Adult Dean: Gone were the days when you grew up and stayed close
to your parents, like my mom and dad did.
Education and opportunities
were pushing the next generation further away,
and a lot sooner.
And by 1969,
Mama was sensing the shift.
Can't stay.
I'm getting pizza with the girls.
But I made your favorite.
Come on, Mom.
We only have a few more months together
before we all head off to college.
Well, alright.
Oh. Hey, Kim.
Um, okay, don't be mad,
but I'm having dinner at Tammy's.
We've just both been so busy at work,
we barely get to see each other,
but, Mom, it smells great, really.
Hey, now.
Don't be sad.
Maybe it's a good thing.
No fighting over the last piece of chicken with Bruce,
no complaining from Kim about food she doesn't pay for.
It's nice, just the two of us, isn't it? Mm.
Sometimes I feared they wouldn't miss me
until I showed up on a milk carton.
Announcer: "The Wonderful World of Disney."
Not it. Not it.
Williams residence. Dean speaking.
Dad, it's Bum Lee from your old band.
Tell him I'm not here.
But you always tell me not to lie.
Kim.
He's not here. And now...
He must've heard I wrote that song for Marvin Gaye
and probably wants me to come back to the band.
Ain't that always the way?
Good. Everyone's here.
I've been thinking it over.
With things going the way they are
and Kim headed off to college soon,
Bruce getting busier and busier,
this might be our last chance to make family memories.
So, I would like for us to go on a family vacation.
But we always go on family vacations.
What about Lake Chewacla?
Not a picnic where we all get chiggers.
A real vacation, Bill.
Like the ones you see on TV.
What about... Kim: Austin, Texas?
I applied to the University of Northern Austin,
and I got the acceptance letter yesterday.
I didn't know how to tell y'all.
That's a really good school.
Why'd they let you in?
Congratulations, honey.
I just didn't realize you were applying to schools so far away.
Well, it's one of the first schools
to have an African American Studies program.
Still... They offered me a scholarship.
My baby girl's going to the University of Northern Austin.
And look at how happy the students are
reading on the quad.
Well, Kim, this is a decision
that could affect your entire life.
You can't just make it based off a brochure.
Yes, which is why Austin is the perfect place for us
to go on vacation.
Then you can check it out with me.
I think a trip to Austin might be fun.
Right, Lill?
And we could help Kim make this major decision.
I'm so excited!
Thank you.
You know, Austin is only 1,300 miles from California,
and you know what's in California, right?
For the millionth time, Dean, we are not going to Disneyland.
Adult Dean: I'd been watching
"The Wonderful World of Disney" nonstop,
and like most kids, was highly susceptible
to the power of Disney magic.
There was no way I was gonna let us get halfway to
the Happiest Place on Earth without actually going there.
But I knew I had my work cut out for me.
Have you bought a tank of gas lately?
It's up to 34 cents a gallon.
I've got hotel, gas, food, and tickets already priced out.
There's even a line for souvenirs,
or as I like to call 'em, lifelong memories.
That's my little accountant right there.
Dean, there's no way... I've got $18.97 all saved up.
It's not much, but it'll cover some of the costs.
I was saving up for a new bike, but this is more important.
You'd be willing to give up your life savings?
If it means I get to go to Disneyland, yes.
Fine.
We can go to Disneyland. Yes!
Convincing my father to take us to Disneyland
was nothing short of a miracle.
But when he let me keep five of my dollars, oh, look at God.
I was finally gonna get my Disney vacation,
and Mama was gonna get what she wanted...
All of us together.
Alright, I'm ready to leave.
Oh, not again!
Thankfully, Dad checked his rearview mirror
and noticed I was missing...
eventually.
♪ All I know ♪
♪ Ohhh, through the highs and the lows ♪
♪ I'mma find my way home ♪
Mom, Kim is chewing too loudly.
Grow up, Dean.
Who knew Texas was so far away?
Why don't we play the license-plate game.
One point per state, right?
Ew, that sounds like homework.
Let's play Punch Buggy instead. Yes.
Kim always suggested Punch Buggy
because she knew she had an unfair advantage.
Y'all can play, but no hitting your sister.
But, Dad! And I don't care how hard she hits you,
rules are rules.
Punch Buggy! Ow!
Well, you can't hit me back 'cause I'm a girl.
Rules are rules.
