Original subtitles

Now the world don't move to the feet of just one drum. What might be right for

you may not be right for some.

A man is born, he's a man of means.

Then along come two, they got nothing but the genes. But they got different

strokes to take, different strokes to take, different strokes to move the

Everybody's got a special kind of story.

Everybody finds a way to shine.

It don't matter that you got not a lot. So what? I'll have theirs, you'll have

yours, and I'll have mine.

And together we'll be fine.

Different strokes to move the world.

Different strokes to move the world.

Listen.

The last housekeeper that your employment agent sent over here just

Well, when will the next one be over here?

Oh, fine.

Well, yeah, I'll be expecting her.

Thank you.

Bye.

Are they sending over another housekeeper?

Hey, everybody.

Guess who's pictures in the afternoon paper?

Jimmy Carter, Ted Kennedy, and Ronald Reagan.

No, me and Arnold.

Why not? Everybody else is running for president.

No.

All right.

There you are. Look at that.

Hey, well, where's Arnold? Oh, he stopped to pick up a couple of extra

on the way to school this morning with some questions.

Arnold said the dumbest thing.

Why? All I said was I don't answer questions about my love life.

Dad, read the questions and our answers.

All right.

Uh, question.

How do you feel about kids smoking?

Answer. It's wrong.

If God had meant us to smoke, he'd have given us a chimney instead of a nose.

Very good, Willis. Thank you, Pete.

Look what Arnold said.

eating Brussels sprouts.

It's disgusting.

Hey, Daddy, look what else Arnold said about integration.

Me and my brother got the best integration there is. We've been adopted

Drummond, who's not only white, but a swell guy with lots of loot.

Thank you, Arnold, for the nice things you said about me and my money.

haven't seen you for years.

Well, not since the last election. Are you still in politics?

Sure am. I'm not qualified for a real job.

Hey,

why didn't you call me and tell me that you were coming and I... Oh, I get it.

If you appear in person, I can't say no to a campaign contribution, right?

Are you suggesting that the only reason I came up here was to hit you for a

political contribution?

Yes, you're right.

Meet my family, Jerry.

This is Willis and Arnold, my sons.

It's my daughter, Kimberly.

Say hello to Mr. Fuller, gang.

How you doing? How you doing?

All right.

Something like that.

Say, why do you two guys look so familiar?

Oh, because we're famous.

Oh, yes, I saw this paper.

Yep. By tonight, I'll put you recovering every sleeping wino in Central Park.

Hey, you said some nice things about your father, and you were right.

There isn't a more dedicated, socially conscious man around.

Gary Flattery will get you nothing but a larger contribution.

Have a seat. Thank you.

Hey, listen.

I hope that we see a little more action after this election.

Here we live in one of the nicest areas of New York, and people still are not

safe here at night.

The only advantage of living on Park Avenue is that you meet a better class

mugger.

I understand how you feel, Phil, and...

We had a candidate for city council who feels the same way.

But we've got a problem.

Poor fellow's very ill and is pulling out.

Won't be easy to find another good man this late in the race.

Well, good luck with it.

I'll mail you a contribution tomorrow.

Thanks, and don't forget to sign the check. Well,

nice meeting you guys.

Good to see you again, Jerry.

Okay, thank you. So long now. Right, bye.

Hey, wait a minute.

Why don't you run for city councilman from this district?

Me? Yeah, Daddy, why don't you run?

You'll be a big shot.

And I'll be the son of a big shot.

Listen, kids, Jerry isn't serious.

I certainly am.

You tell me someone who's better qualified, who's more active in the

who's been more generous with his time and his money, who's a keen observer of

the political scene.

Shall I go on? No.

I think you captured me perfectly.

Oh, it must be quite an experience living with that sense of humor day

day. Yeah, but we get time off for good behavior.

Come on, Phil.

We need a good man like you.

You could end up as governor one day.

Well, our father's a governor.

Then the president.

Oh, boy, we're going to get to live in the White House.

Yeah, and then the White House won't be so white.

Oh, Jerry, I'm afraid it just isn't possible.

Well, uh, please, at least, uh, think about it.

Hey,

Dad, why don't you run?

You know, you can get people to throw one of those big, fancy fundraisers for

you. Yeah, and us kids can throw Dad a big fundraiser, too.

29 cents a plate at McDonald's.

How about that, Jerry?

He never gives up.

Hey, the answer is no.

Well, they generally interview me before they throw me out.

Oh, I'm terribly sorry.

You're probably here about the housekeeping position.

Oh, I'm not the Avon lady.

Please come in.

Is this an apartment or Grand Central Station?

