Original subtitles

We're gonna be ready in a minute. Alright, alright.

Alright. Watch the kinks. Ow! That hurt.

Oh, hi!

Uh, well, I'm Ella Joyce and this is "Roc" live.

You know, the episode you're about to see has gone through

many changes during the last week.

We actors never know from one day to the next

what the writers are gonna come up with next.

Of course, they haven't bothered to make my part any bigger

but who gives a damn.

Point is, I'm very professional.

I've learnt to think on my feet.

I know how to roll with the punches.

I know how to handle these last minute script changes.

- Ella. - Huh?

Oh, ladies and gentlemen, Corbin Bernsen.

Hey. Ella, Ella, Ella!

Ella, the writers just sent us some changes.

What? See, see what I mean?

They sent me these last minute changes.

And I handled them?

And you, give me this brush.

'Enjoy the show.'

♪ Baby ♪

♪ There's a man ♪

♪ With no future ♪

♪ So it seems ♪

♪ Can't live out his dreams ♪

♪ Now he's tricked into thinkin' ♪

♪ He won't succeed ♪

♪ And he can't believe ♪

♪ Live your life today ♪

♪ Oh yeah ♪

♪ Not for tomorrow ♪

♪ Not for tomorrow ♪

♪ Oh ♪

♪ Live your life today ♪

Hey, pop! I just finished cleanin' out

some stuff up in the attic.

You're not gonna believe the kinda stuff Roc keeps up there.

Check this out. A disco ball.

Now why would Roc wanna keep this way up in the attic

when it would look so groovy over the kitchen table.

- Hey, pop, did you hear that? - What?

I thought I heard somebody say...

♪ Burn baby burn ♪

♪ Disco inferno ♪

♪ Burn baby burn ♪

♪ Burn that mother down ♪

♪ All the way burn baby burn ♪

Joey! Joey!

♪ Burn ba.. ♪

Joey, boogie your noisy butt back on up to the attic.

- I'm tryin' to get some sleep. - I'm sorry, pop.

Disco ball, I just flipped, you know.

Come on, pop, you sound a little cranky.

You know, maybe you should try gettin' some sleep at night.

Son...

...do you notice your new bedroom

is directly over my head?

And when you blow on that trumpet

instead of countin' sheep

I'm countin' the seconds before I go up there and kill you.

Well, you know, I'm sorry, pop, but you know

since Roc hired me as his super

the only time I get to practice is at night.

Don't get me wrong, son.

I enjoy listenin' to you play around midnight.

What I don't enjoy is listenin' to you

play around 3 o'clock in the mornin'.

- Hey! - Hey, everybody.

- Hey, son. - Eleanor home yet?

Yeah, she's in the kitchen. Hey, is that a juicer, Roc?

It sure is.

Oh, great.

Now, we can't even throw out the...

...brown lettuce and the furry tomatoes. We got to drink 'em.

Yeah. Well, in some countries, that's a delicacy.

Mmm.

Somethin' in here is makin' my mouth water.

- That's the meat loaf. - I was talking about you, baby.

- Oh, well, you in a good mood. - That's right.

Starting right now, I'm puttin' us on the high road to success.

Oh, yeah? And how do you exactly

plan on gettin' us to the high road?

First thing, Monday mornin', I'm quittin' my job.

I see, so, we're gonna take the high road

and get off at that first exit?

No, I'm serious, baby. I'm serious.

You won't believe what happened today.

I told you about that rich guy on my route, Jim Larson?

Yeah, that guy who owns that chain

of dry cleaners and convenience stores?

Yeah, that's him. Well, he's... Well, we've become good friends.

And today we're talkin' and he tells me

he wants to set me up in my own business.

Roc, baby, you don't know anything

about any of those business.

Yeah, but I know plenty about garbage.

I'm gonna be runnin' my own waste management company.

Roc, that sounds great, baby

but have you thought this thing through?

I mean, you're gonna be missing out on your seniority

and your pension, and your benefits, and your perks.

Oh, yeah. Damn, yeah.

Well, you know, I always wanted to be my own boss, you know.

And this is my chance. This is our chance.

Ah, but I'm gonna miss those great perks.

Well, you're gonna be a businessman.

And you can buy us a whole new brand new set of perks.

Yeah, that's right and with all the money I'll be rakin' in

pretty soon you'll be able to stop working these crazy hours.

In fact, you could quit

and do something, uh, you know, way more satisfyin'.

Really?

Like what?

Like, you know...

...be a housewife.

Now, who that's gonna satisfy?

