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01x13 - A Musical Bridge

Posted: 01/09/24 17:34
by bunniefuu
Listen. ♪♪ [Disco]

Where the pelvis goes, the
hips follow, all right? Feel that?

[On Boom Box] ♪
Gimme that, right now ♪

♪ I want a color TV ♪
♪ Gimme that, gimme that ♪

I detest that cacophony.

Told you.

Right, you told me.
Now I'm gonna tell you.

Um, do you mind telling me what
it is I'm supposed to be afraid of?

You're afraid of becoming
a schlock-meister.

♪♪ [Disco]

♪ Fame ♪
♪ I'm gonna live forever ♪

♪ I'm gonna learn how to fly ♪
♪ High ♪

♪ I feel it comin' together ♪

♪ People will see me and cry ♪
♪ Fame ♪

♪ I'm gonna make it to heaven ♪

♪ Light up the
sky like a flame ♪

♪ Fame ♪
♪ I'm gonna live forever ♪

♪ Baby, remember my name ♪
♪ Remember, remember ♪

♪ Remember, remember ♪

You got big dreams.

You want fame.

Well, fame costs,

and right here is where
you start paying in sweat.

♪ Fame ♪
♪ I'm gonna live forever ♪

♪ Baby, remember my name ♪
♪ Remember, remember ♪

♪ Remember, remember ♪

♪ Fame ♪♪

[Phone Ringing]

Forget it, Leroy. You
can't copy my report.

Look, Amatullo, I didn't buy
you breakfast so you'd say no.

Plus it's an honest bribe,
man. You gotta respect it.

You didn't wait
for the punch line.

You can't copy my report because I handed
it in three days ago when it was due.

And I appreciated it, Danny.

Small world. How you
doin', Miss Sherwood?

I was doing fine until I
heard this conversation.

Leroy, you've had
your last extension.

You promised this report at the beginning
of class this morning. I expect to see it.

Your original. No copies.

I suggest you go right to the
library. Don't waste any more time.

Right, Miss Sherwood.
We're on our way.

Nice talking to you. Have a
nice day now. Come on, man.

♪♪ [Bongo Drums]

[Car Horns Honking]

[Chattering]

Catlike, all right?
Catlike, girl, come on.

Why does it always have to be catlike?
Why can't anyone ever move like a koala?

Would you listen? Where the
pelvis goes, the hips follow, all right?

Hips. What do you
know from hips?

Maybe you know from catlike, but if
we're talking hips, I'm in charge here.

You're built like an ice pick.

Come on, would you stop it?
I wanna learn this step if I can.

You can. All it takes
is a catlike pelvis.

Some of us got it, some of
us don't. That's all. I got it!

What? Oh, it's a nice pelvis,
Montgomery, but catlike it's not.

No, no, what I got, Schwartzy,
is the new cassette by the C-47s.

You actually found it. Ask a
miracle and ye shall receive a miracle.

Who'd you have to pay
off? Nobody. Straight retail.

Well, listen, I'd take the time to be
impressed, but I wanna hear it. Come on.

Wait a minute. I know...
Woman, you are fickle.

You just told me to play
the thing. All right, all right.

Leroy would die to hear this.
Somebody go find him. Oh, yeah.

Just once I'd like it if someone
else got nominated to be somebody.

Members of the academy,
I accept your nomination.

[All Laughing]

Somehow I get the feeling
that you just might pass...

on recommending
Leroy as valedictorian.

Somehow I think you guessed it.

He's turned in exactly 25%
of his English assignments.

And if I took off
all I should have...

for his grammar and his
spelling on those papers,

I'd have to give
him less than a zero.

Maybe he figures he's ahead of
the game by handing in nothing.

I'm sorry. I don't find Leroy's
behavior funny or cute anymore.

Well, what are you gonna
do? Are you gonna fail him?

Wait, before you answer that,
let me just tell you one thing.

He's definitely not
failing in my classes.

He's really working hard.

I have to give him A's.

You know, if Leroy
were a star quarterback,

and you were his football coach
talking to his English teacher,

I'd swear you were asking
me to go easy on him.

Is that what it
sounds like? Yes.

I'm sorry, Elizabeth.

You know what this
means between you and me.

It means you buy breakfast.

And I figure out a way to
deal with Mr. Leroy Johnson.