It's an apartment, but the next train leaves in ten minutes.

You're cute for a tall person.

I'm Adelaide Brubaker.

I'm Phil Drummond.

That's my daughter Kimberly, my two sons, Willis and Arnold.

Well, they finally made a housekeeper for people my size.

I'll take your coat.

What's the matter? Haven't you got one of your own?

You had a funny laugh, Mrs. Brubaker.

Yeah, you careful. Like a chicken laying a square egg.

Let me give you a hand with your coat, Mrs. Brubaker.

That's not your job.

One of you kids do it.

I'll take it.

I like your attitude, Mrs. Brubaker. Or do I call you Miss or Mrs.? What do you

prefer? Well, I prefer Mrs.

But I can't get a mister to see it my way.

Well, already, I'm all ready to be grilled. I have a few questions. Me,

Can you cook soul food?

You better believe it. Good, you're hired.

I know.

I'm sorry.

Apparently, we all have a question.

Well, I presume that you would like to know my previous experience, right, Mr.

Drummond? Please.

Well, I've only had three employers in all my life.

the first man for ten years until he died. Then I worked for the second man

twelve years and he died.

And my last employer was for seven years and he died.

How's your health?

Fine, I think, but now I'm beginning to worry.

Don't worry. They were old to start with.

Now about my background.

When I was younger, I was in vaudeville.

What's vaudeville?

Well, It's the kind of show business that's dead and buried.

You buried three employers in Vaudeville, too?

Well, what did you do in show business, Mrs. Brubaker?

I was a magician's assistant.

His big finale was sawing me in half.

You mean you used to be taller?

That's right.

My other half is in a box somewhere in Tuscaloosa.

Mrs. Brubaker, do you mind if I ask you your age?

Well, it was nice knowing you folks.

Where are you going?

You're against old people.

No, he isn't. He's one of them.

You're discriminating against me because you think I'm too old.

No, that's ridiculous.

Well, I'm blowing the whistle on you, Drummond.

You'll hear from the Gray Panthers.

You were in the circus, too?

No, no, no. That's a group of senior citizens that are fighting for our

Well, if they're anything like you, they're going to get them.

Miss Brubaker, I assure you, I do not believe in discrimination, nor does any

member of my family.

Willis and I go to school in a car driven by a white chauffeur.

And we don't even mind when he makes us sit in the back of the limousine.

Well, there is just no respect for old age in this country.

Well, Daddy will fix that when he's elected. He's running for city council.

Who said I'm running?

You just wait till Dad gets in the office, Miss Brubaker.

Willis, I'm not running.

Come on.

you're the kind of man who should run for office.

That's right.

You have intelligence, integrity, and character.

You think so?

Wait a minute. You don't even know me.

Well, that's true. But I'm trying to get a job here.

What would you do if you were running, Dad?

Well, for one thing, I'd try to do something about the problems that never

to get cured.

Like low -cost housing for the elderly. You know how strongly I feel about that.

You just got your first vote.

No, listen, listen. I'm not running. Why not? Daddy, this is your chance to

really do something about it. Yeah, Dad, get with it.

Yeah, if you want to make it, you better shake it.

Your kids are right, Mr. Drummond.

Run or get off the pot.

Hold it, hold it. Wait a minute, wait a minute. Why are you pushing me? What are

you trying to do?

I am capable of making my own decisions.

And I'll tell you something.

I just decided to run.

Mr. Politician.

I'm 71 years old.

You don't look a day over 30. You just got yourself a new housekeeper.

We're glad you're with us, Mrs. Brubaker.

Call me Adelaide. Mrs. Brubaker is my mother.

Wait till she hears I got the job.

It'll blow her hearing aid.

Your mother?

Now that's what I call longevity.

How old is she?

96.

the kitchen. I might as well stir up some lunch.

Right this way.

Okay, Phil, day after tomorrow you hit the pavement and meet the people of your

district. Oh, Daddy, this just isn't fair. Oh, look, guess what L .A. just

on us.

Give her one of those funny hats and we can call her Napoleon.

I heard that, shorty.

One, two, three. Oh, she's something else.

She's a cross between Phyllis Diller and Attila the Hunt.

You know something, Phil? You ought to take her along when you go out to meet

your public, as well as your two boys.

Why would I want to take the two boys along?

Well, you're a wealthy Park Avenue businessman.

You've adopted two black orphans.

You've hired an over -the -hill old lady.

You can wrap up the black vote and the senior citizens with one shot.

Wait a minute.

When you came over here yesterday, you didn't just come here for a campaign

contribution, did you?

What's the difference?

