( croaks )
I think this is the ugliest thing I've ever seen.
Well, I suppose he is
if that's all you're lookin' at.
He? Yeah, that's Jerome.
He's got a name, and a heart and warts.
I guess the warts are all you can see.
No, I just assumed that...
Baby, you keep looking at things
with your eyes instead of your heart.
You're going to assume yourself
all the way back to the choir, angel girl.
( Croaks )
( croaking )
( men laughing, whooping )
MAN ( over P.A. ): Keep those tips coming, gentlemen.
Yeah, that's right there.
( Jazz music playing )
The beautiful Glitter is dancing for you on our stage.
"Glitter" is her stage name.
Her real name is Ginger.
Ah. That's better.
I guess that Glitter
can be just as ugly as warts sometimes.
Your assignment is to look beyond all that glitter.
I don't think there's much glitter to look beyond.
Baby, be careful.
Don't start making judgments from what you see here.
Remember Jerome?
The secret is what's inside,
and Ginger's got deep pain and confusion inside.
She's doing all the wrong things
for all the right reasons,
and she's hurting somebody else
even more than she's hurting herself,
and that's what you've got to help her strip away.
I don't like the sound of this.
MAN: All night long!
This isn't one of those
"walk a mile in her shoes" things, is it?
Try stilettos.
A stripper?
Well, not necessarily.
You're supposed to start off easy
and work your way up.
Up?
Well, we're gonna find out where that is.
Come on, gentlemen. Show your appreciation.
( men hooting )
( chuckles softly )
♫ When you walk ♫
♫ Down the road ♫
♫ Heavy burden ♫
♫ Heavy load ♫
♫ I will rise ♫
♫ And I will walk with you ♫
♫ I'll walk with you ♫
♫ Till the sun don't even shine ♫
♫ Walk with you ♫
♫ Every time ♫
♫ I tell you, I'll walk with you ♫
♫ Walk with you ♫
♫ Believe me, I'll walk with you. ♫
Not bad.
Couldn't I wear a little more?
In this business, less is more,
and when we move you up to strip,
you'll be wearing even less...
more or less.
( laughs ): Joke.
When will that be?
Whenever you're ready, baby,
or when I can somebody, whichever comes first.
WOMAN: But I need a sitter.
Look, you can't leave now. I really need you.
Okay, okay.
Look, how about if I give you an extra 20?
All right, 25?
Look, I know the motel room is cramped.
I'm getting a bigger place this afternoon.
Yeah, I'll see you.
I've heard that one before.
You're all heart.
BOY: The only interesting thing to do here, I guess,
is to collect cans and papers and stuff,
but if you stay with it, you make some good money.
You can tell a lot about people from their garbage.
( Croaks )
Like if they're pigs or...
that's how those archaeologists figure it all out.
They sift through petrified garbage and stuff.
It's like, a hundred years from now,
they'll figure out why we died.
Hey, hey. What's up, big Jeremy? Hey.
How you doin' today? What you got good for me?
I got 20 pounds of newspaper and a couple bags of cans.
Oh, good job, good job. So you going to Nashville?
Yeah, I'm-a go there this afternoon, matter of fact,
drop off these cans and papers and go see my mum,
so I can probably get that little cash for you
in a couple days, all right?
Uh, my dad was looking for you.
Oh. Where's he at? He's showing a trailer to someone.
Golly, I hope they got some kids
or a dog or at least something to play with.
Yeah, I'm sure they do. Do me a favour.
Tell your dad I'll have his rent for him
as soon as I get back from Nashville, all right? Okay.
All right, man.
So that just about does it.
Now there's no,
uh, no guest parkin'
and no loud music after 10:00.
Wow. ( Chuckles )
And that other thing will be our little secret.
All right, thanks.
( Engine starts )
WOMAN: Secret? What secret?
What were you talkin' to her about?
You couldn't rent to...
MAN: Would you get off my back?
Women like that give trailer parks a bad name.
Jeremy, supper!
WOMAN: Do you know what kind of woman she is?
