Early Edition (1996) s02e01 Episode Script
Home
Oh, come on.
It's not even 6:00 o'clock.
This better be good.
"Fire at historic Blackstone Hotel.
" This can't be.
It's my hotel here.
"A room on the top floor of the hotel was severely damaged when faulty wiring caused " What if you knew, beyond a doubt, what was going to happen tomorrow? What would you do? There's no easy answer for a guy who gets tomorrow's news today.
* * Did you see those flames? It was just like a movie.
Man, look at those fire trucks.
Yeah.
I wish my house would burn down.
You're a fortunate man, Mr.
Hobson.
Caught it just in time.
Except for your room, of course.
Yeah.
Lucky me.
Getting another room? I don't know.
I- I I guess I'm due for a change.
Everything I had was burned.
Well, uh thanks, Boswell.
Uh, I'm gonna miss you, you know.
Me, too.
Hey.
Hey! Hey! Oh.
Sorry.
I I'm looking for a cat that's down here, that I, um Thank you.
Hey! Come here! You think this is funny? 'Cause I don't think this is funny! I'll tell you something.
I'm not gonna chase you anymore, you hear me? I Oh.
Is that regular or decaf? Your guess is as good as mine.
Sugar? No, it's Charles.
That's humor, right? It's supposed to be.
Oh.
You know, Chuck, if you're not careful, one of these days, you're gonna have to find some new dialogue.
You're just jealous.
Chuck.
Marissa.
Hey, Gary.
Hey, Gare.
How you doing? You going on a trip? Sort of.
Suddenly, I am homeless.
Oh.
How's that? My hotel room burned down with everything in it.
Are you all right? Where am I gonna sleep tonight? Well, you can always stay at your friend Chuck's.
He's got an extra bed.
How do you know that? He keeps telling me about it.
Oh.
Uh, looks like your cat's trying to find you a place right now.
Fine.
Go-Go ahead.
Why don't you stay here, huh? Probably set the damn thing.
Well, it's okay with me.
I'd love the company.
I don't think anybody's gonna be staying here.
They're tearing us down.
Tearing who down? Us.
Here.
McGinty's.
He's turning it into a parking lot.
Well, he being who? Barney Kadison.
Ladies and gentlemen, members of the press, my own small contribution to the tax base of this fair city.
Kadison Parking.
Precision technology for the new urban century.
Any questions? Here.
Uh, Mr.
Kadison? Max.
Mr.
Kadison, uh, this new project will be covering an entire square block of downtown real estate.
How did you manage to acquire so much property? Patience, persistence, unpaid mortgages, and faith in the almighty dollar.
That's rather cynical, wouldn't you say? These days, it's good business.
Next? Here! Mr.
Kadison, are you aware that some of these buildings you'll be knocking down are places where people live? In fact, one of those places has Please, let's not tackle that now.
But the people should know that Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming.
There are refreshments in the other room.
Have a good afternoon.
This way, folks.
Who is that woman? She runs the foster home you're tearing down.
Too bad.
But we got enough foster homes in this city.
Why don't you send her some flowers.
Why would McGinty want to sell this place? He's owned it forever.
It's practically a landmark.
It has to be some kind of mistake.
Where is McGinty, anyway? I haven't seen him in a couple of days.
I know he likes to play chess in the park.
That's it.
Let's go find him.
Huh? We've got to talk McGinty out of this.
This is Chicago.
You can't go tearing down a bar.
That's like chopping down a redwood.
Marissa, let's go.
Oh, I'm sorry, I wish I could, but I can't.
I've got a human biology exam in an hour.
Come on, Spike.
Break a femur.
Oh, thanks.
Well, I guess that leaves you and me.
Uh, I can't.
Listen, hey, Mona, take care of my cat for me.
Would you? And grab that bag.
Love to.
Hey! What's more important than this? This.
"Two local childrenwere killed today when they stepped "in front of a bus as it pulled out from the curb.
"The names of the children were not immediately released.
The accident occurred at Webster and Southport just after 10:00.
" All right, fine.
You go take care of the kids.
I'll take care of the important stuff.
"The important stuff"? What important stuff? What's more important than this? Finding McGinty.
Annie? Don't worry.
I'll remember.
Can I bring Skatey-Eight? Go.
Where is she? She'll be here in a second.
And that's a table for two? Great.
Your table will be ready shortly.
Thank you.
Excuse me.
I'm lost.
I beg your pardon? I can't find my mommy.
Can you help me? Well, what does she look like? She's a grown-up lady.
That's not enough to tell me what she I can't find my mommy! I can't find my mommy! All right, all right, all right, all right.
Where did you see her last? Okay.
You ready? And then she never came back.
I've been waiting and waiting.
Go.
Uh-huh.
Now, now, it'll be okay.
We'll find your mom.
A big, yellow one.
Hey.
Hey! Hey, you kids! Hey! Hey, you kids! Come back with that money! Hey! I think I see Mommy now.
Hey! You little criminals! Come back here! The little criminals! Move it! I'm moving! I'm moving! Go! Cross here! Hey, stop! You're going to get hurt! By what? By that.
How'd you know? Because I'm smart.
That's how I Hey, guys! Wait up! Hey, look out! No! You all right? Who are you? My name's Gary.
He's a cop.
I'm- a what? Ow! Come on! He's got Skatey-Eight! Hey! There he is again.
That's him.
What's he want? He wants to throw us in the slammer, that's what.
But we're not going to let him, right? Right.
Hey, Mister! You can't go in there.
Come around the back.
Hey, wait.
Hey, I got Hey! Follow me! Hey, excuse me.
I think I've got Stop.
Don't move.
I said stop! Look, I've just got your Oh! Oh, no! It works! Ooh It worked! We did it! Hey, kid? Here's your teddy bear.
Yay! Cool! I can't believe it! Yeah! You okay? Yeah, I'm fine.
Nothing broken? No, no, no.
I think I'm fine.
See, Miss Jean? It's safe.
We could use that on anyone.
Oh, that's a comfort to know.
Oh, I see.
I guess I'm the, uh, the guinea pig, so to speak, huh? Nah.
Just a test subject.
Besides, we thought you were a cop.
In any event, let me welcome you to Frawley House and apologize for the nature of your greeting, Mr Oh, oh- Hobson.