Ah, you saw the boy's picture in the paper.

And that's where you got the idea to ask me to run. You don't want me.

You just think those two boys can get some votes, and now you want me to throw

the housekeeper in, too.

Well, you've got them. You might as well use them. What's wrong with that?

What's wrong is that I want to run on my platform, not on their backs.

You don't understand.

This is politics.

Smells like it.

Well, like it or not, you're in it now.

Oh, no. This may be your kind of politics. It's not mine.

I'm sorry, Jerry.

You just lost your candidate.

Good night, Jerry.

Oh, you can't be serious.

The election's only three weeks away. Well, what am I going to do for a

candidate? Oh, that'll be easy. See, you just find this Jewish fellow married to

an Italian lady, and they adopt a couple of Puerto Rican and Chinese kids, and

they just happen to have an elderly black housekeeper with an Irish

I heard that over -the -hill remark, Sonny.

You know, Phil, you'll never make it in politics.

You haven't got the guts.

Oh, yeah?

My dad's got guts hanging out all over the place.

Thank you, Arnold.

Jerry, I'll show you whether I've got guts.

I'm gonna run without you.

With no organization?

Lots of luck, Phil.

The only way you could win is if you had Mother Teresa for a campaign manager.

Well, we'll be your organization, Daddy. Yeah, Dad, right.

I'll hold the babies up and you kiss them.

citizen in your district to the polls if I have to break up every bingo game in

town.

I don't care what Jerry Fuller says. I'm going to give this thing my best shot.

I'm going to fight a hard campaign.

I'm going to go out and I'm going to get up in front of the people. I'm going to

tell them what I think.

Kids for drumming.

Puberty division.

His dad's headquarters.

Yeah, I'm listening.

Need a helping tongue?

The latest poll just came in.

Dad's running fourth.

Which wouldn't be that bad, except there's only four people in the race.

Thanks, but next time you got bad news, try to get the wrong number.

Who's going to tell Dad the bad news?

How about the shortest housekeeper in the room?

Oh, boy, did I have a day.

I had to attend three different luncheons. I ate enchiladas, chitlins,

caniches.

I got heartburn in three different languages.

Dad? Yeah?

Your headquarters just called with the latest poll.

Oh, yeah? What's the result?

I broke the ice. One of you jump in.

You'd still be in the stable.

Oh.

That bad, huh? Yeah. Well, you did get a late start, Mr. Drummond. And you

haven't had much exposure to the public.

Well, I've been trying to take care of that. I spoke to four managers of four

television stations.

I hope one of them will be willing to give me some equal time.

Hey, Dad, you got a lot of money.

Why don't you spend your own loot to win the election?

Well, I am spending some.

But it's wrong to try to buy an election.

The money should come from the voters who believe in the candidate.

Well, Daddy, we believe in you. And if I help you win, why don't you use us like

Mr. Fuller said to?

No way.

I mean, it's one thing to have my family by my side.

But it's quite another thing to exploit them.

What does exploit mean?

It's using somebody for your own purposes.

Oh, I get it. Like when Willis uses me to buy half -priced movie tickets and

walks in on his knees.

Yeah, something like that.

Hey, look, gang, I am bushed. I'm going to try and have a little nap.

I don't want to be disturbed.

Adelaide, if anyone calls, please take a message. You got it.

Drummond residence.

Can I give him a message?

Oh, really?

the shortest nap I never took.

What is it, Adelaide? Well, they just called from Channel 12, and they're

over here tomorrow to interview you live on the 7 o 'clock news.

Here? Terrific!

And I will be ready for them.

When are you going to stay on TV, Dad?

Well, before I get to the serious stuff, I think I'll start with a little humor.

People like that.

Now, when I get up to speak, I want you all to applaud.

As the cow said to the farmer, thank you for that warm hand.

Uh... Yeah?

Dad,

he want to win the election, right? Right.

Then you better start telling those crummy jokes.

I'm Roger Murdoch from Channel 12 News.

What? Yes, that's right. We're here to interview Mr. Drummond.

And I don't mean to be rude, but we don't have very much time. I've got to

going. What do you think we put him right there on the end of the couch?

that works for me. Let's get the man out here. Why are you coming so early?

Early? We're not early. We're late.

Got caught in some traffic downtown. We are on the air in just a very few

moments. Watch it now.

Mr. Drummond's supposed to be on the 7 o 'clock news.

This is the 7 o 'clock news.

7 a .m. A .M. Nobody said anything to me about AM.

No wonder your station has such low ratings.

Hey, you guys are 12 hours early. I

was in the middle of a terrific dream.

