Claudine (1974) review

Upbeat trashman "Roop" Marshall (James Earl Jones) convinces housemaid Claudine Price (Diahann Carroll) to go out on a dinner date only to discover she's on welfare and has six children - naturally, the kids are opposed to his presence, but he does his best to win a few of them over ... and then he's informed he's behind on child support of his own offspring (that he never sees) and sinks into the bottle.  The entire premise is very depressing although Berry (and screenwriters Lester and Tina Pine) do what they can to add some levity to the situation and it does make plenty of valid socio-economic points regarding being Poor in America in the 1970's which is most likely still the case fifty years later: the money the government gives you isn't enough to survive, but if you sneakily find a job (to be a "responsible citizen") you're punished for it.  There's a commandment from the Bible (Genesis 1:28) that states "be fruitful and multiply" ... well, if you don't want to answer to the bureaucrats, stay on birth control (and if you're from the American South, steal it if need be).