Original subtitles

Listen.

Where the pelvis goes, the hips follow, right?

You feel that?

I detest this cacophony.

Told you.

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

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

of becoming a schlockmeister.

Big dream.

You want fame.

Well, fame comes.

And right here is where you start paying.

Where? Fame!

I want to live forever.

Baby, remember my life.

Remember, remember, remember.

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

Look, Amatulo, I didn't buy you breakfast, so you say no. Plus, it's an

bribe, man. You gotta respect it. You didn't wait for the punchline.

Look, 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 doing, 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

it. Your original.

No coffee.

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

All right, Miss Sherwood. I'm on our way.

Nice talking to you. Have a nice day now.

Come on, man.

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 cat -like. But if we're talking

I'm in charge here. You're built like an ice pick. Come on, would you stop it? I

want to learn this step if I can.

You can.

All it takes is a cat -like pelvis.

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

I got it!

Oh,

it's a nice pelvis, Montgomery, but cat -like it's not.

I know. What I got, Schwartzy, is a Nuka Step by the C -47.

You actually found it!

Yay, shout, sing of a miracle!

Who'd you have to pay off?

Nobody, straight retail.

Well, listen, I take the time to be impressed, but I want to hear it, too.

Oh, wait a minute, wait a minute. Woman, you all fickle. You just told me to

play the thing. All right, all right, but Leroy would die to hear it. Oh,

Let it go, honey.

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

Members of the Academy, I accept your nomination.

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 you nothing.

I'm sorry.

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

Well, what are you going to do?

Are you going to 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 aid.

You know, if Leroy were a star quarterback and you were his football

talking to his English teacher, I'd swear you were asking me to go easy on

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.

Just have it.

And when they go to parties, they dance the local pogo.

But now it's got a new dance.

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

of New Jersey for three weeks. If my mother hadn't called to reserve me one,

would have never have gotten it. And your cultural life would have been

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 Cashbox that the album went platinum.

I don't care if it went chopped liver.

The only thing you've got to do to turn out a song like that is turn off your

mind. No, it's not that easy.

No?

Listen.

Tell me the first thing that comes to your mind.

Mr. Trump?

Why not?

I'm beating this gum.

What's he going to say? And when I say, everybody listen to the music of

Tchaikovsky.

Prepare yourself for the coming of Tchaikovsky.

Tchaikovsky is coming.

He's coming. I hear him. I hear him. I smell him.

Tchaikovsky is coming. I hear him. I smell him.

Leroy, a teacher has certain responsibilities.

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

Do you understand?

Not yet, but I figure something'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 noticed 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, Sherrod, 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. Sharofsky. 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, uh...

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'm 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 going to get out of here before you pick something up and throw it at me,

because I'm going to say that nasty word you hate so much.

I'm waiting.

The song was mindless, and it was, here's that terrible word, very

You gotta do it, man. You was the one who got me to this spot in the first

place. Me? How you laying this one on me? What'd I do? If you wasn't yelling

loud in the coffee shop this morning, Sherwood wouldn't have heard what I was

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

You didn't take 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 got to do with it?

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

And they took your homework?

Two of them, man. You should have seen them. It was a big sucker.

And 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 drugs. Is that what you figure?

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

And what do you figure you're going to collect?

A note.

From my mama.

Mama.

That's tomorrow, Doris. Come on, Bruno. We can use a few laughs. Come on, play.

We'll get it over with.

They're not going to give up.

Frankly, I don't think you'll find it very funny. It's put down as something

really like. I can handle satire, Bruno.

Okay,

sports fans, here goes.

Oh, someone watch the door.

I'm not even supposed to be here.

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

It's none of your business.

I'm going to 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

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 it,

respond.

Then they didn't understand its importance.

They have to meet with me.

In person.

Tomorrow at four.

No excuses.

Especially not this one.

What kind of favor?

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 dig it, Jed. 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 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

out of here.

You mean you won't do it? That's what I mean. All right. The next time we're

dancing, you come flying through there expecting for me to catch you, you

remember this conversation. Remember it good.

I made me lose my place. Forget your place. We gotta talk. Hey, would you

it off? We're gonna be late.

Who cares?

