Original subtitles

Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick.

Hi, this is 60 Minutes, but don't worry, it won't take that long.

Hi, I'm Ben Seaver, and welcome to my class project, A Day in the Life of the

Seavers. And what a day it is! It's chore day, and everybody has a job to

Mrs. Seaver and Carol are going to clean the drapes. And Dr.

Seaver is using Carol's computer to write some article for some mental

Oh, yeah, he's a psychiatrist.

And Mike's got to paint his room or Dad's going to know the reason why.

I don't even care what grade I get on this. I just want to do a good job for

you, Mrs. Cutter.

Ben, you were supposed to mention me.

Okay, okay.

Oh, um, Jenny Foster, another one of your fine students, is helping me by

running the video camera.

Hi, Mrs.

Cutter.

Well, one thing you're... One thing you're going to notice about the

how well we get along. Come on, Jason.

Maggie, there's a difference between frugal and cheap.

All right, I take it back.

You're a frugal skate.

Well, I don't see what's wrong with going with the old, reliable,

handyman we've always used for years.

Honey, a furnace is not a broken screen door. It's a complicated piece of

machinery. Well, I think Jimmy can handle it.

And did I mention he works cheap?

Would you hire him to perform open -heart surgery?

Well, I'd let him give me an estimate.

Ben, Jenny, not now, please.

Keep rolling. This could be good.

Honey, you know I love Dear Sweet Jimmy as much as you and the kids do. Of

course. So why not destroy the man's dignity?

Ha!

It may look like they're arguing, but they're not. They call this disgusting.

Ben, I told you to turn that off.

Oh, no, keep rolling, Ben. This could be great stuff.

Ben, I am not going to ask you again.

Uh -oh. It looks like I've been invited to participate in this discussion.

Oh, show me that smile.

Don't waste another minute on your crying.

We're nowhere near the end.

The best is ready to begin.

Let me see it. Oh, right.

Not bad.

Now, give me your best punch right here.

Oh, no, no, I can't. Come on. No, really, I can't.

Wimp. Come on, Jimmy. Weenie.

No, I can't. Come on. Come on, I say.

Jimmy, I'm sorry. I'm sorry.

I'm sorry.

I don't like that. Perfectly all right. Never been better. Jimmy.

Oh, Mrs.

Weaver. Pretty as ever.

Are you all right?

Yes, I'm great.

Oh, just a minute.

That pretty young woman there couldn't be.

Yep, it's me.

Karen. Karen.

Right you are.

Jimmy, you son of a gun.

Oh, how's my favorite medicine man?

How's my favorite handyman? Oh, I've been missing you folks. I'm glad you

me. Well, it was Maggie's idea, and she insisted.

Well, I understand you have a sick furnace.

Well, it goes on, but it won't stay on. Oh, well, let me take a look.

Um, Jimmy, the furnace is in the basement.

That way.

Yes, but me tools is in me truck. That way.

Oh, right.

It looks like the furnace could be the big story today at the Seabrook. And of

course, Mrs. Cutter, you can count on me to be there.

Did you see how shaky he was?

No. When I walked in the room, he was wheezing. He couldn't catch his breath.

Oh, that's because I punched him in the stomach.

Oh, fine. You men just stick together.

I believe you have a bedroom to paint. Hey, I'm way ahead of you, Dad.

Okay, you know the rules. Nobody comes over till it's done.

Hey, you know me.

Yes, I sure do. And in spite of that, I still expect that room painted by

tonight. Hey, no problem.

Good night.

Hey, my dear.

Don't be surprised.

I'll tell you upstairs, okay? Something great, ain't it? Bone, you have no idea.

I never do.

Don't worry, he'll be down in a second.

Uh -huh.

Oh, you think he's too old, don't you?

Come on, just say it.

Honey, some people just don't know when to hang it up.

Like Muhammad Ali.

Pardon me?

For years he was the greatest, and now he's killing roaches on TV.

I overheard some sports reporters in the cafeteria.

Honey, there was a day when Jimmy could handle something as complicated as a

furnace, but now... I'm afraid he's locked his bath ball.

How much time are you spending with these sports guys?

Okay, let's get this show on the road.

Time is money. My time, your money.

Oh, sounds like there's not a moment to lose.

You think you know what it is? Sure.

You've been trying to heat the house with a washing machine.

That's a joke.

A little handyman humor.

Yes, sticky solenoid.

A little lubrication and she'll be fine.

Perfect.

Right, Maggie? Yes.

Thank you, Jimmy.

I'll send you a bill.

Jimmy, what about the furnace?

Oh, you're having trouble with that too, are you?

And, you know, the beauty of it is, Bone, there's nothing better than

for building up your chest.

Frankly, you could use.

You really think so?

Yeah, I mean, did you know that Arnold Schwarzenegger started out as a painter?

Yeah.

You did?

Oh, look, I'm having the time of my life over here, Bone. It looks like fun.

Hey, you know, and if you think I'm going to let you do any part of it, you

might as well just split right now, okay?

