(STEAM WHISTLE SOUNDING)
AVE MARIA: When I was a girl and
we drove past the coal mines,
it looked like
a story book to me.
It seemed
an army of men
was doing something
so important
it could change the world.
That's when
Mama would say,
"Every time you
light a lamp to read,
"you can thank
a coal miner."
I was born and raised
in the hills of Virginia
when coal was king.
(CROWD CHEERING)
Life was simple
in Big Stone Gap.
You went to Zackie's
for your jeans,
you went to Gilley's
for your engagement ring.
And you went to my family
drugstore when you were sick.
On Friday nights
you rooted for the Vikings,
and after the game,
you went for burgers
at Carmine's to celebrate,
because we never lost.
Every year we put on The
Trail of the Lonesome Pine,
the story of a mountain girl and
the mining engineer who loved her.
You either acted a part
or played in the band
or worked behind the
scenes, like me.
One year was a lot
like the last,
and before I knew it,
it was 1978
and I turned 40.
Almost overnight,
I was the old maid
in Big Stone Gap.
It seemed like happiness
was for other people.
Morning, beautiful.
I don't know why
you're honking the horn,
I'm standing out here black as
night, I know you can see me.
Oh, good, you got Miss VVeston's
stuff right for the first time.
Yeah, I'm gonna give you something
else if you don't leave me alone.
(DOGS BARKING)
Morning, Nan.
(CHUCKLES)
Cherry pie was just
wonderful. Thank you.
It was rhubarb.
Them last ones you brought
over here blocked me up.
Doc Daugherty swears
these won't.
You just need to take them with
some buttermilk in your stomach.
I got coffee on.
Biscuits and gravy.
Well, I can't stay. I've got
two more hollers to hit.
Oh, come on. One
cup won't keep you.
(MUTTERS)
Jeepers Christmas, Jack!
Put some clothes on.
Yes, ma'am.
Morning, Jack.
Morning.
You'll have to
excuse my son.
He was out till all hours last
night with that Sweet Sue Tinsley.
That ain't a girl
built for heavy lifting.
Woman has a man around doesn't
have to do a lot of heavy lifting.
Well, I don't know
what he's thinking.
Sure you do.
Sweet Sue Tinsley?
Come on.
She's a catch.
Prettiest girl
in high school.
She made a bikini in Home-Ec
and it won the blue ribbon.
Modeled it in
front of Assembly.
Brought half the crowd
to their feet at least.
(SCOFFS) I'll bet.
Beat the heck
out of my apron.
Well, she's a
flaunter, all right.
And she's got a big mess over there
with that divorce and all them kids.
You ever want you
some young'uns?
No, it's not gonna
happen for me.
It is never too late.
My own mamaw was
an old maid, too.
Almost 43 when
she had my daddy.
She had a baby one week,
then done went into
the change the next.
Anything can happen.
What are y'all
whispering about?
Ooh, I got to scoot.
Eula Belcher's
all seized up
and in dire need of
her muscle relaxers.
Oh... See her out, Son.
All right.
Thank you very much and that's
all right, I'll see myself out.
No, no. Best not
to argue with Mama.
(CHUCKLES)
Here, let me help you.
Here you go.
(EXCLAIMING)
Easy.
(CHUCKLES) You have very
soft hands for a coal miner.
No, I got calluses.
That's how I follow the seams
in the rock to the coal.
Hey, hold on!
Come here, I want to
show you something.
(BIRDS CHIRPING)
Like my new truck?
1978 Ford pickup.
Four-wheeler, fully loaded.
Right fancy.
Nobody ever accused
me of being fancy.
It's a pickup,
not a Caddy.
Hey. you going to the party
on opening night?
Of course I am.
Theodore's taking me.
Are you ever gonna
marry him?
You been talking
to Fleeta?
Just one of the
girls, ain't you?
I always took you for the
strong, silent type.
You ain't scared of
them strays, are ya?
No.
Who are you afraid of?
Howdy, Mama!
Did you eat?
Oh, not a bite all day.
Oh, I pack up
a dinner for you.
Who has got time to eat?
(CHUCKUNG)
The whole town is a-flutter
with our final dress rehearsal.
Oh, you know, I cast everybody
from here to Keokee
whether they have talent
or are lacking.
(LAUGHS)
You choose them,
they have talent.
I know this.
Oh, so, the box office.
You sell the tickets?
Noidea.
Whole town's
in the dang thing.
There's nobody
left to set for it.
Johnny Wood, he made the
announcement on the radio,
WCYB.
(HOOTING)
Well, I have to say that the poster
in the pharmacy window is gorgeous
and we did manage to paper Scott,
Dickenson and Lee Counties.
That'll bring 'em in some.
I know this.
(SIGHS)
You're gonna get
a good crowd.
I work you too hard.
You're exhausted.
You need to sleep.
Don't worry about me,
carissima.
Dr. Daugherty said
the new pills, they work.
I'm sewing the last seam on
the last costume. (CHUCKLES)
(HONKING)
Ave, let's go!
And do not
forget my costume!
(BOTH GASP)
Oh, Aspetta.
Theodore's costume.
Thank you.
"And I shall rise
on the third day."
Come... Ave, where are you?
Let's go!
You are the director!
You cannot be late!
Oh, aspetta! Tayloe!
Tayloe's costume!
Say "break a leg," just like
a professional. Break a leg.
AVE MARIA: I'm coming,
I'm coming!
THEODORE: Costume looks
great, Mrs. Mulligan!
TAYLOE: This is The Trail
of the Lonesome Pine,
and my name is
June Tolliver.
I left here a poor
mountain girl,
and have returned...
I have returned...
A lady?
A lady.
I don't fit in.
All right, just stop.
My teeth hurt.
Tayloe, learn your lines!
All right. Yes. Everybody,
thank you so very much!
Will you please leave
your costumes on the rack?
Hey y'all! We're officially
sold out for opening night!
(ALL CHEERING)
Where's Spec?
Right here.
IVA LOU: This is bigger
than a four alarm fire!
I need you
real bad, Spec.
We're full up!
Order another keg.
Consider it done,
Iva Lou.
Long as I get
the first dance.
(WHISTLES)
SPEC: You're the sexiest librarian
in four counties, Iva Lou!
(EXCLAIMS)
Okay, Sweet Sue,
you're on.
Come down the aisle. Up.
Up. Up.
(CHUCKLES)
lam going over to Carmine's for a burger.
You want to come?
Uh, not right now.
I have to run lines
with the star.
Uh, I know my lines.
Good job on the timing of that cue.
Thank you.
And I do suspect that little
Penny Coomer has a crush on you.
CHILD: You're it!
Appears she's already
over me, ma'am.
Jack,honey!
(GRUNTS)
I swear, sometimes
we make music
like we belong
in the Grand Ole Opry.
Hardly puts me in the mind of Minnie
Pearl, you displaying that leotard.
Why, thank you.
Okay, Pearl. I don't care if
everybody goes home naked...
