Original subtitles

♪ I belong to you always.. ♪

What you watchin' there, Joey?

- Financial News Network, daddy. - What?

Yeah, it tells you everything that's happening in Wall Street.

Sounds boring.

Uh, no, no, pop. This is really exciting.

This is the drama and excitement of the stock market.

Pop, you can watch people go from rags

to riches and back again.

This channel can teach you how to turn your meager savings

into a lifelong nest egg.

'I mean if I concentrate and stay with this'

who knows I can turn my life around.

Playboy chatting loud again, son?

Uh-huh.

♪ Them that's got shall have ♪

♪ Them that's not shall lose ♪

♪ So the Bible says ♪

♪ And it still is news ♪

♪ Mama may have ♪

♪ Papa may have ♪

♪ But God bless the child ♪

♪ That's got his own ♪

♪ That's got his own ♪ Them that's got shall get ♪

♪ Them that's not shall lose ♪

♪ Them that's got shall get ♪

♪ Them that's not shall lose ♪

Oh, man, did you believe that can? Unbelievable.

Did you get a heavy one today?

Nah, this broad on Elm, what a can. Just gorgeous.

How can you talk like that? What about your wife?

A can ain't worth talkin' about, Roc.

You're always joking, Burt.

Now, what have I always told you?

You gotta have a sense of humor in this business?

- No. My wife has a flat butt. - Oh, yeah.

Hey, don't forget tonight is my night for Monday night football.

I'll be there. I'll even bring beer.

Bring more than one this time, Roc.

Oh, yeah, yeah, I know. You're saving for a house.

You know, when I was training you I thought to myself

there is a guy that is gonna go to the top of the garbage world.

- And? - That's all. I'm not deep.

- Hey, Fred, why the long face? - Oh, it's hereditary, Roc.

No, I mean, I mean why you so down?

Oh, well, after doin' my route

I had to take the back half of Al Greg's route.

He went home sick again today.

Can you imagine, Turner had me go out and do it.

- Why did he have you do it? - I volunteered.

If I hadn't, he'd have me do it anyway.

You know how he's always ridin' us

and makin' us do extra duty.

Oh. That's all part of his job.

That's what a troubleshooter does.

Yeah, well, he can take his troubleshooter and shove it.

Hey, Fred, don't worry, he's movin' on, got promoted.

- Isn't today Turner's last day? - That's right.

Yeah, yeah, their gonna name his replacement anytime now.

And we know that can only be one man

'and one man only.'

- No doubt about it. - Yeah, only one.

No doubt about it!

Who?

Roc. Wake up, Fred.

Oh! Well, Turner's leavin' won't be soon enough for me.

You know, sometime I'd like to take him and whack him around

a little and shove his butt in these lockers.

Well, hey, Mr. Turner, how you doin' there, little buddy?

Mr. Samuels. What brings you down here?

- You're slumming? - Yes.

Well, as you all know, this is Manny Turner's last day.

He's been kicked upstairs to the central office.

Let's give him a hand for some great work.

Manny, I hope your next job is as productive

and as fruitful as this one has been.

Alright, so much for old news.

Alright, everybody, listen up.

I've thought all morning about who's gonna be

Turner's replacement, and I've made my decision.

He's a man who is not afraid to get his hands dirty.

He's put in a lotta time and hard work.

'You know him, you love him.'

Put your hands together for troubleshooter Rick Emerson.

Roc Emerson.

Thanks, guys. Thanks a lot.

Yeah. Yeah, now do me a favor, don't go changing.

Hey, not me, I'll always be one of the guys.

Yeah, right. That's what Turner said.

No, I'm always gonna be the same man. I'll never change.

Roc, no matter what you think, you're not garbage anymore.

- You're sanitation. - Huh.

That's low, Tony, that's really low.

Hey, look, look, you guys are my friends, my co-workers.

We'll always be a unit. We're solid, huh?

We worked together a lotta years.

You can take that to the bank and deposit it.

Are you with me, guys?

Hey, hey, hey, Roc. I-I got a favor to ask you.

My nephew's in town and I promised I'd take him

to the ball game the day after tomorrow.

- Could I have the day off? - A whole day off for a game?

Would you have asked Turner that favor?

Why, he'd have said no. But you are my pal.

- No, no, Burt, no. - Oh, Roc.

No, I said no.

- I'll do it, Roc. - You'll take his route?

No, I'll take his nephew to the ball game.

♪ I'll be loving you always ♪

Mmm. Eleanor, you makin' your chicken pot pie.