I was in a jail made out of pizza and I was just about to eat my way to freedom.

Someone please get Mr. Drummond. We are on the air now in just 45 seconds.

He's not here right now. He's out jogging. He's what?

Rod, do you want to pull the plug on this thing? No, no, no, no.

I think I hear him jogging up the street now.

Why not interview Mr.

Drummond's kids until he gets here? Put them on TV.

Would you tell them all to leave?

I just may have to do that because they are leading into us right now. We better

get set. I don't want to go on TV.

I don't want to go on TV. Okay, kids, come on, come on. Sit down right here on

the end of the couch. Come on, come on.

Settle down now, settle down. Okay, get closer together.

Good morning, New York. This is Roger Murdoch reporting live from the home of

Mr. Philip Drummond, independent candidate for city council.

Mr. Drummond will be with us in just a few moments.

Meanwhile, I'm here with Mr. Drummond's very unusual family.

Would you kids like to just introduce yourselves?

Hi, my name's Kimberly.

My name is Wolf.

My name is Arnold.

If any kids are up watching us early, we're not a cartoon.

And your name, ma 'am?

Adelaide Brubaker, the housekeeper.

I'm 71 years old, but that didn't keep Mr.

Drummond from hiring me because Mr. Drummond is a man who cares about the

citizens. If you think the foregoing was a political announcement, you bet your

pantyhose it was.

And then I'd like to say a word about my dad, too. You know...

My dad is really a super person. I'm not just saying that because I'm his

daughter. I'm saying that because I have known him all of my life.

Yeah, you know, what man do you think would adopt two black kids like me and

brother Arnold?

You know, my dad may not be here right now, but if he was, he'd be white.

I get the impression from looking around here that Mr.

Drummond must be a fairly wealthy man. Is that true? Oh, geez. Well, don't hold

it against him because he's got money.

What's wrong with money?

I love money.

I'd like to have a blanket made out of it.

Mr. Drummond worked very hard for every cent he's got.

No, he didn't. He inherited it.

Only some of it, Arnold. He got most of it because he worked very hard. And, you

know, he's really very smart. Yep, he is smart, all right. You know, if our dad

can run a big corporation like he does, he ought to know how to run a crummy

city like New York.

He's trying to get out of the house and not run out of town on a rail.

Oh, oh, hi.

Oh, I didn't mean all of it was crummy.

Just the crummy part.

Oh, hi, gang. Boy, I had to run to a... What the hell's going on?

Mr. Drummond, we are just about out of time. Excuse me, ma 'am, would you like

to make a statement of some kind? Yes, I don't need much time. I just want to

say that if I'm elected... Thank you.

We are out of time. This is Roger Murdoch reporting live from Park Avenue.

Sorry about that. They were going to cut us off. Yelling at my ear, you know how

that is.

That's a wrap, you guys. You want to get everything together and get out of here

because I've got another assignment. Let's get moving.

Thanks very much for your cooperation, everybody, and good luck on the

Thank you. Ciao.

Ciao.

Well, there goes my TV coverage.

What a fiasco.

The election's only a few days away and I blew it.

No, you didn't. No, you didn't. No.

You'll get a lot of votes.

Here I am a politician. I didn't even open my mouth.

That's what'll get you the votes.

And with 42 % of the districts reporting in, concession speeches are already

being heard on every side.

One contest that's still very much up in the air is the race for city councilman

in the 43rd district.

And those final results are coming in right now.

Boy, I hope I didn't make a fool of myself and embarrass all of you. No, you

didn't.

Listen, let's hear what he has.

And as the polls predicted, the winner is the incumbent, Leland Tracy.

I demand a recount.

But what the polls did not predict... was the surprise showing of Maverick

candidate Philip Drummond.

Obviously, an important, refreshing new voice has entered the political scene

and I'm sure will be heard from again.

Philip Drummond, I think, is definitely a winner.

Hey, how about that? I didn't make a fool of myself after all.

Well, still should have won.

Yeah, you would have, but the other guy got more votes.

Yeah, that didn't help.

I'll tell you one thing.

I guess I found out something out there.

that there are a lot of people who feel like I do about wanting to make things

better.

Now maybe I've got a little clout and I can get a few things done in this town.

You think you'll ever run again, Dad?

Who knows?

Maybe. Well, you've got three sure votes right here.

Oh, Arnold, we're not old enough to vote yet.

Sure we are if you add up all our ages.

We're old enough to vote, have a beer, and see a dirty movie.

to just one drum. What might be right for you may not be right for some. For

many boys, he's a man of ease.

Then along come two. They got nothing but the genes, but they got different

strokes.