♪ What would you do if I sang out of tune? ♪
♪ Would you stand up and walk out on me? ♪
♪ Lend me your ears, and I'll sing you a song ♪
♪ I will try not to sing out of key, yeah ♪
♪ Oh, baby, I get by ♪ ♪ By with a little help from my friends ♪
♪ All I need is my buddies ♪
♪ High with a little help from my friends ♪
♪ I'm sayin' I'm gonna get higher ♪ -♪ Try with a little help from my friends ♪
♪ Whoa-oa-oa-oa ♪
♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh ♪
♪ Somebody who knows quite sure ♪
♪ Baby ♪
♪ By with a little help from my friends ♪
♪ Said I'm gonna make it with my friends ♪
♪ Try with a little help from my friends ♪
♪ Oh, I'm gonna keep on trying ♪
♪ High with a little help from my friends ♪
♪ I'm gonna keep on trying now, baby ♪
♪ Ooh, ooh, ooh ♪
They say you never forget your first job.
I know I remember mine...
Harris' hardware store,
down the hill from where I lived,
the year I started 10th grade.
It was the kind of place you don't see much anymore,
filled to the rafters with brackets and bolts
and old screens.
You know, stuff on the cutting-edge of obsolescence.
It started as a summer job,
but once school began,
Mr. Harris cut back my hours so I could keep working.
With the allowance Dad was paying me, I had no choice.
What do you mean you can't ship orders of less than a gross?
Since when?
Old man Harris, Mr. hardware himself.
Let me tell you something.
I've been ordering what I need from you people
since before you were born.
You heard my offer. I stand by it.
[ Receiver slams ]
Are we looking or working?
Working.
Then what stopped you?
Nothing!
Then get to work.
Yes, sir.
As far as I could tell,
his system of organizing the merchandise
was based on the maximum number of times
I could climb from the bottom shelf to the top shelf
and back again.
Not so fast. What are these?
They're bolts.
You sure?
Uh...
Yeah. Toggle bolts.
Used for what?
Used for... Fastening things.
In plasterboard.
Good.
It wasn't enough he knew everything there was to know
about the business.
He seemed to think I should, too.
So...
Should they go with the sheet-metal bolts
or over there, closer to the plaster supplies?
Well, I...
[ Sighs ] With the plaster supplies.
Do it, then.
Not that I wasn't grateful for the education.
I wasn't.
[ Scoffs ] Give me a break.
What was that?
Nothing.
Mr. Harris, shouldn't we knock off?
It's almost 6:00.
So?
Almost 6:00 is not 6:00.
Besides, there might be customers.
Sam?
Why don't you let him go a little early?
Well...
[ Sighs ] All right.
All right!
Thanks, Mrs. Harris.
And there you had it.
Two days a week after school,
Saturdays till 6:00,
I hauled, packed, and loaded my life away
for a grand total of 18 bucks and change.
Not that money was my only reason for being there.
I had a bigger reason,
a more compelling reason.
So, how was work today?
My father had gotten me the job.
Work's work.
Old man's running your tail off, huh?
Kinda.
[ Chuckles ]
For some reason, Dad seemed to find a certain humor
in seeing his youngest child do time at hard labor.
Come to think of it, so did my whole family.
So, how was your day, honey?
Shut up, butthead!
I think it sounds like fun...
working in a store, meeting people,
talking to customers.
Well, see, Mom, that's kind of the problem.
No one...
that Harris... he's one-of-a-kind.
Nobody knows hardware like he does.
Do you know, he sold me
the first full set of tools I ever owned.
Yes, I do, Dad, but...
that was before either of you was even born.
Look, it's boring, it's hard work,
and it's no fun, okay?
Okay?!
Just to set the record straight here.
No fun?
Oh, no.
Who the hell ever said a job is supposed to be fun?
[ Laughing ]
Well, I didn't mean...
let me just give you a piece of advice.
Listen to the old guy. Pay attention.
He just might teach you something.
And that was that.
I was stymied
by timeless values and an ironclad work ethic,
which left only one place to turn.
[ "Taking care of business" plays ]
The mall. ♪ You get up every morning ♪
♪ From your alarm clock's warning ♪
Hillcrest Plaza.
One-stop shopping.
A browser's bonanza.
A teenager's field of dreams.
Who is that?
Gretchen Tyler. 11th grade.
She goes to our school?
It was a place to ponder the burning issues of life.
Come on, guys. I think I need some fries.
Yeah.
Yeah, this was the ticket.
Girls to the left of us. Girls to the right.
Girls nine deep
around some kid in a stupid hat and a plastic name tag.
I don't believe it!
Look at that guy.
Robby Cashion. He's in my biology class.
Made you wonder where his Dad bought his first set of tools.
