Heir of salvation,
purchase of God
born of his spirit
and washed in his blood
this is my story,
da da da, this is my song
praising my savior,
all the day long
this is my story
[ Horn honks ]
[ Children shouting ]
[ Laughter ]
[ Sizzling ]
Lord up in heaven,
thank you for the gift of...
Thank you for this meal
that you are offering us today
in hopes
that it will nourish our body.
We praise thy name,
oh, lord.
Thank you.
Amen.
[ Humming ]
[ Train whistle blows ]
[ Sighs ]
[ Humming continues ]
[ Humming continues ]
[ Humming continues ]
Don't be afraid of making noise,
honey.
I'm awake.
Yes, ma'am.
Couldn't sleep?
No, ma'am.
Why couldn't you sleep?
Ah...
Just couldn't.
Couldn't you sleep?
No.
Haven't been to bed
at all.
You're not worried
about your job, are you, son?
No. Everybody seems
to like me there.
Thinking about asking
for a raise.
You should, son,
as hard as you work.
Why couldn't you sleep,
mama?
Full moon.
Never could sleep
when there's a full moon.
Even back in bountiful
when I'd be out in the field
working so hard I'd think
my legs would give out on me.
Just let there be a full moon,
and I'd toss and I'd turn.
[ Chuckles ]
Once, when you were little
and the moon was full,
I woke you up, dressed you,
and took you out for a walk.
You remember that?
No, ma'am.
You don't?
No, ma'am.
Well, I do.
I remember
like it was yesterday.
I dressed you
and I took you outside.
There was an old dog
howling away off somewhere,
and you got scared
and started to cry.
I said,
"son, why are you crying?"
And you said someone once
told you that when a dog howls,
a person
is dying somewhere.
I held you close to me because
you was just shaking with fear.
And then you asked me
to explain to you about dying.
And I said,
"son, you are far too young
"to be even thinking
about things like that
for a long time
to come. "
It's funny the things you
think of when you can't sleep.
I was trying to think
about that song
I used to like
to hear you sing.
What song was that, son?
Ah, I don't remember the name.
I just remember I'd always laugh
when you'd sing it.
[ Laughs ] That one.
What was the name
of it?
I don't know.
You know I hate not to be able
to remember something.
Hush...
Little baby,
don't say a word
[ Laughs ]
Mama's gonna buy you
a mockingbird
and if that mockingbird
don't sing
mama's gonna buy you
a diamond ring
[ Both chuckle ]
I used to think I would buy you
the world back in those days.
I remember remarking that
to my papa.
Hmm.
Ludie?
Hmm?
Nothing.
Nothing.
Would you like me
to fix you some hot milk?
[ Laughs ] Yes, ma'am.
If you don't mind.
I don't mind at all,
son.
I don't mind
at all.
Hush, little baby,
don't say a word.
[ Chuckles ]
Mama's gonna buy you
a mockingbird
and if that mockingbird
don't sing
mama's gonna buy you
a diamond ring
Why don't you
turn on the lights?
What's the sense
of sitting around in the dark?
[ Sighs ]
[ Soft music plays ]
How you expect
to go to work in the morning
if you don't get your sleep,
ludie?
I was hoping the hot milk
would make me sleepy.
What's the matter
with you
that you can't sleep,
mother Watts?
Full moon, jessie mae.
Full moon.
[ Sighs ] What's that
got to do with it?
I don't know
what's the matter with y'all.
I never had any trouble sleeping
in my life.
[ Sighs ]
I guess
I have a clear conscience.
Mother Watts,
where's that recipe
rosella gave me
on the phone today?
Jessie mae, I don't remember
you ever giving me any recipe.
Well, I did.
Well, I certainly have
no recollection of it.
You don't?
I gave it to this morning
in this very room.
And I said, "please put it away
in my dresser. "
And you said,
"I will. "
And you went out holding it
in your hand.
Did you look
on your dresser?
Yes, ma'am.
And it wasn't there?
No, ma'am.
I looked just before
I went to bed.
Well,
let me take a look around.
[ Sighs ]
I swear.
Just gets
on my nerves.
Now, I know
we couldn't afford it before
so I kept quiet about it,
but now you're working again.
And I don't think a picture show
once or twice a week
will break us.
Why don't we go out
one night this week?
Well, I mean,
I think we have to.
I was talking to rosella about
it on the phone this morning.
When did you and rosella
become friendly again?
Oh,
this morning.
She just all of a sudden
call me up on the telephone.
She said
she'd quit being mad if I would.
I said, "shucks,
I wasn't the one
that was mad
in the first place. "
She was the one
that was mad.
I said, "I was plain spoken.
Said exactly what I felt.
You'll have to take me as I am
or leave me alone. "
[ Drawer slams ]
Rosella found out she definitely
can't have any children.
[ Scoffs ]
Walk, don't run!
You know, your mother's
pension check didn't come today.
It's the 18th.
I swear it was due.
I can't understand
the government... always late.
Did you find it?
Not yet.
Well, then,
forget about it.
Look for it
in the morning.
I'm gonna look for it
till I find it.
[ Sighs ]
Honestly, ludie.
She is
so stubborn!