You can tell just by looking at her.
( Man and woman argue indistinctly )
( frog croaks )
Your asthma bothering you?
No.
( Frog croaks )
What the hell was that?
I don't know.
Go to sleep.
( Frog croaks )
I don't know what's goin' on in there,
but we're sure gonna find out in the morning.
( Frog croaks )
( door closes )
( engine starts )
( muffled country music playing )
MAN ( over P.A. ) Come on, now, gentlemen. Yeah.
Look, I'm begging here.
I'm not asking for your philosophy.
I'm asking for your help.
Hey, Monica, Joleen just quit.
You're stripping after Ginger.
Congratulations.
( Man whoops )
( slams telephone )
Yo, Monica, get your tassels in gear.
Hey!
Oh, uh, good afternoon, sir.
My name is Jeremy, and I represent the, uh,
the Young Economists of America.
I'm asking you to invest.
Hey, get out of here!
No kids allowed! Beat it!
So you goin' up there, huh?
( Chuckles ) I can't wait to get a look
at the rest of you.
Oh...
Oh, I'm so sorry.
Actually, the truth be known,
I'm not at all sorry, Marty.
You had it comin' to you.
Okay, that's it. You're fired.
Marty, I'm sorry. What can I say?
This here happens to be one of our investors.
Marty, I promise this will never happen again.
What's wrong with this picture?
The human's inside, and the angel's outside.
I know. I feel terrible.
I've never been fired before.
Well, if it was gonna happen, this was the time for it,
'cause you were moving up.
There's somethin' goin' on with Ginger,
and it's not happening in here...
The Temple of Venus.
Well, you've got to find out where it is happening.
I'm workin' on a plan.
Well, that's good.
Can I borrow your car?
I hate this plan already.
( Club door opens )
WOMAN: Thanks, Jimmy.
What are you still doing here?
Tell me you're not gonna go back inside
and ask for your job back.
Well, I'd rather not,
but I don't know what else to do.
Yeah, look, I'm sorry it didn't work out.
I'd buy you a drink, but I'm so tired,
I just gotta get home.
( Starter engine whirring )
Nice car. Thanks for the ride.
See ya.
Really? When?
I mean, did you really mean it about that drink?
Um, well, yeah, sure.
Oh, great. Do you have cappuccino?
Water?
What, now?
Well, I've really got a lot to do. I gotta...
It's just that I was hoping that we could talk.
Um...
well, the truth is,
I actually overhead you trying to hire someone for a job,
and... I could really use one.
Doesn't pay much.
And it...
well, it takes a little getting used to.
I think I can handle it.
What's she got in there?
Maybe she's a voodoo dancer, and she doesn't want us
to see all her shrunken heads.
Or maybe she's got an old, dead body in there.
( Frog croaks )
( car approaches )
( horn honks )
Good morning. I'm all set.
Great. I'll see you later.
Um, I was just thinkin'.
You know what you said about staying in the house?
Look, we already went through that.
You want the job, don't break the rules.
You don't like the rules, tell me now.
I got a bus to catch. Okay.
I'm gonna be a little late.
I gotta pick up my car from the shop.
See ya.
Bye.
( Panting )
( inhales )
( continues panting )
( grunts )
( inhales )
Hello.
Ahh.
You're the young economist, aren't you?
The what?
Jeremy, isn't it?
Uh, yeah.
Well, Jeremy, something seems to have shaken the trailer,
and all the little decorations
in that window over there fell down.
You couldn't come inside and help us pick them up, huh?
So nice to meet some children here in the park.
We've been lookin' for some.
Would you like some ice cream?
I know it's early, but...
( footsteps approach )
MONICA: This is Emily.
Emily, this is Jeremy, your neighbour.
He lives in the... is it the red trailer next door?
JEREMY: So what happened to you?
I came this way.
Emily's nose and mouth didn't quite get finished
before she was born.
So she's had to learn new ways to do
what you and I take for granted,
like eating and breathing.
You know what?
I gotta do something for my mum.