Sure beats working in a hardware store, huh, Kev?
Speaking of tools...
What's that supposed to mean?
Yeah, there's nothing wrong with his job.
Thanks, Paul.
I mean, one thing for me to grouse about my job, but...
Except for the long hours
and old man Harris
and that stupid tie.
Tell me about it.
[ Laughing ]
Ah, what did they know, anyway?
Some guys got all the glamour. So what?
There were certain benefits to working where I worked.
Flange pipes.
Top shelf.
And be sure you check the inventory thoroughly.
Okay, the benefits stunk.
That didn't mean there weren't opportunities here.
[ Bell jangles ] - Excuse me.
My husband says we need a washer.
Oh, your husband is a plumber?
Oh, no. He's an accountant.
Oh. [ Laughs ]
So is my oldest.
He does my taxes.
I don't let him near my sink.
Yep... the chance to watch a master salesman at work.
Now, let me see this.
Oh. Rubber.
See, one crack, and you lose the seal.
They use plastic now. Very good.
Brass, copper, they last.
Absolutely indestructible.
Unless you have hard water. Then you get rust.
Do you have hard water or soft?
Uh, I'm not sure.
Um... Look, I'm sorry, but I've got to meet the 5:15.
My husband will be waiting.
Why don't I just stop back another time?
Well...
Thanks, anyway.
Let's face it.
The old man's idea of salesmanship
was a little outmoded.
So seemed it was up to me
to bring him into the 20th century.
Mr. Harris?
What?
On the other hand...
Well, I was just thinking.
Do I really have to wear this tie?
I mean, 'cause if it's okay with you, I'd just as soon...
let me tell you something.
When you're outside playing, you can wear what you want.
But when you're in here working, you'll wear the tie.
Am I understood?
Yes, sir.
Needless to say, the whole thing hadn't gone
quite as well as I'd hoped.
[ School bell rings ]
Hey, Robby! Wait up.
So I decided to explore the alternatives.
I saw you the other day at the mall,
and I was just wondering, do you like your job?
Oh, well...
Yeah, it's okay.
You know, it's a job.
And what do you have to do there?
I don't know.
You serve stuff. You hang out.
And that's it?
Well, all the fries you can eat.
Hmm.
Seemed like a job for a special kind of guy.
Like, say, me.
Why? You interested?
Nah.
How much do they pay?
Uh, a buck sixty an hour.
Buck sixty an hour?
Even Dad couldn't argue with economic reality.
Dad, I've been thinking.
Mm?
You work hard for your money, right?
Mm.
So, say you were working somewhere,
and you thought you deserved more.
You'd do something about it, right?
You betcha.
Even if it meant... Making your boss mad?
A buck's a buck.
There. Sounded like a clear mandate to me.
Thinking about asking old man Harris for a raise?
Kinda.
Mm.
And with that ringing endorsement in hand,
I made up my mind.
- Mr. Harris? - Yes?
There was only one way to do this...
honestly, directly.
I don't think I'm gonna be able to make it on Saturday.
Oh?
Yeah.
Actually, I don't think
I'm gonna be able to come in at all anymore.
I see.
Yeah.
See, there's this other job I may be taking.
And where is this new place of employment?
In the mall.
The mall?
That's where you want to go work?
Selling crap that doesn't work
to people who don't need it in the first place?
What would you be doing?
Working.
In a restaurant.
Food service management.
Ah, what the hell?
It's a burger joint.
And this is how you want to spend your time...
flipping hamburgers and watching the girls walk by?
Bingo.
He finally understood.
No.
Then, why would you do a thing like this?
Because they pay 15 cents more an hour.
Oh.
So that's it.
I see.
[ Sighs ]
15 cents an hour.
Sure, it was a bitter pill.
But what else could the guy do?
I'll pay you 20.
What?
Just prove to me that you're worth it. Sweep!
Rats!
What do you mean, he wouldn't let you quit?
If you quit, you quit!
I told you, Paul. He gave me a raise.
20 cents more an hour. What was I gonna do?
[ Scoffs ] I wouldn't work for that old geezer
if he paid me a hundred bucks an hour.
I had only one defense.
Insanity.
Hey, look, he's not an old geezer.
And besides, he knows more about hardware
than you guys will in your entire lives.
- Whoa! - Whoa!
Don't you get it, Kev?
The guy bought you.
He owns you.
Lock, stock, and lug nuts.
Pretty funny.
But I could hold my own here.
Lewis, you're full of crap.
Oh, yeah? Prove it.
Take Saturday off. Hang out here with us.
Hey, I could if I want to.
Not that I cared what they thought.
[ Scoffs ]
I was wondering if I could have the day off Saturday.
Why?
I have this... Appointment.
Where?
Just... Around.