Announcer:
Keep your dial set at kdht.
Rosella says she's glad
to hear you're working again.
She said she was
cleaning out some drawers
the night before last
and come across a picture
she had taken of you and me when
we first started going together.
I said, "I don't care
to see them. No, thank you. "
The passing of time
makes me sad.
Here's your recipe,
jessie mae.
Well, thank you,
but I told you not to bother.
Where'd you find it?
In your dresser drawer,
right-hand side.
In my dresser drawer?
Yes, ma'am.
I looked on top of the dresser
and it wasn't there.
And so my head
told me to look...
mama Watts?
Yes, ma'am?
Ludie, how many times
have I asked her
never to go
in my dresser drawer?
But I thought you wanted me
to find your recipe.
But I don't want you looking
in my dresser drawers!
Yes, ma'am.
[ Scoffs ]
And just never
let me catch you
looking in them again
for anything!
I can't stand people
snooping in my dresser drawers!
All right,
then.
Next time,
find it yourself.
Pick that recipe up,
if you please.
Pick it up yourself.
I have no intention
of picking it up.
You pick that up!
I won't.
You will!
Jessie mae, for God's sake.
You're both
acting like children.
It's 1:30
in the morning.
You tell her
to pick that up.
I won't.
You will! This is my house,
and you'll do as you're told!
No, I won't.
[ Sighs ]
Now, I hope
you're satisfied.
You got ludie
good and upset.
He won't sleep
for the rest of the night.
What you want to do,
get him sick again?
[ Pounding on wall ]
Man: Quiet down over there!
Oh, shut up!
You are gonna go too far with me
one of these days, old lady.
[ Scoffs ]
I can't stand this, ludie.
I'm at the end
of my rope.
I will not take being insulted
by your mother or anyone else!
Mama, will you give this recipe
to jessie mae?
All right,
ludie.
Mama, will you please tell
jessie mae that you're sorry?
Ludie.
Please, mama.
All right,
son.
Jessie mae?
What do you want, ludie?
Mama has something
to say to you.
What is it?
I'm sorry, jessie mae,
I threw the recipe on the floor.
I accept
your apology.
Announcer: Looking for
the best music ever?
You dial is set...
[ Sighs ]
... at A.M. 79, Houston's kdht.
[ Soft music plays ]
Jessie mae,
I know it's hard and all,
but for your own sake...
I just think sometimes I-if you
try to ignore certain things...
ignore? How can you
ignore something
when it's done
right under your very nose?
Look, jessie mae...
no, I know her, ludie.
She does things
just to aggravate me.
Well,
I hope she's happy now.
She's aggravated me.
Now,
you take her hymn singing.
She never starts
until I come into her room.
And her pouting... well,
some days she'll go a whole day
just sitting
and staring out the window.
How would you like
to spend 24 hours a day
shut up with a woman
who either sang hymns
or looked out the window
with pouting?
I'm not saying it's easy,
jessie mae.
I'm only saying...
she just keeps me so nervous.
Never knowing when I leave
whether she's gonna try to
run off to that old town or not.
She's not
gonna run off again, jessie mae.
She promised me
she wouldn't.
Sometimes,
I think she hides that check.
Tell you right now.
If that check's not here
by tomorrow morning,
I'm gonna search this house
from top to bottom.
Rosella asked me
if I realized
it would be 15 years this
Christmas since we were married.
Said I hadn't realized it.
Had you?
No.
I never will forget
the night I came home
and told rosella
you had proposed.
[ Both chuckle ]
I thought you were
the handsomest man alive.
I thought you...
Were the prettiest girl.
[ Chuckles ]
Did you,
ludie?
Oh, jessie mae.
I just got to start making
some more money.
Thinking of asking
for a raise.
I'll walk
into Mr. Douglas' office
first thing
in the morning.
I'm gonna say,
"Mr. Douglas,
"I've got to have a raise
starting as of now.
We can't live
on what you're paying us. "
Well, I would.
I don't understand it,
jessie mae.
I try
not to be bitter.
I try.
Mm-hmm.
All I know is that a man works
eight years with the company,
save a little money,
he gets sick
and has to spend two years
in the bed
watching his savings
all go
and then start all over again
with a new company.
Of course, the doctor said
I shouldn't worry about it,
said I... Take things
like they come... Every day.
What's this book?
I bought it from a drug store
coming home from the office.
"How to become
an executive. "
Mm.
My boss likes me.
Billy Davidson told me today
he was positive he did.
Mm.
You feeling sleepy now?
Mm-hmm. You?
Yeah.
I am.
Good night.
[ Soft music playing ]
[ Door creaks ]
[ Music stops ]
Mama?
Mrs. Watts:
I'm all right, ludie.
I'm just
still not sleepy.
Good night.
Ludie,
please, son.
I want
to go home.
Mama, you know
I can't make a living there.
We have to live
in Houston.
Ludie,
I can't stay here no longer.
I want
to go home.
I beg you
not to ask me that again.
There's nothing I can do
about it.
[ Dog barking ]
[ Water running ]
Ludie.
Ludie!
[ Water shuts off ]
It's 8:15.
Ludie: You have 'em?