Well, not-not me, you know. I like a workin' woman.

You know, a wo-woman who works.

You know, you.. What do you think of this juicer here?

So, my bookie comes up to me and he goes

"Aye, Joey Emerson, you just lost all that money

bettin' on a Super Bowl. What are you gonna do now?"

Well, I sure can afford to go to Disney World.

That's for damn sure.

Mm-hmm.

Fifty two to 17, man. That's it. That's it.

I'm through bettin' on the Super Bowl.

So, pop, you think the Nicks will go all the way this year?

Mmm.

Pop, you alright?

'Cause all you've been sayin' is "Mmm."

Hey, pop.

Hey, uh, hey, hey, pop.

Oh, I'm sorry, son.

I was just tryin' out these new earplugs.

They work real fine.

You can practice your trumpet all you want tonight.

Oh, well, thank you very much, pop

but I figure you won't be needin' 'em long.

You see, as soon as Roc gets his business deal going

I figure, he'll move us to a big house on a huge estate

and there'll be miles of rollin' hills between us.

Yeah, and when Roc promotes you from super to, uh...

...gardener, you'll be rollin' all over those hills

behind the lawn mowers.

That'll be the last thing I'd do...

- Hey. - Hey, son!

Well, you sure look like you're ready for that big meeting.

I was born ready, pop.

Yeah, that's what we like to hear, Roc. Confidence.

That's the key to fast livin' and easy money.

Well, Joey, confidence isn't enough.

You've to have something to back it up.

See, I've got a plan for how to deal with this business guy.

You can sum up in three words.

Negotiate, intimidate, ingratiate.

Now, Roc, you've been readin'

quips and quotes of Jesse Jackson.

Hey, pop, everything I do has a purpose.

First, I start off with a strong handshake

to show authority.

Then I pick the table.

That way I take control.

And when we sit down to talk...

...I look him straight in the eye

and never blink.

- Sounds like a plan. - Sounds good.

- Hey, Roc! - Hey, Jim!

How you doin'?

Hey!

Well, well, Jim, I want you to meet my father, Andrew.

And , uh, this is my brother, Joey.

- Hey! - Hey.

Well, this place is great, huh? So much character.

You know, all it needs here, a couple of video games

espresso machine.

I smell opportunity.

No. We're just close to the harbor.

Hey, Jim, let's sit, sit right over here.

Nah! Flexibility.

Great. Alright.

Okay, Jim... let's get started.

Alright, first off as we agreed.

I put up all the money, you supply the labor.

That's right.

I've even begun lining up a route for you

but remember, you run it any way you want.

You're in charge.

- I like the sound of that. - Good. Nice.

Starting salary, before profit sharing, will be fifty thousand.

What?

Is something wrong?

Uh, well, no, yeah-yeah-yeah.

Um, woo! What about my perks?

I see where you're coming from, okay, okay, how about, uh

four health and dental plan, three weeks paid vacation

and on, uh, special occasions

use of the company condo in scenic Secaucus, New Jersey.

Huh?

Huh?

- Do we have a deal? - Uh, let me think about it.

Okay, I thought about it. We've got a deal.

Okay. Look, let's celebrate with something special.

- Two beers! Okay. - Alright. I'm in.

Congratulations, Roc.

We're gonna be the tsars of waste management.

- 'Cause we're smart. - That's right.

Now, you remember, the key is the right man for the right job.

Yeah, I know that. Listen, I got a friend who's a mechanic--

Whoa, whoa, whoa, no, no, Roc, Roc, when it comes

to maintaining our trucks

I got this Puerto Rican guy, he's a real whizz.

Jose, Carlos, Pedro, whatever. They got the whole family of 'em

even the baby knows how to change the oil.

That's funny.

And when it comes to watchin' over our finances

I got to introduce you to Ira Blumberg.

He's got a nose for numbers.

A nose.

Listen, well, Eleanor, Eleanor has some accountin' classes.

- You know, she can-- - Roc.

Roc, you just concentrate on the labor.

I mean, come on, let's face it, when it comes to hard workers

you people are hard to beat.

Me people?

Roc, I know that your people

were the backbone of this country.

Yeah, yeah, well, we, you know, we tried.

You see, I'm part of the rainbow coalition.

And you, you're my million dollar brother.

Yo! High-five.

Don't dare go away, there's more live "Roc"

right after these messages.

- Yeah. - Yeah.

I should have walked out on him, pop.

No, no, I should've hit him.

Instead...

...I high-fived him.

Well, the high-five was alright, Roc.