They followed me home,
Ma. Could I keep 'em?

♪♪ [Disco]

♪ Everybody wants it ♪

♪ Doesn't matter what it is ♪

♪ They see it on the TV ♪

♪ I've got to got to have it ♪

♪ And when they go to parties ♪

♪ They dance the local pogo ♪

♪ But now we got a new dance
and this is how it go-goes ♪

♪ Do the gimme that gimme that ♪

♪ Do-Do-Do the
gimme that right now ♪

♪ Do the gimme that gimme that ♪

♪ Do-Do-Do the
gimme that right now ♪

♪ You can dance the rabbit ♪

♪ I can dance the Cadillac ♪
♪ I want a Cadillac ♪

♪ We feel we're entitled ♪

- ♪ We're entitled ♪
- ♪ To something new and shiny ♪

♪ And when we go to parties ♪

♪ We're gonna be the big show ♪

♪ Dancin' on the concrete ♪

♪ We'll show 'em
what we know, know ♪

♪ Doing the gimme
that gimme that ♪

♪ Do-Do-Do the
gimme that right now ♪

♪ Do the gimme that gimme that ♪

♪ Do-Do-Do the
gimme that right now ♪

[Man] ♪ I want a color TV ♪ ♪
Do the gimme that gimme that ♪

- ♪ Gimme that, man ♪
- ♪ Gimme that right now ♪

- ♪ With a giant screen ♪
- ♪ Do the gimme that
gimme that ♪

♪ Can we give me that ♪
♪ Gimme that right now ♪

- ♪ And a videocassette machine ♪
- ♪ The gimme that, gimme that ♪

♪ That's the least you could
do ♪ ♪ Gimme that right now ♪

♪ I want a stereo ♪
♪ Gimme that, gimme that ♪

♪ Can you gimme that ♪
♪ Gimme that right now ♪

♪ I want a Princess telephone ♪
♪ Gimme that, gimme that ♪

♪ Do-Do-Do the
gimme that right now ♪

- ♪ I want a new synthesizer ♪
- ♪ Gimme that, gimme that ♪

♪ Preferably with a polyphonic
sequencer ♪ ♪ Gimme that right now ♪

♪ We want it all ♪
♪ Gimme that, gimme that ♪♪

[Laughing]

I guess Leroy
couldn't find the library.

♪♪ [Classical] "Do the
gimme that, gimme that.

Do the gimme that right now."

What a sweet sound. Is that a
lullaby? Hey, don't knock it, Bruno.

That tape has been sold out in every store
this side of New Jersey for three weeks.

If my mother hadn't called to reserve
me one, I would have never have gotten it.

And your cultural life would
have been totally impoverished.

Look, I know it's not
exactly your kind of music.

Music? Did you say music?
"Do the gimme that, gimme that"?

Well, you have to admit, it
is catchy. So is athlete's foot.

I read in Cash Box that
the album went platinum.

I don't care if it
went chopped liver.

The only thing you gotta do to turn
out a song like that is turn off your mind.

No, it's not that easy. Oh, no?

Listen. ♪♪ [Disco]

Tell me the first thing
that comes to your mind.

Mr. Shorofsky.

Why not.

♪ Ooh, Sho-Sho-Sho-Shorofsky ♪

♪ Ooh, where's
the music profsky ♪

♪ Here he comes
beatin' his gums ♪

♪ What's he gonna
say Have a nice day ♪

♪ Everybody listen to
the music of Tchaikovsky ♪

♪ Prepare yourself for
the coming of Shorofsky ♪

♪ Shorofsky, he's coming
He's coming, I hear him ♪

♪ I hear him, I smell him Shorofsky
is coming I hear him, I smell him ♪♪

Leroy, a teacher has
certain responsibilities.

One of those responsibilities is to
use every resource to help a student.

Do you understand?

Not yet, but I figure
"somethin's" coming.

"Something," Leroy.

Something I should
have done a long time ago.

I want to discuss your academic
problems with your parents.

- Who?
- Your mother and father.

Now, I notice from your records
that you don't have a telephone,

so I'd appreciate your
delivering this note,

setting up an appointment
here tomorrow afternoon.

Um, they both work.
My parents both work.

I'll stay here as
long as necessary.