Softly and tenderly,
Jesus is calling...
Too early for hymn singing!
[ Humming ]
Good morning,
mama.
Morning, son.
I'll have your coffee ready
for you in a minute.
Why don't we have
an early supper tonight? 6:30?
If that's all right
with you... and mama.
After supper, I'll take you both
to the picture show.
[ Gasps ]
Oh, that's fine.
What you want to see,
ludie?
Whatever you want to see,
jessie mae.
[ Sighs ]
I think I'll phone the beauty
parlor for an appointment.
Ooh,
I hope I can still get one.
I want
to get in early.
Mr. Douglas is usually in
by 9:00.
[ Sighs ]
You think
I'm doing the right thing
asking for a raise,
do you?
Sure.
Hello. Rita?
It's jessie mae Watts.
Can I get an appointment
for my hair today?
2:00?
Nothing earlier?
All right,
I'll see you then.
[ Sighs ]
Wish me luck
on my raise.
Good luck,
ludie.
Bye, mama.
Bye, son!
Now, holler if there's any mail
out there.
No mail, boss!
[ Jazz music playing ]
Can't understand
about that pension check.
Can you?
No, ma'am.
Sure hope
it wasn't lost.
You know,
you're so absent minded,
you don't think you
put it around the room someplace
by mistake
and forgot all about it?
I don't believe so.
You know, you said
you lost that check once before.
Took us five days
to find it.
And I come across it
under this radio.
[ Music stops ]
There's not a thing
like...
You stop
that hymn-singing!
What do you want me to do,
jump right out my skin?
You know what hymns do
to my nerves!
Don't pout.
You know
I can't stand pouting.
I didn't mean to pout,
jessie mae.
[ Door slams ]
Only meant
to be silent.
[ Sighs ]
I can't make up my mind what
movie I want to see tonight.
Well, I guess
I'll just ask rosella.
You know,
when I first came to Houston,
I used to go to
three picture shows in one day.
I'd go
to the Kirby in the morning,
the metropolitan
in the afternoon,
and the majestic
at night.
I guess
I'll just call rosella,
tell her to meet me
at the drug store for a coke.
[ Rotary phone dialing ]
She's not home.
I bet she's
at the drug store right now.
[ Wheels squeaking ]
Would you stop that noise
for a minute?
I'm nervous.
[ Squeaking stops ]
[ Squeaking resumes ]
Ooh!
Mother Watts?
Mother Watts!
I'm all right, jessie mae.
Is it your heart?
No.
It's just
a sinking spell.
[ Sighs ]
Can I get you some water?
Yes,
thank you.
You want me
to call the doctor?
No, ma'am.
You want me to call ludie?
No, ma'am!
Here.
Thank you.
Feeling better now?
Yes, ma'am.
You think you ought to be
getting up so soon?
Sure, ma'am.
I'm... I'm feeling
much better already.
I'll just sit here in the chair
and rest a bit.
All right.
Guess I'll sit over here
and keep you company for awhile.
How you feel now?
Better.
Good.
Those sinking spells always
scare the daylights out of me.
[ Sighs ]
Well, it's your heart.
If you don't want to take
care of it, nobody can make you.
[ Telephone ringing ]
[ Sighs ]
Hello?
Oh, hello, rosella.
You are
at the drug store?
I'd like to,
rosella,
but mother Watts had
one of her sinking spells...
you go on, jessie mae.
I'm gonna be all right.
I mean, there's nothing
you can do for me.
Are you sure?
I'm sure.
All right.
Uh, rosella, mother Watts says
she won't be needing me here,
so... I guess
I will come on over.
I'll see you
in a few minutes.
Now, you sure
you're gonna be all right?
Yes, ma'am.
Then I'll
head on over.
Now, you call me at the drug
store if you need me, you hear?
Yes, ma'am.
[ Door opens ]
I forgot to take any money
along with me.
Who are you
writing to?
Oh.
[ Chuckles ]
I just thought I'd drop a line
to Callie Davis,
let her know
I'm still alive.
Why'd you decide to do that
all of a sudden?
No reason.
I... The notion
just struck me.
All right.
But just in case you're trying
to put something over me
with that pension check,
I told Mr. Reynolds
at the grocery store
never to cash anything
for you.
[ Indistinct conversation ]
Woman:
Morning, Mrs. Watts!
Oh.
How you doing?
Just fine.
[ Indistinct conversations ]
There you are.
You change buses at Harrison.
Yes, sir.
[ Chuckles ]
I'm sorry.
Excuse me.
Man: Lady?
Lady,
it's your turn.
Yes, sir.
Uh, excuse me.
I'd like a ticket
to bountiful, please.
Where?
Bountiful.
What's it near?
It's between Harrison
and cotton.
Just a minute.
Man: Dallas now boarding
on gate four.
Lady, I can sell you a ticket
to Harrison or to cotton,
but there's no bountiful.
Oh,
yes, there is.
It's between Harrison
and cotton.
I'm sorry, lady.
You say there is,
but the book says there isn't,
and the book don't lie.
But I was born
in bountiful.
Make up your mind, lady.
Cotton or Harrison.
There are
other people waiting.
Let me see.