Man: Forecast is mostly sunny...
♪ Standing here all alone ♪
Bill, that sounds like one of your songs.
♪ Waitin' for you to come home, girl ♪
It sounds like one of my songs
'cause it is one of my songs.
Is that my old band?
Can they play your song?
Not without paying me a whole lot of money they can't.
They ought to be ashamed of themselves for this.
Ooh! Punch Buggy! No punch backs.
Come on, Dean. Read the car.
♪ Wherever you are ♪
Sounds like a real hit, too.
Radio Host: And that was The Commanders
with their hip new number, "Sweet Milly,"
that's been running up the charts.
Adult Dean: We didn't think it could get any worse for Daddy,
until...
Radio Host: The Commanders are from Birmingham, Alabama...
Uh, maybe we should pull over at the next gas station
and get that checked out.
Actually, if... if we pull over, I can call Tammy.
I was supposed to check in by now.
The car is fine.
Let's just focus on our family vacation.
You can call her when we stop for dinner.
You can catch The Commanders opening for The Temptations
tomorrow night at the Strand Theatre
in downtown San Antonio.
Wow! The Temptations?!
Man, that is so cool!
Punch Dummy, shut the hell up!
So, what are you saying?
Lillian: Bruce looks upset. Do you think he's okay?
I accidentally overheard, and it does not sound good.
I think he and Tammy are breaking up.
"Accidentally," huh?
I couldn't help but listen
through the bathroom walls.
He was talking so loud.
Rude, right? Poor Bruce.
Dean: He'll be fine, Mom.
I'm sure there's plenty of women with kids at Disneyland.
What? That's his type, right?
Oh, shh, here he comes.
Quick, pretend we're talking about something else.
Hey, Bruce. We weren't talking about you or anything.
You okay?
Can you guys drop me off at the bus station?
I gotta get back to Montgomery and patch things up with Tammy.
Do you really think talking things through
face-to-face will help?
Probably not.
She was pretty clear on the phone that it's over.
I'm sorry, baby.
Things have been rocky between us
for the past few months,
so I probably should've seen this coming.
Why don't I take him over to the bar?
He's gonna need something stronger than a banana split.
That's a good idea.
I'm sure he could use some support from his father.
It'll be okay, Dad.
You think you know someone,
and then they kick you out the band.
And then, they go and steal a song you wrote
and make it worse.
I mean, changing "Sweet Lilly"
to "Sweet Milly" is low, even for them.
Why?
Who's Milly?
Bum Lee's dog.
Look at us.
I got dumped by my band, and you got dumped by Tammy.
Yeah.
And I can't help but feel like it's my fault.
Like maybe I should've done more,
fought for the relationship, but...
Hey, what are you gonna do?
♪ And you're left on your own ♪
We gonna toast.
To bad breakups?
No!
To moving forward.
Man, I missed all three of them glasses.
In the morning, we'll start with the regular campus tour. Mm-hmm.
That's approximately two hours.
And then I want us to check out the library.
But, Mom, that's an unscheduled stop.
I'm... I'm not sure we have time.
Kim, it's the fifth-largest university library
in the country, you know.
Why would anyone know that?
You need to start taking this more seriously.
Alright, you want to check out the library,
we'll find some way to make up time.
Maybe Dad can drive past the speed limit this time.
And get pulled over in some sundown town in Texas?
Now, that's a steamboat Mickey ain't gonna save you from.
Okay, well, maybe you two can go on the college tour
while Dad and I get the car fixed
so it can make it to California.
That's a good idea.
I just hope Bruce is gonna be okay.
Come on, man. He fought in a war.
Adult Dean: Little did I know,
Dad had other plans besides getting the car fixed.
Mnh, sorry I dozed off.
I was up all night planning our ticket strategy.
The E tickets get you on the best rides,
so I think we should start there.
Then the D tickets.
W-Wait... Wait a minute. Where are we?
I-I thought we were getting the car fixed.
Where's the mechanic?
Just had to make one quick stop.
Mm-hmm, for one last fight with his band.
Kim: Wow. This campus is so beautiful.
Hey, come on over, now. Don't be shy.
Uh, my name's Gil, soon-to-be class of '71.
Go Tigers.
And I'll be leading y'all on this campus tour.
We'll be gettin' to anything and everything,
so if y'all wouldn't mind
just saving your questions till the end.
