♪ Earth angel, earth angel ♪
♪ Will you be mine? ♪
♪ My darling, dear ♪
♪ Love you all the time ♪
♪ I'm just a fool ♪
♪ A fool in love ♪
♪ With you ♪
( backup vocals crooning)
♪ Earth angel ♪
♪ Earth angel ♪
♪ The one I adore ♪
♪ Love you forever ♪
♪ And ever more ♪
♪ I'm just a fool ♪
♪ A fool in love ♪
♪ With you ♪
( ding)
♪ I said shotgun ♪
♪ sh**t him 'fore he runs now ♪
♪ Do the jerk, baby... ♪
Yes, she is back.
And in case any of you want
to know, it was a great trip.
Mrs. Thatcher's
interview was terrific,
and I sat next to Smokey
Robinson on the plane.
Look, his dinner roll.
Very funny.
( ding)
May I have everyone's
attention, please?
I'm looking for Murphy Brown.
Someone tell me where she is.
Mother.
Murphy.
Gee, this is, uh...
A surprise.
Yeah, big surprise.
Um, how are you, Mother?
I'm fine. How are you, Murphy?
Just fine.
So, Mother...
uh, is there some new
gallery opening in town?
No.
Oh. Is there some
big fund-raising event?
No.
Well, why are you here, Mother?
Well, do I need an excuse
to visit my daughter?
I thought I'd like to
spend a little time with you.
As a matter of fact, I've
cleared my schedule,
so I'm available to stay
as long as you'd like.
Isn't that wonderful.
Frank, Jim...
Come here, quickly.
There's someone
I'd like you to meet.
Frank Fontana, Jim
Dial, this is Avery Brown.
My mother.
Your mother?
Well, it's great to
meet you, Mrs. Brown.
Wow, Murph, you've got a mother.
Lovely to meet you.
I hope you enjoy your
stay in the nation's capital.
Be sure to visit the
Treasury Building.
They have a million
dollars on display.
FRANK: Miles, Miles,
come on over here.
Meet Murphy's mother.
Avery Brown, Miles Silverberg.
This is Murphy's mother?
Wow, it is a pleasure
to meet you, Mrs. Brown!
How do you do?
You know, I don't often think
of Murphy as having a mother.
Let me just say she's
doing great here at FYI.
She has a very good attitude,
and she's learning to
work well with others.
So, tell me, Mrs. Brown.
Is Mr. Brown here as well?
No, Mr. Brown is in Chicago
with a woman half his age.
We've been
divorced for 15 years.
I got the house
and a lot of money.
He got his underwear and
the asphalt on the driveway.
Oh.
Are you married, Mr. Dial?
Yes, yes, I am.
Oh. That's too bad.
You're a very attractive man.
Bright and a good height.
Well, in another life.
I'm not married.
Young man, have you
ever heard the expression
"can't pound a nail
with a tack hammer?"
Boy, the apple doesn't
fall far from the tree.
Mother, why don't we go
into my office and we can talk.
It's been very nice
meeting all of you.
I'm sure I'll see
a lot more of you.
Guys, don't go far.
Mother, just go in and
make yourself comfortable.
I'll get you some coffee.
Well, Murphy, your
mother's quite the spitfire.
Something's really wrong, guys.
My mother never
just drops in on me.
If we made up a list
of favorite things to do,
"visit each other"
would be about tied
with "get appendectomy."
There's not one visit we've
had that wasn't a disaster.
Well, maybe this
time it will be different.
Why don't you look at this as
an opportunity to change the past.
Sounds great in theory,
but she's not fooling
me for a minute.
I know there's a
reason why she's here,
and I'm not looking forward
to finding out what it is.
Like I really
wanted to marry her.
You could have just sent
the steak back, Mother.
You didn't have to
go into the kitchen
and make the chef eat it.
You can't let people get
away with shoddy service.
It starts with overcooked meat
and ends with President Quayle.
Your townhouse is lovely, dear.
Thank you, Mother.
I had some work done
on it since you saw it last.
Although you still have
that picture over the mantel.
I've never understood
why you gravitate to florals.