How much is a ticket
to Harrison?
$3.50.
And cotton?
$4.20.
$4.20. Oh, yes.
I'll take the one
to Harrison, please.
All right.
It'll be $3.50, please.
Yes, sir.
Uh, can you cash
a pension check?
See, I decided to come
at the last minute
and didn't have time
to go to the grocery store.
I'm sorry, lady.
I can't cash any checks.
It's perfectly good.
It's a government check.
I'm sorry. It's against
the rules to cash checks.
Oh.
I didn't know that.
I understand
the rules are rules.
How much was that,
again?
$3.50.
Oh, yes.
I think
I have it all here
in nickles, dimes,
and quarters, yeah.
One, two, three, four.
That's one.
One, two,
three, four.
That's two.
One, two,
three, four.
That's three.
And 50 cents?
There.
I think
that's $3.50.
Thank you.
I'm sorry to have taken up
so much of your time.
Dallas now boarding
on gate four.
Man:
Here, lady.
Don't forget your ticket.
Oh.
Oh, my heavens,
yes.
I'd forget my head
if it wasn't on my neck.
[ Chuckles ]
Angleton now boarding
on gate three.
[ Indistinct conversations ]
Angleton now boarding
on gate three.
Excuse me.
Would you watch this suitcase?
I'll be right back.
Yes, ma'am.
[ Sighs ] All right.
Kind of warm, isn't it,
when you're rushing about?
Yes, ma'am.
I had to get myself ready
in the biggest kind of hurry.
Trying to get
to a town
that nobody around here
seems to have heard of.
What town is that?
Bountiful.
Oh.
Did you ever hear
of it?
No.
You see?
Nobody has.
[ Chuckles ]
Not much of a town now,
I guess.
I haven't seen it myself
in 20 years.
It used to be quite prosperous,
you know?
All they have left now
is a post office,
a filling station,
and general store.
At least that's all they had
when I left.
Do your people
live there?
No.
All my people is dead except
my son and his wife, jessie mae,
and they stay right here
in the city.
I'm hurrying to see bountiful
before I die.
I had a sinking spell
this morning.
I had to climb up on the bed
and rest.
It was my heart.
But do you have a bad heart?
Well, it's not
what you call a good one.
My doctor says it would last
as long as I need it
if I could just
cut out worrying.
But... Seems I can't
do that lately.
Excuse me.
Would you keep your eye
on this suitcase again for me?
Yes, ma'am.
Ooh!
Say a prayer for me,
honey.
And good luck
to you.
Good luck to you.
Ludie, she always tries
to go by train.
But no, we wait in the railroad
station for five minutes.
'Cause she's not there right
then, you drag me over here.
Jessie mae,
you want to sit down?
Yes, I do.
You want to continue
to look around, go right ahead.
Now boarding for new Orleans
on gate nine.
[ Indistinct announcement
on p. A. ]
New Orleans on gate nine.
San Antonio now boarding
on gate seven.
Columbus, San Antonio
now boarding on gate seven.
I hope
you're lucky enough
not to have to fool
with any in-laws.
I got a mother-in-law
who's about to drive me crazy.
She's always trying to run off
to this place called bountiful.
[ Groans ]
She is so stubborn,
I could ring her neck.
Thank you.
Her son spoils her.
That's the whole trouble.
She's just
rotten spoiled.
People ask me
why I don't have children.
Why, I say, 'cause I got ludie
and mother Watts.
That's all the children
I need.
What'd you bring me?
[ Groans ]
I seen this one.
You seen mama?
Jessie mae: No, you goose.
Think I'd be sitting here
so calm if I had?
I think we should turn this
whole thing over to the police.
That will scare her
once and for all.
I'm not gonna call
any police.
Oh, you're not?
No.
No!
Well,
I don't care what you do.
It's your mother.
Harrison, don tarle,
Victoria on gate three.
Would you like this?
I don't read them,
and my wife has seen it.
Thank you.
Excuse me,
miss?
Oh, miss.
Yes?
Found this handkerchief there
that belongs to,
I think, my mother.
She has
a heart condition.
Do you remember
having seen her?
Well, I...
she'd be on her way
to a town called bountiful.
Yes,
I did see her.
She was here talking to me, and
then she left all of a sudden.
Thank you so much.
Ludie.
Jessie mae, I was right.
She was here.
That lady there says so.
Well,
we're not gonna wait.
The police and I
talked it over.
You did not
really call them.
Yes, I did.
And they said
we should just go home
and pay her no mind
at all.
Ludie, I wish you would think
of me for a change.
I am not
spending the rest of my life
running after your mother.
All right, jessie mae.
Victoria now boarding
on gate three.
Come on. Let's go.
Come on!
If mama ain't home in an hour,
I'm going after her.
[ Sighs ]
Honestly.
This is your last call
for Victoria,
now boarding at gate three.
Sugarland, Harrison,
don tarle, Victoria,
now leaving from gate three.
Mrs. Watts: Wait! Wait!
Please!
Thank you.
[ Breathing heavily ]
Thank you.
Isn't it
a small world?
I didn't know
we'd be on the same bus.
Where you off to,
honey?
Harrison.
Harrison?