Into the evening, if
that's more convenient.

- The evening?
- That's right.

Look, Sherwood. I'll do all your English
stuff. You don't even have to bug my parents.

I do, Leroy. I do.

Now, you have
them here tomorrow.

I mean it.

It was nothing personal, Mr. Shorofsky.
I was putting down the music, not you.

Right. He could have
used any teacher's name.

I could have used
numbers, sounds.

Your name was only a random accident because
I was trying to prove to Montgomery...

that the basic structure is nothing
more than a random accident.

And did he convince
you, Montgomery?

Well, I have to admit it
did sound really... random.

In that case, my name
was used in a good cause.

- Sir?
- I detest that cacophony.

Cacophony. That's
a great word for it.

I am pleased we finally
agree on something.

I find the entire New Wave
phenomenon mindless and depressing.

That's exactly what I was
trying to prove to Montgomery.

- Well, it was mindless.
- Thank you very much.

I'm gonna get outta here before you
pick something up and throw it at me,

'cause I'm gonna say a
nasty word you hate so much.

I'm waiting.

The song was
mindless, and it was...

Here's that terrible
word... Very commercial.

You got me into this
spot in the first place.

How you laying this
one on me? What'd I do?

If you wasn't yelling so loud this morning,
Sherwood wouldn't have heard what I was asking.

I wasn't yelling. Look,
you're doing it again.

Look, if you had did your homework
assignment in the first place...

I couldn't do my
homework. Why not?

You know what kind
of neighborhood I live in.

What's that gotta do with it?

I was walking home from the
subway last week and got mugged.

And they took your homework?

Two of 'em, man. You should have
seen them. They was some big suckers.

What do you figure they did
with your homework, Leroy?

You figure they pawned it?

Or maybe they traded it in for a
lot of dr*gs. Is that what you figure?

I figure you owe me,
Amatullo, and I'm here to collect.

And what do you figure
you're gonna collect?

A note... from my mama.

Mama? [Chuckles]

Come on, Bruno. You're just
making it harder for yourself, man.

Come on, play the song and get
it over with. That's it, just play it.

What song? I thought this
was a committee meeting...

to discuss ticket sales
for the museum tour.

That's tomorrow, Doris. Oh.

Come on, Bruno. We can use
a few laughs. Come on, play.

You might as well get it over
with. They're not gonna give up.

Come on. Frankly, I don't
think you'll find it very funny.

It's a put-down of
something you like. Play it.

I can handle satire, Bruno.

Come on. I've never
even heard your work.

Okay, sports fans, here goes.

Someone watch the door.

I'm not even
supposed to be here.

Come on, Bruno, man.
Let's go, play. Come on.

Play the song. Let's go.

♪♪ [Disco]

All right. ♪ Ooh ♪

♪ Sho-Sho-Sho-Shorofsky ♪
Shorofsky!

- Oh, you failed.
- [Laughs]

♪ Ooh ♪

♪ Where's the music profsky ♪

♪ Here he comes beatin'
his gums ♪ [Danny, Gibberish]

♪ What's he gonna
say Have a nice day ♪

♪ Everybody listen to
the music of Tchaikovsky ♪

Yeah. Whoo!

♪ Prepare yourself for
the coming of Shorofsky ♪

- Whoa.
- [Julie] Shorofsky's gonna k*ll you.

♪ Ooh ♪

♪ Sho-Sho-Sho-Shorofsky ♪

[Julie] Whoo!

♪ Ooh, long-hair music
just don't get me off-sky ♪

- [Coco] Go, Bruno!
- ♪♪ [Bruno Continues]

Are you taping this? Dummy up.

Why? It's none of your business.

♪ Watch him wipe the
breakfast from his face ♪

♪ Shorofsky's coming The
tension's getting higher ♪

♪ Is he just a man or
a musical messiah ♪

Whoo! All right, Bruno!

Whoo!

♪ Shorofsky, he's coming ♪

♪ I hear him I smell him ♪

He's right there! ♪
Shorofsky, he's coming ♪

♪ I hear him I smell him ♪

♪ Shorofsky, he is coming
I hear him, I smell him ♪

♪ I hear him, I smell him Shorofsky
is coming I hear him, I smell him ♪

♪ Shorofsky is coming ♪

♪ Ooh Sho-Sho-Sho-Sho ♪

♪ Orofsky ♪♪
All right!