Mm-hmm. And I'm makin' it just the way Roc likes it too.

- Oh, how's that? - Lots of it.

I thought I'd do somethin' special

for my sugar baby since he got that new job.

Yeah, I'm proud of my boy.

Yeah, he must feel on top of the world right now.

He sounded pretty excited over the phone.

Well, he should be.

You know, Eleanor, this could lead to somethin' big.

I mean, first troubleshootin'.

Next thing you know, he'd be district manager.

Then, head of the department of Public Works.

From there it's a short hop to mayor.

'Then from mayor to governor to senator.'

'Course once he gets that kinda power

it's only a matter of time before

the guys who gave him first break start callin' in favors.

Pretty soon, he'd be a defendant

in a grand jury investigation.

Before you know it

you'll be slidin' chicken pot pies under his cell door.

I sure hope Roc knows what he's gettin' into.

Oh, daddy. Well, I'm so happy for Roc.

He's gonna have a nice office

and he'll be able to get out of those coveralls.

And put on a nice tie and a dress shirt.

And that extra money gonna be nice.

Bingo. Speaking of that extra money he's gonna be making...

I think it'd be wise to invest it.

I mean, instead of lettin' it sit in some bank

collectin' a paltry 5.739 percent interest.

Playboy charm is still on the fritz, huh, son?

Yeah, but, pop...

I've been chartin' the market all week.

And on paper, I started out with $100

and I built myself a portfolio.

Diversified stocks, securities, and mutual funds.

So, how much have you made?

Let's just say, on paper I could buy Roc and Eleanor a house.

- Alright now. - What about me, son?

How does a trailer sound?

Thank you, Joey.

- 'Well..' - Well...

If it isn't the 36th district area eight troubleshooter.

Ow...

Hey, congratulations, Mr. Troubleshooter.

Uh, thank you, Mr. Troublemaker.

Now, son, what exactly does a troubleshooter do anyway?

Uh, well, we handle screw-ups.

You know, garbage problems. We call it puttin' out fires.

I put out my first fire today.

What was it? Some big sanitation snafu?

No, I dropped my congratulatory cigar in my wastebasket.

I had to send a couple of guys back out to redo their routes.

And I had to come home early, huh.

- They're paintin' my office. - Oh!

They're paintin' his office.

Eleanor, this might be the stepping stone

to the end of that Emerson dream.

You really think so, baby?

Ah. Look at Manny Turner, the guy I replace.

One day, he's a troubleshooter

the next day he's got a big cushy job downtown.

- Wow! How long did it take? - Eight years.

Okay, Eleanor, start packin'.

Yeah, you jokin', pop.

You'll sing a different tune when you see

how good this furniture looks in a brand new house.

Well, I'm sure it did at one time.

- Well, son, I'm proud of you. - Thanks, pop.

Hey, Roc, now that you got this hotshot job

you should put thought into your future.

- Is this about money, Joey? - Well, yeah.

Well, you ain't gettin' any.

Way to troubleshoot, Roc.

Wait, wait. There-there's more, there's more.

I'm not thinkin' about me. It's about you and Eleanor.

With all that extra money, it would behoove you to invest.

Now, I've gotten pretty adroit at this stock market thing.

On paper, I've made myself a nice little bundle of cash.

Yeah, you have. What do you mean?

Well, let's just say in order for you to make the money

that I made, you'd have to work

as a garbage man for the rest of your life.

- Really? - Wait, I'm not finished.

And my life and a part of pop's.

You made that much, huh?

Yes, right here on paper. Figures don't lie.

Yeah, but you do.

Roc. We haven't even made any extra money yet

and who knows about the stock market?

You could end up losing money.

Okay, yeah. I-I agree. There's a chance you could lose.

It would be irresponsible of me to tell that you wouldn't.

However, I got my eye on some really nice, low-risk plays

and I'm really bullish on some high-tech issues.

Oh, say, Joey, it sounds like you really know

what you're talkin' about.

Yeah, it does, doesn't it?

Joey, no way you're getting that.

There's no way I'm gonna give you money.

Uh-huh. See you don't have to.

See this $100 I just took out of my pocket?

I owe you this. But I'm gonna do you a favor, Roc.

I'm gonna take this measly $100 and turn into a small fortune.

I don't need no small fortune, I need my $100.

Now, Roc, Joey's trying to get ahead

in the world just like you are.

Uh, just give him a test.

And maybe this time, he'll prove you wrong.

You really think so, pop?

No.

Man, these last two weeks have been a nightmare.

I can't ever remember workin' this hard.