Oh, really?

Yeah, I mean, not even if you got down on your knees and begged me to.

Well, is that a way to treat your buddy?

You know, you're right, Bo.

I'm sorry. Here, here, you give it a shot. Great.

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

What? I can't do it knowing how much it means to you, Mike.

Bo, get out. Just go, all right? I need... I got something to do here.

Mike, do you want me to paint your room for you?

Yes, I do.

Then why don't you just ask me in the first place?

Because, Boner, I didn't think anybody was that gullible.

Well, next time, give me some credit, huh?

But claustrophobia can be a symptom of another disorder that needs...

You don't have to say a thing. I can read your mind.

All right, so what if he forgot why he was in the basement? He did fix the

washer.

All right, so we forgot a few names. Big deal.

I do that myself sometimes.

Especially the tall kid. What's his name?

All right, I'll keep an eye on Jimmy. Thank you, dear.

But this constant nagging has got to stop.

Here we are, back in the living room, where we're going to see Mrs. Seaver and

the Seaver girl caught in the act of being themselves.

If it's okay.

Sure, pumpkin.

Pumpkin?

We'll edit that out.

If this makes me look fat, you can't use it.

Play it safe, Jenny. Keep her out of the shot.

Ben, I gotta be straight with you.

I've been on this project since 8 o 'clock this morning, and nothing has

happened. What are you trying to say?

Two words.

Boring.

family boring?

Well, if you put my family on TV every week, I bet millions of people would

watch.

Yeah, Ben.

Right.

Let's go interview Jimmy.

We already did.

Let's do it again. He won't remember.

Ben, that is no way to talk about Jimmy.

I'm sorry.

Even if it is true.

Back then, you know, this entire neighborhood was nothing but apple

was it pears? Well, it was fruit, anyway, because in the fall, I kept

on them.

Why did you become a handyman?

Well, you see, I have lived on this earth many times before.

Yeah? Oh, you betcha. And in each life, I was a handyman.

Really? Oh, I remember the time when those Chinese fellas hired me to

the building of the Good Wall.

You mean the Great Wall.

Sure, after I got done with it.

I don't get it.

Well, maybe you're a little too young yet.

Some people think I'm too young to do anything.

Oh, what do you know? Some folks think I'm too old to do anything.

So we've got something in common. Yeah, makes me mad that happens.

How about you?

Me too.

But what do you do about it?

I throw a fit and hold my breath till I turn blue.

Same here.

The drapes are clean. Uh -huh.

Mom, who came up with the idea of Seaver Chore Day?

Your dad.

You know that.

Well, don't you find it interesting that the founder of Chore Day is not doing

an actual chore?

Instead, he's writing an article that he put off until Chore Day?

You know, you're absolutely right.

Mm -hmm. So guess where we're going to be next Chore Day?

Where?

Bloomingdale.

want to give Jimmy a chance, but isn't it pretty clear now that he's not up to

it?

Well, all right. First, why don't we just find out what happened?

What happened?

Three hours of boring, hard work were ruined. Work that we've been doing all

while some people were ducking out in their office?

Get my key. I'm out of here.

Would you look at me?

Come on, Bo. Look, I've seen you show up for school looking dirtier than that.

You know, as usual, that's an excellent question, and I'm very glad you asked.

Not now, Mike. We've got bigger fish to fry.

You know, I'll see if I can get him the fish fry deal.

Done, my friend. All right.

You know, Dad, I have to agree with Mom.

Jimmy should go.

This is not a matter of friendship. It's a matter of incompetence.

Carol, I can't believe you're turning on Jimmy, too?

He's our pal.

And another thing, all of this talk about getting rid of a person, a human

being, just because they're incompetent.

Well, that could be very upsetting to Mike.

Jimmy, I know that you're working under a lot of pressure here. I certainly

don't want to interfere.

But what the hell happened just now?

I wish I could say, Doc, it was just one of those things that we handymen call a

mistake.

That's what I call it. What a co -winky -dink.

I hope it didn't cause too much mess up there. Well, as a matter of fact,

Jimmy... We'll live, Jimmy.

Won't we, honey?

Oh, yeah, yeah.

Somehow.

So are we any closer to solving the problem, Jimmy? Well, you may have a

pressure leak in your system.

Would you believe it? I have a gauge in me truck that'll tell the tale.

Yeah.

You heard it. It's just what handymen call a mistake.

Sonny, you know how when we disagree and then later we find out that I was

right, how you always get defensive? I'm not defensive.

And when you think about it, I don't think there's one shred of evidence that

he's incompetent.

Well, I say a man's entitled to keep his dignity until he proves he doesn't

deserve it. But I love you for it.

Where are you going?

Oh, I thought I'd just browse through our homeowner's insurance coverage.

It too may take.

Boner, my friend, welcome to the 80th. Now, this is going to make your life a

lot more fun.

Can I take it home with me?

Oh, it's for painting.

Oh.