Gary Hobson.
Jean Frawley.
Dr.
Frawley.
And these are well, my family, all of them.
It's quite a brood you got here.
And this is Skatey-Eight.
Hi, Skatey-Eight.
Nice to meet you.
Why do you call her Skatey-Eight? Just what it is.
We're from all over the place.
So, I guess now that you've met us, uh, you'll be going, right? Will.
Well, unless he's got something to say You don't, do you? No, I don't.
He didn't tell about us stealing the money or getting hit by the truck.
Oh, man.
I beg your pardon? Well, it, uh Rook to king five, bishop takes queen.
Checkmate.
McGinty? Hey.
McGinty McGinty? It's me- Chuck Fishman.
From the bar, remember? What bar? From your bar McGinty's.
Oh.
Well, I'll be damned.
What can I do for you? Look, what the heck happened to it? Well, it, uh Someone sold it right out from under me.
That's terrible.
Who would do a thing like that? Me.
Well, I mean, it wasn't really that bad.
They were just running around like kids'll do.
Yeah, they've got spirit.
Especially the, the three of 'em, eh? They've come a long way since they first got here.
They've bonded together like brothers and sisters.
They're really good for each other.
Can I ask you something? Is it an orphanage or? Well, it's really a foster home, all made possible by the couple who donated the house.
They provided for everything almost.
Unfortunately they ran into something they weren't prepared for.
Well, what was that? Barney Kadison.
Not you, too? The parking lot king.
I have tried everything to stop him, Mr.
Hobson- letters, recommendations, even adverse publicity.
I've even taken him to court trying to get an injunction, but lawyers cost money and there's not much time.
Well, if there's anything I can do to Yeah, rob a bank.
I don't think I'd be very good at that one.
I'm sorry, I don't mean to make my problems yours.
We'll work things out.
Thanks again for bringing back Annie's bear.
You're welcome.
Good luck with everything.
Oh, do I have to? Yeah, you do.
Somebody elected you my mother? There weren't a lot of applications for the job.
Drink the coffee, McGinty.
I haven't been drunk since I got this bar 38 years ago.
I hate to break it to you, but you don't own this bar anymore.
I know.
So, why did you sell it? Well, my doctor says I've got to retire to some place like Arizona.
My asthma.
So, I find a condo in Flagstaff, but I need the cash to pay for it.
Fifty grand.
Then this guy, Kadison calls.
Takes me out to dinner.
Nice guy, great talker.
We had a few drinks.
Maybe more than a few.
And he offered to buy me out.
It seemed reasonable at the time.
Did he tell you what he was gonna do with the place? He said he wanted to improve it.
Yeah, right down to the ground.
Before I realized the truth it was gone.
Yeah, and that makes two of us.
Oh, you're not the only ones.
There's a bunch of kids on the other side of the block in a foster home.
They don't have anywhere to go either.
Great, we'll join forces.
Yeah, we'll call ourselves the "Association of Orphans and Bartenders.
" Not to mention cats.
Excuse me.
Where you going now? Look, pal, whatever he paid you for this place, it wasn't enough.
I know.
How much did he pay you for it anyway? You're gonna be mad at me.
Hey? Psst hey! I didn't know this was here.
Hey, come on, let's go.
Psst! Hey, I'm not kidding, let's go.
Hey.
Hey, cat.
Psst! Hey! Hey Hey! Come on, what's wrong with you? Huh? You wanna move in here? Place is too big, let's go.
For valuable considerations, seller shall assign all blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
So, what do you think? Absolutely bogus.
Hey, what is? This contract McGinty signed.
It's horribly, horribly undervalued.
Kadison took my client out, got him drunk and then practically stole the place out from under his nose.
He did? Your client? That's right, my client.
Just consider me your own personal Johnny Cochran.
Well, I really appreciate that.
Who's Johnny Cochran? Hey, hey, I am a businessman, okay? I want the cash in my office today or we don't break ground.
I call in your note, Senator, it's gonna be very embarrassing, right.
What a wimp.
What made you think he'd be here? Pure street smarts.
Plus, I called his office.
Come on.
Are you sure about this? Never surer.
What's this place anyway? It's a health club.
Mr.
Kadison? Who are you? That depends on what you say next.
Okay Scram.
I'll ignore that for now.
But it may cost you, once we start the negotiations.
What negotiations? My client here has a contract.
You cheated him.
He owns a little bar not far from here.
A gem: worth its weight in gold.
And your contract with him is fraudulent.
You want a new contract? Exactly.
Okay, fine.
Rip it up and I'll write you a new one.
Oh.
That's more like it.
For how much? Ten cents.
What? Then I'll call City Hall, have the Fire Marshall pay you a visit, Board of Health, in 24 hours the place will be worth absolutely zip.
Take it or leave it.
A dime?! A dime Pleasure doing business with you, gents.
So, are we through negotiating? Well, we'll get back to you on that.
Kadison We'll get right b- back to you on it.
Hey! Hey! Hey, somebody! Security! Here's one.
At least they don't take cats.
Why don't you go do something useful like take a nap or chase a rat or something, huh? Hey.
Do you really think we can pull it off? No problem.
Are you sure you know what you're doing? Of course I know what I'm doing.
I'm writing a note.
Read it.
"This is a hold-up.
We have a bomb.
" It's not gonna work.
Do we look like bank robbers? Fine.
Okay.
"We are children of very desperate men "who will do "anything For cash.
"For cash.
" But it's not true.
Neither is the part about the bomb.
It's not? "Put the money in the pillowcase.
" You got the pillowcase? Hold it.
Wait, wait, wait, wait.
Oh, man What do you think you're doing? You know these kids? Do I Uh, well, uh, yeah.
W- Well, uh, th-they're friends of mine.
What's with you? Some kind of radar? Now, what's with this pillowcase? Th-Th-The pillow, that would be- They're practicing for Halloween, aren't you? Practicing for Halloween? Yeah, Halloween.
Yeah.
No, we're not.
We're robbing the bank.
A bank? We were only gonna take what we need.
Oh, oh, I see.
A bomb? It wasn't real.
It wasn't- It doesn't matter if it's real.
You're not supposed to rob banks! It's against the law! Don't you know that? So? We got our reasons.