What's Emerson tryin' to prove anyway?

Eh, give him a break. Roc's a good guy.

He's just doin' a thankless job, alright?

That's a strange attitude comin' from a guy

who Roc made do a double shift yesterday.

I know, but he sent me this nice fruit basket to apologize.

Class.

Hey, fellas, great news!

A commendation from the mayor's office.

We won the Pristine Award.

Whoa!

Emerson, "Street's clean enough to eat off"

is just an expression.

- People don't actually do it. - Yeah, I know. I know.

We won an award!

Let me see this thing.

Look, Roc, it's got your name on it.

- Yeah. - You got award. Not us.

It was a team effort, we won this together.

You ain't one of us anymore.

What's goin' on? What's the matter with you, guys?

Oh, they just jealous, Roc.

They all wanna be troubleshooters too.

Now, you keep up the good work.

You're a great guy, and one hell of a man.

- Thanks, Fred. - It's alright.

By the way, you missed a whole

apartment building over on Russell Street.

Go take care of it.

- Now? - Yeah.

Thanks a lot, Roc.

What a jerk.

Uh, Burt...

Emerson office.

Yeah, Joey, it works.

- Burt, I need to talk to you. - Yeah, here we go. Problem.

Okay, look, wise guy, just because I'm a troubleshooter

and carry a phone, have a little authority

it doesn't mean every time I talk with somebody

there's a problem.

Okay. I'm sorry, boss.

Burt, I need to talk to you. There's a problem.

What's the matter, Roc?

Uh, food too starchy in the executive dining room?

D-did I miss something?

- Yeah, your entire route. - Oh. Oh, that.

Well, I went to the ball game. Uh, it was squeeze bottle day.

I brought you one.

Burt, I told you you couldn't go to that ball game.

Just because you and I are tight

don't mean you can run all over me.

Well, then what does it mean?

It means you gotta do a job.

- Alright. - I'm asking you to do it well.

- Just do it. - Next time, Roc.

There won't be a next time. Now is the time.

Okay, okay. I'm goin', I'm goin'.

I'm only goin' for one reason.

Because we're buddies?

No. Because my route is in my neighborhood

and I hate trash pilin' up just like everybody else.

I'll see you tonight for Monday night football.

Emerson office.

A loaf of bread?

Alright, Eleanor.

Hey, Tony, where did you get that?

Uh, Exeter Street, I think.

Exeter Street? That's my old route.

I know. A veritable goldmine.

Yeah, I used to think so too.

Got a computer too.

You did? Really?

Nah, just kiddin'.

Oh, uh, Emerson, here you are.

I tried calling you but your line was busy.

Well, Emerson, you've had it pretty easy so far.

Wastepaper fire here, a couple of missed dumpsters there.

But here's where you earn your stripes as a troubleshooter.

There's a man in your crew who hasn't been

pulling his weight for a long time.

Burt Murphy.

Oh, Burt. Oh, well, I've spoken to him.

I think he's seen the error of his ways.

- And I want him out of here. - Oh, I anticipated that.

I sent him out. He-he's already doing his route.

Fire him.

Oh, Roc, good. You're home. I, I kept your dinner warm.

It's okay, Eleanor. I grabbed a bite down at The Dump.

- You what? - It's a coffee shop by work.

It's called The Dump.

I thought that place was called The Landfill.

It's under new management.

What's the matter, son? Bad day at the office?

Yeah, you could say that.

Among other things, I have to fire my friend Burt Murphy.

Wow, man. You and Burt worked together for years.

Sure I have. I tried to talk

Mr. Samuels out of it but I couldn't.

So you have to fire your friend fire Burt.

He's white. It's not like he can't get another job.

Oh, pop, come on.

Aw, Roc, you must feel terrible.

But it couldn't be that much of a surprise.

You've been saying for years what a goof-off Burt is

and, Roc, you did accept this job.

And I guess firin' people comes along

with bein' part of management.

Management, uh-huh? I got my first paycheck today, Eleanor.

Take a look.

Oh, Roc! This is less than you made as a garbage man.

I know. I don't get any OT. Just 40 hours straight time.

And I don't even wanna talk about the perks I'm missing

by not working my old route.

Well, more money ain't important, son.

How can you say that, pop?

You ain't making anymore money, so it ain't important.

The important thing is that you seized this opportunity.

Now remember, Roc, you said so yourself.

This job is a steppin' stone to bigger and better things.

Oh, pop, I don't know. Burt's my friend.

He's almost like a brother to me.

Oh, I know what you're goin' through, son.

I remember back in my railroad days

there was this porter working with us.

