to a deluxe apartment in the sky we're movin' on up movin' on up to the east side movin' on up

i can't remembera lovelierchurch service. my sentiments exactly. you slept through it!

was thatthe lord's prayeryou were snoring? when florence's choir sings, sleeping's the best defense. don't pay attentionto him. i know we're all god's children. and you're the reasonsomebody invented birth control. florence, i know i keeprepeating myself, but your solowas just beautiful. [doorbell rings] i did my best. too late to apologise now. does a florence johnston live here? don't rub it in. i had to come by and compliment florence on that beautiful solo. florence, someone fromthe lunatic asylum is here. i'm florence johnston.

this is mr. and mrs. jefferson. oh, i saw your business card in the collection plate. i wanted the pleasureof meeting you. i hope you're not disappointed. not at all. give it time! it's sweet of youto come over here to tell florenceyou liked her singing. it's my job. i'm a record producer. you are? he is! george, look! records?you just seta new one. you looked at florencetwice in one day. just ignore him. it means a lot that you'd come here just to offer me encouragement. i might be offering more than encouragement.

he may be offering me more than encouragement. he secures new talent for e&k records! thanks forclearing that up. your voice is a gift that you should share. i'm going to put it on a record. florence,did you hear that? of course i heard that, mrs. jefferson. i'm standing next to you. try to control yourself. sorry, florence. now control me! you should have seen aretha's face when i signed her. aretha franklin? he discovered aretha franklin! wait a minute. you discoveredaretha franklin? right. you believe him? yes. p.t. barnum was wrong.

you belittle everything good that happens to florence. weezy, take a look. what do you see? my reflection. no, no, no.let me help you out. it's a brain soakedwith business savvy. this guy davisain't on the level. give him a chance. he's a crook.mark my words. mark them! is something wrong with your husband? it's just thatmy husband isa little suspicious. he thinksthat you're... well, he thinks thatyou're sort of... well, how doesthe word crook hit you?

i think i'd better leave. i didn't mean to cause problems. i hope you pursue your singing career with someone you're comfortable with. freeze! is my voice really good enough to record? i'm just a maid singing in a choir. you're blessed with a gift. you hear that? and you got me ironin' clothes! i'll make some coffee. you've got lotsto discuss. make mine tea with lemon, for the voice! when do we start? first we c then we get the dj's to play it. how does it allget started? don't it cost money?

$1,200? for studio costs. $1,200 ismy whole life savings. that's just what we're talking about, your life. well, that's true. e&k records will take a chance with you because i can pick out a star. a star? oh, lord,i'm going tobe a mess! give me a call when you decide. if aretha can do it,so can i. be at my studio at 1:00 tomorrow. bring a cashier's check and your lovely voice. together we are going to the top of the charts! arrivederci! ciao! ah ah ah ah ah ah ah

hi, florence. have you decidedwhat song you'll record? mr. davis suggested you light up my life. i read something about that song. they played it at the zoo to get the pandas to mate. and it worked, too. oh, that's interesting. "buy record." helen, make that two. i have to go to the bank. the bank?not the recording studio? i have to draw out $1,200. $1,200?what for? to make this record. i'll get that back with my first commercial.

you you light up my life lord have mercy! does $1,200sound rightto you, tom? the studio should pay florence, not the other way around. this is going tobreak her heart. better her heart than her bank account. somebody's got totell her. it's late. i've got to run. i'll tell her. maybe florence and ishould be alone. right. very wise. she's going to be disappointed. even if she moves out of here forever, remember, you're doing the right thing. just make sure my name doesn't come up.

i'm off to the bank. florence,wait a minute. yeah? $1,200 isan awful lot of money. are you sure you're doingthe right thing? i'm sure. don't you believe in me? i believe in you. but whati'm trying to say... mr. davis might be... i thinkhe's ripping you off. i would have expected this from mr. jefferson. i thought you had trust in me. just listento me-- this is a chance for me to do something with my life. florence,trust me. no, i trust me.

what is it? what's the emergency? it's florence. is that all? bye. this mike davisis taking florencefor a ride. he's charging her $1,200. sounds to me like this guy's a crook. i'm afraid so. well! it seems like yesterdaysomebody was sayin' that this guywas a crook. remember whothat was, weez? that was you, george. i beg your pardon? that was you, george! and i alsoremember sayin' that you shouldmark my words. did youmark them, weez? no, george.

