- Uncle Jerry, can I ask you something?
- But of course.
- We have spaces between our teeth, right?
- Right.
- And that's when stuff gets caught
and gives you cavities, right?
- Correct.
- So, why don't we have one big tooth
that goes all the way across? [laughing sound effect]
- Well, because it would be too heavy,
and the tooth fairy would get a hernia.
[Jerry laughing] [laughing sound effect]
[ball thuds] [Jerry yelps]
[laughing sound effect] [Webster laughing]
♪ Set in my ways ♪
♪ Losing track of the days ♪
♪ Only me to live for ♪
♪ Had no need to give more ♪
♪ Than I wanted to ♪
♪ Spending my time just holding the line ♪
♪ Never getting caught up ♪
♪ Love was never brought up ♪
♪ It's not the thing to do ♪
♪ Ooh ♪ ♪ It was you ♪
♪ Then came you ♪
♪ You made me leap without taking a look ♪
♪ Ooh ♪ ♪ It was you ♪
♪ Then came you ♪
♪ You reeled me right in line, sinker, and hook ♪
♪ Never thought forever was the best I could do ♪
♪ Then came you ♪
♪ It was you and me and you ♪
♪ Then came you ♪
♪ It was you and me and you ♪
♪ It was you and me ♪
♪ Then came you ♪
[upbeat instrumental music]
[Katherine chuckles]
- Oh, I love these relationship quizzes.
George listen to this one.
Do you consider yourself to be an attentive husband?
[laughing sound effect]
No.
[laughing sound effect]
- Hi, guys.
- Hey, champ.
- Hi.
- Look who followed me home. Can I keep them?
[horn honks]
[Jerry giggles] [laughing sound effect]
- Jerry.
[laughing sound effect]
- You're in the wrong house.
Barnum & Bailey live in Florida.
[laughing sound effect]
- I just came by
to borrow a Webster's squirting flower.
May I?
- Sure, it's all yours.
- It got clogged when I tried to fill it from my aquarium.
I just hope that the missing guppy
is hiding in that little castle.
[laughing sound effect]
- Now, I know that you're trying
to change your three
-piece suit image,
but don't you think this is going a little far? [laughs]
- No, no, no. [laughs]
- Oh, the shoes.
Yeah. [laughs]
No, today is volunteer day at Oak Shore Hospital.
You know, once a month I go
and visit the kids in the leukemia ward.
- Oh.
- It's kind of depressing,
isn't it?
- Oh, no, no. It makes me feel great.
You know, some of these kids
are in and out of the hospital most of their lives,
so they need some visitors, you know. [chuckles]
Hey, Webster, how about that plastic posey, huh?
- Oh, sure. Come on up.
You can take your pick.
Can you use two thirds of a rubber chicken?
[laughing sound effect]
- Two thirds?
- Yeah. That
[indistinct]
bit its head off.
[laughing sound effect]
Well, see, you can't use my joy buzzer,
- Mm
-hmm.
- because that's in the shop.
[laughing sound effect]
- It's a hell of a way to spend your leisure time, isn't it?
- Yeah, but I think he's been involved in it,
'cause his, his sister has had leukemia
for such a long time.
- The one, the one with three kids?
- Yep. That's the one.
But you know, her cancer's been in remission
for oh, over years.
- Why didn't he ever tell me about it?
- Because Jerry knows how you feel about hospital talk.
- Can you tell me
that this thing is guaranteed to squirt five feet, huh?
- Yep, gotta give it a head start,
just in case you have to run.
[laughing sound effect] Ma'am, can I go
with uncle Jerry to the hospital sometime?
- No, kids are, aren't allowed to visit hospitals.
- Oh, oh, no, they are at this one.
I take my nephews all the time.
- So, please, George?
I never get do fun stuff like go to the hospital.
[laughing sound effect]
- Come on. It might be kind of educational.
Instead of going to the zoo next Saturday,
you and your friends could go to Oak, Oaker?
- Oh, Oak Shore.
- Oak Shore.
- Yeah.
Just let me know when
and I'll check it out with the hospital administrator.
- Well, I'd be happy to chaperone if you like.
- That would be terrific.
- That's great. We're going to the hospital.
I'm gonna tell all my friends.
[laughing sound effect] Yeah.