A good kid.

But all he did was shirk his duties.

Since I was the head porter, it came down to me.

- I had to fire him. - What happened?

I tried a couple of times but I couldn't tell him.

So what did you do?

I waited till we were slowly pulling out of Topeka

and I kinda nudged him off the train.

I think he got the same message.

Now, Roc, look. Now, let's look at the facts here.

Now, you didn't make this decision.

Your boss wants him gone.

And if you don't fire him, your boss could fire you.

Yeah, man, if I was gonna get the boot

I'd wanna get it from someone who cares.

Yeah, well, I guess I could, you know, kinda be there for him.

Absolutely, you'll be there. Firin' him.

Roc, I don't want to sound cold and heartless but I think

you and your family should come first.

Yeah, man, I mean, you got mouths to feed.

How long are you gonna let some wise guy goof-off take advantage

of your good nature by not pullin' his weight

and screwing off all the time?

Using you. Gambling...

Maybe you oughta give him another chance, right?

Roc, this is probably gonna be

one of the hardest things you're ever gonna have to do.

You're just having to deal with it sooner than you thought.

I know what I got to do. It's just the doing it, you know?

Of all my years as garbage man

this is the first time that I actually feel dirty.

Well, look on the bright side, Roc, you got your health

and you got your stock.

Joey, I gotta fire my friend.

I'm not gonna sit here and talk about stock.

How much have I made?

Let's take a look, shall we?

Alright. Let's see.

I took...

I took your $100, and I bought shares in GrowCo Industries.

'Hmm.'

That went up, so I sold it.

And bought Trichem...

That started slippin', so I sold that.

Taking a small loss.

So I put your funds in the Data Fax which has rallied...

...and gone up two points.

You hear that, Eleanor? So, Joey, how much I'm worth?

Let's see...

$100.

Hey, Emerson...

Imagine this beauty hangin' from your ceiling.

Perks.

You're pushin' me, Tony, you're really pushin' me.

Hey, Burt...

I know I missed my route...

...but the ponies were runnin' at Pimlico.

I bet an exactor for you.

- Burt, this is for real. - I know I lost my butt.

The only reason I showed up for work--

Burt, will you be serious for once, dammit?

Hey, Roc, easy.

You're screwin' around, you goof-off, and I have to put

my butt on the line for you all the time.

Hey, come on, man. You know me.

I'm just the guy goin' through the day pickin' up garbage.

- Lighten up. It's just a job. - Yeah, Burt.

That's what it is. A job, and you haven't been doin' it.

Oh, you are really serious.

Damn straight I'm serious.

Alright, I'm sorry. It won't happen again.

I know it won't.

Thanks, Roc, you're a pal.

Look, Burt, I don't wanna have to do this.

But it came down from upstairs.

Samuels wants me to let you go.

Come on.

You're kiddin', right?

- I wish I was. - But why?

Oh, come on, Burt. Cut me some slack.

I mean, you are actually firing me here?

Well, I'm tryin' to.

Second chance. Give me a second chance.

- I can't go through this again. - But, Roc...

No, Burt. Please, please let me let you go, huh?

Do it for me.

Alright. Go ahead.

Burt...

...you're fired.

Well, I'm sorry things turned out like this.

Yeah, well, I-I guess I always knew

it was just a matter of time.

Hey, Burt... this is the toughest thing I ever had to do.

You gotta believe that.

I do. Hey, you gonna be okay?

Yeah, yeah...

Well, so long, buddy.

Hey, Emerson, gee, I thought I told you to fire him.

I did.

You got your own way of doin' things, don't you?

Hope you told him we got no room here

for lazy, slacking goldbrickers.

Oh. He told me.

We're gonna miss you around here, son.

Mr. Samuels. That was the hardest thing I ever had to do.

I just took away a good friend's livelihood.

Well, everybody's gotta do it once.

After a while, it gets easy.

All I know is, I don't look forward

to ever having do it again.

Hell, I know that too.

I know it's a part of the job

and I gonna have to do things that I don't wanna do.

If I want this job to be the springboard that it is.

Springboard? What do you mean?

Well, you know, this job is gonna

lead me to bigger and better things.

You know, career wise.

Well, I'm still not quite following you, Emerson.

You know, look at Manny Turner.

What about him?

Well, he went directly from this job to a big cushy job downtown.

Manny Turner's my brother-in-law.

Of course I'm gonna take care of him.

You mean, this job's not gonna lead me anywhere?

Not unless you want to marry one of my wife's sisters.

Can I get my old job back?