Oh, you got your reasons, tough guy, huh? All right, and what are those? None of your business.
You know, I got an idea.
Why don't I take you home and you can all explain this to Miss Frawley? Shows what you know.
She's not there.
She's at some other bank trying to get a loan.
And they'll turn her down, just like the others.
Which is why we need the money.
What money? To pay the lawyers.
To keep us together.
She thinks we don't know, but we do.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! Know what? They're gonna split us up.
Who told you that? We can read her mail.
We lose that house and the city sends us away.
And we're not gonna let that happen.
But the question is: Are you gonna help us or not? Me? You got some kind of special power, right? X- ray vision or something? Okay, you don't want to talk about it.
But you could use it to save our place.
What do you say? I- I'll do what I can.
I'll talk to Kadison.
But that's it, no promises.
You understand? No promises.
Now, go home.
Go to your rooms.
And don't open up any more mail.
That's a federal offense, you know? Think he can do it? Of course he can do it.
Guy's like Superman.
He'll get it done.
Why me? That's right, sir.
The money arrived a few minutes ago.
Mr.
Kadison sends his warmest regards.
Oh, may I help you? Yes, ma'am.
I'd like to speak with Mr.
Kadison, please.
Oh, do you have an appointment? No, I don't have an appointment, but this is very important.
Oh, I'm sorry, sir.
Mr.
Kadison never sees anyone without an appointment.
Oh, I see, well, when can I get an appointment? February.
Have a nice day.
Excuse me, uh, Mr.
Kadison? My name's Gary Hobson.
Have I called the police yet? What? You heard me.
Have I called for the cops? No, I-I don't think so.
Oh, this must be your lucky day.
You see, you still have a chance to walk out that door and avoid serious unhappiness.
Mr.
Kadison Whoops.
You just missed your chance, didn't you? Mr.
Kadison, please Hey, you're taking a big chance here.
What is it? Widgets? Gold mines in Africa? What do you want? No- kids.
Fifteen kids.
You're tearing down their home to build a parking lot.
And what do you want me to do about this terrible thing? Well, I was, I was Scrap the project? Build around them? Better yet, why not fund an entirely new home, say, for a hundred kids? Well, yeah, that would be- And who pays me for that? Mr.
Kadison, I don't know who pays you for it- Money, Hobson, come on.
Parking lots make it.
Foster homes, last I checked, do not.
Money: It's what builds this and much of that.
Or hadn't you noticed? Oh, yeah, I've noticed.
Well, good, then we understand, don't we? Yeah, but, Mr.
Kadison, I'm not talking about money.
I'm talking about people.
I'm talking - Sorry.
I am not interested in people.
Those your kids, Mr.
Kadison? You know, I gotta tell you something, Mr.
Kadison.
I don't understand people like you.
What are you, hollow inside? You don't have any feelings? End of meeting.
Mike! Phil! Yeah, let me tell you something.
You know, you people, you live in your tall buildings, you look down on everyone Let's go, buddy! I'm not finished.
You know, you live in your tall Hey, Mr.
Kadison, have a good day, Mr.
Kadison.
Angela? That young man shows up again, call the cops.
Hello? Hello? Oh, no.
Surprise! What did he say?! Well? Did you see Mr.
Kadison? Did he change his mind? Did he say we could stay? Please, tell us! Yeah, what did Mr.
Kadison have to say? Uh, well, uh Same as the courts.
You said you'd fix it.
What does he mean? He means we gotta leave.
But this is our home.
Who told you that? Miss Jean.
She promised.
She said we could stay here.
Yeah, well, now you learned.
Promises don't mean nothing.
Just a bunch of words.
You said we could stay here.
You said that.
Tell me you didn't lie.
Annie Then I hate you! Like I said.
Don't mean nothing.
Come on, Annie.
Don't be crying like this.
So, we gotta move.
That's fine, we can handle it.
So long as we're together.
But we're not gonna be, Laverne.
They're gonna split us up.
Fine then.
We'll do it ourselves.
Talk to the man in person.
Maybe Get off it, Laverne.
We'd never get in the door.
Yeah, but Look! Stop filling her head with junk, okay?! It's over! Just forget it! Okay, so how come you are never without a paper? I like to stay current.
Right now, I'm looking for an apartment.
Oh, every time I look for a new place in the classifieds, I'm always too late.
Well, I like to stay ahead.
How does that work? It can't be.
It doesn't.
Let me tell you, it doesn't work.
Excuse me.
Angela, hello? Angela, where is she? Actually, Mr.
Kadison, uh, we sent her home.
Why? We got things to do here.
I gotta get that cash to- It's okay.
It's all been taken care of.
What are you doing? Collecting our bonuses, Mr.
Kadison.
Robbing the rich to pay the poor, Mr.
Kadison.
Don't worry, Skatey-Eight, nothing bad's gonna happen.
We're just going for a little visit.
Jean? Is Annie here? Well, she should be.
Laverne, have you seen Annie? Last time I saw her, she was up in her room.
She's not now.
I was just up there.
Listen, I think Annie may be in some sort of trouble.
Can I use your car? Hold on, Mr.
Hobson.
I'll drive.
Hey, wait for us! Get back in the house! We're coming, too! No! She's part of our family.
I know that, but you're staying here.
And, Will, I'm putting you in charge until we get back with Annie.
And that's an order.
Okay? Okay.
Everybody in the house! Move it! Move it! Come on! Why would she do something like this? You don't know Annie.
She's had enough bad luck to last a lifetime.
Her parents died in a plane crash.
Thanks, we'll leave you the box.
Gotta say, Phil, I'm surprised.
Never figured you for something like this.
Why is that, Mr.
Kadison? I don't know- loyalty, maybe.
That's pretty funny coming from you.
Okay, just take it all and get out of here.
Sure, except you're coming with us.
I mean, we can't have you talking about this, can we? I'm sorry, Mr.
Kadison, your party's over.
Who's paying you to do this? Nobody.
We're self-employed.
Yeah, but I thought we were - What? Friends? You don't have any of those.
I did once.
Yeah? Well, none of them's gonna help you now.
Even if they wanted to.
Which they don't.
Check that out.
Hide, Skatey-Eight.
Well, well.
Let me go! Let me go! I'm with the police! Right and I'm with the ballet.