I like that painting.
You just think you do.
I'll send you something
else when I get home.
Well, what are we
going to do now?
We could play poker,
or we could find another
place for that couch.
I don't know about
you, but I'm exhausted.
What do you say
we call it a day?
Oh, now, just wait a minute.
Go to bed without our hot cocoa?
You know it's tradition.
I've been thinking a
lot about that lately.
Remember how Eloise
used to bring it to us
on our favorite silver tray,
with one praline cookie for you
and one praline cookie for me?
And you'd sit on my lap,
and we'd listen to
the Nutcracker Suite.
Oh, God, you're dying!
That's why you're
here, isn't it?
I apologize for everything.
I was gonna to send you
a Christmas card last year,
but I didn't have any stamps
and you know what
the lines are like.
What are you talking about?
I'm not dying.
For God's sake, do
I look like I'm dying?
Now, come on.
What do you say
we get our hot cocoa
for old times' sake, okay?
Okay.
Do you know how
to make hot cocoa?
No. Do you?
Where is Eloise
when we need her?
I'll go see if I
can figure it out.
( humming)
( both scream)
Police! Police!
Stop!
911! Police!
MURPHY: He works here.
It's okay.
Who the hell is this broad?
Eldin Bernecky, this is
Avery Brown, my mother.
This is your mother?
Wow, I never pictured
you having a mother.
Well, nice to meet you.
I guess I should be glad
there were no wire coat
hangers laying around.
Eldin's the one who's doing
the work on the house, Mother.
He keeps strange hours.
ELDIN: So...
Looks like we'll
finally be getting
some home cooking
around this place, huh?
You know, your daughter,
she's no Julia Childs.
Maybe while you're here, you
could help her out a little bit.
Teach her how to select produce.
Stuff a nice turkey.
Check his pockets for jewelry.
Eldin, did I mention
my mother is a curator
at the National
Gallery in Philadelphia?
Mother, you know Eldin is
no ordinary house painter.
He's an artist.
I'm a student of the WPA
and Russian
Constructivist period,
which is why
murals fascinate me.
When I first saw the ceiling
of Rockefeller Plaza, I wept.
Well, you know, I
curated an exhibit
of Kandinsky's work last year.
There's a certain utopian
nostalgia in his work
that I find enlightening.
You know, my favorite
artist of that era is Lissitsky.
His work is atypical, but
I think it was important.
What can I tell you?
She likes the painting
over the mantel, too.
Excuse me while I go
set the kitchen on fire.
You know, dear, I think maybe
you're right about turning in.
Mr., uh...
Bernecky.
I hope I didn't leave any scars.
We'll continue our
conversation tomorrow.
Murphy,
you get your rest.
I'm taking you
shopping tomorrow,
and we're going to drop
in on the hairdresser's.
It looks like time for a trim.
Good night, Mother.
Sleep tight.
Don't let the bed bugs bite.
What a captivating woman.
Oh, yeah? Well, then
you go shopping with her,
while she drags you
from store to store,
forcing you to try
on things you hate.
You go to the
hairdresser with her,
while she and Mr. Fabio
decide whether you
should have bangs or not.
Well, not this time!
I've come a long way
in the last few years,
and it's about time I
made her realize that.
( ding)
Well, I think it's ridiculous,
Murphy, to go to a museum
when I can spend the rest
of the day with my daughter
in her own environment.
I told you, Mother, there's
nothing happening today.
I'm gonna make a few calls
and do some paperwork. That's it.
Go to the Smithsonian.
You'll have a much better time.
Well, if you're sure.
But I've been to
the Smithsonian.
Maybe I'll take a tour
of the White House
and see what damage
the Bushes have done.
There you go.
Murphy.
Don't say anything.
I wasn't going to.
Love the hat, Mrs. Brown.
Murphy, we need a meeting, stat.
I had to k*ll the piece
on the insanity plea,
and we need to get something
in its place right away.
Aha! I knew something good
was going to happen today...
A meeting.
I love meetings.
You're welcome to
sit in, Mrs. Brown.
I know that.
Come on.
What are we waiting for?