They love you, Bruno.

What they?

The psychic powers.

I've had no time for this. You're into selling horror songs, right?

I'm not into it, too. Would you focus for just ten seconds?

The psychic powers is a new rock group. The lead singer is the son of my

mother's hairstylist. Last night I played them your Swarovski song.

How?

Details of the small minds. I did it for your own good, Bruno, and I'm telling

you it could pay off even better than I thought.

Well, it's 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 gopher, and if the record deal works

Sometimes I can sit 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.

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.

How'd it go today?

You and Sharofsky get into it like always?

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

How about you? What was your day like?

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.

It is not a summer festival behind its wheel.

I'm hit.

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

I want to get done eating by 8 o 'clock tonight.

How come? Something on the tube?

Casablanca, sweetheart.

I want to see it again.

If she can take it, I can take it.

Here's looking at you, kid.

Yeah, I think you're on your own.

I got homework?

No, I got to meet Montgomery.

Montgomery where and what?

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, eh?

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'll 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 the cast of Blanket tonight.

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 want to 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 nothing.

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

Ho, ho, honey.

Hilarious. Well, what are you going to do?

If the mountain won't go to Muhammad, then this Muhammad is going to go to the

mountain. Oh, no. No, no, no.

Elizabeth, hold on now. You're going to go to Leroy's place? That's the general

idea. What 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 going to get great reviews as a dancer. Don't

you think it might be nice if he could read them?

I'm going to forget you said that.

Hello, my name is Elizabeth Sherwood. I'm a teacher from the school.

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, Rue, you got to say anything.

Your parents are where?

Well, my daddy is gone.

He's been gone a long time. I don't know where to.

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

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

She got a job up there working for her family.

She couldn't find one here.

How do you manage?

You mean money?

I got a job swamping 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 can probably do something dumb.

Send me to the welfare or something.

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 going to keep it that way, too.

Leroy.

I have to think about all this.

Sure, you think about it.

Want some more corn chips?

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.

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 going to help Bruno, I've got to 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

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 it in 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.

And it's just 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?

Shut down, you guys. Make some room.

What's wrong?

Can't keep anything from you, can we?

We've already spotted it.

Spotted what?

We are all so choked up.

Because you and Montgomery have forgotten about us. We're little people.

eating in the same cafeteria as one thing, but at the same table. You don't

what that means to people like us. Little people like us. Knock it off.

Do you want to grab my napkin?

Yes.

Back up the tape. I've got

to hear this again.

He lives by himself?

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. It 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't

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

Come and get your tea, Mr.

Swarovski.

I have papers to grade back in my room anyway.

See you 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,

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

because I don't want to try something new. So they try it, they fall, and I

them up.

A little tougher, a little wiser.

Someone is heading for a fall.

Someone is heading for fault

Double

dip bud ripple Double chocolate

and a double butter pan 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 a 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, say Bruno submits a song and they like it.

Who owns the song after they get it done?

Well, 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, 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.

At my age, with my experience, a lack of it.

Maybe I shouldn't be all that choosy.

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

Why do I feel like crying?

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

Leroy. What are you doing in here?

Pliasing 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 going to tell you. You enjoy yourself in here

today. Have a real good time, because this is the last time you're going to

this room to yourself, ever.

Why are you so mad at me? I didn't even do nothing.

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

Mr. Sharofsky, 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

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. Burke.

Is there something I can do for you?

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

Hemingway.

Right, nice.

So, Martelli, are you 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.

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

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

have developed your skills to the point where you can do quality.

You're afraid of becoming a schlockmeister.

It's lunchtime. I'm hungry.

Excuse me.

Lydia, if you saw how he lived... I know how he lived. 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

through school and go out into that real world not knowing anything?

Of course not. Well, then help him.

he'll use you and he'll come up with zilch. But if you square off with him,

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 going to 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.

I figure it's kind of 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 now.

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.

Thank you.

We're going to talk.

No, dammit.

I'm going to talk and you are going to listen.

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 him and cancel.

Why, Mrs. Shiraz, why don't you try and play his music?

Try and play his music, Mrs. Shiraz. Yes.

Come on.

Nobody appreciates good music.

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.

I'm listening.