[All Cheering]

Leroy?

I'm gonna give you
the benefit of the doubt.

I knew you'd understand.
Oh, I do, Leroy.

I do.

What I mean is, despite the suspicious
vibrations I'm getting from this... epistle,

I won't accuse you of forgery.

Accuse what?

I'm meeting you halfway,
Leroy. Don't push it.

Now, if your parents
actually got my note,

and if they actually
sent this... response,

then they didn't
understand its importance.

They have to meet
with me... in person.

Tomorrow at 4:00.

No excuses.

Especially not this one.

What kind of
favor? A phone call.

If you want me to fix you up with some chick,
your warming up hasn't reached your brain yet.

There's no chick I need you to
call. I need you to call Sherwood.

I don't think Sherwood's gonna
go out with you, even if I ask her.

She don't get it. Look, you gotta
make her think you're my mother.

Me? Your mother?
Yeah, you can pull it off.

Just call. Say you can't come in tomorrow.
You can give me a good straightening out.

I'll give you a good
straightening out right now.

That's a stupid idea, and you'll
get us both booted outta here.

You mean you won't
do it? That's what I mean.

Then next time we're dancing, you come flying
through the air expecting for me to catch you,

you remember this
conversation, remember it good.

Watch out, man. You
made me lose my place.

Forget your place. We gotta
talk. Would you knock it off?

We're gonna be late. Who cares?

They love you, Bruno!

What they? The Psychic Powers.

Look, I got no time for this.

You're into selling horoscopes,
right? I'm not interested.

Would you focus
for just 10 seconds?

The Psychic Powers
is a new rock group.

The lead singer is the son
of my mother's hair stylist.

Last night I played them
your Shorofsky song. How?

Details are for small minds. I
did it for your own good, Bruno.

And I'm telling you, it could
pay off even better than I thought.

This is some kind of
joke, right? A put-on, right?

Oh, no, it's true.
Every word of it.

I got you a gig with one of the most
promising bands in all of New Wave music.

Montgomery, this is
Bruno you're talking to.

I despise that music. Forget it.

Well, actually, we
can't forget it. Why not?

Because we have an appointment
to meet the guys this afternoon.

We? Since when did
you and I get engaged?

Well, they said I could
be a kind of gofer.

If the record deal works out, sometimes
I can sit in on some of the sessions.

A lot of guys get their starts being
record producers that way. Montgomery...

They pay money,
Bruno. Real money.

And finally, I'm hurting
in that department.

Bad?

Bad.

[Sighs] What kind of
dollars are we talking about?

We won't know until we
talk to them this afternoon.

One meeting. What could it hurt?

I hate that kind of
music. [Claps Hands]

Well, how'd it go today?

You and Shorofsky
get into it like always?

No, it was pretty quiet
actually. Just the regular stuff.

How about you? What
was your day like?

[Chuckles] My day is my day.

Yelling people, honking horns.

Tourists who think that a tip is telling
a guy what football team to bet on.

[Scoffs] It is not a summer
festival behind this wheel.

I'm hip.

I'm gonna swing by the market,
pick up dinner before we head home.

I wanna get done
eating by 8:00 tonight.

Is something on the tube? [Imitating
Bogart] Casablanca, sweetheart.

[Chuckles] I wanna see it again.

If she can take it, I can take
it. Here's lookin' at you, kid.

Yeah, I think you're on your
own. What do you got, homework?

No, I gotta meet Montgomery.

Montgomery? Where and why?

He's got this friend who
works for a record company.

Thinks we may be able to pick up
some sort of job there or something.

Oh, a stock boy,
that kind of thing?

Um, I'm not really sure.

Hey, uh, school comes
first. Remember that, huh?

And you can't go
taking on a full-time job.

Even if the job
paid a lot of money?

There's only one reason you take a
job that would make you a lot of money.

Which is?

Which is to pay for Juilliard
after you get out of high school.

Yeah, well, I think you're on
your own with Casablanca tonight.

[Imitating Bogart]
Okay, sweetheart, okay.

Now let's talk about the
men under my command.

Conspiring against
me, all of them.

Ah, but the strawberry incident,
that's where I trapped them.

Now let me guess,
it isn't a love letter.