- You wanna come, George?
- No.
Look, I know, I know it sounds terrible
the way I'm talking right now,
but I, I've, when I was a ball player,
I did a lot of children's hospitals and I...
You ever see those little faces in those hospitals?
Look at, I
-I
-I can't take it anymore, okay?
[instrumental music]
- And now, which hand has the coin?
- The right.
- No,
no, no. [kids responding]
- The left.
- Wrong again.
- Oh.
- as a matter of fact,
it's right here.
[everyone cheering] [Jerry laughing]
- And if you wanna make sure it's the same coin,
you can check the date.
- Where does it say the lovely assistant turns on the clown?
[laughing sound effect]
Now, a trick that has baffled Pharaohs for a thousand years.
[everyone cheering]
- Can you see better if you came over here?
- Oh, well,
- [Jerry] Thank you very much.
- I'm reading.
- Don't you like magic?
- I guess I'm not in the mood.
- [Jerry] Now all three of you tell me without telling me
what color
-
- Are you feeling okay?
- Well, I'm in remission.
- I'm in fourth grade.
[laughing sound effect] [Mark chuckles]
My name's Webster.
- I'm Mark.
- [Jerry] Wrong again.
- What does remission mean?
- It's like being well,
sort of.
- Then why are you still here?
- I'm not supposed to be.
My mom's coming from Wisconsin, but her car broke down.
- Hi. What's your name?
- Mark.
- Hi, Mark.
- This is my mom, ma'am.
- This is your mom? She's pretty.
- Oh, how lovely to make the acquaintance
of such a bright, perceptive young man.
[laughing sound effect]
- That mean she thinks she neat.
She talks like that, because she's almost a psychologist.
[laughing sound effect]
- My mom works in a bakery.
- Bet she makes a lot of dough.
[group laughing]
- Good, ma'am.
[laughing sound effect] [horn honking]
- Contrary to the popular rumor
that I am not playing with a full deck,
all cards [deck ripples]
are present and accounted for.
Now, young man, which card is on top?
- Four of hearts?
[Jerry chuckles]
- The queen of spades.
[Katherine and Jerry laughing]
Did I mention that we were playing for money?
[laughing sound effect]
- Let me try that.
- Oh, a would be prestidigitator.
[laughing sound effect]
Now, you shuffle those and you water this for me.
[laughing sound effect]
Oh, [phone ringing]
I see you've met Mark,
one of my very special friends.
- Mark's one of my friends too.
[Mark chuckles]
- How long have you been here at Oak Shore?
- Well, six weeks this time,
but I've been here twice before.
- Mark, your mom's on the phone.
- All right! Come on, Webster.
You can say hi.
- Be sure and say hello for me.
- Okay.
- She calls every day, same time.
- You know, he's such a sweet kid
and he doesn't seem as if he belongs here at all.
He seems like he's healthy.
- Well, he doesn't anymore now that he's in full remission.
As a matter of fact,
getting out of there would give him a little boost.
- Mm.
- I mean, you know,
children respond better in a home environment.
Oh, I take him to my place,
but a bachelor apartment's no place for a kid.
Well, you know, he needs a,
a mother and a, a father and, and perhaps a
-another child.
- Mark's mom can't get here 'til Tuesday.
- Oh. Poor little guy.
Three more days in this hospital.
- Jerry, you're about as subtle as your slight of hand.
[laughing sound effect]
Webster, what do you think about inviting Mark
over to our house until his mom does get here?
- That'd be green. He can stay in my room.
I'll go tell him.
- Whoop, not so fast.
We have one big obstacle to overcome.
- Oh, you mean the one with the mustache
[laughing sound effect]
that used to play football?
- That's the one.
[laughing sound effect] [upbeat instrumental music]
- I b*at you and I triple b*at you.
[luggage thuds]
- Well, that's because you jumped outta the car first.
- You know, I can't believe
that your mom talked my mom in letting me come here.
- I can't believe she talked George
to letting you come here.
Hey, have you ever done a Wheelie on a skateboard?
- I don't know. I've never even been on.
- Well, we'll, we'll get mine outta my room
and I'll show you.
We'll get there through the secret passageway.
- Secret passageway? [laughing sound effect]
- Yes.
[door squeaks]
- Gee.