Yes,
I change buses there.
Well,
so do I go there.
Isn't that nice?
[ Chuckles ]
Thank you.
The bus is nice to ride,
isn't it?
Yes, it is.
Excuse me
for getting personal,
but what's a pretty girl like
you doing traveling all alone?
My husband
was just sent overseas.
Oh. I'm sorry
to hear that.
I'm going to stay
with my family.
Say the 91st psalm
over and over to yourself.
It'll be a bower of strength
and protection for you.
"He that dwelleth in the
secret place of the most high
"shall abide under the shadow
of the almighty.
I'll say of the lord,
he is my refuge. "
[ Crying ]
Oh, I'm sorry.
It's all right.
I'm just lonesome
for him.
Keep him under the lord's wing
and he'll be safe.
Yes, ma'am. I'm sorry.
I don't know
what gets into me.
Nobody needs
to be ashamed of crying.
I guess we've all dampened
our pillows at some time,
and lord knows
I have.
[ Sighs ]
If only I could just learn
not to worry.
I know.
I guess we all ask that.
Jessie mae, my daughter-in-law,
she don't worry.
"What for?" She says.
Well,
like I tell her,
it's a fine attitude
if you can cultivate it.
Trouble is,
I can't do it no more.
It is hard.
I didn't
used to worry.
I was so carefree
as a girl.
[ Chuckles ]
I had lots to worry me,
too.
Everybody in bountiful
was so poor.
But we got along.
I said to my papa once after
our third crop failure in a row,
"whoever gave this place
the name of bountiful?"
His papa did,
he said,
because in those days,
it was a land of plenty.
All you had to do
is drop seeds in the ground
and crops
would just spring up...
cotton, corn,
and sugar cane.
I still think it's
the prettiest place I know of.
Jessie mae
says it's the ugliest.
She's just says that,
I know, to make me mad.
And then Sonny...
that's my boy, ludie...
he says
not to answer her back
'cause it only
causes argument
and nobody ever won an argument
with jessie mae.
And I guess that's right.
[ Chuckles ]
Mrs. Watts?
Yes?
I think
I ought to tell you this.
I don't want you to think I'm
interfering in your business,
but your son and daughter-in-law
came in after you left.
No, I know.
I saw them coming.
That's why I ran out
so fast.
[ Chuckles ]
Your son
seemed very concerned.
Bless his heart.
He found a handkerchief
you had left.
[ Gasps ]
Mercy, that's right.
He asked
if I seen you.
I felt like
I had to say yes.
I wouldn't have said anything
if he hadn't asked.
Oh.
That's all right.
I would have done the same thing
in your place.
Did you talk
to jessie mae?
Yes.
Isn't she a sight?
[ Both chuckle ]
I think ludie knows how I feel
about getting back to bountiful.
Once when I was talking
about something
we did back there in the old
days, he just bust out crying.
He was so overcome, he jumped up
and ran out the room.
[ Humming ]
That's a pretty hymn.
What's the name
of it?
"There's not a friend
like the lowly Jesus. "
You like hymns?
Yes, I do.
So do I.
I bet I sing it
a hundred times a day
when jessie mae
ain't home.
Hymns make
jessie mae nervous.
So many people
are nervous today.
Ludie wasn't nervous
back in bountiful.
Neither was I.
Breeze from the Gulf
would always quiet your nerves.
You can sit
on your front gallery
and smell the ocean
blowing in around you.
[ Chuckles ]
Callie says I could always
come back and visit with her.
She meant that,
too.
That's who I'm gonna stay with,
Callie Davis.
I get a card from her
every Christmas.
I wrote her last week,
and I told her to expect me.
I got to get back and smell that
salt air and work that dirt.
Where do you go
from Harrison?
Old Gulf.
My family just moved there
from Louisiana.
Hmm.
I'll stay there
until my husband comes home.
That's nice.
It's gonna be funny
living at home again.
How long
have you been married?
A year.
My husband was anxious
for me to go.
He said he'd worry
about me being alone.
I'm the only child.
My parents and I
are very close.
That's nice.
I so hoped my mother and daddy
would like my husband
and he'd like them.
I needn't have worried.
They liked each other
from the very first.
[ Chuckles ]
Mother and daddy said
they feel like
they have two children now...
a son and a daughter.
Isn't that nice?
I've heard people say
that when your son marries,
you lose a son,
but when your daughter marries,
you get a son.
What's your husband's name?
Robert.
That's a nice name.
I think so.
But I guess any name he had
I'd think was nice.
I love my husband
very much.
Lots of girls I know
think I'm silly about him,
but...
I just can't help it.
[ Chuckles ]
I wasn't in love
with my husband.
Do you believe we're punished
for what we do wrong?
I sometimes think that's why
I've had all my troubles.
I talked to many a preacher
about it,
and all but one
said he didn't think so.
I can't see any other reason,
though.
Of course...
...I didn't lie
to my husband.
I told him
I didn't love him...
that I admired him,
which I did,
but I didn't love him,
that I'd never love anybody
but ray John Murray
as long
as I lived.
And I didn't,
and I couldn't help it.