So I'm gonna go, okay?
( Grunts )
One chocolate-chocolate
and one chocolate-vanilla.
Thanks.
Oh, thanks.
You're welcome.
Jeremy, this is how Emily and I spend our afternoons together
when her mother is at work.
She's a ballerina.
See?
Like this.
She's pretty.
Do you have any brothers and sisters, Jeremy?
No.
We were gonna have a little girl,
but she never got born.
I don't know.
I guess it'd be kinda cool to have a little sister.
JEREMY: "There was a woman who greatly desired
"to have a child to love and care for,"
"but she had none."
"She went to see a fairy. 'Do you know where I...?'"
I'm home. Where's my angel?
Hi, honey.
How was your day today?
Mama, Jeremy's here.
What is this?
I said no strangers.
Uh, Jeremy's not a stranger. He's a neighbour.
Anyway, Emily could use some friends.
Go and wash up for dinner, okay, baby?
We're gonna have something special tonight, okay?
Go on, you can use the dinosaur soap.
( Door closes )
Look, nothing personal.
I just don't like kids being around Emily, okay?
So do me a favour and just, uh, don't come back.
Sorry.
I'm sorry.
Yeah, well, don't apologize to me
'cause I'm not the one you're hurting.
How could I be hurtin' Emily?
She had so much fun today.
She needs friends.
You be her friend.
That's what I hired you for.
No strangers, no mirrors,
no trips outdoors.
It seems so cruel.
Compared to what?
Last year,
I took her to a park early in the morning,
and this woman came up to us and asked us to leave.
She said Emily was frightening her children.
I'm not gonna let that happen again.
But you can't protect her for the rest of her life, Ginger.
I won't have to.
There's an operation they can do that can fix everything.
I'm saving up for it.
Oh...
so that's why you're a stripper.
I'm not a stripper. I just strip.
I see.
Ballerinas don't get tips.
Yep, that's right. So don't judge me.
I'm not judging you.
It's obvious how much you love Emily.
So why can't you do something to help her now?
It's not just a question of money.
There must be a place or a way or a...
Look, I don't take charity.
How can you let pride
stand in the way of something like this?
This has nothing to do with pride.
Well, what is it then?
It's my business, not yours.
Are you firing me?
Are you gonna play by my rules?
I have grown very fond of Emily.
12:30 tomorrow?
Tomorrow.
( Door closes )
Hello, Jeremy. How have you been?
Pretty good.
I know I'm supposed to stay away,
but I've had this book since I was a little kid,
and it's pretty beat up, but I thought...
Come on in.
Okay.
Dingdong. Angel calling.
Tess, what are you doin' here?
Well, I detect a slight change in focus.
I believe Ginger is your assignment.
And how are you gonna get her trust
if you keep disobeying her rules?
Well, they're terrible rules.
And Ginger is totally unreasonable.
Oh, she's got her reason, all right.
You quit worrying about the problem
and start finding the solution.
And I wish you hadn't brought that boy in here.
He was not in the plan.
No, sir.
Well, maybe the plan should change.
Well, who do you think you are, Miss Wings?
The last time I looked,
I didn't see any bumper stickers
that say, "Smile 'cause Monica loves you."
How can anybody expect me to stand aside
while Emily needs help
and her mother won't give it to her?
I think the reason I'm here is for Emily
and not for Ginger.
Dangerous waters, baby.
Just because you don't like the horse
is no excuse to start changing ponies in midstream.
I never said I didn't like Ginger.
Oh, you didn't?
( Sighs )
"'I quacked and I quacked, but it was no use.'
"'Let me see the egg.
"'Yes, it's a turkey's egg.
"'Leave it alone
"'and teach your children to swim.'
"'I think I'll sit a bit longer, ' replied the duck.
"'I sat this long already.'
"'Do as you please, ' snapped the old duck,
"and away she walked.
"At last, her egg broke, too.
"'Peep, peep, ' cried the youngster
"and crept forth.
"'Oh, you're so big and ugly.'
"Mother duck scrutinized him.
