A Home of Our Own

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1

(nostalgic orchestral music)

(nostalgic orchestral music)

- [Shayne] This is the

only photograph I own

from my childhood.

It was taken in 1955

when I was 8 years old

by my father, with a borrowed camera,

and it's the only thing I

have left from those days,

except for my memories.

This is a true story.

This really happened to me.

By 1962, I was 15 years old.

I had two brothers and three sisters,

no father, no money.

I was the man of the house,

and my mother, well...

She was one of a kind.

(machines whirring)

- Christ! You out of your mind?

What's the matter with you, a**hole?

- All right, all right.

(thud, clattering)

What's the matter with you?

- What's the matter with you?

- Mr. Owens, to the office immediately.

Mist, ahhh!

- F***ing a**hole, you

clean it up yourself.

He's the one that started it.

- So did you.

Come on.

- Back off, back off.

- He grabbed my ass.

- Okay. Come on!

(Owens' talk drowned

out by machine's noise)

- Oh, come on, Mr. Nardin,

this wasn't my fault.

Owens scared me.

Look, I really need this job, Mr. Nardin.

You can't do this. I got kids, come on!

- You're fired.

- I'm begging you, pl--

- You're fired!

(creaking)

(bottle clinks)

(men talking)

- [Man 1] Lay off me on this,

or you will get nothing.

- [Man 2] Can you get off my back?

I will give the money to you. (thud)

You'll get the money, man!

- Hi, kids.

- [Kids] Hi, mama.

- Hi, mom.

- Faye, how about letting

your old ma sit in the chair?

- I don't feel so good, mama.

- Hmm? How was the movie?

- Well, it was scary.

Flying saucers and monsters.

Annie cried.

- Did not!

- [Craig] Did too!

- Did not!

- [Craig] Did too!

- [Annie] Did not!

- Did too!

- [Annie] Did not!

- [Craig] Did too!

- [Annie] Did not!

- You two, pipe down.

- [Annie] Did not, did not!

- [Craig] Did too.

- Look, mama.

- Oh, isn't that pretty?

Isn't that mine?

- I don't know.

- Where'd you guys get all this candy?

I just gave you enough

money to go to the movies.

You took your own popcorn.

Lynn?

- I don't know.

- Faye?

- It wasn't me.

- Murray.

(knocking)

Pipe down, you two.

You're giving me an ulcer.

- Mrs. Lacey?

- Yup.

- Is your husband home?

- No, he's not.

What's the beef this time?

- Mama, I was just--

- You shut up.

- We got a complaint

from the phone company.

Your kid had a string of

their coin returns plugged.

- That's what you collared him for?

Penny ante crap like that?

There's real crime in the streets

and you guys are busting

kids for boosting nickels

from the goddamn phone company?

- Tell 'em, ma.

- You, pipe down.

I've had a rotten day,

a really rotten day,

and I wouldn't be in the mood for this

if it came with flowers.

So you're gonna keep

him or throw him back?

- He ain't worth the paperwork, ma'am.

Just take this as a little warning

and try to keep your

Dillinger off the street.

- You watch the name-calling and get out.

I take care of my own.

- You do that, lady, 'cause next time

we might not be in such a good mood.

- So the shoeshine business

has been real good lately, huh?

Been doing real good on tips, you told me.

- Well, I did get--

- Who did you lie to?

Your mother.

Go get your father's belt.

- [Shayne] That night, my

mother made a decision.

She didn't bother asking

us what we wanted to do.

She never did.

And once mama made up her mind,

there was no stopping her.

Thirsty.

- Tomorrow morning we're moving out

of this toilet of a city.

- Huh?

- Don't "huh" me.

We're gonna find us a

decent town to live in,

and a proper home, a house of our own.

That's that.

(bangs)

- I ain't leaving, I ain't

leaving the neighborhood.

- One more "ain't" and

I soap out that mouth.

You're going. We're all going.

(banging)

- I ain't. I'm not going.

- We're leaving this city.

I don't have the chance of

an ice cube in a frying pan

of making things better

as long as we stay.

- I'm sick of moving around.

- That's too bad.

You're the man of the house.

Have you forgotten the

promise you made me?

You swore you'd help me with

your brothers and sisters,

that I could always count on you.

You gave me your word.

- Yeah.

- And that won't be easy,

but I can't do it without you, Shayne.

You get some sleep.

I'll make you a promise.

You do this for me, and

we'll never move again.

Promise.

- [Shayne] So we left L.A.

We sold everything we could.

What we couldn't sell or

fit into our '48 Plymouth,

we gave away.

When most families take a trip,

they know where they're going.

Not us.

Mama just pointed the car,

sort of north, sort of east,

and away we went.

- [Lynn] Ma, would you tell

Murray and Annie to quit it?

- [Frances] Would you two stop?

(Murray laughs teasingly)

- Mama.

- [Frances] Nobody gets the bunny.

- [Annie] I did not, Craig!

- [Craig] Yes, you did!

- [Annie] Did not.

- [Craig] Did too.

- [Annie] Mama, I have to pee-pee.

- [Craig] You just did.

- Did not.

- [Frances] If you kids don't stop this,

I'm gonna leave you by

the side of the road.

Annie, you just went. Pipe down.

- [Annie] Did not!

- [Craig] Did too.

- [Annie] Did not.

- Pipe down, you two.

- [Annie] Did not.

- [Craig] Did too.

- [Annie] Did not.

- I'm gonna come back there.

You don't want me to come back there.

- [Voiceover] Jimmy Johnson, K.i.F.l.

- Shayne, leave it for

just a second, will you?

I'd like to hear just one

song all the way through.

- Sorry.

- [Murray] It's my turn up front.

- [Faye] It is not!

- [Murray] Is too!

- Now, now, don't you two start.

- [Murray] It is too.

- [Frances] Murray, sit down.

- [Faye] You stink bug.

- Is too.

- Is not.

- [Frances] Pipe down!

Shayne, how'd you like to take the wheel?

- Sure.

- Scoot over here.

Thanks.

- Hey! How about that place?

It looks like a nice place.

- Nope.

- Why not?

- It ain't the right place.

- [Shayne] Well then,

what is the right place?

- [Frances] I'll know it when I see it.

See...

We'll be driving down this road,

and there's gonna be trees on either side.

And we'll go around the curve,

and there it'll be,

a perfect little town.

Then a little further

on will be our house.

Everything will be

buttoned up and beautiful.

(Lynn coughing)

Lynn? Oh, honey.

Are you all right?

Give her some kool-aid.

- Murray did it, Murray did it.

Don't spit in it.

- Shut up, you little fink.

Cut it out. You cut it out!

(children giggling, teasing)

- [Annie] See it?

Look at that house.

- [Craig] Yeah.

- [Shayne] Mama said we were gonna find us

a house this time, not an apartment,

but a real house, all our own.

We saw lots of possibilities.

- [Faye] Out there. See?

- [Annie] Yeah.

- [Lynn] See that deer?

- Look at that. Oh,

look at all that space right there.

Perfect for our house.

- [Annie] I want a pony. Look!

- [Shayne] But since we were dead broke,

one question kept nagging at me.

Even if we did find our dream house,

what could we buy it with?

- [Faye] I wish we lived there.

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