It was that little butt bump y'all did that was embarrassing.

I can't believe my new business partner

is Marge Schott.

Oh, man, you know, I don't know why I didn't tell him

where he could shove his partnership.

I know why, 'cause you're smart.

Yeah, or because the little racist was buying the drinks.

Oh, come on, pop. You of all people.

You know, I can't go into business with this guy.

Whoa! Whoa! Wait a minute, wait a minute.

Now, Roc, come on, listen to yourself.

Come on now. Everyday you deal with guys like Larson, right?

Who-who, you know, for whatever reason are-are bigots

and they don't, and they don't even know it, right?

I mean, it's the bank teller that says to you, uh

"Can I see an extra piece of ID, please? Like a fingerprint."

Right? Or-or the sales clerk that follows you around

the store goin', "Can I help you?

Can I help you? Can I help you?"

Well, you know, they just think they're doin' their jobs

but they do it a little harder when we come around.

Oh, pop, Joey, look, I know all of that.

Well, Roc, since you know that, it shouldn't stop you

from getting your piece of the pie.

Well, Joey, that's the difference between you and me.

See, I have principles.

Hey, I got-I got principles too.

Joey, your idea of principles is not going to the track

on Mother's Day.

Look, Roc, you're always talking about

how Eleanor has to work so hard, right?

Well, now, here's your chance to do somethin' about it.

Come on, Roc, think about the money.

Oh, pop, you know what I'm talkin' about.

Explain it to him.

Oh, now, Roc, when I was a porter on the railroad

you think I enjoyed being called Sam or Joe or Uncle?

Ah!

I did it because I had a family to support.

And it was important to me.

Now, son...

...we've all got to take a little crap

in this life sometimes.

You just need to decide what's important for you.

And then you'll know how much crap you got to take.

So, Roc, you wanna change the world?

You get the power first.

You take that man's money, you build your business

you stick it to 'em.

Are you sayin' I should go into business with this racist?

I'm sayin' if this racist wants to use you to make money

then you use that racist to make a difference.

- 'Oh, hey, daddy.' - Mm-hmm.

It's 2:00 a.m. What you still doin' up?

Well, Joey was practicing his trumpet again.

Well, I thought you bought yourself some earplugs?

I did, but every time I wear 'em

I can hear myself breathin'.

And when I fall asleep I keep dreamin'

that I'm being chased by Dark Vader.

Well, daddy, maybe you should try

stickin' some cotton in your ears.

Well, that might work for the sleeping

but I refuse to wake up every mornin' pickin' cotton.

Hey, pop.

Oh, what are you doing down here?

Are you followin' me?

Uh, pop, look, I-I, I was just wonderin'

could you come back upstairs

and bang that broom on the ceiling again?

It was kinda helpin' me keep time, you know?

- Yeah, I can come-- - Okay, never mind.

Never mind, never mind, pop.

Okay, okay.

- Hey, Eleanor. - Oh, Roc baby, I'm sorry.

- Did I wake you? - I can't sleep.

Oh, well, that's alright, baby.

I'm sleepy enough for the both of us.

So, tell me, how did your meetin' go?

Is my husband on his way to makin' his first million?

You know, Eleanor, I've been thinkin' about losing my perks.

I mean, you have to admit, you know

we've, we've gotten some really

great things over the years.

Well, yeah, baby, we have gotten some...

...some things.

Now, I've made some really good friends

you know, working for the city and, uh...

Well, are you startin' to have second thoughts?

- Well... - Oh, baby, come on.

Now, just think about your new friends.

Now, this Larson guy seems like a very nice guy.

Oh, baby.

It's hard for everybody when they're takin' their first step

to have second thoughts.

And I want you to know...

...I'm really proud of what you doin'.

And I think you should be proud of yourself too.

Yeah, I'm proud. You know, I mean, why shouldn't I be?

I'm the backbone of this country.

- Hey, pop. - Uh-huh.

- Ready to go to movies. - Oh, sure.

- What are we goin' to see? - Going to see "Home Alone 2."

Oh, I hate those "Home Alone" movies.

Why is it that every time a little black kid gets lost

in the big city, it's called loitering?

But when it happens to a little white boy

it's the feel good hit of the season?

- I got it. - Alright.

- Oh, hey. - Hey, hey, it's Joey, right?

- Right, right, right. - And you're, uh...

- Andy. - And you're, uh...

Jimbo.

- Jim. - Andrew.

So, you and my brother

are gonna make a lotta money together, huh?

Yup, yup, you know, I'm gonna talk to Roc about hiring family.