And after
my husband died
and I had to move in
with mama and papa,
I used to sit on
my front gallery every morning
and every evening
just to nod hello
to ray John Murray as he went by
the house to work at the store.
He went a mile out of his way
to pass the house.
He never loved nobody
but me.
Why didn't you
marry him?
His papa and my papa
didn't speak.
And my papa forced me
to write a letter to him
saying I never wanted
to see him again.
He got drunk
and married out of spite.
I felt sorry
for his wife
because she knew
he never loved her.
I don't think
about those things anymore.
But they're all
a part of bountiful,
so I guess that's why I'm
starting to think of them again.
You're lucky to be married
to the man you love, honey.
I know I am.
Awfully lucky.
[ Gasps ]
Did you see that star
fall over there?
No.
Prettiest thing
I ever saw.
You can make a wish
on a falling star, honey.
I know.
It's too bad I didn't see it.
Take my wish.
Oh, no.
Go on!
I've gotten mine already.
I'm on my way
to bountiful.
Oh.
Good evening.
Good evening.
[ Chuckles ]
You want some help
with these bags?
[ Chuckles ]
Thank you.
You're welcome.
Oh, is this bus to old Gulf
gonna be on time?
Always is.
[ Chuckles ]
What time is it,
honey?
12:00.
12:00?
Mm-hmm.
Oh, would Callie Davis
be surprised to see me
walking in at 12:00.
You told her you were
coming into town today?
No.
I didn't know.
I had to wait till jessie mae
went to the drug store.
My bus will be leaving
in a half an hour.
Oh.
I see.
Well, I guess
I'd better be finding out
how I'm gonna get
to bountiful.
You sit down.
I'll ask the man.
Well,
thank you.
Excuse me.
Yes, ma'am?
My friend here
would like to know
how she can get
to bountiful.
Bountiful?
Yes.
What's she
going there for?
Oh, I'm gonna visit
my girlfriend.
I don't know
who that's gonna be.
The last person in bountiful
was miss Callie Davis.
She died
the day before yesterday.
I mean, that is, they found her
the day before yesterday.
She lived all alone,
so they don't know
exactly when she died.
Callie Davis?
Yes, ma'am.
Had the funeral
this morning.
Was she the one
you was going to visit?
She was the one.
Sh-she was my friend,
my girlfriend.
Is there a hotel here?
Yes, ma'am,
the riverview.
How far is it?
About five blocks.
[ Sighs ]
What will you do now,
Mrs. Watts?
I'm thinking,
honey.
I'm thinking.
This comes
as quite a blow.
I'm sorry.
I'm so sorry.
I know.
I know.
It's come to me
what to do.
I'll go on.
I'll go on
to bountiful.
I'll walk those 12 Miles
if I have to.
But if
there's no one out there,
what will you do
this time of night?
Oh, yes.
I guess that's right.
I think you should wait
until morning.
Yes.
I guess I should.
And then I can hire someone
to drive me out there.
And I'll stay at my own house...
or what's left of it.
I'll put me in
a garden.
Oh, I think
I'm gonna get along fine
with the help
of my government checks.
The man said there's a hotel
not too far away.
I think you better
let me take you there.
Oh, no. I'm not spending
no money in a hotel.
They're high
as cats' backs.
I'm gonna sleep right here
on this bench. See?
I'll take my coat,
fold it up,
put it
under my head,
and I'll take my purse
and I'll tuck it under my ar...
my purse.
I don't have my purse,
honey.
Have you seen
my purse?
Why, no.
Uh, excuse me.
This lady left her purse
on the bus.
All right.
I'll call ahead.
How can
you identify it?
Just a plain brown purse.
How much money?
35 cents.
And a pension check.
Who's the check
made out to?
To me,
Mrs. Carrie Watts.
All right.
I'll call up about it.
Thank you.
You're most kind.
Try not to worry
about the purse.
Oh, I'm too tired
to worry about no purse.
Time enough to worry about it
in the morning.
Why don't you go on to sleep now
if you can?
Oh, no.
I thought I'd stay up
and see you off.
No.
You go to sleep.
I couldn't go
right to sleep now.
I'm too wound up,
you ow?
I don't go on a trip
every day of my life.
[ Chuckles ]
You're lucky.
The bus hasn't gotten
to don tarle yet.
If they can find the purse,
should be here around 5:00.
Oh, thank you.
Thank you so much.
Make you
feel better?
Oh, yes.
It does.
Of course, everything seemed
to work out today.
Why is it some days
everything works out,
and some days
nothing works out?
[ Chuckles ]
Hmm?
I guess the good lord
is just with me today.
I wonder why the lord
isn't with us every day.
It would be so nice
if he was, hmm?
[ Chuckles ]
Well, maybe then
we wouldn't appreciate so much
the days
when he's on our side.
Maybe he's always on our side,
we just don't even know it.
Maybe I had to wait 20 years
cooped up in that city
before I could appreciate
getting back here.
Blessed assurance.
Jesus is mine.
Oh, what a foretaste
of glory divine
heir of salvation,
purchase of God
born of his spirit
and washed in his blood
this is my story,
fa LA LA LA, this is my song
and I'm praising my savior
all the day long
this is my story
and this is my song
and I'm praising my savior
all the day...