"'He's a frightfully large duckling, ' said she."
"'None of the others look like that."
"'Could he really be a turkey's chick?"
"'Well, we shall soon find out."
"Into the water he must go.'"
See ya.
Jeremy.
Yeah?
Here's something for your recycling.
Thanks.
( Paper tearing )
( frog croaks ) I'm not scared.
I just gotta do it, so that's all.
I can do it.
( Croaks )
Whew.
Don't get mad, okay?
I just wanna show you something.
There's this organization called Operation Smile
where a team of doctors go around
and they fix kids' faces.
They're gonna be in Tennessee, but only tomorrow.
And it's free. It's totally free.
Where did you get this? What?
Now you listen to me. Come on, it's free.
You leave me and my daughter alone. What's wrong? It's free.
( Sighs )
( panting )
( inhales )
( humming )
( whispering ): Emily.
Come here.
Come on. Come on. Come on.
Watch your step.
Come on.
What in Sam Hill is going on around here?
When they put this gate up?
I hate gates.
Nobody tell me about no gate.
( Scoffs ): And they talk to me about some.
Homeowners' Association.
I'm not paying for no new gate.
Please watch over them.
♫ Gonna have a big ol' night tonight ♫
♫ Yeah, baby, that's right ♫
♫ Everything is goin' my way ♫
♫ Hey, hey. ♫
Yeah.
Look what I got.
This is yogurt.
It's not as good as ice cream,
but ice cream melts.
Nashville's a really big place.
My friend Albert says it's like heaven,
but with only better music.
If Albert's your friend,
how come we're riding back here?
Well, Albert doesn't like passengers.
Besides, we need to get to Nashville
to get that operation.
What's an operation?
It's a thing they do
to make you look like everyone else.
Like you?
No, not like me. Like you, kinda.
Only different.
See, you'll be going to school,
and, well, people who are different
that go to school get teased a lot.
I was different, so I got teased a lot.
Ah, there they are.
Get down. Get down.
Well, hello, gentlemen.
Here we go.
So what is it this time?
Science stuff
from some aeronautics company.
Oh, y'all rippin' off
a higher class of warehouse now, huh?
You know the drill.
Half now, half upon delivery.
Same place?
They gotta unload this stuff before morning,
so haul it.
Now have I ever let you down?
No. Don't let this time be the first.
Yeah.
Hey, what are all those newspapers for?
I recycle.
Recycle?
I like that.
That was a close one.
Next stop... Nashville.
MAN: Are you saying that this is Jeremy's fault?
Flouncing around in your tight, little jeans.
GINGER: Now look, lady, you better just watch your mouth.
MAN: Don't you talk to my wife that way.
WOMAN: I knew there'd be trouble the minute you drove in here.
Well, this is an unholy mess.
You see what happens
when you start messin' with the plan?
What possessed those children
to jump on that truck?
Well, I guess I got some clean-up work to do.
It's nice to know
you're needed.
What the...?
I do need some coffee.
Woman, what are you doin' out here
on this road by yourself? Car broke down.
I can't see any car out here.
Well, you almost didn't see me.
You need some coffee.
Yeah, I suppose that's so.
Well, are we ridin' or talkin'?
DISPATCHER: All units, all units.
Issuing an all points
for two children aged 11 and five.
Description to come.
That's a police scanner.
Yeah.
Well, what does a law-abiding citizen like you
need to know what the police are doing for?
It was a Christmas present from my Aunt Sally.
Mm-hmm.
You want some air?
Air's good.
All right.
Like a little music?
Good music.
MAN ( on radio ): It's five minutes to 7:00 here on WKRS,
Bowling Green, Kentucky's number one music station.
Kentucky?
What's Kentucky?
It's a place way far away from Nashville.
We're goin' the wrong way.
I gotta check this out.
( Country music playing )
What the...?
( Tires squealing )
Boy, what are you doin' in the back of my truck?
What is all this doin' in the back of your truck?
Let me guess.
Your Aunt Sally gave it to you.
