05x26 - Games, Flames and Automobiles

Episode transcripts for the TV show "Home Improvement". Aired: September 17, 1991 - May 25, 1999.*
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Tim the "toolman" and his wife Jill raise 3 children with the wise neighbor Wilson.
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05x26 - Games, Flames and Automobiles

Post by bunniefuu »

- Good show, Al.
- Thank you.

Tim, do you want the big ice pack
or the small ice pack today?

l'll take the small one.
lt's just my head.

- So, guys, enjoy your next two weeks off.
- You doing something special?

Only taking my dream vacation -
island-hopping in the Caribbean.

How about you?

(imitating Heidi)
''Only taking my dream vacation...''

Me and the hot rod in the garage.

How about you, Al?
Got anything planned?

Aw, just going up to my cabin,
all by myself,

thinking about how the best years of
my life have slipped away.

Well, have fun.

(sighs)

You hate seeing me like this, don't you?

Yes, l do. That's why l'm leaving.

All right. l know you won't be able to
rest until you know what's bothering me.

l'm depressed because l have
that big birthday coming up.

You know, the big three-seven.

''The big three-seven''?

Generally, the big birthdays would be
the big three-O, the big four-O.

l've just always marched to
the b*at of a different drummer.

Maybe it's time you marched to
the couch of a psychiatrist.

lt's just l thought when l reached
this age, l'd be successful!

- You are successful.
- No, l'm not.

l'm a -year-old bachelor
who's a career second banana.

l don't have any creativity.
l have very little pizzazz.

You have absolutely no pizzazz.
But you can be creative.

Name one creative thing
l ever did on Tool Time

- Umm...well, ''Gadget Corner.''
- That was your idea.

No. l just took credit for it.
Wait a minute.

What about that Tool Time game
you designed?

- That was mine. You liked that?
- No. l thought it was stupid.

- But everybody else liked it.
- Yeah!

Everybody else loved
my Tool Time board game.

- You feeling better now?
- Yes, l am.

Because even if you aren't,
l'm still leaving.

Thanks. Hold the exhaust pipe up.

- OK.
- Look out! lt's hot!

All right. You got it? OK. How does it
feel to work on your first hot rod?

- Dad, l worked on the last one.
- You did? What did you do?

Tightened the radiator hose.

l remember the radiator hose,
but l don't remember you.

- Thanks a lot, Dad.
- Don't take it personally.

When a man works on a hot rod, he tunes
out all that doesn't have a motor in it.

Oh, yeah.

l got it. Do me a big favor. Go out in
the Mustang, and get in the back seat.

- There's a big box of wires, all right?
- OK.

Tim, did you tell Al
that he was creative?

Yeah. l had to. Otherwise l'd still
be at Tool Time listening to him whining.

''l'm such a loser. l have no life left.

Even my beard doesn't fit
my face anymore.''

According to llene, what you said made
Al decide to market his Tool Time game.

- He's invested his entire life savings.
- He did? That's crazy.

He ordered games
and made a commercial.

- You gotta go talk some sense into him.
- l can't. l'm hanging the exhaust system.

Look, Tim, Al could be on
the brink of financial disaster.

- You gotta do something.
- l'll give him a call.

- Calling's not good enough. Go over there.
- All right. l'll go over there.

When l get back, he'll be just
as depressed and boring as usual.

Well, l guess you're wondering why
l'm having all these extra lines put in.

Nope.

- You ever watch Tool Time?
- Nope.

- You like board games?
- Nope.

- Hey, Al.
- Hey, Tim.

- Hey, l know you!
- You like Tool Time. huh?

Nope. My wife's head nurse on
the emergency ward.

- lt's Marge. You must be Bob.
- Yeah.

l've heard a lot about you. Say, did you
ever get over that little gambling problem?

Oh, you bet!

Anyway... well, you're all set.
All three lines are working.

OK. When you see Marge,
tell her l'll see her soon.

Hey, l'd put money on it!

Al, what's going on?

Jill told me you put
your life savings into this board game?

Yes, l did! l told you about
that when l came over.

- You came over?
- Yeah. You were putting in the drive shaft.

l remember the drive shaft,
but l don't remember you.

l even have my brother Cal
helping me fill orders.

This is gonna be big! l can feel it!

For the first time in my life l have
confidence in my financial future.

So confident...

l'm gonna propose to llene.

- Propose?
- Saturday night.

- Wow! That's a big step.
- Yes, it is and l'm ready to take it.

Now, don't tell her.
l want this to be a big surprise.

- You haven't sold one game yet.
- That's what they said to Milton Bradley.

That's what they said to
the Parker Brothers.

And don't forget the Parcheesi sisters.

Tim, this is a great game.
And l want you to have the first one.

Thank you, Al. Boy, it's heavy!

Yeah. Tool Man looks pretty good on
the box, too, huh?

Look, look!
My commercial's on!

Look for me and my friends
on the cover of the box

So. act now because these games
will go like hot cakes

We'll ship your order out within three
business days or double your money back.

You have Al Borland's personal guarantee.

So, now you can do more than just watch
us on TV. You can play with us at home!