Correct.

I don't wanna be in your way,
girl. Should I just let you be?

Well, you sure got a full head
of steam about something.

I've got a full head of Mr. Leroy
Johnson is what I've got.

No-show again? He didn't show.

His parents didn't show.
No call, no excuse, no nothin'.

[Chuckles] You're starting to
talk like Leroy, Miss Sherwood.

Ho, ho, funny. Hilarious.

Well, what are you gonna do? If
the mountain won't go to Mohammed,

then this Mohammed is
gonna go to the mountain.

Oh, no. No, no, no.

Elizabeth, hold on now. You're
gonna go to Leroy's place?

That's the general
idea. It's a dumb idea.

You ever been in that neighborhood?
Nope. But I know where it is.

Damn it, would you slow down?
I've had six hours of dance classes.

I don't need to go jogging
down the halls after you.

Now, how about you just wait
until Friday to go to Leroy's?

What's magic about Friday?

Well, then I can go
with you. I can't go today.

Lydia, I am not a
child. In most things, no,

but in that part of
town, I'm not so sure.

Look, this is the second time you've
tried to slow me up about Leroy.

I mean, it's all very well he's
gonna get great reviews as a dancer.

Don't you think it might be
nice if he could read them?

I'm gonna forget you said that.

No, I'm not.

♪♪ [Rock]

♪♪ [Rock Continues]

♪♪ [R & B] [Baby Crying]

Hello. My name is
Elizabeth Sherwood.

I'm a teacher from the
School of the Arts. I...

♪♪ [R & B Continues]

Leroy, this is where you live?

Yeah.

I don't understand.
Where are your parents?

You had to keep
pushing, didn't you?

Okay, now you know.
I ain't got no parents.

Thank you.

I'm not sure what to say.

No rule you gotta say anything.

Your parents are... where?

[Sighs] Well, my
daddy is... is gone.

He's been gone a long time.

I don't know where to.

My mama, she's is
Detroit with her mama.

I don't know when
she's coming back.

She got this job up
there working for a family.

She couldn't find one here.

How do you manage?
You mean money?

Well, I got a job swabbing out
that pool hall across the street.

Keeping that place
looking halfway decent.

The owner, who owns that
pool hall, he owns this building.

So I get a good
deal on the place.

I'm doing okay. I'll keep on doing
okay too. That's if you don't mess me up.

Me? What do you mean?

You've been pushing all into my life.
You'll probably do something dumb.

Send me to the
Welfare or somethin'.

That might not be a bad idea.

Yeah, I swear, you
send me to Welfare,

and I'll cut out and
no one will find me.

No one.

There must be another way.

Not for me.

This is it. This is my life.

It's working. I'm gonna
keep it that way too.

Leroy...

[Sighs]

I have to think about all this.

Sure, you think about it.

Want some more corn chips?

No. No.

I'd better be going.

Right.

I think you ought to know I think
you're too young to live like this.

Young?

Lady, I ain't been young
in a long, long time.

♪♪ [Trumpet]

[Cash Register Bell Dings]

Montgomery, do not
try and kid a kidder.

What are you trying
to pull off with this deal?

I'm trying to help Bruno.
That's all I'm trying to do.

Does not compute.
Does not compute.

Yeah, I'm trying to help me. But if I'm
gonna help Bruno, I've gotta help me.

Well, at least we know
you're properly motivated.

You know what I don't understand
is why you think this record deal...

is such a terrific thing
and Bruno doesn't.

It's different
perspectives, that's why.

All he hears is the
music, which he hates.

The boy has
excellent taste, I'd say.

But that's not the point. There's incredible
potential there for him and for me.

We're getting in on the ground
floor of a new, young company.

Yeah, but it puts out
records that he hates.

Music like that is a fad. It's in now,
and it's out three months from now.

It's dumb for us to turn down
a chance to get in there...

because of music
that's on the way out.

Something's wrong with me.
He's starting to make sense.

Don't tell me. Tell Bruno. Pump him
up about the thing. It's for his own good.

And yours. Am I denying it?

Shove down, you
guys. Make some room.

What's wrong?

Can't keep anything
from you, can we?

- You've already spotted it.
- Spotted what?

We are all so choked up,

because you and Montgomery haven't
forgotten about us, the little people.