DISPATCHER: All units, all units, be advised.
Vehicle carrying two runaways is as follows:
Blue 1977 pickup truck,
Tennessee license Peter-Apple-Bravo-4-1-6.
Oh, this is just gettin' better and better, isn't it?
They find your truck,
they find more than your truck, huh?
What are you doin' in the back of my truck?
( Sighs )
Emily. Come on.
Come on.
This is my friend, Emily.
We have to be in Nashville by 7:00 in the morning.
Nashville?
Boy, that's way in the opposite direction.
But you always go to Nashville
to see your mother.
Not this time.
What's in Nashville, baby?
Operation Smile.
They do operations. They fix kids' faces.
And they're gonna be in Nashville,
but for only one day.
The doors open at 7:00 a.in.
Hello, Emily.
Hello.
Y'all excuse me a minute, please.
JEREMY: Where's she going, Albert?
I don't know.
Father, the plans are changing faster
than this old angel can keep up with.
You tell me what you want me to do.
I really do need my coffee.
We got a new plan.
I didn't know we had an old one.
We goin' to Nashville.
Oh, no. I'm not goin' anywhere.
The road to Nashville takes me right past
that trailer park.
I got two missing kids
and a whole truckload of stuff.
They goin' pick me up for sure.
Well, Mr. Light-Fingers, you go over there
and tell those kids they're not getting to Nashville.
And make sure that little girl understands real good
that she's not gonna get her face fixed.
Look here, woman.
If I thought that I could get them kids to Nashville
without ending up in jail, I'd do it.
A righteous man would do it anyway.
Now you listen to me.
You got to leave that stuff behind
and never come back to it again.
I can't do that. What are you, crazy?
You have no choice.
You get on the road, you will be caught.
All the roads are blocked.
Now how do you know all of this?
DISPATCHER: All units, be advised.
The Highway Patrol has set roadblocks up
in the tristate area.
Special attention to roads leading to Nashville.
What in the name of Glory.
You watch your mouth.
You're a man on the wrong road.
And due to a series of unusual events,
you have a chance to make amends.
And since I have this on very good authority
that this opportunity is never comin' your way again,
may I suggest that you take it and shut your mouth
and help me get them kids in that?
ALBERT: What the...?
Come on. Let's go.
Where did that thing come from?
Who are you?
I am an angel.
( Chuckles )
You know, that may be.
That just may be.
TESS: Come on, kids. Now hurry up.
Get in the balloon. Come on.
They're searching for us on every road and highway
in two states.
But they won't be searching the sky.
I'm not gettin' in there.
Okay. Bye.
( Sirens wailing in distance )
Okay, I don't wanna seem too hasty now.
Now tell me,
how does an angel get this thing to fly?
You turn it on.
( Air hisses )
JEREMY: Wow. This is cool.
Look at this, Emily.
TESS: Isn't it wonderful? Look at this beauty.
Turn around, baby. Don't be afraid.
( Humming )
You have any idea where they might be?
I don't know where they went.
I didn't know Albert Turner at all.
You'd have to ask them.
Thank you.
Officer, any word yet?
No, ma'am.
I know that not telling is just as bad as lying,
but I really want Emily to have that operation,
and if Ginger doesn't like it, then...
The truth is that I don't like Ginger.
There, I've said it.
I hate what she's doing to her child.
I don't understand it.
I don't know how to get through to her.
She makes me so angry
that I'm afraid of what I'll say to her next,
and then I end up not saying anything at all.
I'm sorry.
Really, I am sorry.
But I don't know what to say to her anymore
without telling her the truth.
And the truth shall set her free.
Ma'am, are you all right?
Yes. I'm just fine.
I understand you were the baby-sitter.
I am the baby-sitter.
Do you have any idea where we might find them?
Nashville.
Thank you.
And she never let this little one
out in the sunlight again.
People do the craziest things.
Mm-hmm.
What are you lookin' at?
Nothin'.
Look, I don't steal the stuff,
I don't sell the stuff.
I just drive the stuff, okay?