Ave. I need you
to come here.
You need to come with me.
You gotta get
Duke McMillan.
I'm staying late.
He knows CPR.
Darling, it's not a Rescue Squad run.
It's your mama.
Come on.
AVE MARIA: No one worries
about you like your mother.
And when she's gone,
the world seems unsafe.
You can't turn to her anymore
and it changes your life
forever.
Hey, Miss Ave. You probably
don't remember me,
but my name's Bobby Dinsmore
from over on Skeens Ridge.
Well, sure I do.
I used to play the sax in the band.
Mmm-hmm.
Your mama made me
this here uniform,
'cause they didn't have one big
enough to fit me at the factory.
I bet you nobody knew
it was homemade.
Well, it still looks right
nice on you, Mr. Bobby.
All of you look right pretty,
as a matter of fact.
Since our almighty God has called our
sister, Fiammetta Onicelli Mulligan
from this life,
to himself,
we commit her body to the
earth from which it came.
Give her eternal rest,
O Lord,
and may your light
shine on her forever.
(SNIFFLES)
Don't cry, Fleets.
(SOBBING)
When are you gonna cry?
I can't.
Why would you put a rose
on your daddy's grave
after he treated you
like such dirt?
Maybe he'll do
something kind
and look out for Mama
when she gets there.
(HONKING)
I do not like that sign.
The N fell off.
My brother kept this
building pristine.
You've let the place
go to hell!
Why Aunt Alice, I can't
believe you haven't heard.
In honor of Mommy's memory,
Mutual's has officially
gone Italian.
From now on, everything around
here is gonna end in a vowel.
My brother Fred'd
be ashamed!
Sail on, Alice.
Alice,
sail on.
Thank you for the pineapple upside
down cake. It was delicious.
I did not send it.
It was not mine.
Mine was a Texas sheet cake,
which I hope you froze.
I did, right next
to my emotions.
Well, you know,
Alice Lambert
wouldn't have a reason to mess
with you if you had a husband.
You know, I know
Theodore's a Yankee,
but, hell,
at this point,
you just gotta take
whatever you can get.
I like being
the town spinster.
It has cachet, Fleeta.
Yeah, well,
you can't hug cachet.
(TYPING)
SPEC: Well, thanks for
stopping by, Doug Kilgore.
You tell that peanut farmer
that I say, "Hi."
Thank you, Spec.
You take care, now.
EARL: Mr. Broadwater
will see you now, Ave.
Tell your mama and them
I said, "Hi." I will.
Come on in, darling.
Take a seat.
Yeah.
Ave, how long
I been a lawyer?
Long time.
And what I learned is this.
When people die,
that's when all
the secrets come out.
(DOOR CREAKING)
Earl, shut the damn door!
I swear that boy hasn't got the
sense that God gave a screwdriver.
anyway-
A while back, your mama came in
to see me about doing her will,
which I did.
And when I was
gonna notarize it,
she added the letter.
I don't understand.
You will when you
read it, darling.
You best take
a deep breath.
(SIGHS)
EARL: I'll send the rest of
the files to you, Miss Ave.
(TIRES SCREECHING)
"...too ashamed and never told
them about my angel girl. Mama."
How did this happen?
She was already pregnant
when she left Italy.
And she was too ashamed
to tell her family.
Came and found work
as a seamstress, so...
Fred Mulligan felt sorry
for her and married her.
Which explains why
he never liked me.
'Cause I'm not even his.
(SIGHS)
This is my father.
Well, this sure
explains your nose.
(BOTH LAUGH)
Ave, he's pretty suave.
Yeah.
Very.
You gonna go find him?
Why would he want me?
No man ever did.
I do.
(BIRDS CHIRPING)
(HONKING)
NA LOU: Hey! Ave!
Pull over!
Pull over!
Wise County Bookmobile.
Next stop, Shawnee Avenue.
Wait! Don't go! I got two
check-outs for you. Don't go.
Okay-
This is my favorite book on
Chinese face reading. (CHUCKLES)
No, no. I've read the face
of every man I've ever known.
It's never been wrong.
You really think
face reading's true?
It never fails.
I gotta say. I'm not one bit
surprised you're out here crying,
all tore up and all alone.
You got a perfect little
cupid's bow on your lip,
which means
you are proud
and private
and romantic. See?
(SCOFFS)
Yeah, but all that information
is useless if you don't love.
Now, that's where old Charlotte
Bronte comes in with her Jane Eyre-
Miss Bront can write
her a love scene.
"Yearning and longing."
"Longing and yearning."
Nothing will take your mind off
your tragedy than a good romance.
I haven't seen this
since I was a girl.
Yeah, well, it's time
for a revisit.
And take notes, honey.
(WHISPERS)
Please, take notes.
Call you later!
...my book report,
but I hate Moby Dick.
My gosh, I love those shoes.
May I borrow them for
my barbecue tonight?
Why, thank you.
Bobby's gonna be there.
So I'm gonna pick up some
lipstick for that, too.
Totally.
Hey, Miss Ave?
Got my prescription ready?
Not yet.
She's so slow. I don't understand
what takes her so long, right?
Hey, ladies!
Put that lipstick down.
And do not touch
any more magazines,
because our patrons
like them untouched.
Virginal.
If prescriptions
didn't take so long,
we wouldn't
read 'em, Fleeta.
FLEETA: Don't make me
call your mother.
It's Pearl Grimes.
Look at her!
She is the ugliest thing
I have ever seen.
So sad.
Well, you know she's a mess.
I mean, that clothing.
You know it's from Goodwill.
Think about all the people
that have worn that before,
and she's putting it
on her daughter...
Tayloe Slagle.
Your birth control pills are
ready over at the counter.
Your birth control
pills are ready.
Thank you so much
for trading at Mutual's.
Hope to see you soon.
I can't believe... Can you
believe she just... Let's go!
Come on, girls.
From now on
I'm getting my pills
in Appalachia.
They're not very bright.
I'd rather be pretty and stupid
like them than what I am.
Mmm, no, you wouldn't.
Pretty fades, honey.
Stupid, it's annoying.
They got talent, too.
They baton twirl.
It's not a talent one
calls upon later in life.
Well, I ain't
got no talent.
And I ain't good
at nothing.
Mmm...
(SIGHS)
You know, it's just Fleeta
and me around here.
We could use a hand.
Me? You want to
give me a job?
What do you say?
We ain't got no car. I mean,
how am I gonna get here?
I run all over
these hills, hon.
Wouldn't be nothing
for me to pick you up.
You could start by tackling that
big pile of junk sitting there,
and take some of that
out back for me?
That'd be a big help.
Okay-
Thanks.
(SNIFFLES)
So, this is your idea
of the new employee?
You know, she don't keep
herself very nice.
You just don't
like Melungeons.
No, I don't.
But she'll do.
L\/A LOU: This is the box office
speaking- We are sold out!
If you don't have a ticket,
then you do not have a seat.