What a neat place to live.
- I can't believe the difference in that child.
You know, the doctors did lots of fresh air and exercise.
So, I was thinking why don't you take them out
and play a little football?
- Get serious.
What
-
- No, no, no, no,
No, no, no, no.
I don't mean the bone
-crushing contact sport.
I mean the one where you put little hankies
in the pocket, you know, and touch each other.
[laughing sound effect]
- That's not football.
It's ballet.
[door closes] [laughing sound effect]
[instrumental music]
- Don't worry about not doing a Wheelie on my skateboard.
Nobody can the first time.
Besides, you were good at dodge ball.
- Hmm. I don't feel good.
- You're gonna be sick. I should take you to the bathroom.
- I don't think I can stand up.
- Ma'am! George!
[door opens]
Come quick.
I think Mark's leukemia's coming back.
[Webster knocking]
[instrumental music]
- Well, it's normal.
Here, drink this.
What else did you thieves steal from the larder?
- Just corn chips [laughing sound effect]
and some bean dip and pineapple juice.
[laughing sound effect] There might even
one other thing,
but I can't remember what.
- Chocolate cake.
[laughing sound effect]
- That sounds familiar.
[laughing sound effect]
- Well, I talked to the doctor.
He doesn't think there's a problem,
but he wants us to bring him
down early in the morning just in case.
- Oh, well, my diagnosis is a good old fashioned tummy ache.
Oh, how could you guys get into the junk food
on Mark's first night out of the hospital, huh?
- Junk food?
Come on you guys.
- I looked, but I couldn't find any broccoli and carrots.
[laughing sound effect]
- Do you have to tell my mom?
I mean, I'm feeling better already.
And if she finds out,
she just might never let me do stuff like this again.
- What stuff?
- Any stuff that other kids get to do.
- That's enough for tonight.
Settle down and get some rest.
You in the big bed,
have you got any more candy stashed in there?
- No.
- You better not.
[laughing sound effect] [Katherine smooches]
Good night.
- Good night.
- Good night. [switch clicks]
Web, the bean dip, where is it?
- Behind the broccoli.
[laughing sound effect]
- Good night.
[laughing sound effect]
- Psst, Web.
- Yeah?
- Do you think your mom is mad at us?
- No. She's gonna be a psychiatrist.
She understands when people do dumb things.
[laughing sound effect]
- What do you wanna be when you grow up?
- Um, I'm gonna be a sportscaster just like George
or that guy in a commercial
who crunches suitcases with an elephant.
[laughing sound effect]
What do you wanna be?
- A doctor.
- You'll have to go to school for a hundred years for that.
[laughing sound effect]
- It'll be worth it.
When I'm a doctor,
maybe I can find a cure for leukemia.
Night, Web.
- Night.
[instrumental music]
- I don't think my leg is gonna work yet.
I'm gonna need a forklift to get off of the sofa.
[laughing sound effect]
- The boys really ran you ragged, huh?
- Oh, we walked everywhere.
I mean, we stopped at every hotdog stand
between the park and the pork rind poop.
[laughing sound effect]
- Last one to the kitchen has a dirty sweat sack.
[laughing sound effect]
- I can't believe the energy that kid has.
- Well, it's the same way with my sister.
When you're in remission,
all of the symptoms of leukemia disappear.
There's no guarantee they won't come back someday.
But a person in remission is as normal as we are.
[doorbell rings]
- I'll get it.
[footsteps pattering]
[door opens]
- Mr. Papadopolis?
- Yes.
- I'm Mark's mother, Irene Jenkins.
- Hello, Irene. George.
You can call me George.
- Thank you.
- Can I take your coat?
- Thanks.
- This is my wife, Katherine.
- Hello. It's very nice to meet you.
- Nice to meet you.
- I think you know Jerry Silver.
- Only over the phone.
- Oh, yes.
- But it's nice
to put a face with a voice.
- Oh, it's nice to meet you all.
- Please sit down.
- Thanks.
Is Mark all right?
- Oh.
He's fine. [door closes]
He's been a perfect guest.
- Boys, come on out for a minute. We have a surprise.
[footsteps pattering]
- Well, you must be exhausted after that long car trip.
- Oh, the car trip was fine.
