Big Trouble

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People.

People, no humming with

your mouths full.

Boys. Eat the protein

and get the hell out.

Come on. Joshua, Peter, Michael,

move it! Now! Come on.

Come on! Hey! Get the hell

to school, you're very late.

- Sandwiches. Goodbye.

- Goodbye.

- Kiss for Mommy. Goodbye. Love you.

- I love you, Mom.

- Goodbye, Pop.

- Bye.

Mother? Bye.

Sorry about the mess in there.

- I'm gonna be late. Have a good day.

- Tell Peter to drive carefully.

- Is Peter driving?

- Yes.

- Peter, drive carefully!

- Talk to you later.

Bye, Dad, see you later.

Honey, can you get that?

Get that, honey!

Hello? Doris, don't start.

I can't talk.

Yeah, a lot of dishes.

I'll talk to you later. Okay. Bye-bye.

Okay.

I go to bed at 10:00.

I'm up at midnight.

I'm out here, figuring, looking,

hoping, searching, nothing.

I go to bed at 1:00, sleep for an

hour and a half and come back.

I'm here till 4:
30 in the morning,

looking, hoping, praying, searching.

Nothing. I shave at 5:00 in the

morning. I'm ready for work at 6.

I come back here. Then I'm late

for work for two weeks.

- Please, don't give me any pressure.

- Well, we have to do it.

- We can't do it.

- Leonard, honey...

Today is Tuesday.

The kid's tuition has to be in when?

It has to be in on Monday.

Monday.

I was up all night trying to figure it

out. Even with mortgaging the house...

...second mortgages, my mother dying

suddenly, they can't go to Yale.

What do you mean, they can't go?

The scholarship didn't come

through. What can I do?

I can't believe Yale would

accept triplets and not understand.

Yale doesn't understand. They have

to go to Yale. Yale has to understand.

Where else? If they don't

make any money as musicians...

...do you know what that does?

How are they gonna make any

connections at UCLA or CCNY?

They won't. They'll meet

basketball players. That's it.

Yale is the only place. We

know that. We've talked about this.

The connections they'll make.

People with checkbooks.

Big people will say, "You wanna put

on a concert? What do you need?"

That's what's gonna happen.

That's why they will be going to Yale.

Okay, Seiji Ozawa, Mller,

all those people. You know who they are?

I don't know who they are,

but they're huge, Leonard.

- Let me explain.

- One of them is a conductor.

Let me explain something.

I've been through this all night.

- I know, sweetheart.

- Look at this.

Tuition:
$14,000 a year. Multiply that

by three. That's $42,000 a year.

Add incidentals.

What happens if a string breaks...

...or they wanna go out to dinner

or call home? $50,000 for one year.

They want $200,000 to send three

kids to Yale for four years.

The scholarship didn't come through.

What can I do?

You don't have to say anything. I'm

saying that the kids are going to Yale.

They are, Leonard, sweetheart.

Don't forget your shirt.

The kids washing dishes,

they can't end up that way.

They're classic musicians. We're

preserving their souls, Leonard. Yale.

Sweetheart?

Think in capital letters, okay?

Lunch, honey. Lunch, have

something hot. It'll do you good.

Morning, Mr. Hoffman.

This is for you.

Thank you.

- Hi, Helen.

- Len.

- Did you watch Nova last night?

- No.

There was a show

about twins and triplets.

I was thinking of those boys of yours.

- When do they start Yale?

- Right.

Good morning. Congratulations.

Heard about the boys.

- Good.

- Whole school's talking about them.

Get out! Scram! Morning, Len.

I'd like to talk to you.

- I'm gonna appeal!

- Be my guest. Get lost. Come here.

Hey, man, you have a family,

sometimes you have to do things.

You can't treat people like they're

criminals. Man have a family.

- They think I'm an idiot.

- What's his story?

Reports his car stolen,

a '78 Bonneville. I check it out.

I find the car in a chop shop.

No forced entry. Ignition intact.

I throw the claim out.

Len, wanna congratulate you.

- Heard the boys made Yale.

- Right.

No way you can afford it.

- I don't wanna talk about it.

- Talk to Winslow.

- Winslow?

- Yeah. His whole family went to Yale.

Grandfather, all the kids.

Maybe he'd help.

- I can't talk to Winslow.

- Len, no harm trying, right?

So he puts his arm around her

and she grabbed him...

...did an airplane spin and

threw him out the window.

- Mr. Hoffman's here.

- Send him in.

- Mr. Hoffman?

- It turns out that...

- Come in, Hoffman. Come in.

- You're busy.

No, please, come in, come in.

- Hoffman.

- Good to see you, sir.

- You came to talk about Yale.

- Yeah, not for myself.

I have three boys and...

Johnson, Samson. Mr. Hoffman.

- How do you do?

- Hello. Nice to meet you.

- Come in here and we can talk.

- Fine.

- Let's walk. What do you say?

- Yes.

Every time I laugh, I get upset

for the rest of the day.

I'd like to get away

from all these people.

- Open the door, will you, please?

- Open it, Jim.

Yale, huh?

- Yes. I have three sons...

- Is this thing open or not?

Here we go. My wife wants me to pick

something up. Come on in.

Thank you.

Anyway, I have three sons

and they're all...

I have three sons.

They're brilliant, wonderful

musicians and terrific kids.

They've been accepted into Yale.

But the economic situation being

what it is...

We can't overreach ourselves,

can we?

No. That's why I'm asking you.

So many people overreach

themselves. It's a national tragedy.

My wife wants me to pick this up. What

the hell is it? You put nuts in it?

I thought perhaps you could

call the scholarship committee.

You know, I graduated in 1950.

And my son graduated in 1974.

My younger son graduates this year.

He graduates this year?

Time flies.

He'll work here.

As the vice president. Lock this.

- That's a good head start.

- He's a bright boy.

Very proud of my family, Hoffman.

Sure you are of yours.

I was wondering if you might intercede

and call the scholarship committee.

- It'd be unfair of me to do that.

- Unfair?

To use my influence. We make our own

way. I'm sure your boys understand.

It wouldn't be the same if they got

scholarships because of a phone call.

- Morning.

- Good morning.

- Congratulations! All three!

- Please, please! Any phone calls?

Yes. A Mrs. Blanche Rickey called.

She's called three times this morning.

- Blanche Rickey?

- It's about a homeowner's policy.

But she must speak

with you face to face.

Doesn't live too far from you, so

you could stop by on your way home.

- Yes?

- Hello. I'm Leonard Hoffman...

...United Marine Insurance.

- The insurance person.

The insurance person's here.

- Well, come on in.

- Thank you.

Forgive me, but I can read minds.

Not that I can really read minds,

but I think you're an honest person.

- Thank you.

- I'm honest.

- Good.

- You're very anxious about this sale.

You need money badly.

Do you feel that I'm trying

to oversell you?

I'm an honest person. Yes.

Lady, forgive my bluntness,

but selling you an insurance policy...

...is about as far from

my mind as anything.

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