I repeat, if you
don't have a ticket,
then you do not
have a seat.
I've asked you
a dozen times,
it is the penultimate
moment in the play.
I mean, have you ever seen
West Side Story?
It's like, if Chino died
of an epileptic seizure.
What is supposed to
happen is very simple.
Point the gun at me.
Thank you, Virgil.
No. Wait a minute.
Is that a prop?
You know what?
Point it away.
It's supposed
to be a shot
and then blood.
But what we have here
is a shot, no blood!
Okay, Mr. Tipton,
let me tell you.
I'm gonna take this here tube and I'm
gonna rig it right up your pants...
I can't act with
a tube in my pants!
(GRUNTS)
Oh, for crying out loud!
I am so sorry, honey.
Just go make sure that Sweet
Sue has her underpants on.
Now, you listen to me!
These temper tantrums may have gotten you
results at the Bucks County Playhouse,
but around here we do
peaceable on opening night.
We do peaceable
on opening night
because you cannot train
amateurs to be professionals.
And let me tell
you something.
At the Bucks County Playhouse,
we had a prop master.
I had a prop master.
And then they added a night shift to
the Quik Mart and he had to resign.
Naturally.
I am doing
the best I can.
You could put
a broom up my ass
and I would sweep the
floor at the same time.
Now, we will use
two squibs.
If one doesn't go off,
then the other one will.
Okay. Sounds reasonable.
ExceHenL
Michelangelo said,
"Genius is eternal patience."
Another know-it-all
Italian.
STAGE DIRECTOR:
Five minutes to curtain!
Final touches and places,
everybody.
Places, all right,
let's go. Final touches!
Wait. Someone's locked me
out of my dressing room!
Okay. Places, everyone!
Good job.
Music.
Mr. MacChesney
just winked at you.
No, he didn't. He's got
something in his eye.
Yes, he did.
lsaw him.
Well, look.
I believe I need a seat.
I believe you're drunk, sir.
That's my
Jade East cologne.
Do you like it?
(SNIFFS)
(SIGHS)
Even if I did,
we're sold out.
I didn't catch your name.
Lyle Makin.
How did you hear about
our outdoor extravaganza?
Well, I came to
see Jack Mac.
We grew up together.
Well, now I live up in
Crackers Neck Holler.
Well, I should visit
Crackers Neck often.
And Holler.
On... (CHUCKLES)
And on the third day
I shall rise
from the ashes of regret
like a phoenix!
(GUN MISFIRES)
Oh, no!
Howard, shoot him again!
Shoofl
Shoot him again!
Like a phoenix!
Have a heart attack!
Have a heart attack!
Get struck by
lightning!
(ALL LAUGHING)
Good job.
Everybody dance!
Ow! Watch it, Sue!
(APPLAUSE)
(GUNSHOT)
You're too late!
NA LOU: The opening night party
is for cast and crew only.
Everyone else is welcome to use their
two-for-one coupons at Carmine's.
Leave in an
orderly fashion.
(LAUGHING)
(GRUNTS)
Oh, my God.
You are a wildcat.
You know it.
Come to Ding Daddy!
Happy to!
Oh!
Ladies,
meet Lyle Makin.
Hello, Lyle.
He got the last seat
in the theater.
Really?
Mmm-hmm.
Then where was
you setting?
On his lap.
Mmm-hmm.
LYLE: Where can I get
something to drink?
That way.
Ladies.
Iva Lou, I'll see you
at the keg.
There's something
to this one.
I think he wants more than
a rendezvous at the High Knob
with a fifth of Night Train
and a sack of Cab's donuts.
And you got all that
from setting on his lap?
No, ma'am.
Chinese face reading.
He's got the chin
of an emperor.
(SNICKERS)
Iva Lou?
Hmm?
You don't need a book to
learn what to do with a man.
Now, me and
Krifflum,
we are still having
intimate relations.
Even though I'm in
the middle of the change.
And I'll tell you
something else.
This is an old toaster.
But when he plugs it in...
(GRUNTS)
NELLIE: What a magnificent
opening night!
Give yourselves a hand!
(ALL CHEERING)
I have wonderful news.
In a few short weeks,
Mr. John Warner,
candidate for senator
of Virginia,
will be making
a campaign stop
in Big Stone Gap,
with his movie star wife,
Elizabeth Taylor!
(ALL GASP AND APPLAUD)
My God!
We have to feed 'em and entertain 'em.
And if you'd like to help
there are sign-up sheets for
committees in the Tolliver House.
Theodore Tipton, you're
in charge of the show!
Now I'm gonna turn the stage
over to Sweet Sue Tinsley,
the president-elect
of The Foxes,
our volunteer ushers.
(WHISTLING)
Probably gonna do
a cartwheel.
Thank you, Nellie.
Ava? Ava Marie?
As president
of The Foxes,
we would like to thank you for
being such a good director.
Well, thank you.
Nobody hands out programs
like The Foxes do.
MAN: Hey, Ave. It ain't
good to drink alone!
MAN 2: Who you gonna
share that bottle with?
MAN 3: Ave Maria needs a man.
Hey, hey! Excuse me!
She has her own man.
(ALL CHEERING)
(CHUCKLES)
What just happened?
You just kissed me.
No, you kissed me.
Let's eat.
Something to eat?
Uh, no.
I'm not hungry.
I've got band practice.
And, um...
And with Elizabeth Taylor
coming to town,
I'm gonna have to put on
a doozy of a show, so...
(CHUCKLES)
I'll call you later?
Yeah.
Okay-
AVE MARIA: That oak leaf is
a particularly good one.
There.
You do realize that every
time you smash it like that,
you rub all the
glitter off, don1you?
And why would you order
something that looks like...
I could've picked these up
off the ground.
I like the idea of adding
these going vertical like,
'cause I think for the close
passerby, they're very interesting.
This is more of
a sophisticated look.
Whatever you want.
I'm just gonna say,
"I'm so sorry I didn't know
I was doing such a bad job."
I've been doing
this windows for,
I don't know,
since you was little.
Hey, Fleeta...
(EXPLOSION)
That's the Wence Mine.
(SIREN WAILING)
SPEC: Carmine, over here!
MAN: Hey, get in there!
We need to
get him oxygen!
It's okay, pal.
We're right here.
There you go.
That's a good one.
SPEC: Everyone's
accounted for. Lucky day.
Could've been
a lot worse.
Spec, show me that.
Don't wait on me, honey. Leola's
here checking on her cousin.
Okay.
I'll catch a ride with her.
Jack?
You worried about
little old me?
You thought I bought
the farm, didn't you?
All right.
I like this.
Can I give you a lift?
Uh...
(SCOFFS)
Don't be proud.
It's just a 1973 un-American
3-speed transmission.
Oh. Thank you, ma'am.
Mind if we stop
at Mutual's first?
I need a box of Clairo I so I can
rinse these ma'am's out of my hair.
Well, I don't see
any grays.
You haven't changed
a bit since high school.