It's just that you can't imagine
how many country western stations there are
between my house [George chuckles]
and your house.
[Katherine chuckles] [laughing sound effect]
[footsteps pattering]
- Either the boys are back
or we're in the eye of a buffalo stampede.
[laughing sound effect]
[footsteps pattering]
- Gotcha.
- Not for long.
Hi, mom.
- Hi, darling.
Oh.
Oh, my baby. You can hardly breathe.
Come sit down.
Sit down over here. You okay?
Yeah?
- Hi.
- This is our son, Webster.
- I talked to you on the phone.
Mark's new friend.
- That's right.
Hi, Webster. Nice to meet you.
Mark, what's that under your eye?
Is that a bruise?
- No, it's just paint.
- From what?
- Well, Webster let me sign my name
on the side of his tree house.
- His tree...
You climbed a tree?
- Irene, we're gonna have some lunch.
Would you like some of my chicken and chili?
- It's one of George's specialties.
We call it chirp and burp.
[laughing sound effect]
- Not a pretty lunch, but it's filling.
[Jerry laughing] [laughing sound effect]
- Mark, you have been observing your special diet,
haven't you?
- Special diet?
His doctor didn't say anything about a special diet.
- Yeah. Well, doctors don't know everything.
This is a diet I put together.
It's mostly high fiber and complex carbohydrates.
- Oh, we can put some Bran Flakes in his chili.
[everybody laughing]
- He's such a kidder. [laughs]
- Oh, sweetie, when will you learn?
Well, I brought your protein powder.
I'll make you a shake.
- I'm not really hungry, mom. [footsteps pattering]
- I knew it.
[footsteps pattering]
You don't look well.
Mrs. Papadopolis, could he go lie down a bit?
- Absolutely.
- Honey, you go lie down.
I'll make you some warm milk, okay?
[instrumental music] [footsteps pattering]
- The kitchen.
- The kitchen. Thanks.
- Wow.
Ain't sure got weird around here all of a sudden.
[instrumental music]
Not feeling too good, huh?
- I have leukemia.
You had leukemia minutes ago,
but that didn't stop you from b*ating me at basketball.
- You don't understand.
- Right about that.
- It makes my mom sad that I'm sick.
So, if I'm real careful and don't fall out of remission,
then she won't have to cry so much.
- Is that why you start acting different when she showed up?
- I don't know what worries her the most,
when I'm sick or when I'm not.
- But you've gotta play and stuff. We're kids.
It's what we do.
- Yeah.
Here, I'm a regular kid,
but when I'm with my mom, I'm a kid with leukemia.
- It's not fair.
You shouldn't have to act sick if you're not.
[instrumental music]
- After Irene's speech about all the chemicals in food,
I feel guilty about drinking this coffee.
No, I don't. I need to wake up.
- Hi, guys.
- Hi, champ. [door closes]
- Hi, honey. Did you sleep well?
- More like little naps.
Mark's mom kept on coming in all night.
She'd look and leave, look and leave. Weird.
- Where's Mark?
Yesterday he b*at you when he raced you down the stairs.
- I know.
Today, he won't even get out of bed
until his mom said it's okay.
I'm gonna go get some juice.
- Since when does a kid have to ask permission to wake up?
- George, I can't stand this.
I've gotta say something to Irene.
- Darling, it's none of our business, okay?
- But she is reinforcing his illness,
I mean, at the moment he's healthy.
- Sweetheart, it's very tough
to tell another parent how to do their job.
- Even for the good of the child?
Wait a minute.
Is it my imagination
or does Irene really dwell on the negative?
[footsteps pattering]
- Oh, I don't know what to do.
Mark's so exhausted
he didn't eat a bite of his breakfast.
- He'll work up an appetite.
We're gonna go out and play football.
- Football? Mark?
- Oh, yeah. George says he's pretty good.
- I don't believe how you encourage him
to, to run wild [tray thuds]
and eat anything he wants.
I mean, why, why are you pretending
there's nothing wrong with him?
- Irene, why are you pretending
that there's nothing right with him?
- Irene, we would never, ever do anything to harm Mark.
We've treated him as if he was our own son.
- For two whole days.
I've been living with this for seven years.
Look,
do you have any idea what it's like
to have to be more of a jailer than a mother?
- No. I can't even imagine it.
