, uh, yeah. Please to
meet you too, Miss, uh...

Mrs. Parker, Dale Parker.

How come you got a man's name?

Because I married a
man named Parker.

No.

I meant the other part, Dale.

That's not just a
man's name, George.

Remember Roy Rogers' partner?

Trigger?

Dale Evans.

Excuse me a minute, I got a
bone to pick with somebody.

Uh, won't you
come in? Thank you.

Are you from New
York, Mrs. Parker?

No, I've only been here a month.

Do you find it different?

No, it's the same as being
out of work any place else.

Well, when you talked to
the employment agency,

didn't you ask about
this Dale Parker's sex?

No. I didn't think you'd be
interested in her personal life.

You know what I'm talking about.

How come that woman
out there is a woman?

Because when you're born a
girl, that's what you grow up to be.

Ain't you got no sense?

I trust you with the job
of finding me a manager

and you get me her.

But you said you wanted to
give the job to someone black.

I said I want a manager,
not a woman-ager!

Uh, Mrs. Parker, I think
you forgot something here.

This resume only
goes up to last year.

That's the last time I worked.
I took time off to get married.

It took you a year
to get married?

No, it took me a year
to convince my husband

I ought to go back to work.

He's one of those "a wife
belongs in the kitchen" men.

How did you get him
to change his mind?

I divorced him.

Still, you've been away
from the cleaning business

a whole year.

There've been a lot of changes.

Dirty clothes are still
dirty clothes, George.

I mean in the machinery.

Like that new presser
we got downstairs.

It's got more gadgets on
it than a Christmas tree.

It took me six months to
figure out how to work it.

That sounds like the Norton 485.

You know it?

Sure. It's a pussycat.

Just like the Norton 290.
With high blood pressure.

Just keep an eye on the pressure
gauge, you can't go wrong.

How about that, George?

Maybe Dale can teach
you a thing or two.

Yeah, but what
about the long hours?

You'd be working very
long hours, Mrs. Parker.

You wouldn't like that.

Oh, but I would, Mr. Jefferson.

If you had an apartment
as small as mine,

you'd rather work than go home.

Hey, what kind of a
life is that for a lady?

You should be meeting
dates, having fun.

Oh, but I just love hard work.

Yeah.

I notice you have no
hobbies listed here.

I like bowling.

Oh, too bad.

We don't have a
bowling team. Sorry.

I guess this job just
wouldn't suit you.

What are you talking
about, George?

Dale is perfect for the job.

No one is perfect, Louise.

Especially if she's a woman?

Look, Mrs. Parker.

Oh, I can see where you're
coming from Mr. Jefferson.

You want to hire a black
as long as it's a man.

I didn't say that.

Then what are you saying?

I just need time
to think about it.

To go over the resume.
Maybe I'll call you later.

No you won't, and if you
did, I wouldn't answer.

I only work for
people, not turkeys.

Wait a minute.

No. I have already
waited too long.

And if you want to help
blacks, Mr. Jefferson,

you ought to remember that
some of your brothers are sisters.

See that?

That's the trouble with
women. They're too emotional.

Let me guess. You didn't
give her the job, right?

Right. Because she's a woman.

And that's also the reason
you didn't promote Emily.

Look, I got a responsibility
to give those jobs to men.

Men have families to support.

But what about women
who have families to support.

They ought to go
out and get a man.

You really didn't give
Mrs. Parker the job?

No, I didn't. The plain fact is,

you can't expect a
woman to do a man's job.

Oh, and managing a cleaning
store is a man's job, huh?

It ain't a woman's job.

Well, what is a woman's job?

Cleaning a cleaning store.

A woman's job is
working for a man.

Hey, where you
been Mr. Jefferson?

There's a new world coming,

and women are
demanding their place in it.

Yeah, well it ain't here yet.

Look, I got three guys
working downstairs in that store.

I got to think of them.

You going to
promote one of them?

No, I mean, how
they going to feel

calling some woman "boss"?

[DOORBELL RINGING]

Don't you see? It'll upset them.

Hi, Mom, come on in.

It'll hurt their pride.

I mean, no real man
takes orders from a woman.

George, help me with my cape.

It's not your fault, son.

Louise has probably
been upsetting you again.

Not me. It was two other women.

You've been going out
with two other women?

No, Mama. I just don't want them

managing my store that's all.

Oh, well, if you
need a new manager,

why don't you give
the job to Emily?

Aha!

Not you too.

Mama, women ain't
fit for tough jobs.

A woman raised you, George.

Mr. Jefferson has given up
on women, Mother Jefferson.