We have a deadline to meet.
All right, everyone,
gather around.
Put your thinking caps on.
I see Murphy's
already wearing hers.
As you know, we're
facing a crisis situation.
Forty-eight hours till air time,
and we have no lead story.
Our backups are
highly sensitive,
and they've not
yet cleared legal.
This is due to the
change in climate
in Standards and Practices,
which mandates a much
more stringent code of ethics
in broadcast journalism.
Miles is trying to act smart
because we have a visitor.
Would you work
with me here, Corky?
Look, what if we do
an update on Star Wars
with a focus on the new
Secretary of Defense?
Not bad, although it
feels a little overdone.
How about that piece on the
Witness Protection Program?
We're still waiting on
two key interviews, Jim.
JIM: Oh.
What about the
Supreme Court's cutback
on affirmative action?
I think that's something
we should cover.
I like that for the future,
but it seems too
ambitious for our deadline.
Well, you know you've got to do
something on airport security.
It's a very timely subject now,
and you'd be
remiss if you didn't.
Correct me if I'm wrong,
but the FAA is releasing
a national study next month.
A wife of one of the
committee members
is an acquaintance of mine.
I... I could make a call.
I love this.
This is great.
Timely and highly promotable.
Murphy, I want you
to get on it right away.
What if I don't want to do
a story on airport security?
What if I want to do
affirmative action?
You can't do affirmative action.
You don't have the time.
I do, too!
I have time.
I don't want to do her story.
I want to do mine.
Don't be stubborn, dear.
Listen to your mother, now.
I don't want to.
Murphy, you know
how I hate to pull rank.
Do you want to be
on TV this week?
Well, thanks.
Thanks a lot.
Okay, I'll do it.
I'll do airport security,
but I don't have to like it,
and you can't make me!
MURPHY: Are you
making the burgers smaller?
And didn't you used to serve
two cups of coleslaw
on each plate?
I don't like the
looks of this, Murphy.
You're doing the
same thing with food
you used to do with booze.
This wouldn't have
anything to do with the fact
that your mother's
in town, would it?
How'd you know
my mother's in town?
She came in here
about an hour ago.
She found six ways to
increase the efficiency of my staff
and helped throw out a drunk.
Damn good-looking woman, too.
Got good calves.
Hey, Murph.
Hi, Frank.
So are you gonna come
back to the office today,
or are you planning on staying
here right through dinner?
I'm hiding, Frank.
What do you mean "hiding"?
Hiding, hiding.
What's wrong with you?
This is so absurd.
I, I'm an adult woman.
An accomplished woman.
My mother comes to visit me,
and I'm instantly reduced
to an eight year old.
I feel stupid and little,
and all the furniture
looks bigger than it is.
You've got to admit she
is a pretty amazing woman.
She even looks
good in hats, Frank.
How do you live up to that?
Maybe you shouldn't try.
I stopped trying to please
my parents five years ago.
I bought them a
condo in Boca Raton,
moved them down there.
Two weeks later,
a hurricane hits,
and suddenly, it's my fault.
I'm telling you, you can't
win. You just can't win!
Then there's the little matter
of why she's here,
which is still a mystery.
I want to show you
something, Frank.
This is a picture of
my mother and father.
Right.
Well, do you see
anything strange?
No.
I don't look like
either of them.
That's the answer, Frank.
That's what she's
come to tell me...
I'm adopted.
You know, Murph, for
somebody who holds down a job
and dresses herself
in the morning,
you are one doughnut
short of a dozen.
I just wish I could have a
closer relationship with her.
Do you know that
in our adult lives
we've never said "I
love you" to one another?
I tried to once, but...
Well...
I was thinking I'd invite her
to the show tomorrow night.
Let her sit in on
a live broadcast,
see me in action,
doing what I do best.
What do you think?
I think you should stop
trying to please her so much.
JIM: Your mother seems
to be enjoying herself.
Well, I really think she is.
Bringing her onto my
turf was a great idea.
I'm starting to feel
like my old self again.
See, I told you you could get
through this visit in one piece.
She's such a dear,
sweet woman, Murphy.