- You are so lucky you have a healthy son.
If your boy gets the chickenpox,
he, he misses a week of school.
For Mark, chickenpox could mean months in the hospital
or worse.
- Look, Irene, Mark is a fighter.
If anybody can b*at this, he can.
- I know that.
- Then why don't you enjoy him while he's in remission
and stop reminding him about his illness?
- I don't have to remind him. It's a fact of his life.
- He knows that.
- Webster, Mark has no idea how serious things are.
- Sure he does.
He knows that some of his friends
d*ed from the same thing he's got.
- Did he say that?
- Yeah. But what about his friend Sam?
He's in remission and he's the captain of a soccer team.
- Yeah. I know.
Well, I've heard all about Sam,
but, honey, we're talking about Mark.
- Okay.
Did Mark tell you he only act sick,
because he thinks you want him to?
- No.
- That's because he loves you
and he doesn't want you to cry anymore.
- [Mark] Mom?
[instrumental music]
- Coming, honey.
[instrumental music]
- Well, I'm really gonna miss you.
- Yeah, me too.
Hope you come back to Chicago real soon.
[lock clicks]
There.
Wait a minute.
You only come to Chicago
when you have to go to the hospital.
I don't want you to have to go to the hospital,
so I guess I hope you don't come back to Chicago real soon.
[laughing sound effect]
- Well, you could come visit me in Wisconsin.
- Yeah. I like cheese.
[laughing sound effect]
- Me too, especially on
cheeseburgers.
- Cheeseburgers.
[laughing sound effect] [both high
-fives]
- I don't know how I can thank you for all your kindness.
- Oh, I'm glad we could help.
- You know the old saying
you can't see the forest for the trees?
Well, maybe I've been just too close
to this thing for too long.
- Well, we didn't wanna intrude,
but we did want you to enjoy Mark
as much as we have the last couple days.
- Here you go, Irene. A little something for the road.
- Oh.
- But don't worry,
it's not chirp and burp.
[George laughing] [laughing sound effect]
- Thank you, George. You've been terrific.
- Thank you.
- Look, I'm not much of a football coach,
so if Mark needs any pointers, can I give you a call?
- Absolutely.
[footsteps pattering]
- Oh, Marky, let me help you with that.
On second thought,
why don't you put your suitcase in the car?
- You're gonna let me carry it?
- Why not?
[instrumental music]
- Drive carefully.
- Oh, thanks.
Thank you, George.
Webster.
- Bye
-bye.
- Bye.
- Thanks so much.
Come on Marky, let's go.
- Now remember our pact, Webster,
we're not gonna say goodbye.
- And we're not gonna wave at the windows like cry babies.
See ya. [hands claps]
- See ya.
[instrumental music]
[door closes] [Katherine sighs]
- Well, [tongue clicks]
we're all gonna miss him.
Let's hope that he's well enough
to come and visit next summer, hmm?
- He will. I just know it.
[instrumental music]
- Webster.
- Will be back.
- In a moment. [laughs]
[upbeat instrumental music]
- Well, Mark and Irene made it back to Wisconsin,
but the car broke down four times.
- How's Mark?
- He's fine. He even learned to change a flat tire.
[Jerry chuckles]
- Well, as soon as George
finishes loading the toys in the car,
we'll be on our way to the hospital.
Hey, Web, come on. What's taking so long?
- I had a problem with my nose.
[laughing sound effect]
[clapping sound effect]
- Who is this clown?
- I don't know. I never saw him before in my life.
[laughing sound effect]
- Guys, it's me. Webster.
[laughing sound effect]
- Yeah.
- You better show us some sort of identification.
[laughing sound effect]
[instrumental music]
- [Katherine] Yeah,
no doubt about it.
[upbeat instrumental music] [clapping sound effect]
[upbeat instrumental music continues]
[trumpet music]
03x19 - A Friend in Need
Watch/Buy Amazon
Set in Chicago, revolves around Webster Long, a 5-year-old African American orphan whose biological parents were recently k*lled in a car accident and is taken in by his godfather, retired football star George Papadopolis.
Set in Chicago, revolves around Webster Long, a 5-year-old African American orphan whose biological parents were recently k*lled in a car accident and is taken in by his godfather, retired football star George Papadopolis.