Oh, that's what some
marriages can do to you.

Look, it ain't that
I'm against women.

It's just that I'm against
them running for things.

You sound just like my father.

I can still hear him saying,
"Give the vote to women,

and they'll take
over the world."

Heaven help us if they did.

He said it was wrong for
a woman to go out to work.

That's what he told
my mother every Friday

when she came home
and gave him her paycheck.

That's really typical. Men
just don't want women

to have any control
over their own lives.

Women don't want it neither.

What? Where you
coming from, Pop?

Look at the facts: Women
got the vote in 1920, right?

Now they've had
the vote for 55 years,

and how many women
presidents have we had?

None, but... Because
who do women vote for?

Rich white guys.

He's right.

But what's all this got to
do with having a woman

manage your store?

I don't have a woman
manager for the same reason

we don't have a woman president.

It's a tough game.

They can't stand the heat.

So they should stay
out of the kitchen.

I thought that's where
you wanted to keep them.

You know what I mean.

Well, I think Emily
ought to have the job.

Mama, you don't understand.

Sometimes I have to get
tough with my managers.

I can't be watching my
language all the time.

There's nothing
you can say to a man

that you can't say to a woman.

I can't swear at a woman.

George, you're
talking like a damn fool.

Mama!

Mother knows best, George.

Wait a minute.
Look. What is this?

Everybody just get off my back.
Now I am the man of this house.

And I don't want to hear no
more of this talk, understand?

What are you
going to do about it?

What am I going to do?
What am I going to do?

I'll tell you what I'm going
to do! I'm going to the john!

It's a losing battle,
Mrs. Jefferson.

Come on, Lionel, let's go.

Yeah, I'm sorry, Mom.

If I'd told the agency
to send a man,

none of this would
have happened.

Yeah, and you wouldn't be
going out with me now, B. M. C. P.

B.M.C.P?

Black Male Chauvinist Pig.

Bye.

Take care.

George.

What?

I always thought
you were a fair man.

I am.

Well, don't you want
to reward someone

who's worked hard
for you all these years

and helped you up that ladder,

like Emily did?

All right, she can
be acting manager

till I find me a full-time man.

Not good enough, George.

Well, that's as good
as it's going to get.

You can't make
me do anything else.

Okay. But remember,
we women have ways

of not doing things too.

You wouldn't.

You're right. I wouldn't.

Okay, I'll give Emily
a trial as a manager.

I'll call her.

[DOORBELL RINGING]

Oh, George,
she'll be so thrilled.

Hello, Mrs. Jefferson.

Why, Emily, Mr. Jefferson
is just calling you.

Oh, I'm so excited!

Oh, I thought you would be.

Hey, Emily that was fast.

I had to come right
up, Mr. Jefferson.

I was so thrilled at the news.

Hey, I ain't even
told you what it is yet.

Excuse me?

Uh, Emily, after giving it long

and very careful thought,

I have decided that
no man could ever do

the job you're doing.

You've been loyal
to me all these years.

And like I was
telling Louise here,

I always repay
loyalty with loyalty.

That's why I'm making
you manager of the store.

Oh, well, I'm afraid I
can't accept, Mr. Jefferson.

Sure you can.

I know it'll be hard for
you at first, but you'll learn.

No, I can't do
it, Mr. Jefferson.

Why not, Emily?

That's what I
came up to tell you.

I just got a job with
Beldway Cleaners

as manager of their head branch.

Beldway? That's my competition.

I know! And I wouldn't
have accepted their offer

if I'd known you were going to
make me manager downstairs,

but... Well, Mr. Jefferson,
this morning you said...

I know, I know. Look, how about

if I give you more
money than them.

Sorry, I already
gave them my word.

Well, congratulations,
Emily. You deserve it.

Thank you, Mrs. Jefferson.

Oh, and thank
you, Mr. Jefferson.

After all, you taught
me everything I know.

Yeah, and now my
competition's going to know it too.

Of course, I'll finish
out the week downstairs.

Oh, good, good. Thanks, Emily.

It's the least I can do.

Wait a minute. This is Friday.

There's nothing left of
the week to finish out.

It's no use, George, I
think you just blew it.

Now I don't have a manager.

I don't have an
assistant manager, either.

I'm jammed up, Weezy. Jammed
up. What am I going to do?

I wish I could help you, George,

but I'm just a
weak, little woman.

Weezy?

Can you think of
anything, Mother Jefferson?

No. I'm just a weak,
little woman too.

Where y'all going?

To the kitchen.

Where we belong.

ANNOUNCER: The
Jeffersons was recorded on tape

in front of a studio audience.