You know what? You see, I feel real bad about all the hard work that you've been

doing. But I'd like to get this room painted today.

All right?

Now watch me.

Okay, now all you do is you point the electric sprayer at the area to be

covered. You gently squeeze the trigger.

And voila.

You got it?

Mike, even a goon could do this. That's what I'm counting on.

Which explains why claustrophobia conventions are so poorly attended.

If you don't want an argument, don't read my mind.

Poorly attended, poorly attended.

Megan, could you leave? Leave my shades for just a few minutes, please. I've got

to get this done today. I'm on the very last page.

Oh, no.

Does that mean you've lost everything?

I don't know yet. Carol's the computer expert.

Power is out all over the house.

Does that mean I've lost all 28 pages?

No.

Oh, good.

Now, see, you were saving the pages as you went along, right?

Saving pages?

In a sec.

I'm sorry.

Was that Jimmy?

It wasn't Shirley MacLaine.

Mikey, all I know is I heard a voice say, I'm sorry. It sounded like God.

No, no. Jimmy.

You call him Jimmy?

What are you doing this thing?

I don't know. Maybe the nozzle's clogged.

It's definitely not clogged.

Deb, the TV went off, but it's back on now. We know, Ben.

And I had nothing to do with it.

We know, Ben.

Well, how do you go and tell a member of the family to get out?

It's not fair to do this, and I will.

I've got it.

We'll sell the house and move.

I wish it were that simple.

All right, I want some answers, and I want them now.

Yeah, what in the name of Jimmy is going on around here?

Oh, excuse my language.

What happened to you guys?

No, I'll ask the questions around here. Now, what is going on in this house?

Well, I'm trying to find a way to break a dear old man's heart, that's what.

I know how much this hurt your dad.

Well, he was the only one who kept believing in Jimmy.

Oh, I still believe in Jimmy.

Boner, please.

Whoa, whoa, whoa. Since when did all of you turn into atheists, huh?

Jimmy, we've got to talk now. Hey, Doc.

If he can wait, I really have to concentrate here.

Sure.

No, I dead can't, Jimmy. No, I don't think so.

Okay.

What's up?

Well, Jimmy, come on.

You're a sports fan, right?

Sure. Well, let's talk about Muhammad Ali.

Ah, Cassius Clay.

He was the greatest.

Yes, but then remember when everybody thought maybe he should hang it up?

He didn't listen.

Exactly. And so he became the only man to win the heavyweight championship of

the world three times.

Well, I was talking about later.

Oh, sure.

People gave up on the man, people who should have known better.

All right, Mohammed, I'll leave the bad example here.

Of what?

I don't know.

Give me a minute. At least I'll think about it.

Losing your train of thought, eh?

Well, it happens as you get older.

Poor Jason.

Poor Jimmy.

Boner, don't worry. When I'm done with these, they'll be as good as new.

Mom, wait, I gotta clean both clothes.

I don't care.

Boner, you're wearing my bathrobe.

Oh, I don't mind.

Yeah, um, look, can we fill these in the washer?

Well, you have to wait. All the rugs are in there.

I think I'll get some of that fish.

Hey, McKell, did you just say you put all the rugs in the washer at once?

Well, yeah. Is that a problem?

Well, sure.

The washer would overload, make horrible noises, and jump around and shut off.

Sorry.

Maybe the washer wasn't his fault.

Whose fault? What about all the soot? I throw a fit and hold my breath till I

turn blue.

Hey, look at my camera work.

I gotta get back to work.

Take this hose and hook it to the vacuum.

Be sure you're on the intake.

Oh, no.

No, no, no. Take the other one.

I didn't know you taped this part.

Hey, my camera never stops.

Ben, let it play.

Look, Bone, you're just going to have to trust me. There is no fish here

whatsoever.

I'm sorry.

It's all right, Betty.

I'll cover for you.

Sorry about that.

Won't happen again.

Thanks, Jimmy.

So it wasn't Jimmy. It was you.

Well, I'm going to go to my room now.

Sit down, Jimmy.

going off you know jimmy was here to fix the gas furnace not the electricity um

i might be out of line here but in the case of a gas leak the first thing you

is shut off the power to check on it oh oh oh jason

jason wait there's one thing i know about it's gas

thank you

Jimmy, you have to come over to dinner. Or lunch. Yeah, any day this week. Every

day this week.

Why don't you just move in?

We love you, Jimmy.

I'm going to go inside right now and break something. Will you fix it? Oh,

sure. You only have to call me. Okay.

Bye -bye, Jimmy. Bye -bye.

See you later. Bye.

Well, Mrs. Cutter, that's a day in the life of the Seavers. And I hope you had

fun, because I know I sure did.

And I learned things, too, which you're supposed to do when you're doing school

junk.

Well, what I learned today was you should let old people do stuff because

know a whole lot.

Like my dad said, it's a good thing we didn't give up on Jimmy because we would

have lost a good handyman and a good friend.

Well, that's it for me and Jenny. This video could have been a whole lot

but remember, I'm just a kid.