Oh. Well, then, uh, certainly.
Great.
Of course. Any time you have a social engagement
and work interferes, you just let me know.
We'll close the store.
Hey, look, all I'm asking for here is a just...
we have an agreement.
You work here Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.
And I pay you... what now?
$1.65 an hour.
Maybe now you would like me to pay you double time
for the days that you don't work.
And that's when it hit me.
The guys had been right.
I wasn't an employee here.
I was in bondage.
I was... A slave.
That night, I had a dream.
[ Wolf howls ]
Well?!
Are you working
or breathing?!
Working, sir.
Then do it!
Oh, please, sir...
I was just wondering...
It's almost 6:00.
May I go home now?
No!
There's plenty of time left.
I want you to stack the one-ton bolts
on the right-hand shelf.
The top right-hand shelf!
[ Laughs evilly ]
Dad, can I talk to you for a minute?
I had to act. Put this in perspective.
Job stress was getting me down.
Huh?
Yeah, sure.
Your mother and I were up half the night.
This damn drip.
What's up?
It's about Mr. Harris.
Yeah. I heard you got a raise.
That's terrific.
Yeah. Well...
What's the matter?
[ Sighs ] Well, it came apart okay.
Put in a new washer,
and now I can't seem to get it to hold together.
Where's your bib screw?
Huh?
You know, your bib screw.
Probably fell down the drain.
It happens all the time.
They're easy to replace.
And the way he looked at me, for one second,
I almost felt good about hardware.
You know, we sell bib screws down at Harris'.
Ah, that's okay.
I'll probably shoot over to the mall.
The mall?
Well, it's closer, easier to park.
Besides, you know the old man.
If I stop in, he'll talk to me for hours, chewing my ear off.
I don't have that kind of time.
You know what I mean.
I couldn't believe it.
This man, Mr. listen-and-learn,
was telling me he didn't have time?
Sure, Dad.
I know what you mean.
But I didn't.
I just didn't.
I meant to go right to work that afternoon.
But when I got to the store,
for some reason, I didn't go in.
I didn't want to be there anymore.
Hell, I knew nobody else did either.
[ Indistinct conversations ]
I went to the mall.
Hung out with friends.
It was busy... And alive.
I hardly thought about old Mr. Harris at all.
Well, not much, anyway.
By the time I got back,
I guess I pretty much figured he was gonna fire me.
Maybe I was just hoping he would.
You're late.
I know.
[ Bell jangles ]
Mr. Harris, can I talk to you?
Very well.
You were late today. I understand.
You needed to prove something. It's all right.
It's forgotten. I'll see you on Tuesday.
Well, I'm not gonna be coming in anymore.
See... I took the job in the mall.
I start Monday.
Don't be foolish. You work here.
But I don't want to work here anymore.
Don't you understand that?
You're a bright boy.
You could make something better of yourself.
I wouldn't call stocking hardware something better!
Oh, I see.
Mr. Harris, all I do here
is move cartons from one shelf to the other
and listen to you talk about hardware.
No one even comes in here anymore.
No one wants to.
Is that so?
Let me tell you something.
- Sam! - The hardware business...
Sam.
The boy wants to go.
You don't even need me here most of the time.
I know that.
I would like you to keep working here,
but I won't try to make you stay.
I've made my offer. I stand by it.
[ Bell jangles ]
Excuse me.
About that washer...
I asked my husband, and he said we have hard water.
Yes. Then you'll need plastic
because metal rusts in hard water.
Let me get you one.
No, it's okay. They're only a nickel.
Thank you.
Come again!
[ Bell jangles ]
I felt him watching me,
and somehow I knew what he was thinking.
How much I'd learned,
how much he taught me.
But I was 15.
I lived in a world that was new and alive and exciting.
And everything here was old.
Maybe it was stupid.
That's also part of being 15.
[ Bell jangles ]
I traded in my tie for a stupid hat
and a plastic name tag at the mall.
When I left a month later, no one cared.
But every time I pick up a flat-head screw,
I think of old man Harris
and how those cowbells clanged as I walked out that door.
And even though I can't say exactly what I gained,
I know I can't measure what I lost.
♪ Every time it rains, it rains ♪
♪ Pennies from heaven ♪
♪ Don't you know each cloud contains ♪
♪ Pennies from heaven? ♪
♪ You'll find your fortune falling ♪
♪ All over town ♪
♪ Be sure that your umbrella ♪
♪ Is upside down ♪
♪ Trade them for a package of ♪
♪ Sunshine and flowers ♪
♪ If you want the things you love ♪
♪ You must have showers ♪
♪ So when you hear it thunder ♪
♪ Don't run under a tree ♪
♪ There'll be pennies from heaven ♪
♪ For you and me ♪