I like to see people take care of their own.

I know that's something you people believe in.

- Hey, how you doin', Jim? - Hey, Roc.

Just brought by the contract for you to sign.

Good.

Well, we'll leave you two to talk business.

'Right.'

Uh, my son's takin' me to see "Malcolm X."

You know, the movie about the African-American

who awakened the country to the insidious nature of racism?

Hey, I really enjoyed that movie.

But you know who would've made the quintessential Malcolm?

- Who? - Eddie Murphy.

Okay, okay, okay. Come on.

Alright, Roc, here's the contract.

It's pretty simple stuff.

Just your standard partnership agreement. You sign right there.

Okay. Everything we agreed to is on this paper?

Oh, yeah. Yup, yup, yup.

Hey, I talked to this Iranian friend of mine.

He's gonna get us great deals on some reconditioned trucks.

Oh, hello.

Oh, I'd like you to meet my wife, Eleanor. Jim Larson.

- Hey, it's a pleasure. - It's nice to meet you too.

You know, I'm really proud of what you and Roc are doin'

and I want you to know I, I wish you both much success.

Well, thank you, thank you.

- So you're a nurse, huh? - 'Oh, yeah.'

That is such a noble profession.

Well, only when we hear their call buttons.

Well, she's terrific. You must be very proud.

Yeah, I sure am, and she's up for a big promotion too.

- Head nurse. - Yeah.

Well, she's a shoo-in for that.

Oh, you really think so?

Oh, black and a woman? A two-fer.

A-a-a two-fer?

Yeah, hey, Roc, I want you to know

I've always been a supporter of affirmative action.

People say we aren't making great strides in this.

Alright, that's it, dammit. Let me tell you somethin'.

My wife's promotion has nothing to do with affirmative action.

- Well, good. - My wife is smart.

She had to work her butt off to graduate third

in her nursing class, and she's still workin' hard.

Hey, I-I-I'm not sayin' she's smart, not smart

and I, and I know she's a hard worker.

You know somethin', you know somethin', Larson?

- You're a damn racist. - Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!

Roc, take it easy. Look, if I said somethin' wrong, I'm sorry.

I'm not a racist. I'm on your side.

And you know, y-you're the worst kind of racist

because you don't even know you are one.

You're being awfully sensitive about this.

Damn right, I'm sensitive.

I've to deal with you people all my life.

You think just because you give some work to some Latinos

or buy trucks from an Iranian

or go into business with a black man, that you're okay.

Well, you're not okay with me.

You know what, I don't wanna be your mill...

Find yourself another million dollar brother.

Why is that the first that you people always go to, racism?

Well, you know somethin'...

...Roc, I don't want you to be my partner.

You're a racist.

You see these eyes, they're color blind.

I only want to be in business with people like me.

Well, then move to South Africa and you can take your pick.

You should be ashamed of yourself.

Do you have a picture of Martin Luther King on your wall?

I swear, Roc baby, if I have to do another double shift

they might as well roll me out of bed

and prop me up at my station.

You know, I found out Larson's a bigot.

I mean, I thought that guy was my friend.

What happened?

Well, I got a picture of the inside of his mind.

I mean, he thinks blacks are hard workers.

Latinos are natural mechanics and Jews are good with money.

Roc, that's nothin' new. We've dealt with bigots before.

- They are fact of life. - Yeah, I know that, Eleanor.

But nobody wanted this to work more than me, you know?

But being business partners is like being married, you know?

I didn't wanna have to live with this guy

pretendin' that his racists jokes are funny.

No, Roc, and you shouldn't have to.

Now this is not the only opportunity

that we ever gonna have, honey.

Yeah, I know, baby, but you know somethin'?

Larson was right about one thing.

It is about the right man for the right job.

And I'm the right man.

This just wasn't the right job.

- We're gonna get there, baby. - Yeah, I know, sweetie pie.

- Oh! - Mm, one way or another.

- Yeah. - Right on...

Kitchen table.

"Roc" live will be right back.

Oh, that's it.

That's it. I've had it.

What? Listen, pop, what's the ma...

I'm-I'm practicing, pop. What's the matter?

What's-what's... Is someone at the door?

Wh-wh-what you doin'?

What? Aye, aye, aye, pop, wait.

'Hey, come on, pop. Okay, alright, okay, pop.'

I get it. I'll stop practicing.

Thanks. It's gettin' cold out here.

'Pop! Come on!'

'Come on, pop.'

'Come on, pop.'

'Please.'

'Hey!'