Come on.
Says she had an appointment.
I've never seen her before in my life.
Then how come you're tearing down my house? Another devoted fan, huh? Did you come in here with anybody, kid? Just me and Skatey-Eight.
Call Security! Have them meet me up there! That's all of it.
Okay, on your feet.
We're outta here.
Come on.
What about her? Her, too.
Come on.
She's just a baby.
I am not! Whatever, kid.
You're in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Now, both of you, on your feet.
I'm not going, Phil.
Not unless you leave the kid here.
Hey, I could take care of myself.
What's this? Barney Kadison going soft? Aren't you the guy that said this city has enough foster homes? You said that? How could you say that? Look, I was- How could you say that?! Leave her, Phil.
I won't give you any trouble.
Not a chance.
All right, come on, kid.
No! He's mine! Come on.
Get the gun! I got that.
I wouldn't do that.
What's going on here, Mr.
Kadison? Hank, these two guys just tried to rob me.
Okay, Mr.
Kadison, we'll take them downstairs and notify the police.
They'll want your statement.
Oh, I will be very eloquent.
Annie.
Oh, I was so worried about you.
Well, I suppose you expect me to thank the three of you? A little bit more than that.
You can't be serious.
I'm not changing my mind.
And I am not bailing out on the parking lot.
But what about these children? Where will they go? That is not my problem.
I mean, what am I supposed to do- just junk the whole parking lot deal? I mean, what am I? Some kind of a jerk? You're a world-class jerk.
But then again, I know that you weren't always like that.
Yeah? What do you know? Well, I know that, once upon a time, you, uh Well, you were one of the good guys.
You used to be involved in charities and environmental issues, Yeah.
That's when I was a jerk.
That was about eight years ago.
That was, uh, that was about the time you decided to, uh, drop off from the human race, that was about the time that you decided to stop being a, uh, a decent citizen.
Why is that? What happened, Mr.
Know-It-All, is that the world showed me that being one of the good guys didn't mean a damn thing.
That's what happened.
The plane crash.
I did a little research.
Next month, it'll be eight years.
I was to fly with my wife and two daughters to New York for vacation, and at the last minute, something came up, and I had to tell them that, uh, I would meet them there the next day.
There was a big board meeting, you know, for a stupid charity.
The phone rang and I, uh, I picked it up.
And like that- just like that- my whole life meant absolutely nothing.
Flight 88 had gone down.
My wife and daughters were gone.
People tried to help, but, you see, there wasn't any help.
All there was was pain.
So, I found a way to get past it.
Instead of doing good, I- I-I did business.
I did lots of business.
No people to worry about.
Just stone, concrete, parking lots.
No.
No what? You said that your whole life meant nothing.
Right.
But you had a family and you loved them.
They must have loved you, too.
Miss Jean says people shouldn't feel sorry for themselves.
You're not doing them any good by being sad and mean.
Besides, you didn't die.
They did.
Look, kid, if you don't mind I do mind.
You weren't there, okay? Yes, she was.
Her mother and father were both on that plane.
Go ahead.
Daddy died.
But Mommy stayed alive for three days.
Before she died, she she had me.
This is what my daddy gave me.
The day before the plane left.
He's called Skatey-Eight.
Flight eighty-eight.
He always helps me.
If you want, you can borrow him for a while.
Okay.
You want to keep this rat trap? You mean it? Yeah, I'll probably regret this in the morning, but yeah, I mean it.
We're staying! Yay! Yeah! All right! In other words, you're looking for me to pay McGinty here, The difference between what I paid him and the fair market value? Well, yeah.
I mean, but if that's too much You got it.
Well Good-bye, Chicago! Hello, Flagstaff! Mona, wanna go to Flagstaff? Yeah, with Kevin Costner.
Whoa, whoa, wait a minute.
Wait a minute.
Wait a minute.
Now, what about my friend Gary here, huh? I mean, he saved you all that money from those two crooks.
Hell, he practically saved your life.
No, no, no, no No, no! No, no, no, he's right.
You do deserve something.
And here is what you are getting.
What? This dump.
I mean, what the hell am I gonna do with some crummy sports bar? I got no reason to tear it down if there isn't gonna be a parking lot.
Are you serious? Hell, I've been giving everything else away.
Yeah, I'm serious.
I'll have the deed over in the morning.
Well, uh Hey, Barney? Yeah? Welcome back to the human race.
Thanks.
But the membership fees are a killer.
McGINTY: Have a seat, boys.
Tony, buffalo wings.
Did I ever tell you how I got this place? Uh, gee, no, Mac.
Well, it was the damnedest thing.
I was drinking too much, down on my luck, letting my life go to hell.
I won the deed to this place in a card game with a stranger, who told me he was staying at the Blackstone Hotel.
Well, I began to feel that I took advantage of the poor slob, so I went to the hotel to see him.
But they told me he just disappeared.
No forwarding address.
Nothing.
I'll send you a Christmas card, boys.
Thanks.
Take good care of her, son.
And she'll be good for you.
Here you go.
Well this isn't such a bad deal.
What do you mean it's not such a bad deal? What am I supposed to do with this place? We could turn it into a classy restaurant.
What? I don't know anything about running a restaurant.
What do you mean we? I could run this place.
I know exactly what I'm doing.
We will be partners! No, let me tell- What do you know about running a restaurant? I practically was born in a restaurant.
You worked in your Uncle Louie's deli.
Look, Gare, I'll quit my boring job at the brokerage firm.
I'll cash in a few of my stocks.
We'll remodel the whole place.
Come on, what have we got to lose? Hey, what are you doing up here? Oh, well Rome wasn't built in a day.
Neither was Colonel Sanders.
Great ideas take a while to catch on.
Especially mine.
And change is not an easy thing.
The future can be scary.
Especially when it comes a day early.
What? What? And let's not even mention the past.
Mr.
Hobson? Boswell? I thought you might want this.
It's the only thing I found in your room that survived the fire.
I remember it meant something to you.
No, Boswell, thank you very much though, But- I appreciate that.
Yes, I understand.
Thank you very much.
Boswell? The point is, you can never be sure what was, what will be, and what is.
The best thing to do is keep your chin up and take things a day at a time.
Well, it looks like we're staying.