She really does
deserve grandchildren.
There's just a few
minutes till air time, Mother.
Why don't we go over here
and you can watch
the show near Miles.
He can explain any
complicated technical things
that might come up.
Just don't ask me
how the picture
goes through the air
and gets into the television.
I still don't get it.
Okay, Murphy, here's your copy.
The guy from the FAA
is in the green room.
Now, he likes to talk
charts and numbers,
so you're gonna
have to find some way
to personalize the interview.
Oh, ask him about his daughter's
trip to Europe last summer.
He sat by the phone
and chewed his nails
until she landed safely.
This is great!
You've got to use that, Murphy.
Well, I want to
start by asking him
who intends to pay
for increased security...
The airlines, the
government or the consumer.
Oh, I think the more
compelling issue
is who are they hiring
and how are they training them?
Mother, you have to
talk dollars and cents first.
Why?
Because that's
the primary issue.
Not to me, it isn't.
Well, that's you.
And this is me.
And I'm not you,
and you're not me.
And why did you make me
wear those hats to school?
I hated those hats.
I hated every
single one of them.
And you know which one I
hated most: the beret. That's right.
And remember when I told you
Shelly Horne stole
it out of my locker?
Well, she didn't.
I tied it to the back of my bike
and dragged it half a mile past
the Kramers' German shepherd,
who chewed it into a
million red woolly pieces
while I watched and
I laughed like this...
( cackling laugh)
Well, enjoy the show, Mother.
( radio switching stations)
( Billie Holiday singing)
♪ I've got a right
to feel low down ♪
♪ I've got a right
to hang around ♪
( Avery joins in): ♪ Way
down around the river ♪
♪ A certain man
in this old town ♪
♪ Keeps dragging
my poor heart around ♪
♪ All I see ♪
♪ For me ♪
♪ Is ♪
♪ Mis-er-y! ♪
♪ Ohhh... ♪
♪ I've got a right ♪
♪ To sing the blues ♪
♪ I've got a right
to moan and sigh ♪
♪ I've got a right
to sit and cry ♪
♪ Down around ♪
♪ The river ♪
♪ Soon that deep blue sea... ♪
♪ Will be calling me ♪
♪ It must be love ♪
♪ Say what you choose ♪
♪ I've got a right
to sing the blues ♪
Whoa! Yeah, all right!
You little stinker.
You've been sneaking
around after me
ever since you were a kid,
and you're still doing it.
Well, now I know
one thing for sure:
I'm definitely not adopted.
( both chuckle)
You know, that was a side
of you I've never seen before.
And it's a side of me you're
never gonna see again.
Gosh, we haven't laughed
like that in a long time.
No.
It felt good.
Ah, I wish it could
happen more often.
Mother, why are you here?
Well, I just felt I...
I thought that...
Well you're the
only child I've got,
and I thought it was about time
we learned how to be
mother and daughter.
Mother, I don't know
how to be your daughter.
Because I don't know
how to be perfect.
I've been trying for 40 years,
but I just don't seem
to be getting anywhere.
Well, if there's anybody
who isn't perfect,
it's me.
Oh, I've done a lot
of things in my life,
but when you compare
them to having a child,
they don't mean very much.
You're my great achievement.
But somewhere
long ago, I lost you,
and I never got you back.
Hmm, surprised?
Mother admitting to failure.
But I'll tell you something.
In here,
I know all the secrets.
Tell me one.
I... I never wanted to
have a birthday party.
Do you know why?
Because I was afraid
no one would come.
I'll tell you another one.
I'm terrified to walk into
a room full of strangers,
because I'm sure no
one will want to talk to me.
I'll tell you one of mine.
I've never said "I love you,"
because I'm afraid
no one will say it back.
Why don't you try it?
I love you.
I love you.
Do you know what I'm in
the mood for all of a sudden?
What?
Praline cookies.
Oooh, that sounds great.
Let's go in the kitchen
and bake some.
Do you know how to
bake praline cookies?
No. Do you?
No.
Feel brave?
Let's go for it.
( sobbing)
Hello?
Mom?