Is that a good thing?
I think so.
Take it from one
who's changed.
You haven't changed at all.
Shoot
Girls still after you.
Good at sports.
Kind to your mother.
Gary Cooper of
Big Stone Gap.
Hey, you had your
share of suitors.
Wayne Rutledge had
a crush on you for years.
Wayne Junior's not one
to be real proud of.
He's doing 7 to 10 for robbing his
podiatrist 'cause his feet hurt.
(BOTH LAUGHING)
Yeah, Wayne.
I heard he's still
got all his hair.
After 30 you've got to
put that in the plus column.
SWEET SUE: There you are!
Jack!
Hey,hey!
SWEET SUE: Honey.
Are you all right?
Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine.
Lo rdy.
Are you all right?
Yeah.
She's such a fawner.
Are you all right?
Yeah.
Son, I heard everything
on the police radio.
You done good.
You saved a man.
Your daddy would be
so proud of you.
You're a hero!
No, no.
Hi, Ava.
Sue!
It's Ave, okay? Ave.
Not Ava, like Ava Gardner.
But Ave Maria,
like the prayer.
You know, we went through
school for 12 years together
and you never once
got my name right.
(ENGINE STARTS)
Well, law me. Sorry.
Let's go.
THEODORE: Peewee football
team right here,
junior baton twirlers here,
and Liz Taylor
lookalikes here.
Coca-Cola cake,
7-Up cake,
or Betty Cline's
blackberry cobbler?
Cobbler.
I think I have put
together a show
that's gonna top her entrance
into Rome in Cleopatra.
I'm gonna use the outside of
Fraley's Coach House... (SHOOING)
And turn it into
downtown Rome.
We're going to have
a choir and festoonery
and Cleopatra,
the majorette.
I think I forgot
to get coffee.
How could you be out? People always
dropping off their grief pies.
Oh, here's some. It may be
old, but we'll do what we can.
Oh, my lord.
Iva Lou,
these are in Italian.
I think these may be letters
from my father to my mother.
It's bad luck to read other
people's private correspondence.
Especially when that person
just passed away.
Oh, read 'em.
(SPEAKING ITALIAN)
(GASPS) What does
it all mean?
Not that it matters.
Everything sounds better
in Italian. Keep going.
(SPEAKING ITALIAN)
Bliss. Pure bliss.
Oh, If Lyle Makin
could speak Italian,
I'd never let him
out of my trailer.
Would you two please
pay attention?
I'm under a lot of
pressure here.
I've gotta be
the Bob Fosse
of Big Stone Gap
in a parking lot.
IVA LOU: Ave's life
is important, too.
Elizabeth Taylor
will come and go,
but we're here
forever.
All right, girls.
I'm going.
I cannot work
in an environment
of frivolity,
when I have to dazzle the
world's biggest movie star.
Oh, but the cobbler's
not even thawed yet.
THEODORE: I'm sure there's plenty
more where that came from.
Bye.
Bye.
NA LOU: I don't know
what his problem is.
He's wound
tighter than a tick.
Well, he's an artist.
He pours himself
into his work.
He loves music
and the theater
and marching bands.
Sometimes I think he like them little
soldiers more than he likes you.
How is it going in
the romance department?
He wants more time.
Lordy mercy!
I never heard of a man
who wanted to wait.
Go out on that truck,
you pick a book.
Any book.
Read between the lines.
What does Chinese face
reading say about Theodore?
His forehead says
he's stubborn.
That book of yours have a follow-up,
'cause that I already know.
Tell me something new.
Honey-O.
People are talking.
You've been best friends
with a man for years
without getting married
in this town.
That makes you a lot
like Mount Vesuvius.
People are just
standing around
waiting for you to blow.
But there's more.
No, there's not.
I didn't want to pile on,
but my Lyle's clerk in the
court in Pennington Gap,
and he told me Alice Lambert filed
papers against you in Lee County.
But I want you know
I didn't just sleep with him
to get that information
on your behalf.
That is so big of you,
Iva Lou.
I like his mind. I'm sure you do.
Now, get.
Love you.
Oh!
Are you okay?
Yeah!
I don't care
what you say, Ave.
If there is
the slightest chance
that Elizabeth Taylor
is gonna be riding right
down here on Main Street,
she might have to stop
and get herself a diuretic.
She'll come in here
and see all the signage.
That's what I want.
Where's that Cleopatra wig
you called me about?
FLEETA: It's in the box
right there.
Ah! Yes!
Fleeta!
Yes.
Where's the black hair dye?
In my pocket.
You getting thelastbox. Oh!
But, I just want
to warn you,
when you wake up
tomorrow morning,
you still gonna
look like you,
except with
really dark hair.
All my life I wanted to look
like Elizabeth Taylor.
And now I will.
Charge it.
You gonna be
in for a shocker
when you see
what you look like.
Okay. I'll have to deal
with this rat's nest later.
I am late for
rehearsal.
Rome has to be
built in a day.
Why would you feed
into this lunacy?
We should make
Liz Taylor makeup kits.
These women been
watching Liz Taylor
up on the silver screen
all their lives.
Now they believe
Liz Taylor's come here
'cause she wants
to watch them.
Hey, Fleeta?
Get ready, babe,
you're next.
For what? I don't see any Diahann
Carroll color up in here.
History tells us,
Cleopatra was a black woman.
(EXCLAIMS)
JACK: Afternoon,
Miss Fleeta.
FLEETA: It's Sweet
Sue Tinsley's boys!
Look, Jack, a clown!
Jared, that's not nice.
You apologize.
Sorry.
I need a tissue.
PEARL: They're in
the back, Miss Ave.
JARED: Can I have
some candy?
Now, you know candy's
very bad for your teeth.
But it is very good
for your stomach,
so you go on and take
as much as you want.
What do you say?
Thank you.
You're very welcome.
Come on, Jared.
That's compliments
of me and the clown.
Jack Mac likes Ave Maria.
Girl,
you know less about men
than you do about cosmetics.
If Ave would just
give him a chance,
she could have him.
(SNORTS)
Little girl,
Ave Maria don't stand a
chance next to Sweet Sue.
Sweet Sue is a
saber-toothed divorcee
in need of cash.
And Jack Mac's
got him a steadyjob.
He got no dependents.
And when his mama passes,
he gonna get that
house across the bridge.
And don't forget,
since he was 18,
he got that pension
from the miners.
Now, when you look at a
situation like this... Mmm-hmm.
...you realize that
money in the bank
means love in the heart.
NAN: You sure been seeing a
lot of that Sweet Sue lately.
Seems things are
getting serious.
(SIGHS)
Son, have I been
a good mother?
Yes, ma'am.
Good answer.
Why do you ask?
Something wrong?
This is one of them moments when
I wish your daddy was alive.
Just say it, Ma.
(SIGHS)
I don't want you to marry
Sweet Sue Tinsley.
Ihaven%taughtyou the difference
between love and lust.