I mean, eating in the
same cafeteria is one thing,

but... but at the same table?

You don't know what that
means to people like us.

Little people like
us. Knock it off.

Would you autograph my
napkin? My notebook? Anything?

Oh, my God, I'll break my
leg. You can sign my cast.

[All Laughing]

Back up the tape. I gotta hear
this again. He lives by himself?

Yep.

Plus the cockroaches.

And a ballet poster.

A ballet poster? That's right.

You gonna blow
the whistle on him?

I really ought to go to Welfare.

Do you think they could find
him the right kind of foster family?

Doesn't matter. Even if they
could, then they'd have to find Leroy.

What do I do?

- You're asking me for advice?
- Yes.

Last time we talked, you didn't
want much help from me, as I recall.

Last time we talked I hadn't seen
where Leroy lives, how he lives.

That made a big
difference, huh? Of course.

Why? Because...

Because it's a miracle that
he gets here to school at all.

And as far as I'm concerned, if you've got
a miracle going, you don't mess with it.

I don't know what
you need advice for.

Sounds like you've already
made up your mind to me.

You're right, I have.

If your conversation is more serious than
my need for a cup of tea, I can come back.

Though my need for a cup
of tea is a rather severe one.

Come and get your
tea, Mr. Shorofsky.

I have papers to grade
back in my room anyway.

See ya later.

There's a Yiddish word for the
kind of look you have on your face.

- What? What is it?
- I don't know.

But there's a Yiddish word for everything,
so I assume there's a word for that look too.

- Can I help?
- No. I wish you could.

But I've been here before.

All anyone can do is just
wait to help pick up the pieces.

You've been where before?
Oh, sometimes in dance class,

when a kid comes up with a
new idea about how to do a step,

and I try to explain to
them why it won't work,

they think I'm being a coward because
I don't wanna try something new.

So, they try it, they
fall, and I pick 'em up.

A little tougher,
a little wiser.

Someone is heading for a fall?

Someone is heading for a fall.

♪♪ [Classical]

Double-dipped fudge ripple.

Double chocolate and a double butter
pecan. Did you finish reading it yet?

Yeah, I went over it a second
time. I still don't understand it though.

It's a pretty standard kind
of contract, Mr. Martelli.

They want Bruno for demo records
and sweetening some tracks in the studio.

When did you become
a contract expert?

I took it to my mom's agent,
and he explained the whole thing.

It doesn't say anything about
Bruno composing anything.

Well, that part of it, they
kind of intend to play by ear.

- It's a foot in the door.
- Who owns it?

Who owns what?

Well, uh, say Bruno submits
a song and they like it.

Who owns the song
after they get it done?

Well, um, Bruno
would be the composer,

but they would
own the rights to it.

Sounds like Bruno gets to
chew, but they get to swallow.

Did Mozart sell
the rights to Figaro?

Pop, I'm not Mozart.

You're not much of anything
in this conversation so far.

You got an opinion?
Yeah, I got an opinion.

It's like Montgomery
says. It's a foot in the door.

- What do you say, Bruno?
- Everybody keeps saying...

how I gotta be realistic about
what kind of jobs are offered to me.

And at my age, with my
experience, or lack of it,

maybe I shouldn't
be all that choosy.

Everything you're saying makes
sense. You're being, uh, very logical.

Very realistic. Why
do I feel like crying?

There's a place for the parent to
initial at the bottom of the second page.

Leroy.

What are you doing in here?

Pliés and stuff.

Don't give me any
lip, Mr. Johnson.

Now you know there's no class
scheduled in here till third period.

What are you doing in here?
Where are you supposed to be?

In Sherwood's class,
but she excused me.

Don't play with me, Leroy. And don't
try to tell me that she excused you.

I know she didn't.

Told you.

Right, you told me.
Now I'm gonna tell you.

You enjoy yourself in here
today. Have a real good time.

'Cause this is the last time you're
gonna have this room to yourself ever.

Why you so mad at me?
I didn't even do nothin'.

That's just the problem, Leroy.
That's just what I'm gonna correct.

♪♪ [Classical]

[Door Opens, Closes]

Mr. Shorofsky, I need
to borrow Mrs. Berg.

May I ask why? No.

I see. Well, then
of course you may.

Thank you.