You know, it's so nice
to be able to sing a hymn
when you want to?!
[ Laughs ]
[ Chuckles ]
I still have
a sandwich left.
Will you have one?
Oh, no,
thank you.
You know, I don't eat very much,
especially when I'm excited.
[ Laughs ]
You know, I came
to my first dance in this town.
Did you?
Yes.
It was the summertime.
My father couldn't decide
whether he thought dancing
was right or not.
But my mother said
she danced when she was a girl
and that I was gonna dance.
And so, I went.
Girls from all over the county
came to this dance.
It was
at the opera house.
I can't remember
what the occasion was,
but it was something special,
though.
[ Chuckles ]
[ Humming ]
[ Both chuckle ]
Oh.
Da da da
da da da
da da da
[ Laughs ]
da da da
da da-da da-da da-da
da-da da-da da-da da-da
Knee! da
[ Both laugh ]
Da da da
Turn!
[ Both laugh ]
You know something,
young lady?
If my daughter
had lived,
I would have wanted her
to be just like you.
Oh.
No, no,
no, no, no.
Sweet, considerate,
thoughtful, and pretty.
Roy:
You better get your bags, miss.
Buss will be
up the road.
Won't wait
this time of night.
I was telling
my little friend here
that I came to my first dance
in this town.
Is that so?
[ Both chuckle ]
Goodbye,
Mrs. Watts.
Goodbye, honey.
And good luck to you.
Thank you
for everything.
Good luck
to you.
Do they still have dances
in borden's opera house?
No, ma'am.
It was torn down.
They condemned it,
you know?
Is that so?
Mm-hmm.
Did you ever know anyone
in Harrison?
Well, I knew a few people
when I was a girl.
Priscilla nytelle...
did you know her?
Oh, no, ma'am.
What about
Nancy Lee goodhue?
No, ma'am.
The fay girls?
No, ma'am.
Oh.
I used to trade
in Mr. ewing's store.
I knew him
to speak to.
Which ewing
was that?
George white ewing.
He's dead.
Is that so?
Been dead 12 years.
[ Gasps ]
Is that so?
Yeah, left quite a bit
of money,
but his son took over his store,
lost it all.
Drank.
Is that so?
One thing
I can say about my boy...
he never gave me any worries
that way.
Well,
that's good.
I got one boy that drinks,
one boy that doesn't.
I can't understand it.
I raised them
the same way.
I know.
I've knew
other cases like that...
one drinks,
the other one doesn't.
I don't know why.
Friend of mine's
got a girl that drinks.
I think that's the saddest thing
in the world.
Isn't it?
Well,
good night.
Good night.
Good night.
Good night.
[ Birds chirping, dog barking ]
Roy?
Come on, Roy.
Wake up.
Oh.
Hello, sheriff.
How long
has that old lady been here?
Oh...
About six hours.
She come off the bus
from Houston?
Yes, sir.
I know her name.
It's Watts.
She left a purse
on the bus.
I had to call up to don tarle
about it.
Do you have her purse?
Yes, sir. Just came.
Yeah,
she's the one, all right.
Got a call
from the Houston police.
They want me to hold her
till her son comes for her.
She says
she used to live in bountiful.
Her son claims
that she's not responsible.
She act crazy
to you?
Not that I noticed.
Is she crazy?
Well,
they say so.
Oh,
she's sleeping so sound.
[ Clicks tongue ]
I tell you what.
I'll go down, call Houston,
tell them she's here.
Her son's coming
in his car.
He'll be here
about 7:30.
I'll be back
in about 10 minutes.
If she gives you any trouble,
just call me.
Roy: Yes, sir.
Good morning.
Good morning.
Did my purse arrive?
Yes, ma'am.
Thank you so much.
You're welcome.
I wonder if you could cash
a check for me.
Why?
I need money to get me started
in bountiful.
I'm sorry, lady, but you're not
going to bountiful.
Oh, yes, I am.
You see, I...
I'm sorry,
lady.
I got to hold you here
for the sheriff.
The sheriff?
Yes, ma'am.
You're joking
with me.
Please don't joke
with me.
I've come too far.
I got to keep you here till
your son arrives in his car.
My son hasn't got a car,
so I don't believe you.
The sheriff will be here
in a minute.
You can ask him yourself.
All right.
But I'm going.
Do you understand that?
This is a free country,
and I'll tell him that.
No sheriff,
no king, no prison
will keep me
from going back to bountiful.
All right!
You can tell him yourself.
What time
is my son expected?
The sheriff said
around 7:30.
Where can I
get me a driver?
Ma'am.
If you
can get me a driver,
I can make it to bountiful
and back way before 7:30.
Look, lady...
that's all I want.
That's all I ask.
Just to see it,
to stand on the porch
of my own house once more.
Lady...
last night,
I thought I had to stay.
I thought I would die
if I couldn't stay.
But I'll settle
for less now.
An hour, half hour,
15 minutes.
Look, look, lady,
it ain't up to me.
I told you... the sheriff.
Then get me the sheriff.
Go get me
the sheriff.
The time is going, sir.
The time is going.
The time is...
Mrs. Watts.