See, true love
energizes you.
Lust and all them other kinds
of love just exhausts you.
All right.
No, now listen to me.
I mean, clearly,
I failed you.
Of course, anything and everything
that goes wrong with children
is always
the mother's fault.
But let me
embrace my failure.
Why don't you marry
some nice girl
instead of that
hotsy-totsy flaunter?
I'll marry whomever
I please, Mama.
Well, then explain
this to me.
Explain what you're
doing with your life.
Mama, look at me.
Everything's passed me by.
That's not true.
You're a good man.
I want what you
and Daddy had.
When I was young,
I had a handle on things.
I knew who I was
and what I wanted.
But I work in the dark.
And I have for 22 years.
When I come
out of that mine,
I don't want
complications.
I just want simple.
Well, that is the word
I'd use to describe Sweet Sue.
(CHUCKLES)
I know you don't
like her, Mama.
But I love her boys,
and she's nice to me.
Well, you told me.
So, if that's your choice,
Sweet Sue will never
know my true feelings.
(SIGHS HEAVILY)
Can I fix you
some supper?
No, ma'am,
I already have plans.
Okay-
(HORN HONKS)
(KNOCKING)
I found the tissues.
You're too late.
I see that.
How about some
apple butter?
Mama just put this up,
wanted you to have some.
Oh, that's very kind.
Thank you.
Would you
like to come in?
Yes, ma'am.
Well, how about
I make you a deal?
Okay-
If you quit
calling me "ma'am,"
I'll get you a beer.
(CHUCKLES)
Deal.
I remember the first time
I was in this house.
Daddy fixed the electric
here, one summer.
I don't remember
you being here.
Your mama made us
red pepper sandwiches.
Yeah. Um...
(MUMBLING)
This talking about food's
made me hungry.
You want something to eat? Sure.
Don't believe I got
that kind of time.
(BOTH LAUGH)
What made you want to
go into the mines?
Well, I couldn't wait.
When I was a boy, my daddy
used to tell me stories.
He used to
describe the mine,
and what it was like,
how quiet it could be,
how dark it was,
how if you left it
set long enough,
that black coal would
become diamonds.
That seemed almost
magical to me.
Do you get scared?
Sure do.
But you do it anyway.
I'd never do much of
anything if I didn't do
the thing I'm afraid of.
Well, look who's
at Carmine's.
Evening, Earl.
There's a special on
banana pudding tonight.
Ooh.
I highly recommend it.
Y'all have a good meal.
Well, (SIGHS) reckon you better give
Sweet Sue a call before Earl does.
(SIGHS)
You think
I'm a two-timer?
I broke up with Sue.
I guess I felt alone
when I was with her.
What is this?
It's a bowl of soup
with a coal miner.
JACK: Oh, that's
a milk glass moon.
You want to
see it up close?
I would dearly love to.
You got us a rocket ship?
Oh, I got a better way.
Take this.
Your mama sewed a new lining in
it for me a couple of years back.
She always used
satin inside coats.
It was a signature.
These are the best two seats
in this whole theater,
seats 5 and 7, row G,
to see the moon.
You know your numbers
and your letters?
Almost all.
Thanks, Miss Callahan.
She did a right good job with you.
(LAUGHING)
She tried, but
I was distracted.
See, I was sitting next to
this pretty Italian girl.
I always appreciated
that you said my name right.
Well, that's because
you matter to me.
Ave, I've got a good job.
(STUTTERING)
I'm in pretty good shape.
I mean, I eat too much
sometimes and I drink beer,
but my heart's good,
and I'm strong.
I've got some money saved.
And I got a new truck.
And I think we
should get married.
Are you serious?
You don't have to
answer right away.
I don't want to
just get married.
I'd like to
have some fun.
I mean, heck, I thought
I was fixing to.
We got here, I was like, "I'd
like to make love to that man."
Well, that's good.
(SIGHS)
Well, then you had to go and ruin
it by asking me to marry you.
I mean, my hopes were
high an hour ago.
Well, let's get 'em back up there then.
Come on.
Jack.
Well, you've been kind enough to
tell me a little about yourself.
I'll tell you something about me.
Is that all right?
Yeah.
Well, I'd like
to be kissed.
I'd like to be kissed
like Rhett Butler,
in fact, kissed Scarlett O'Hara
while Atlanta was burning.
I'd like to be held
the way Heathcliff embraces
Catherine on the Moors.
I'd like a passion
so explosive
it could burn
Thornfield Hall down.
I'd like a man
to look at me
with the whole world
in his eyes,
and know exactly
what to do
with the rest of him
to please me.
Notjust an old house
and a pack of stray dogs
and a good pension
and a new, old truck.
So, you can take your moon
and your bowl of soup
and your marriage proposal and shop
'em around to some other girl,
'cause it ain't me.
Good Lord.
Oh, come on.
Get in the front.
Ave, come on!
I'm not gonna ride through
town with you in the back.
Please.
Fine. Be that way.
(ENGINE STARTS)
JACK: Oh!
Hey. Are you all right?
Ah!
Look who's here! Finally.
You're late! Again!
That's enough from you.
On the road.
I want you to
hit your marks
and do not screw
this up for me.
Now, get over there!
It's here. That bus!
Everybody, come on,
storm the Bastille!
(MARCHING BAND PLAYING)
Come on. Everyone,
get in place.
Cleopatra! Cleopatra!
You need to bring it down
just a touch, Earl.
Oh, dear. I'm sorry.
Damn it, John. This was supposed
to be fried chicken, in and out.
Yes. Let me have this.
Is everyone in place
for the show?
Tayloe?
Maggie the Cat!
Maggie the Cat!
Here she comes.
Here she comes.
(SHUTTERS CLICKING)
(CROWD CHEERING)
Oh! Sorry, sorry.
Miss Taylor! I want to be
your next husband!
No, don't!
Miss Taylor, Miss Taylor,
Johnny Wood, WCYB-TV.
You've been married
9, 12, 10 times.
Why so many husbands?
You should always take
a chance on love.
(ALL (zooms)
Fried chicken,
Miss Taylor?
(CRUNCHING)
(CHOKING)
Spit it out!
Where's Doc Miranda at?
Elizabeth Taylor's
choking on a chicken!
Oh, my God!
JOHNNY WOOD: Elizabeth Taylor's
visit to Big Stone Gap, Virginia,
ends not with a bang,
but a choking.
While sampling
the local fried chicken,
Liz Taylor swallowed bone and is being
taken to Lonesome Pine Hospital.
This is Johnny Wood,
live for WCYB-TV
in Big Stone Gap,
Virginia.
WOMAN: Good luck.
Talk less.
At least you're not the biggest
disaster of the night.
What do you say
we go home,
and I'll let you
beat me at rummy.
That's the last thing
in the world I want to do.
Have you seen Theodore?
He's despondent.
Honey-O,
I got some news.
Marty Gilley from
the jewelry store
told me Jack Mac
bought a ring.