Who do you think you're talkin' to?
Do you think the Almighty is stupid?
I'm gonna tell you something.
God raised this balloon,
and He's able to raise your standards,
which, I might add, could not be any lower.
All you have to do is get in and hold on.
Am I gettin' through to you?
JEREMY: Look. Nashville.
Look, baby. Nashville.
Nashville?
JEREMY: Look at the sunrise.
( Sirens wailing )
Emily?
Excuse me.
Have you seen a little girl about five years old?
Emily.
Have you seen a little boy?
He's about 11 years old and about this high.
He's got freckles
and a baseball cap turned backwards?
He's with a little girl and she's... Any luck, honey?
No. All right, you take this side.
I'll take this side.
MONICA: Ginger, she's not here.
How did you get here? What's goin' on?
Emily's not here, but she's safe,
and she'll be here very soon, I think. What?
You know, she'll need parental consent
for the operation today.
No. As soon as I find her, we are goin' home.
What kind of a woman are you? That's none of your business.
She's my child! No.
She's your gift. She's your precious charge from God.
Don't you talk to me about God. God hates me.
That's absurd. What do you know about God?
What do you know about Him?
I know that that little girl is a living reminder
of every screw up in my life...
Every guy I slept with, every time I ever woke up
n a strange bed,
every tassel and every garter I ever tossed,
every check I ever bounced,
my God, probably even every chain letter I didn't pass on.
What goes around comes around, Monica.
And I thought, fine, fine, live hard, play hard, die hard,
I can take it.
But God... see, He's tricky.
He didn't just make me pay for it,
He made her pay for it.
He punishes me by making her suffer.
Don't you see?
Taking the charity, getting that operation for free...
That won't work.
I have to pay for it. Me.
That's my penance! That's my punishment!
Stop.
I won't listen to this. I won't.
If you have done things in your life
that you are not proud of, I am sorry.
And if you don't believe that you can walk away
from all of that right now, then I am sorrier still.
But for you to twist your guilt
and your superstitions and your fables
into a life sentence for that little child,
that makes me very angry!
You are looking at an angel, Ginger...
An angel sent by God who thought all she had to do
was to bring some healing into the life of a child.
But you are that child, Ginger,
and that healing
will never be yours until you accept
that God did not punish you for all your screw ups.
You should get on your knees and thank Him
for sending your child in spite of them!
But you don't understand.
I took speed to keep me going when I was in the ballet.
I knew I might be pregnant, but I didn't care.
So I just kept drinking and smoking and doing drugs.
Oh, God, I did this to my baby.
I love her so much, but I did this to her.
You don't know that.
I don't know that.
There are great mysteries in this world
that we don't understand, Ginger.
Only God does.
But this I do understand...
That no mistake you have ever made
is bigger than God's power to fix it.
Your little girl
saw the sunrise for the first time this morning.
Isn't it time for you now?
Oh, no. You leave this to me.
Hands up. Everyone just stay put.
Hold it, hold it, Officer. Don't get excited.
I'm going to explain everything
very slowly.
Emily.
What the heck did you think you were doing?
You're a sick boy. You made us crazy.
You have your inhaler with you?
Chill, Mom. I don't need it. I'm okay.
Honey, I was so worried about you. Are you all right?
Huh? Are you all right, baby?
Hi. How are you?
Mama, I'm gonna have an operation.
Jeremy, Jeremy!
( Jeremy laughs )
JEREMY: Ohh!
Go ahead. Go on.
Oh, I couldn't help it.
I just had to see how she's doing.
Well, your problem is that you get
too emotionally involved in your cases,
which is one of the things I love most about ya.
MONICA: Hello, Emily.
You are so beautiful, Emily.
But never forget, you always were.
A child's smile is something to cherish and share.
Three of the children who appeared
on tonight's episode
have since received free reconstructive surgery
through Operation Smile.
Touched by an Angel would like to thank
the surgeons, volunteers and CBS
for making these wonderful miracles possible.
For more information on Operation Smile,
you can call 804-625-0375.