I mean, hey, who knows? Might even turn out okay.
It's not even 6:00 o'clock.
This better be good.
"Fire at historic Blackstone Hotel.
" This can't be.
It's my hotel here.
"A room on the top floor of the hotel was severely damaged when faulty wiring caused " What if you knew, beyond a doubt, what was going to happen tomorrow? What would you do? There's no easy answer for a guy who gets tomorrow's news today.
* * Did you see those flames? It was just like a movie.
Man, look at those fire trucks.
Yeah.
I wish my house would burn down.
You're a fortunate man, Mr.
Hobson.
Caught it just in time.
Except for your room, of course.
Yeah.
Lucky me.
Getting another room? I don't know.
I- I I guess I'm due for a change.
Everything I had was burned.
Well, uh thanks, Boswell.
Uh, I'm gonna miss you, you know.
Me, too.
Hey.
Hey! Hey! Oh.
Sorry.
I I'm looking for a cat that's down here, that I, um Thank you.
Hey! Come here! You think this is funny? 'Cause I don't think this is funny! I'll tell you something.
I'm not gonna chase you anymore, you hear me? I Oh.
Is that regular or decaf? Your guess is as good as mine.
Sugar? No, it's Charles.
That's humor, right? It's supposed to be.
Oh.
You know, Chuck, if you're not careful, one of these days, you're gonna have to find some new dialogue.
You're just jealous.
Chuck.
Marissa.
Hey, Gary.
Hey, Gare.
How you doing? You going on a trip? Sort of.
Suddenly, I am homeless.
Oh.
How's that? My hotel room burned down with everything in it.
Are you all right? Where am I gonna sleep tonight? Well, you can always stay at your friend Chuck's.
He's got an extra bed.
How do you know that? He keeps telling me about it.
Oh.
Uh, looks like your cat's trying to find you a place right now.
Fine.
Go-Go ahead.
Why don't you stay here, huh? Probably set the damn thing.
Well, it's okay with me.
I'd love the company.
I don't think anybody's gonna be staying here.
They're tearing us down.
Tearing who down? Us.
Here.
McGinty's.
He's turning it into a parking lot.
Well, he being who? Barney Kadison.
Ladies and gentlemen, members of the press, my own small contribution to the tax base of this fair city.
Kadison Parking.
Precision technology for the new urban century.
Any questions? Here.
Uh, Mr.
Kadison? Max.
Mr.
Kadison, uh, this new project will be covering an entire square block of downtown real estate.
How did you manage to acquire so much property? Patience, persistence, unpaid mortgages, and faith in the almighty dollar.
That's rather cynical, wouldn't you say? These days, it's good business.
Next? Here! Mr.
Kadison, are you aware that some of these buildings you'll be knocking down are places where people live? In fact, one of those places has Please, let's not tackle that now.
But the people should know that Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming.
There are refreshments in the other room.
Have a good afternoon.
This way, folks.
Who is that woman? She runs the foster home you're tearing down.
Too bad.
But we got enough foster homes in this city.
Why don't you send her some flowers.
Why would McGinty want to sell this place? He's owned it forever.
It's practically a landmark.
It has to be some kind of mistake.
Where is McGinty, anyway? I haven't seen him in a couple of days.
I know he likes to play chess in the park.
That's it.
Let's go find him.
Huh? We've got to talk McGinty out of this.
This is Chicago.
You can't go tearing down a bar.
That's like chopping down a redwood.
Marissa, let's go.
Oh, I'm sorry, I wish I could, but I can't.
I've got a human biology exam in an hour.
Come on, Spike.
Break a femur.
Oh, thanks.
Well, I guess that leaves you and me.
Uh, I can't.
Listen, hey, Mona, take care of my cat for me.
Would you? And grab that bag.
Love to.
Hey! What's more important than this? This.
"Two local childrenwere killed today when they stepped "in front of a bus as it pulled out from the curb.
"The names of the children were not immediately released.
The accident occurred at Webster and Southport just after 10:00.
" All right, fine.
You go take care of the kids.
I'll take care of the important stuff.
"The important stuff"? What important stuff? What's more important than this? Finding McGinty.
Annie? Don't worry.
I'll remember.
Can I bring Skatey-Eight? Go.
Where is she? She'll be here in a second.
And that's a table for two? Great.
Your table will be ready shortly.
Thank you.
Excuse me.
I'm lost.
I beg your pardon? I can't find my mommy.
Can you help me? Well, what does she look like? She's a grown-up lady.
That's not enough to tell me what she I can't find my mommy! I can't find my mommy! All right, all right, all right, all right.
Where did you see her last? Okay.
You ready? And then she never came back.
I've been waiting and waiting.
Go.
Uh-huh.
Now, now, it'll be okay.
We'll find your mom.
A big, yellow one.
Hey.
Hey! Hey, you kids! Hey! Hey, you kids! Come back with that money! Hey! I think I see Mommy now.
Hey! You little criminals! Come back here! The little criminals! Move it! I'm moving! I'm moving! Go! Cross here! Hey, stop! You're going to get hurt! By what? By that.
How'd you know? Because I'm smart.
That's how I Hey, guys! Wait up! Hey, look out! No! You all right? Who are you? My name's Gary.
He's a cop.
I'm- a what? Ow! Come on! He's got Skatey-Eight! Hey! There he is again.
That's him.
What's he want? He wants to throw us in the slammer, that's what.
But we're not going to let him, right? Right.
Hey, Mister! You can't go in there.
Come around the back.
Hey, wait.
Hey, I got Hey! Follow me! Hey, excuse me.
I think I've got Stop.
Don't move.
I said stop! Look, I've just got your Oh! Oh, no! It works! Ooh It worked! We did it! Hey, kid? Here's your teddy bear.
Yay! Cool! I can't believe it! Yeah! You okay? Yeah, I'm fine.
Nothing broken? No, no, no.
I think I'm fine.
See, Miss Jean? It's safe.
We could use that on anyone.
Oh, that's a comfort to know.
Oh, I see.
I guess I'm the, uh, the guinea pig, so to speak, huh? Nah.
Just a test subject.
Besides, we thought you were a cop.
In any event, let me welcome you to Frawley House and apologize for the nature of your greeting, Mr Oh, oh- Hobson.
Gary Hobson.