One karat, two baguettes
for Sweet Sue.
You look awful nice.
You gave Sweet Sue
Tinsley a ring?
I know it seems
sort of sudden.
Sudden? I'd call
that lickety-split.
VVhat'd you do, get some out of a
gumball machine that's adjustable,
try it on every finger in town
till somebody said yes?
Now you're just being unkind.
Unkind.
(SCOFFS)
Man of few words, it doesn't
take many to find the right one.
I tried with you!
Tried? Like tried,
like what? On a job?
I'm a coal miner.
That's a lot easier
work than you.
Can I ask you something?
Mmm-hmm.
Are you happy?
Darlin', happiness
is a myth.
I got married when
I was 15-years-old.
I got me five kids.
One a bigger disappointment
than the next.
My grandkids ain't
much better, neither.
'Course when you plant corn,
you get corn.
If you could live your life over,
what would you do different?
I'd marry me Twyla Johnson
instead of the wife I got.
Twyla was the one
that got away.
We all got one,
you know. You know.
That person that
we ought to be with,
we know we ought
to be with,
but circumstances
have a way of
working out where you
get sidetracked
and end up settling.
Do you ever see Twyla?
We do have lunch
every Tuesday.
My Tuesdays are content.
One out of seven days,
(SIGHS)
I live the dream.
What you gonna do with yourself, girl?
Come here.
Come on here with Spec.
Give him a big hug. Mmm!
We don't want
no trouble, Ava.
What are you doing here?
This is my family home.
I want you to leave.
The truth has come out.
Now I know your mama
done come clean with you.
You ain't our kin.
You never been blood.
I know what you are.
And that's a bastard.
When I think what your
mother done to my family,
it almost killed my mama when
Fred came home with a wop.
He married her out of pity,
'cause she was knocked up.
My brother done educated you, clothed
you and fed you like you was his.
You lived like a princess
here in my family home,
with trips to Monticello
and so forth,
while I never done
got as far as Roanoke.
I'll see you in court.
You give me my key.
Come on, Wayne.
We just want what's
coming to us.
(GRUNTS)
AVE MARIA: Can I have a grilled
cheese sandwich, tapioca pudding
and a coconut cake?
THEODORE: Black coffee
for me. Thanks.
I'm sorry I left you
stranded last night, Ave,
but we need to talk.
Okay. About what?
Well, I was gonna wait
to tell you this, but, um...
I just got offered
the band directorjob
at the University
of Tennessee.
Chattanooga, so don't get too excited.
(CHUCKLES)
That's amazing.
Well, what's gonna
happen to us?
We can't do this anymore.
No, we can't,
can we?
We can't go around pretending we're just...
We're like other people.
Yeah, exactly. Oh, my
God, it's exhausting.
It sure is.
Oh, Ave.
You don't want me.
I'm a bad bet.
I have quirks.
You know, I'm persnickety
and I'm churlish.
I'm moody, cranky,
impossible, I'm...
And you know I have
a terrible background.
Half my family drinks,
and the other half
hit the people who drink.
Theodore,
do you like men?
And there's that, too.
Hope y'all are hungry!
Don't forget the coconut cake.
Coming right up!
(SIGHS HEAVILY)
PEARL: Did you see that Liz Taylor
sent a check to the hospital
to thank 'em for
saving her life?
I did and I felt
so bad for her.
But I tell you what,
I voted for her husband.
First time I ever
voted Republican.
And he won.
Which just goes to show you,
every vote counts.
Hey, Miss Ave. Do you need
help with any of those...
She ain't in her
right mind.
FLEETA: I'm worried
about Ave Maria.
Iva Lou says she
ain't been sleeping,
and I can see
she ain't been eating.
She just don't look good.
(CLAMORING)
NAN: Jack? Bring down
that last tree.
You have to put it
in the front hall.
Now, Mary Beth,
grab them balls.
MAN: This is the best Christmas
show ever, Mrs. MacChesney.
Ma'am?
WOMAN: This show'll
be spectacular.
Feeling all right?
Ave Maria, I almost
gave up on you.
Hey, ladies. Start stringing
these extra lights.
Listen. You gotta
do something.
Sweet Sue is planning a New
Year's Eve wedding to my son.
They're gonna get married right
in front of that fireplace
while the tree
is still up.
Now, he is the
marrying kind,
and he will
never leave her
once that ring
is on his finger.
He's just like
his fool daddy.
You can love him
or beat him.
But either way
he'd stay.
Now, please help me give her
the big heave-ho.
Do you hear me,
Ave Maria?
NAN: You're gonna miss
your chance with my son.
(GASPS) Ave?
WOMAN". Ave, are you okay?
NA LOU: Doc,
what's happened to her?
DOC DAUGHERTY: This is what we call
an old-fashioned nervous breakdown.
What, do we take her
up to Lonesome Pine?
No, her vitals
are normal.
There's no reason to
take her to the hospital.
Then why's she laying there
like a bag of rocks?
That's for her
to figure out.
I'll come and check her in the morning.
Just let her sleep.
Might be a good idea if you
don't smoke around her.
Okay. There comes a time
in every woman's life
when she's gotta
face her fear.
I know. I know.
All right, whose time
is it now?
It's mine.
It's my time.
Good. Now. A woman
with a purpose
is worth 10 men
with the same, okay?
Now, I'm not gonna tell you
exactly what to say to him,
but I am gonna tell you
how to say it, all right?
You're gonna march up to Jack
MacChesney, and you're gonna say,
"I need to talk
to you, sir."
And he's gonna hem and haw
and"yep"and"nope" and look right past you,
like the shower after
the shift is more important
than the information
you need to relay.
But you are to ignore
all of that.
All right?
All right.
Men are bad at communicating,
but they actually have ears.
So you just need to state
your piece, you know,
get into that
little brain of his,
'cause he's actually
a pretty smart guy.
I happen to know that, 'cause
he checked out Quo Vadis,
from the Bookmobile and
that there's a doorstopper.
You just think
of Ave Maria,
and all she done for you.
And that'll fuel your ambition
to tell him what's what.
Okay?
Okay,
All right now,
scoofl
Get your books
on the way back.
Mr. MacChesney.
Mr. MacChesney? See you later, Mr.
MacChesney.
We're gonna save you
some water, Mr. MacChesney.
Please do.
Please do.
What is it, Pearl?
It's about Ave Maria.
She's still asleep.
Well, I'm sorry
to hear that.
She loves you.
She say something to you?
No, sir. And she
don't know it yet.
But according to the ancient
art of Chinese face reading...
Oh, come on.
According to the ancient art
of Chinese face reading,
the bridge of her nose
and yours match
which makes you
besotted, true lovers.
You handled her all wrong.
Pearl, I appreciate your
interest, but you're wrong.
She don't want me. She done
told me herself. (snens)
And if there's one thing
I know about women,
it's when they tell you something,
they mean it. Thank you.
No! Not Ave Maria.
She buries
her feelings.