Yes, both Hemingway and John O'Hara
write dialogue that is realistic in style,

but you drama majors
should see this very clearly.

Hemingway's dialogue is meant
to be read, rather than spoken.

O'Hara's dialogue,
on the other hand...

Hello, Mrs. Berg. Is there
something I can do for you?

Miss Grant would
like to speak to you.

Mrs. Berg will be with
you until the end of class.

Hemingway...

writes nice.

So, Martelli, are you a
recording maven yet?

Not exactly, but the
wheels are turning.

You don't sound
very happy about it.

Mixed feelings, I guess.

Afraid. I can't blame you.

Wait a minute. I'm not afraid. I can
play that junk wearing boxing gloves.

That I know. That's what you're
afraid of. As I said, I don't blame you.

Look, mixed
feelings is what I said.

And afraid is what I said. And I'm
right and you're wrong. [Bell Rings]

Um, do you mind telling me what
it is I'm supposed to be afraid of?

You're afraid of doing
junk, Mr. Martelli.

You're afraid of doing junk before
you have developed your skills...

to the point where
you can do quality.

You're afraid of becoming
a schlock-meister.

It's lunchtime. I'm
hungry. Excuse me.

- I am helping Leroy!
- Yeah? How?

By understanding, by... by
not reporting him to Welfare.

You didn't have to. You're his
Welfare and you're crippling him.

Lydia, if you saw
how he lived...

I know how he
lives. I was there.

Then you saw that
pitiful little room.

No, not his room, mine. I grew
up in another pitiful little room.

I'm sorry. So am I.

And that's why you gotta sit on
Leroy and help him get out of that room.

If I flunk him, he'll
never finish school.

Well, is it better for him
to sail through school...

and go out into that real world not
knowing anything? Oh, of course not.

- Well, then help him.
- How?

- Fight him!
- He needs allies,
not opponents.

Leroy's allies are
his opponents.

Kids like that don't know how to move
their butts unless they're challenged.

Their whole life has
been a challenge.

Listen, you let him, he'll use
you, and he'll come up with zilch.

But if you square off
with him, if you tell him,

"Look, man, buckle
down, do the work or else,"

- then he'll try.
- What if he doesn't make it?

Well, he sure as hell isn't
gonna make it the other way.

Elizabeth, this is the
only chance he has.

Don't just hand him a crock of
garbage. Make him fight for the real thing.

Even if it means he thinks you're the meanest,
toughest teacher a poor child ever had.

You love him enough to let him
get mad at you if that's what it takes.

The thing to do I figure
is kinda keep a low profile.

I know I'm tagging along
on your credits and all,

but I think we can both get
something really good going there.

♪♪ [Flute]

Do you know you've developed a kind of
a habit of drifting off when I talk to you?

Is that the South Bronx
diet? I'm told it's very effective.

♪♪ [Classical]

Leroy, we're going to talk.

No, damn it, I'm going to
talk, and you are going to listen.

[Snaps Fingers]

♪♪ [Continues]

How's that for playing
your kind of great music?

Very good, Mr. Martelli.

But you can do
better, and you know it.

I'll call 'em and, uh, cancel.

Well, at least Bruno can
play your kind of music.

I'd like to see you
try and play his.

Yeah, come on, Mr. Shorofsky.
Why don't you try and play his music?

Try and play his
music, Mr. Shorofsky.

[Danny] Come on.

Nobody appreciates good music.

♪♪ [Arpeggios]

♪♪ [Jazzy]

I think it's an absolute crime that
you have to live the way that you do.

But, Leroy, I didn't
set the world up.

And if I'm going to help you,
and I am going to help you,

then we're going back to my
old way right now, the tough way.

The way you don't like.

Maybe we could start the
tough stuff next semester.

Mr. Johnson, we'll start the
tough stuff in two minutes...

when you come to my room to get the
assignments I've let you weasel out of.

Two minutes.

[Bangs Piano Keys]

♪♪ [Jazzy]

♪♪ [Ends] [All Cheering]

I'm listenin'.

♪♪ [Disco]

♪ Fame ♪

♪ Fame ♪

♪ Fame ♪

♪ Remember, remember
Remember, remember ♪

♪ Remember, remember
Remember, remember ♪

♪ Fame ♪♪

[Roars]