Jean Frawley.
Dr.
Frawley.
And these are well, my family, all of them.
It's quite a brood you got here.
And this is Skatey-Eight.
Hi, Skatey-Eight.
Nice to meet you.
Why do you call her Skatey-Eight? Just what it is.
We're from all over the place.
So, I guess now that you've met us, uh, you'll be going, right? Will.
Well, unless he's got something to say You don't, do you? No, I don't.
He didn't tell about us stealing the money or getting hit by the truck.
Oh, man.
I beg your pardon? Well, it, uh Rook to king five, bishop takes queen.
Checkmate.
McGinty? Hey.
McGinty McGinty? It's me- Chuck Fishman.
From the bar, remember? What bar? From your bar McGinty's.
Oh.
Well, I'll be damned.
What can I do for you? Look, what the heck happened to it? Well, it, uh Someone sold it right out from under me.
That's terrible.
Who would do a thing like that? Me.
Well, I mean, it wasn't really that bad.
They were just running around like kids'll do.
Yeah, they've got spirit.
Especially the, the three of 'em, eh? They've come a long way since they first got here.
They've bonded together like brothers and sisters.
They're really good for each other.
Can I ask you something? Is it an orphanage or? Well, it's really a foster home, all made possible by the couple who donated the house.
They provided for everything almost.
Unfortunately they ran into something they weren't prepared for.
Well, what was that? Barney Kadison.
Not you, too? The parking lot king.
I have tried everything to stop him, Mr.
Hobson- letters, recommendations, even adverse publicity.
I've even taken him to court trying to get an injunction, but lawyers cost money and there's not much time.
Well, if there's anything I can do to Yeah, rob a bank.
I don't think I'd be very good at that one.
I'm sorry, I don't mean to make my problems yours.
We'll work things out.
Thanks again for bringing back Annie's bear.
You're welcome.
Good luck with everything.
Oh, do I have to? Yeah, you do.
Somebody elected you my mother? There weren't a lot of applications for the job.
Drink the coffee, McGinty.
I haven't been drunk since I got this bar 38 years ago.
I hate to break it to you, but you don't own this bar anymore.
I know.
So, why did you sell it? Well, my doctor says I've got to retire to some place like Arizona.
My asthma.
So, I find a condo in Flagstaff, but I need the cash to pay for it.
Fifty grand.
Then this guy, Kadison calls.
Takes me out to dinner.
Nice guy, great talker.
We had a few drinks.
Maybe more than a few.
And he offered to buy me out.
It seemed reasonable at the time.
Did he tell you what he was gonna do with the place? He said he wanted to improve it.
Yeah, right down to the ground.
Before I realized the truth it was gone.
Yeah, and that makes two of us.
Oh, you're not the only ones.
There's a bunch of kids on the other side of the block in a foster home.
They don't have anywhere to go either.
Great, we'll join forces.
Yeah, we'll call ourselves the "Association of Orphans and Bartenders.
" Not to mention cats.
Excuse me.
Where you going now? Look, pal, whatever he paid you for this place, it wasn't enough.
I know.
How much did he pay you for it anyway? You're gonna be mad at me.
Hey? Psst hey! I didn't know this was here.
Hey, come on, let's go.
Psst! Hey, I'm not kidding, let's go.
Hey.
Hey, cat.
Psst! Hey! Hey Hey! Come on, what's wrong with you? Huh? You wanna move in here? Place is too big, let's go.
For valuable considerations, seller shall assign all blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
So, what do you think? Absolutely bogus.
Hey, what is? This contract McGinty signed.
It's horribly, horribly undervalued.
Kadison took my client out, got him drunk and then practically stole the place out from under his nose.
He did? Your client? That's right, my client.
Just consider me your own personal Johnny Cochran.
Well, I really appreciate that.
Who's Johnny Cochran? Hey, hey, I am a businessman, okay? I want the cash in my office today or we don't break ground.
I call in your note, Senator, it's gonna be very embarrassing, right.
What a wimp.
What made you think he'd be here? Pure street smarts.
Plus, I called his office.
Come on.
Are you sure about this? Never surer.
What's this place anyway? It's a health club.
Mr.
Kadison? Who are you? That depends on what you say next.
Okay Scram.
I'll ignore that for now.
But it may cost you, once we start the negotiations.
What negotiations? My client here has a contract.
You cheated him.
He owns a little bar not far from here.
A gem: worth its weight in gold.
And your contract with him is fraudulent.
You want a new contract? Exactly.
Okay, fine.
Rip it up and I'll write you a new one.
Oh.
That's more like it.
For how much? Ten cents.
What? Then I'll call City Hall, have the Fire Marshall pay you a visit, Board of Health, in 24 hours the place will be worth absolutely zip.
Take it or leave it.
A dime?! A dime Pleasure doing business with you, gents.
So, are we through negotiating? Well, we'll get back to you on that.
Kadison We'll get right b- back to you on it.
Hey! Hey! Hey, somebody! Security! Here's one.
At least they don't take cats.
Why don't you go do something useful like take a nap or chase a rat or something, huh? Hey.
Do you really think we can pull it off? No problem.
Are you sure you know what you're doing? Of course I know what I'm doing.
I'm writing a note.
Read it.
"This is a hold-up.
We have a bomb.
" It's not gonna work.
Do we look like bank robbers? Fine.
Okay.
"We are children of very desperate men "who will do "anything For cash.
"For cash.
" But it's not true.
Neither is the part about the bomb.
It's not? "Put the money in the pillowcase.
" You got the pillowcase? Hold it.
Wait, wait, wait, wait.
Oh, man What do you think you're doing? You know these kids? Do I Uh, well, uh, yeah.
W- Well, uh, th-they're friends of mine.
What's with you? Some kind of radar? Now, what's with this pillowcase? Th-Th-The pillow, that would be- They're practicing for Halloween, aren't you? Practicing for Halloween? Yeah, Halloween.
Yeah.
No, we're not.
We're robbing the bank.
A bank? We were only gonna take what we need.
Oh, oh, I see.
A bomb? It wasn't real.
It wasn't- It doesn't matter if it's real.
You're not supposed to rob banks! It's against the law! Don't you know that? So? We got our reasons.
Oh, you got your reasons, tough guy, huh? All right, and what are those? None of your business.