no, george! weezy, weezy, weezy, weezy! when will you ever learn? you're going to rub this in. moi? rub it in? just because you refusedto listen to me? i'm too big a man to rub somethin'like that in. well, thanks. but, moi was right. ok, weez, let'sforget about it. let's take careof the business at hand. don't worry. daddy will take careof everything. good. it brings tearsto my eyes when i realizehow important i am to you. i'd better get goin'. keep a light burnin' and the bed warm.

i'll take care of you. george? yes, weez? the flu's beengoin' around lately. when you get home, i'm going totake your temperature! don't wait up for me. it was great! well done. it'll be a hit. i've never heard you light up my life chanted so well. very nice. have a nice day. thanks for the incense. how many more suckersare scheduled for today? just four more-- florence johnston, the singing yamaguchis, kenji, kojma, and dave. i'll go getsome more tape.

hey, davis. so you're here to give florence moral support? i know the gameyou're playin'. i beg your pardon? you tell my maidshe's got talent, then you tryto take her money. you're a sleaze bucket! say that again. you're a sleaze bucket. steve, get in here, quick! what is it? mr. jefferson, would you say that just once more? sleaze bucket. you little-- no, no, no, no! steve, you're not listening to the quality of his voice. oh, yeah. that was out of sight!

no, really! the great ones never know they've got it. you reallylike my voice? your friends never saywhat a great voice you got? i don't havethat many friends. your voice has got such timbre, such resonance, such soul. you know what i'm saying? come on!do i look likea country bumpkin? you sound like nat king cole. get out of here! steve's right. come off it! i swear. yeah? yeah. really? oh, really. are you warm? are you real? mona lisa

it's beautiful. i love it. dripping with soul. i don't knowabout dripping.damp, maybe. you have a gift to share with the world. it ain't fairto keep itto myself. we've got to record that golden voice. just $1,2oo, and we are in business. i don'tknow about-- mr. jefferson, you're a businessman. you know that it takes money to make money. we can forget about it. it's probably just as well. george benson is coming in any minute, then the commodores. we could fit you in now. i got the time. whenever you're ready, go into the studio and put on your headset.

yeah. what songshould i sing? something that's tailor-made to fit your voice and your style. you light up my life. that's great for me! daniel boone neversang it right anyway. take your place by the mike. wear the headset so you can hear the music. anytime you're ready, just step right up. ok. so many nights i'd sit by my window waiting for someone to sing me her song--

can you pick it up a little? i meant the tempo. i like to hold my music in my hand. oh, yes. of course. anytime you're ready. so many nights i'd sit by my window turn this off! with the parade of suckers comin' through here, this guy could be the drum major. wait until you hear his maid. she fell for that aretha franklin bit. she sounds more like benjamin franklin! i love it. what a joke! and i'm aboutto deliverthe punch line! fill up my days

with song lonely at sea adrift on the waters could it be finally i'm turning for home? finally a chance to say, "hey, i love you" never again to be all alone and you light up my life you make me whole what are you doin' with my sound man? tell him. i thinkwe got a hit. all right!you stunk. now tell him the rest of it. e&k records is a rip-off.

and do the same to you. wait a minute! i wasn't good? ain't you listenin'? they were tryin'to cheat us. but wasn't i good? your check is on the table. i swear i thought i was good. if you cheatanybody else, i'll be on you like white on rice. how aboutsome real estate? can you believe him? i don't know. maybe i wasn't good. maybe i wasn't either. i can't believei fell for this. if a city slicker like me could be taken, it's easy for a country bumpkin like you. oh, never mind.you're right.

but i wouldn't listen. you can detectcon games when they're playedon somebody else, but not whenit's being playedon your own dreams. i didn't know you wanted to be no singer. i didn't,until they saidi could sing. i thought this was a dream that could come true. when will i ever learn? let's go home. i know you got plans of bein' more than a maid. you come up with somethin', and i'll back you. really? definitely. thanks, mr. jefferson. i'd do anything to get you out of the house!

captioning performed by the national captioning institute, inc. captions copyright 1982t.a.t. communications company

well, we're movin' on up movin' on up to the east side movin' on up to a deluxe apartment in the sky we're movin' on up movin' on up to the east side movin' on up we finally got a piece of the pie fish don't fry in the kitchen beans don't burn on the grill took a whole lot of tryin' that hill get up just to now we're up in the big leagues gettin' our turn at bat as long as we live it's you and me, baby there ain't nothin' wrong with that we're movin' on up movin' on up to the east side movin' on up to a deluxe apartment