Doc thinks that's why she
had that nervous breakdown.
Well, what do you want me
to do about it, Pearl?
Well, I don't know.
I was hoping you could
think of something.
Go on, get on.
So?
I don't know, Miss Iva Lou.
He seemed awful angry.
Passion in the pit.
That's the good news!
Let's go.
(DOOR UNLOCKS)
FIAMMETTA: (WHISPERING)
Ave Maria.
Ave Maria.
Carissima, Ave Maria.
By the time you read this,
I will be gone.
Please know that of all the
things I ever had to do,
leaving you here without me
is the most difficult.
High in the Italian Alps,
you have a family.
Your father is there,
and my sister.
I was too ashamed and
never told them about you.
But you deserve every
good thing in this life.
All the things
I could not give you,
for my own reasons.
AVE MARIA: Papa!
(SHRIEKING)
She's up!
Good God almighty.
She's up!
Come here!
Ave?
She's awake!
What happened?
Fleeta, she's awake!
Ave!
(AVE MARIA SHUDDERS)
it is so cold here.
Honey.
IVA LOU: Here, bundle up.
You're back.
You done come out
of your deep sleep.
Oh, Spec.
Spec, I'm leaving.
I'm going to Italy.
I'm going to Schilpario,
way up in the Italian Alps.
I've been telling you for
years to go on vacation.
No.
I saw my father in a dream.
And I have to go find him.
You know, you need to
calm down a little bit.
Take a deep breath.
(LAUGHS)
I don't know what pills
Doc Daugherty been giving her,
but it's making
that girl crazy.
SPEC". Listen up, Ave.
Before you leave for Italy, we've gotta
get everything out of your name.
Even that old Cadillac.
AVE MARIA: All right,
hand me the pen.
Howdy, Miss Grimes,
you remember me?
Sure do, Miss Ave.
How's your soap coming?
Good, good. I'll have my
Pearl bring you some.
Well, if you'd let me, I'd
love to sell some at Mutual's.
I think people'd like that.
That'd be right nice.
She home?
She out back.
Pearlie?
PEARL: Coming, Mama!
She been trying any of that
miraculous face cream on you?
Yes, ma'am.
I used to be pretty,
'fore I lost my teeth.
They say little things
don't matter,
but they matter
if they your teeth.
You could get you
some new teeth in town.
Someday, right, Mama?
Sure.
Can I have
a word, Pearl?
Mama, can I go?
Yes, ma'am.
Do you happen to
have a dollar?
Um, yeah, you just paid me.
lgot46.
Here, you need anymore?
Just the one'll do.
Okay-
Congratulations, dear.
You just bought
yourself a drugstore.
Miss Ave,
I don't understand.
Spec said I had to sell Mutual's
or it'd be took from me.
So, I looked around
andlthoughL
"Who deserves
a good turn?
"Who knows not just
what a customer needs
"but what she
secretly wants?
"Who has just the right touch
with that insecure lady,
"who's worn red lipstick all her life and
could be pushed to try the hot pink?
"Who treats her mommy
like the treasure she is?
"VVho knows everybody on those
ridges and is willing to walk
"to take them their medicine
when I can't get there?"
You're the best person
I know, Pearl.
And I hope you'll keep
using that head of yours
the way you have
been because
that store will be enough to get you
through college and make you a good life.
But, Miss Ave,
what about you?
I'll tell you a secret.
An elegant guest knows
when to leave the party.
Mama!
FLEETAI Who is it?
Fleeta.
Well, I just want to
make sure it was you,
'cause it is time
to negotiate.
'Cause if I'm gonna have to
work for this little girl,
and a Melungeon at that,
I feel I should be, well,
compensated for my duress.
You sure about
this number?
Yes, ma'am.
Then they are gonna have
to carry me outta here.
Thank you.
I want you to
look after Pearl.
You know this business
better than anybody.
Just teach her proper.
I will.
Happy?
I'm very happy-
I'm gonna buy
Krifflum a horse.
Come on in.
NA LOU:
Wise County Bookmobile.
Next stop,
Mutual's Pharmacy.
I have news!
Iva Lou!
Lyle Makin asked me to marry
him and I said, "Yes!"
Oh, tra-la.
Tra-la, tra-la.
Will you be my
maid of honor?
No.
Oh...
Not you.
Ave Maria.
Honey, I would love
to stand with you.
Honey.
So, you're pregnant?
(PIPE ORGANS PLAYING)
Lyle, keep it together.
You wouldn't know about
me and Iva Lou, now?
Yep-
Come on, you,
it's time!
(SIGHS)
Oh, you look beautiful.
I hate wearing white.
Do I look washed out?
You don't. You don't.
You're not exactly
blushing, but you're,
uh,ruddy.
I can't do this, Ave.
Hey-
Shoot. Iva Lou,
you been drinking?
Is he drunk?
Groom's drunk.
(JACK GRUNTING)
Ave!
MAN: Hold him up, Jack.
Then the two
shall be one.
Amen.
Hang on! Don't make
me go in there.
Hi, Miss Nellie.
Think pink!
Oh, how could we not?
Not yet, not yet!
I'm not ready!
No!
You okay, Lyle?
All right, darling.
Let's get you married.
(SIGHS)
(SCREAMING)
Lord have mercy.
Is anybody at this wedding sober?
Doesn't look like it.
Where is he?
Where is he?
He's right here.
No. (MUTTERING)
Preacher, I think
we're ready.
AVE MARIA: Let's do this,
we got them.
Hurry! I now pronounce
you man and wife.
(CRYING)
(SCATTERED APPLAUSE)
You know, this was the dumbest
wedding I've ever seen.
I mean, every... People that
old just ought to elope.
I heard it was touching.
Sure, it was touching,
if you like wrestling.
Hey, Mama.
Hi, Miss Fleeta.
How you doing?
Mama, show Miss Fleeta.
What?
Let me see. Oh,
those look good, girl!
Those look good!
Well, now I'm seeing that
being pretty has its benefits.
That's right. 'Cause you know,
every woman's beautiful.
Now, some is
prettier than others.
But all women
are beautiful.
Hey. Would you
care to dance?
Um...
Well, I think I bruised
my hip in the fall
and in these shoes my feet
are a couple of bloody stumps.
So, no thank you.
You want a bag of ice?
ALICE: Where is she?
Where is she?
Where is she?
I'm right here,
Aunt Alice.
You may think you won,
but you ain't, Ava Marie.
You are not gonna ruin this
wedding reception, Aunt Alice.
It ain't like anybody's
gonna remember it anyway.
You gave my brother's
pharmacy to Pearl Grimes.
Isure did. That belongs
to me and my family.
Not anymore.
Well, that may be gone.
But I want this house back,
and I'm gonna get it.
Oh, Aunt Alice.
You're just awful.
You're about to
ruin my surprise.
Pearl! Get in here, hon.
It would not be right for you to own a
business in town and have to tote yourself
all the way back and
forth from lnsko.