You know, I got an idea.
Why don't I take you home and you can all explain this to Miss Frawley? Shows what you know.
She's not there.
She's at some other bank trying to get a loan.
And they'll turn her down, just like the others.
Which is why we need the money.
What money? To pay the lawyers.
To keep us together.
She thinks we don't know, but we do.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! Know what? They're gonna split us up.
Who told you that? We can read her mail.
We lose that house and the city sends us away.
And we're not gonna let that happen.
But the question is: Are you gonna help us or not? Me? You got some kind of special power, right? X- ray vision or something? Okay, you don't want to talk about it.
But you could use it to save our place.
What do you say? I- I'll do what I can.
I'll talk to Kadison.
But that's it, no promises.
You understand? No promises.
Now, go home.
Go to your rooms.
And don't open up any more mail.
That's a federal offense, you know? Think he can do it? Of course he can do it.
Guy's like Superman.
He'll get it done.
Why me? That's right, sir.
The money arrived a few minutes ago.
Mr.
Kadison sends his warmest regards.
Oh, may I help you? Yes, ma'am.
I'd like to speak with Mr.
Kadison, please.
Oh, do you have an appointment? No, I don't have an appointment, but this is very important.
Oh, I'm sorry, sir.
Mr.
Kadison never sees anyone without an appointment.
Oh, I see, well, when can I get an appointment? February.
Have a nice day.
Excuse me, uh, Mr.
Kadison? My name's Gary Hobson.
Have I called the police yet? What? You heard me.
Have I called for the cops? No, I-I don't think so.
Oh, this must be your lucky day.
You see, you still have a chance to walk out that door and avoid serious unhappiness.
Mr.
Kadison Whoops.
You just missed your chance, didn't you? Mr.
Kadison, please Hey, you're taking a big chance here.
What is it? Widgets? Gold mines in Africa? What do you want? No- kids.
Fifteen kids.
You're tearing down their home to build a parking lot.
And what do you want me to do about this terrible thing? Well, I was, I was Scrap the project? Build around them? Better yet, why not fund an entirely new home, say, for a hundred kids? Well, yeah, that would be- And who pays me for that? Mr.
Kadison, I don't know who pays you for it- Money, Hobson, come on.
Parking lots make it.
Foster homes, last I checked, do not.
Money: It's what builds this and much of that.
Or hadn't you noticed? Oh, yeah, I've noticed.
Well, good, then we understand, don't we? Yeah, but, Mr.
Kadison, I'm not talking about money.
I'm talking about people.
I'm talking - Sorry.
I am not interested in people.
Those your kids, Mr.
Kadison? You know, I gotta tell you something, Mr.
Kadison.
I don't understand people like you.
What are you, hollow inside? You don't have any feelings? End of meeting.
Mike! Phil! Yeah, let me tell you something.
You know, you people, you live in your tall buildings, you look down on everyone Let's go, buddy! I'm not finished.
You know, you live in your tall Hey, Mr.
Kadison, have a good day, Mr.
Kadison.
Angela? That young man shows up again, call the cops.
Hello? Hello? Oh, no.
Surprise! What did he say?! Well? Did you see Mr.
Kadison? Did he change his mind? Did he say we could stay? Please, tell us! Yeah, what did Mr.
Kadison have to say? Uh, well, uh Same as the courts.
You said you'd fix it.
What does he mean? He means we gotta leave.
But this is our home.
Who told you that? Miss Jean.
She promised.
She said we could stay here.
Yeah, well, now you learned.
Promises don't mean nothing.
Just a bunch of words.
You said we could stay here.
You said that.
Tell me you didn't lie.
Annie Then I hate you! Like I said.
Don't mean nothing.
Come on, Annie.
Don't be crying like this.
So, we gotta move.
That's fine, we can handle it.
So long as we're together.
But we're not gonna be, Laverne.
They're gonna split us up.
Fine then.
We'll do it ourselves.
Talk to the man in person.
Maybe Get off it, Laverne.
We'd never get in the door.
Yeah, but Look! Stop filling her head with junk, okay?! It's over! Just forget it! Okay, so how come you are never without a paper? I like to stay current.
Right now, I'm looking for an apartment.
Oh, every time I look for a new place in the classifieds, I'm always too late.
Well, I like to stay ahead.
How does that work? It can't be.
It doesn't.
Let me tell you, it doesn't work.
Excuse me.
Angela, hello? Angela, where is she? Actually, Mr.
Kadison, uh, we sent her home.
Why? We got things to do here.
I gotta get that cash to- It's okay.
It's all been taken care of.
What are you doing? Collecting our bonuses, Mr.
Kadison.
Robbing the rich to pay the poor, Mr.
Kadison.
Don't worry, Skatey-Eight, nothing bad's gonna happen.
We're just going for a little visit.
Jean? Is Annie here? Well, she should be.
Laverne, have you seen Annie? Last time I saw her, she was up in her room.
She's not now.
I was just up there.
Listen, I think Annie may be in some sort of trouble.
Can I use your car? Hold on, Mr.
Hobson.
I'll drive.
Hey, wait for us! Get back in the house! We're coming, too! No! She's part of our family.
I know that, but you're staying here.
And, Will, I'm putting you in charge until we get back with Annie.
And that's an order.
Okay? Okay.
Everybody in the house! Move it! Move it! Come on! Why would she do something like this? You don't know Annie.
She's had enough bad luck to last a lifetime.
Her parents died in a plane crash.
Thanks, we'll leave you the box.
Gotta say, Phil, I'm surprised.
Never figured you for something like this.
Why is that, Mr.
Kadison? I don't know- loyalty, maybe.
That's pretty funny coming from you.
Okay, just take it all and get out of here.
Sure, except you're coming with us.
I mean, we can't have you talking about this, can we? I'm sorry, Mr.
Kadison, your party's over.
Who's paying you to do this? Nobody.
We're self-employed.
Yeah, but I thought we were - What? Friends? You don't have any of those.
I did once.
Yeah? Well, none of them's gonna help you now.
Even if they wanted to.
Which they don't.
Check that out.
Hide, Skatey-Eight.
Well, well.
Let me go! Let me go! I'm with the police! Right and I'm with the ballet.
Come on.