Or now.
Now is fine.
Um, what percentage of students come from out of state?
About 20%.
So that's down from last year's 25%?
Is there any reason?
Ah. Mm...
Ugh! This is so embarrassing.
Not gonna lie,
there was a part of me that thought my dad
was about to murder his former bandmates.
But even worse...
But we're gonna miss the Dapper Dans on Main Street.
I just wanna ask them a few questions.
Unless your band members are brooms and buckets
and you're wearing a sorcerer's hat,
then I don't care.
Bill Williams, is that you?
Oh, it's me, alright.
We've been trying to reach you for weeks, Bill.
You never pick up the phone. For what?
To hear how you stole my music?
No, man. No.
We got a royalty check with your name on it.
A what? Yeah, man.
Disc jockeys been giving "Sweet Milly" a lot of spins.
And there's no way we were gonna keep your share,
band or no band.
Oh.
Well...
Thank you. Bum Lee: Of course, Bill.
No hard feelings.
We don't want you feeling like Pete Best.
Uh, who said I did? Washboard: Sorry, you're right.
That's presumptuous. Pete left The Beatles.
This is more Florence Ballard. Right.
She was kicked out of The Supremes.
We don't want you feeling like her.
Dean: Wait, there was a fifth Beatle and a fourth Supreme?
And they're not famous?
Think of all that money that they're just missing out on...
Sorry, Dad.
Gil: Okay, friends, let's head on.
Excuse me!
Excuse me again. Yes?
Lillian. Another question.
Mom, stop.
What if a student studying,
I don't know, Afro-American Studies
wanted to double major
so that the other major could lead to a job?
I have a follow-up to that one, Gil.
What if that student didn't want to double major,
and wanted to have an actual life in college?
What if that student wanted to pay their own expenses?
Why don't we let some of the other prospective parents
maybe just have a chance to ask some questions?
Ma'am? I'm actually with Lillian on this.
Yeah, she makes a good point.
There's nothing wrong with majoring in English.
You already speak the language.
When are you going to realize that where I go to college
is my decision, not yours?
I am just trying to help you.
Oh, well, you could help me by leaving me alone.
That's a good idea.
How 'bout I start that... now?
Ugh! Kim.
♪ You got me going in circles ♪
And we're walkin', we're walkin'.
It's tough when a man who's used to having all the answers
starts to question himself.
I guess some things change.
♪ You got me going in circles ♪
Come on.
Kim's tour must be over by now.
♪ Ohh-ohh-ohh, round ♪
Bum Lee: Well, look who decided to show up.
Chill, my man, chill. How can we chill
when you're pulling this crap in every city?
Yeah, and thanks to your last two no-shows,
I'm back in the hole!
This tour was supposed to get me out of debt,
not deeper in it.
And if we continue to postpone this tour,
Carol's gonna leave me for a third time.
Well, at least you still got Barbara.
Man, Barbara left me back in Omaha.
Come on, man. Just show up on time, man.
Yes, things had changed for my dad.
But things with the band had stayed the same.
And in that moment,
Dad didn't feel so bad about being on his own.
No amount of success would ever be
more important to him than his family.
Dean, what are you standing there for?
Let's split!
Where is everyone? We need to go.
Your daughter kicked me off the tour.
And for no good reason.
Mm-hmm.
Fine, maybe for some good reason.
Yo, where's Kim?
I thought she was with you.
She left the tour an hour ago. I thought she came back here to wait.
We need to find her!
Don't worry, I'm sure she's somewhere safe.
No, we need to find her
for the group discount at Disneyland.
Lillian, fix your son.
I'll go find Kim.
I'm sure whatever your mom said or didn't say,
or did or didn't do,
it's only 'cause she wants what's best for you.
It's not her.
I mean, it's always her,
but not just her.
It's all this pressure.
All through high school,
everyone told me I was going to college...
You guys, my teachers,
old folks at church I don't even know.
But, like...
How am I supposed to make a decision
that will determine my entire future?
That's a tough one. Yeah.
Like, you know why I wanted to go here?
Because I wanted all the decision-making to be over with.
Instead, it's just led to more decisions I have to make.
I'm glad my problems are so funny to you.
I'm laughing 'cause I spent the last 24 hours
questioning a lot of my own decisions about the band.
And?
Did you make the right decisions?
I'll never know.