And I don't want you to be away
from your mommy that much.
This house is yours.
(CROWD EXCLNMS)
Oh, my God! Miss Ave?
You giving us the house?
Oh, I hope you live here
in joy and peace.
(GASPS)
(CHUCKLES)
You sweet little thing.
You done give my house
to that Melungeon?
My mama's Melungeon.
That's right.
Mine is too.
I married a Melungeon.
I'm a Melungeon.
I'm a Melungeon, too.
I think it's time for you
two to turn tail and leave.
You've done about
insulted everybody here.
Including the Melungeons.
The newly married.
The newly married.
The black folks.
Blacks.
The educated.
Mmm-hmm.
The bachelors.
Them, too.
Come on, now.
Scoot before the Cherokees
get a vote. Come on.
You're a gall-damned
Italian thief!
Oh, Aunt Alice!
For once and for all,
it is not
I-talian!
It's Italian.
That's right.
You tell her, honey.
Come on, now, scoot.
Scoot. Go on!
Bye-bye.
Bye, Alice.
SPEC: Go on, get out!
I never worried about
Alice Lambert.
Her face reading?
Tilt of her nose says
she'd never win.
You did the right thing.
WOMAN: Come on,
everybody, let's dance.
Hi, Ava.
Sweet Sue. It's Ave.
I love this cake.
I gotta find out
who the baker is
because I want to have it
for the renewal of my vows.
I got back together
with Mike.
I didn't know that.
It happened around the time
of your mental collapse.
He loves me.
And he's crazy about
the boys, and
well, I hate
being alone.
I need to work off
all this cake.
Mike, let's do
the hustle!
What happened to
your pink dress?
Um...
(CHUCKLES) It was cutting
off my circulation.
You gonna stay
mad at me forever?
I'm not mad at you.
No?
If I were mad at you,
it'd suggest I was angry.
And if I were angry, it would
mean I had feelings for you,
and you're a reasonably
nice person, but see?
No feelings.
For somebody who don't
have any feelings,
you sure talk
about it a lot.
Aren't you the expert?
All I'm saying is
I don't believe you.
It's your choice.
It means that much to you, to
hang on to your judgment of me?
I must scare you.
(MUFFLED) Uh...
Oh, no, sir.
Then you'll
come with me?
Where?
I've got something
for you in my truck.
I bet you do.
Put your cake down.
Well, that's not gonna happen.
Put your cake down.
I'm busy. Put your cake down.
Come on.
(LAUGHING)
Come on.
VVhere in the world did you find this?
(LAUGHING)
It was an ordeal.
Had to figure out
how to spell it first.
Schilpario, A Life
in the Mountains.
This is my father's
hometown.
I special ordered it
from Richmond.
I figured it'd be of some use
to you when you go to Italy.
Thank you.
You're entirely welcome.
I owe you an apology-
For what?
I haven't been
very nice to you.
Well, why is that?
I don't know.
I have an idea why.
Well, why do you think?
You don't want anybody or
anything to keep you here.
That's partly right.
I'm also just being
honest with myself.
I've given everything
I have to this place,
and it hasn't
made me happy.
You think happiness
is out there somewhere?
If I didn't believe that,
I wouldn't be going.
Do you think you'll
ever come back?
You know 'm
the Outdoor Drama
when Jack Hale,
the mining engineer,
sends June Tolliver, the poor
girl from the mountains,
off to be educated?
She goes to
the Bluegrass of Kentucky
and she learns how to
talk, and culture,
manners, how to dress.
And then when she comes home,
she doesn't fit in anymore.
I'm hoping that's
what'll happen to me.
I want to see and do
so much that it changes me.
Mmm-hmm.
And then I won't
want to come back.
At least that's
what I'm hoping.
(SIGHS)
Well, what if I told you
that I wanted you to stay?
Long time ago
you asked me
if I was scared of anything
and I didn't answer.
(SNIFFLES)
I knew even then
what I was afraid of.
I'm afraid I'm gonna spend
my whole life without you.
I better go
back inside.
Thank you so much
for the book.
(SIGHS)
Howdy.
Hey.
Looks different,
doesn't it?
Mmm-hmm.
I hate goodbyes.
I'm gonna
miss you, Spec.
I'm gonna
miss you, too.
I've never been
friends with a woman.
(SIGHS)
I didn't think
it was possible.
But you changed that.
I could tell you
whatever I was thinking.
And I just want you to know
that I will treasure that.
And you.
Aw...
Have I arrived in time
to see Spec Broadwater
weep melancholy tears
of sadness and regret?
You have not, fancy pants.
I've come to pick up a chair.
All right, well,
I guess I will help.
Where does the rest
of this stuff go?
Furniture's all going to
Sacred Heart Church,
and anything left
in the kitchen
to Reverend Mother's
Food Pantry.
I'm taking this with me.
It suits you.
(CHUCKLES)
Ah, and then I'm gonna take you
out for hot dogs at the Hob Knob,
and if you're
a really good girl,
for some donuts
at Cab's.
Can I have it frosted?
Yes, you may
have it frosted.
And then you have to
get a good night's sleep,
because we have a very big day
planned for your last day here
in Big Stone Gap.
AVE MARIA: We don't have
time for this.
THEODORE: No, no, come on. Come on, your
flight doesn't leave until tonight.
Just one more stop.
Besides, you just can't leave
without saying goodbye
to the Outdoor Drama.
(ALL CHEERING)
Come on. Come on.
Let's go.
Everybody,
settle down now.
We've got an
announcement to make.
Honey-O.
There's somebody
we want you to meet.
(CHUCKLES)
Papa.
(GASPS)
(LAUGHING)
There's more,
darling.
Uh-uh, I can't take more.
I know you can't,
but we got it for you.
We found your
mama's sister.
This is your
Zia Maria Luisa.
Ave Maria!
(APPLAUSE)
Thank God I'm wearing
my waterproof Great Lash.
How did you find me?
I was just fixing to
come look for you.
I received a letter.
From, uh...
Jack MacChesney.
He told me
about your mama
and the kind of lady
she became.
He told me about you,
the kind of girl you were,
and the kind of lady
you became.
And he said that
the one thing that
could bring you peace
was to know your father.
(SUPPRESSING SOBS)
(LAUGHS)
He sent the tickets.
He made all
the arrangements.
How did you do that,
Jack MacChesney?
You're a coal miner,
not a king.
I sold my truck.
You love that truck.
Yeah, but I've loved you
since the sixth grade.
(ALL CHEERING)
(ZIA MARIA LUISA
SINGING IN ITALIAN)
JACK: So Ave Maria
and I got married.
We made a home
and built a life.
We had two
beautiful children.
I worked in the mines
till they closed,
and Ave Maria delivered medicine
until the Jeep wore out.
We held on when
times got bad,
and didn't let go
when they got worse.
Life was good
in Big Stone Gap.
But it wasn't perfect.
Well, you know
how that goes.
Life's only perfect
in the movies.