Says she had an appointment.
I've never seen her before in my life.
Then how come you're tearing down my house? Another devoted fan, huh? Did you come in here with anybody, kid? Just me and Skatey-Eight.
Call Security! Have them meet me up there! That's all of it.
Okay, on your feet.
We're outta here.
Come on.
What about her? Her, too.
Come on.
She's just a baby.
I am not! Whatever, kid.
You're in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Now, both of you, on your feet.
I'm not going, Phil.
Not unless you leave the kid here.
Hey, I could take care of myself.
What's this? Barney Kadison going soft? Aren't you the guy that said this city has enough foster homes? You said that? How could you say that? Look, I was- How could you say that?! Leave her, Phil.
I won't give you any trouble.
Not a chance.
All right, come on, kid.
No! He's mine! Come on.
Get the gun! I got that.
I wouldn't do that.
What's going on here, Mr.
Kadison? Hank, these two guys just tried to rob me.
Okay, Mr.
Kadison, we'll take them downstairs and notify the police.
They'll want your statement.
Oh, I will be very eloquent.
Annie.
Oh, I was so worried about you.
Well, I suppose you expect me to thank the three of you? A little bit more than that.
You can't be serious.
I'm not changing my mind.
And I am not bailing out on the parking lot.
But what about these children? Where will they go? That is not my problem.
I mean, what am I supposed to do- just junk the whole parking lot deal? I mean, what am I? Some kind of a jerk? You're a world-class jerk.
But then again, I know that you weren't always like that.
Yeah? What do you know? Well, I know that, once upon a time, you, uh Well, you were one of the good guys.
You used to be involved in charities and environmental issues, Yeah.
That's when I was a jerk.
That was about eight years ago.
That was, uh, that was about the time you decided to, uh, drop off from the human race, that was about the time that you decided to stop being a, uh, a decent citizen.
Why is that? What happened, Mr.
Know-It-All, is that the world showed me that being one of the good guys didn't mean a damn thing.
That's what happened.
The plane crash.
I did a little research.
Next month, it'll be eight years.
I was to fly with my wife and two daughters to New York for vacation, and at the last minute, something came up, and I had to tell them that, uh, I would meet them there the next day.
There was a big board meeting, you know, for a stupid charity.
The phone rang and I, uh, I picked it up.
And like that- just like that- my whole life meant absolutely nothing.
Flight 88 had gone down.
My wife and daughters were gone.
People tried to help, but, you see, there wasn't any help.
All there was was pain.
So, I found a way to get past it.
Instead of doing good, I- I-I did business.
I did lots of business.
No people to worry about.
Just stone, concrete, parking lots.
No.
No what? You said that your whole life meant nothing.
Right.
But you had a family and you loved them.
They must have loved you, too.
Miss Jean says people shouldn't feel sorry for themselves.
You're not doing them any good by being sad and mean.
Besides, you didn't die.
They did.
Look, kid, if you don't mind I do mind.
You weren't there, okay? Yes, she was.
Her mother and father were both on that plane.
Go ahead.
Daddy died.
But Mommy stayed alive for three days.
Before she died, she she had me.
This is what my daddy gave me.
The day before the plane left.
He's called Skatey-Eight.
Flight eighty-eight.
He always helps me.
If you want, you can borrow him for a while.
Okay.
You want to keep this rat trap? You mean it? Yeah, I'll probably regret this in the morning, but yeah, I mean it.
We're staying! Yay! Yeah! All right! In other words, you're looking for me to pay McGinty here, The difference between what I paid him and the fair market value? Well, yeah.
I mean, but if that's too much You got it.
Well Good-bye, Chicago! Hello, Flagstaff! Mona, wanna go to Flagstaff? Yeah, with Kevin Costner.
Whoa, whoa, wait a minute.
Wait a minute.
Wait a minute.
Now, what about my friend Gary here, huh? I mean, he saved you all that money from those two crooks.
Hell, he practically saved your life.
No, no, no, no No, no! No, no, no, he's right.
You do deserve something.
And here is what you are getting.
What? This dump.
I mean, what the hell am I gonna do with some crummy sports bar? I got no reason to tear it down if there isn't gonna be a parking lot.
Are you serious? Hell, I've been giving everything else away.
Yeah, I'm serious.
I'll have the deed over in the morning.
Well, uh Hey, Barney? Yeah? Welcome back to the human race.
Thanks.
But the membership fees are a killer.
McGINTY: Have a seat, boys.
Tony, buffalo wings.
Did I ever tell you how I got this place? Uh, gee, no, Mac.
Well, it was the damnedest thing.
I was drinking too much, down on my luck, letting my life go to hell.
I won the deed to this place in a card game with a stranger, who told me he was staying at the Blackstone Hotel.
Well, I began to feel that I took advantage of the poor slob, so I went to the hotel to see him.
But they told me he just disappeared.
No forwarding address.
Nothing.
I'll send you a Christmas card, boys.
Thanks.
Take good care of her, son.
And she'll be good for you.
Here you go.
Well this isn't such a bad deal.
What do you mean it's not such a bad deal? What am I supposed to do with this place? We could turn it into a classy restaurant.
What? I don't know anything about running a restaurant.
What do you mean we? I could run this place.
I know exactly what I'm doing.
We will be partners! No, let me tell- What do you know about running a restaurant? I practically was born in a restaurant.
You worked in your Uncle Louie's deli.
Look, Gare, I'll quit my boring job at the brokerage firm.
I'll cash in a few of my stocks.
We'll remodel the whole place.
Come on, what have we got to lose? Hey, what are you doing up here? Oh, well Rome wasn't built in a day.
Neither was Colonel Sanders.
Great ideas take a while to catch on.
Especially mine.
And change is not an easy thing.
The future can be scary.
Especially when it comes a day early.
What? What? And let's not even mention the past.
Mr.
Hobson? Boswell? I thought you might want this.
It's the only thing I found in your room that survived the fire.
I remember it meant something to you.
No, Boswell, thank you very much though, But- I appreciate that.
Yes, I understand.
Thank you very much.
Boswell? The point is, you can never be sure what was, what will be, and what is.
The best thing to do is keep your chin up and take things a day at a time.
Well, it looks like we're staying.
I mean, hey, who knows? Might even turn out okay.