Really, it doesn't matter.
What matters is that you make a choice
and that you make the best out of it.
I don't want a lesson.
Can't you just tell me what to do?
I can't do that for you, Kim.
You know that.
Part of becoming an adult is
being comfortable with the uncertainty.
Just trust that whatever you decide
is the right decision for you.
Come on, now.
Your brother's gonna have a heart attack
if we don't give him this family vacation
he's been wanting his whole life.
His whole life?
He didn't say anything about this until two days ago.
I didn't think so, either.
But to be honest, we don't pay that close attention.
- ♪ I hope, I hope, I hope ♪ - ♪ I hope, I hope, I hope ♪
♪ I hope they get their eyes full ♪
I'm sorry about what happened back there.
- ♪ I hope, I hope, I hope ♪ - ♪ I hope, I hope, I hope ♪
And if I'm being honest,
there's a part of me that regrets
that I didn't leave home for college.
And there's a part of me that's jealous
that you have that option.
I didn't even know you were thinking about
going anywhere but Tuskegee.
I had a few options.
Then my dad got sick,
and I didn't want to be far away from my family.
But sometimes I wonder what my life would have been like
if I went somewhere like University of Northern Austin.
But if you didn't go to Tuskegee,
then you would have never met Dad,
and we wouldn't have ever been born.
I'm sure you would have.
You'd just have somebody else's eyes.
Mama!
♪ While that little girl waves me bye-bye ♪
Kim, I want you to know that I support you
no matter what choice you make.
Promise? Promise.
And from now on, let's just be honest with each other
about everything, no matter what.
Deal.
What was that?
Bill, you said you fixed the car.
Yeah, about that being honest thing...
Bill: All right. Thank you.
He says they're really backed up.
It's gonna be at least a day till they can get to us.
I guess I'll have to find us a hotel for tonight.
Tonight? But that barely gives us any time at Disneyland.
Sorry, son.
I don't think we're gonna make it.
Are you kidding me?
All I ever wanted to do was go to Disneyland
and visit the Happiest Place on Earth!
You made sure everybody else got what they wanted,
but what about me?
It's never about what I want!
Bill. He's right.
All he wanted was this trip to Disneyland,
and instead, he had to put up with all of our stuff.
So you know what we're gonna do?
We're gonna give Dean a trip to Disneyland
if it's the last thing we do.
Bill, you're gonna take that song money,
and you're gonna tip that mechanic so hard,
the car's gonna be ready in minutes.
And we're gonna use this driving chart,
which is very detailed
for someone who can barely ride a bike.
And we're gonna take turns driving in shifts.
But, Lill, I do the driving.
Well, it's the only way for us to drive through the night
to get Dean a day at Disneyland.
Think we can do that?
Good.
Now, let's get going.
And, Bill?
If it jingles, it's not a real tip.
This is everything I ever dreamed of!
There's Mickey! Oh, the castle!
Main Street!
I-It's the train!
Well, what do we do first?
Ooh, Tea Cups. Matterhorn. Matterhorn.
Bathroom.
I drank four cups of coffee to get through the night shift.
Well, I guess we could split up, but just for the morning.
Race you to the Tea Cups, Mama.
Come on, Bruce, let's go!
Can I tell you something?
Shoot.
I'm not going to Northern Austin.
Really?
Yeah.
I'm not ready to be so far away from home.
Is that pathetic? Of course not.
You know, after you took off,
I actually stayed on for the rest of the campus tour.
You did? Yeah.
I mean...
It got me thinking.
Most of what me and Tammy were fighting about
had to do with what I wanted for my future.
Honestly, I didn't know what I wanted,
until I set foot on that campus and it just felt right.
So...
So I think I'm gonna apply.
That is so exciting, Bruce!
I'm happy for you. Thanks.
Oh.
Oh, and, uh, hey, Kim, by the way,
don't tell Mom and Dad yet.
I don't want to bum 'em out at the Happiest Place on Earth.
As long as you don't say anything about me not going.
I don't wanna give Mom the satisfaction of being right.
Deal.
Ooh.
Lillian: Whoo!
Whoo!
Adult Dean: Mama set out for us all to have
an unforgettable family vacation.
And that's exactly what we got.
It was the most memorable trip of my childhood.
And the last time I was able
to pee in a cup to save time on the road.
Captions by VITAC...