Call now. Operators are standing by.

(phone ringing)

So? What did you think of my commercial?

- lt looks like it cost six cents.
- (phone ringing)

Hm-hm-hm-hm-hm.

This is the operator.
l'm standing by.

Uh, could you please hold?

Oh, this is great! Oh, l owe it all to you,
my best friend.

- You made me believe in me!
- Oh, no, no, no. No hugs.

Al says he can't marry me
until he's financially secure.

Then he invests every penny he has in
that game. What does that say to you?

lt says l'm gonna have
the cleanest pots and pans on the block.

llene, it's not uncommon for people to set
up barriers to avoid commitment.

But what am l supposed to do?
Wait around forever?

l'm about to turn the big three-four.

Look, as much as you love Al,
as much as l care about him,

l have to say you have to
think about what your needs are.

And if Al can't fulfill them,
then maybe it's time for you to move on.

l don't know.
l really thought we were on the right track.

Do you have any more steel wool?

- Uh, yeah. lt's in the garage.
- l'll get it.

l'll tell you this, Jill. lf l hear another word
about that stupid game, l will go crazy.

Hey, llene. Look what Al gave me.

l can't take it anymore!

She's upset because she thinks she'll
have to wait forever for Al to propose.

She may only have to wait till Saturday.

Get out of town!

What made him
suddenly decide to ask her?

The game might take off. He thinks
he'll be the new Milton Monopoly.

- She's gonna be so happy.
- Let Al tell her, all right?

l would never tell her.

- l need a little help on the hot rod.
- Mark's home.

Oh, good. Going over to Al's
put me off schedule by about an hour.

- Well...
- Mark!

Jill, maybe you're right. Maybe it is
time for me to break it off with Al.

Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no!

- Completely the wrong time.
- But you just said...?

Forget what l said. l say a lot of things.
l don't mean any of 'em.

- You don't mean what you're saying?
- No. This is the only thing l've ever meant.

- Did Tim tell you something?
- No.

l know nothing. Nothing!

And even if l did know something,

l wouldn't be allowed to tell you.

But l could guess?
And you could nod?

ls what you don't know a good thing?

ls this a very, very good thing?

ls this a call-your-parents,
pick-out-a-china-pattern thing?

Oh, my God! No way!

- l'm so happy!
- l know. l know.

- Talk about a mood swing.
- Yes. Huge mood swinger.

- You told her, didn't you?
- l didn't say a word.

You did that head-nodding thing,
didn't you?

You are so childish.

- lt's the Tool Time game. Let's play.
- Can't. l'm on a schedule.

l'll let you be Tim.

l want to play, too.
Here, Mark. You go first.

- All right.
- Oh, look at these figures.

This is so cool. They even
have little removable tool belts.

OK. Two.

Let's see. ''Tim installs plumbing...
that actually works!''

- All right!
- OK. Three.

One, two, three - get a card.

''Tim repairs outdoor lighting in a rainstorm
and you are electrocuted.

Wait for the ambulance.''

Watch this.

(siren)

This is so great!
Al is gonna make a fortune on this.

You know, he is gonna sell a lot of these.

You play it once,
and you gotta buy another one.

- What happened?
- lt caught on fire.

(both) We know that.

Well, the problem is the wiring.
Looks like they used -gauge wiring.

- This is definitely an -gauge-wire setup.
- Well, what does that mean?

lt means Al's got board
games that you can barbecue ribs on.

- Tim, you gotta call him.
- Yeah. He's gotta know about this.

He's not gonna like it,
l'll tell you that.

(# ''Tool Time'' theme)

(Al) Thank you for calling
''The Tool Time Game ''

All our operators are
busy right now . so please hold

And remember. if you're not totally
satisfied with your game.

you'll get double your money back

l can't believe it!
He's gonna lose his life savings.

Actually, double his life savings.

The Tool Time Game. Please hold.
The Tool Time Game. Please hold.

The Tool Time Game. Please hold.

Cal, would you get out here?!
The Tool Time Game. Please hold.

(toilet flushes)

(phones ringing)

(knocking)

- Hi, guys.
- (both) Hey, Tim.

l came to talk about the game.
Have you opened one of those up yet?

No. We're waiting to treat ourselves to
a game after we finish filling orders.

- Can l help you?
- Hey, Tim.

Thank you for encouraging
my brother to follow his dream.

- That's great, Cal.
- l just can't stop thanking you!

Cal, could you please try?


(phone ringing)

Thank you very much.

Al, can l talk to you about
the game for a minute?

Yeah. Yeah, sure.
Boy, this is great!

l'm telling you, the phones are
ringing off the hook!

l never thought this game
would catch fire so soon.

- Well, it did.
- What do you need to talk to me about?

l think they might have put
the wrong wire in it. lt's defective.

- We played it last night and it caught fire.
- Caught fire?

Everything you do catches fire.
What did you do to it?

l didn't do anything to it.
l opened it up and the wiring's wrong.

lt should be -gauge wiring.
lt's -gauge wiring.

Oh, no, no. Lars guaranteed me
they used only the best quality.

Maybe it was just the wiring in your game.

Aha! gauge.

Maybe it's just these two games.

Maybe... and maybe this summer
you'll finally look good in a thong.

Oh, no.

Oh, my God! This is... this is a disaster!

People could get hurt!

l could lose my entire life savings!

- Well, actually that would be, um...
- Double my life savings!

- Would you relax, please? Just relax.
- You're right. Why should l be nervous?

Lars made these games,
it's his responsibility to fix them.

- lt's probably in the contract you signed.
- Contract?

(speaking Chinese)

- Well, same to you, bub.
- This is Lars?

l'm not Lars.
l'm Dave of ''Dave's Fortune Cookies.''

- Where's Lars of ''Lars' Games''?
- He had some bad fortune.

The cops came and arrested him.

So, Lars is behind bars.

Oh, boy!

There were complaints with
the Better Business Bureau.

And most of them were bad wiring.

Boy! Were there some real suckers, huh?!

- l think l've been taken!
- You think? Where are you going?

l'm going up to my cabin one last time
before l have to sell it.

- So, you're just gonna run away?
- What's the point? l'm bankrupt.

l have no future, and l have no right to
ask llene to marry me.

- What am l supposed to do?
- Here. Have a fortune cookie.

They always cheer people up.

''You've gone as far as you can go in life.''

(both) Try another one.

''Your best days are behind you.''

All right. OK. Bingo. Done.
Got it.

Got it. OK.

- Dad, what are you doing?
- Fixing Al's motor.

- Took me minutes.
- Why are you timing yourself?

Well, l'm trying to figure out how l can
redo all his motors in two days.

l've got six people working on motors.
minutes a piece.

That means they can all be fixed in...

A lot less time than it'll
take you to figure out the answer?

- Perfect. Right there.
- ls that it?

You got it. Great, llene. We gotta
hurry up. Al should be back tomorrow.

We got plenty of games... Cal, why don't
you play with your own motor?

Sorry.

- Great job, Heidi.
- Thank you.

- Jill, you're no Heidi.
- Well, duh.

l mean, you're six motors
behind the rest of us.

Oh, come on! We've been at
this for hours. l need a break.

What you need is some hot coffee.
Look how fast Wilson's working.

l'm not a coffee drinker.
lt's the first time l've had one full cup,

let alone eight cups,
it's quite invigorating.

Reminds meof the Buddhist monks
after meditation.

- No more coffee for Wilson.
- l need chocolate and l need it now!

Al's gonna be so touched when he sees
his friends have fixed all his games.

''True friendship is shown in times of
trouble: prosperity is full of friends.''

- Al! What are you doing here?
- l live here.

- What are you guys doing here?
- We work here.

Tim figured out a way to fix your game
and asked us all to pitch in and help.

lt was just that one wire we replaced.

- l can't believe you did this for me!
- Aw, jeez!

Tim, underneath that gruff, insensitive
exterior, you're a kind and beautiful man.

(grunts) Right.

l think what Tim is trying to say is
you have always done so much for us,

and this was our chance to
be there for you.

- (grunts) Yeah.
- You're welcome.

You can ship out your orders on time,
and business will take off like you planned.

l... l'm overwhelmed.

l'm standing here surrounded by all
the people that mean so much to me.

- Especially you, llene.
- Oh, Al.

No, no. l ran away up to my cabin.
l realized l was running away from you.

And l don't need to make a lot of
money for you to love me.

- You've always loved me for who l am.
- And l always will.

Reminds me of Madame de Stal, ''Love is
above the law, above the opinion of men:

the State, the flame,
the ideal story of the modern world.''

Give me the chocolate bar.

Does anybody else feel like your heart is
about to leap out of your chest?

Yes. My heart is
about to leap out of my chest.

And l want everybody to hear this.

llene, l've known you were the one for
me ever since we teed off on

the moderate-to-difficult course at
the ''Putt-Putt Panorama.''

llene Markham, will you marry me?

Yes, she will!

What she said!

- Of course l will, Al.
- Oh!

- l'm sorry. l don't even have a ring for you.
- lt's OK.

Um, wait a minute! You can get
the belt off the little Al figurine.

lt fits!

- l love you, Al.
- l love you, llene.

- Hi.
- Hi.

Yesterday was Al's day.
Today, it's my day.

You getting married again?

No, but l have a new love.

l want to introduce you to
my completed chassis.

And her heart is a -horsepower,
ported and polished flathead.

Wow! l still remember when
you started up the last one.

You were there?

Yes! l was standing
right next to the engine.

l remember the engine,
but you're a total blank.

- l'll leave the two of you alone.
- lt's important you're here when l start it.

- Really?
- Yeah.

l need somebody to take a picture of me.

l recognize the camera,
but you're a total blank.

All right. Say ''cheese.''

(engine starts)

This is a great game.
Al's gonna make a fortune...

...or not.

- Move away.
- (director) Blow it, Pat. Blow it out.

- Thank you. We're clear. Go on.
- Come on! Help us!

''Your best days are behind you.''

What the hell are these -
misfortune cookies?

- Well, so l'm new to the business, OK?
- OK.

(speaks Chinese) ...smart guy.
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