Yes, sir?
Are you the sheriff?
Yes, ma'am.
I understand
my son will be here at 7:30
to take me back
to Houston.
Yes, ma'am.
Please listen to me,
sir.
I've waited a long time
just to get to bountiful.
And I made one promise
to myself,
and that is to see my home again
before I die.
Lady, I don't know anything
about that.
I'm not asking
that I not go back.
I'm willing
to go back.
Only let me travel
these 12 Miles first.
I got money.
I can pay.
Ma'am, I think that's between
you an your son.
Ludie? He has to do what
jessie mae tells him to do.
I know
why she wants me back.
It's for
my government check.
I don't know anything
about that, ma'am.
Won't you let me go?
No. Not unless
your son takes you.
All right.
Then I've lost.
I've come all this way
only to lose.
I kept thinking back there, day
and night in those two rooms.
I kept thinking.
And it may mean
nothing at all to you,
but I kept thinking
if I could just set foot there
for a minute, even a second,
I might get
some understanding of why...
why my life has grown so empty
and meaningless
and why I've turned into a
hateful, quarrelsome old woman.
And before I leave this earth,
I'd like to recover
some of the dignity
and the peace I used to know.
I'm going to die,
and jessie mae knows that.
And she's willful.
And it's her will that I die
in those two rooms.
Well,
she won't have her way.
Because it's my will
to die in bountiful.
I want to go home.
B-b-b-but, Mrs. Watts...
I want to go home.
Roy, Roy,
hurry up now.
Call the doctor.
Roy: Yes, sir.
No doctor!
No doctor!
Sit, sit,
sit, sit.
Bountiful!
Bountiful! Bountiful!
Shh.
[ Crying ] Bountiful.
How you feeling?
Stronger by the minute,
thank you.
Does this
look familiar?
Yes.
It surely does.
[ Birds chirping ]
Look at bountiful.
There's nothing left.
I'm home.
I'm home.
I'm home.
[ Breathing heavily ]
Thank you.
Thank you.
I'll pay you.
Ma'am, you better come over here
and sit down and rest awhile.
Yes, sir.
Don't want to overdo it.
Hope I've done the right thing
in bringing you here.
[ Chuckles ]
I don't see
what harm it can do
as long as you mind the doctor
and don't get overexcited.
Yes, sir.
Yeah.
I'll stay out here
until your son arrives.
Thank you.
You've been very kind.
[ Bird chirping ]
[ Groans ]
Whew.
What kind of bird
was that?
Oh, that's a...
that's an old red bird.
Oh, I thought
it was a red bird.
I mean, I haven't heard one
in so long, I couldn't be sure.
Do they still have scissortails
around here?
Yes, ma'am.
I see them out here
every now and then
when I'm driving
to the country.
Oh, I don't think
here's anything prettier
than a scissortail
flying around the sky.
You know, my father
was a good man in many ways.
A peculiar man,
but a good one.
One of the things
he couldn't stand
was to see a bird
shot on his land.
If the men
came hunting,
he would take a gun
and chase them away.
I think the birds knew
they couldn't be touched here.
Our land was always a home
to them.
Ducks and geese and finches
and bluejays and blue birds
and red birds and wild canaries
and black birds and mockers
and doves
and rice birds.
Rice birds get thicker
every year.
They seem to thrive out here
on the coast.
I guess a mockingbird
is my favorite of them all.
I think it's mine,
too.
I don't know,
though.
I'm mighty partial
to a scissortail.
[ Both laugh ]
I hope
I get to see one soon.
I hope you can.
My father
was born on this land.
And in this house.
Did you know
my father?
No, ma'am.
Not that I can remember.
Hmm.
Well, I guess there
are not very many around here
that remember my father.
I do,
of course.
My son.
Funny.
Ever since I've been here,
I've been half expecting
my mama and my papa
walk out the door
and greet me
and welcome me home.
When you've lived longer
than your house and your family,
you've lived too long.
Maybe it's just me.
Maybe the need to belong to
a house and a family and a town
is gone
from the rest of the world.
What's happened
to the farms?
For the last five Miles,
I've seen nothing but woods.
I know.
Land around bountiful
just played out.
People like you got discouraged
and moved away.
Yeah, but Callie Davis...
she kept her farm going.
Yeah, yeah,
she did.
She learned
how to treat her land right,
and it started paying off
for her toward the end.
Heard she was on her tractor
the day before she died.
Lonely death she had, all by
herself in that big, old house.
There are worse things.
[ Sighs ]
Well, looks to me like
you're gonna have a pretty day.
Oh, I hope so.
Are you feeling
more rested now?
Oh, yes, I am.
All right.
I'm just gonna head back
to the car.
You call me
if you need anything.
Thank you.
You'll never know
what this has meant to me.
[ Birds chirping ]
[ Laughs ]
Ludie: Mama!
Mama!
Mrs. Watts: Hello, son.
[ Sighs ]
Hello, mama.
How do you feel?
I'm feeling much better,
ludie.
Yes, ma'am.
I got my wish.
Yes, ma'am.
Hope I didn't worry you
too much, ludie.
But I just felt I had to.
Yes, ma'am.
I understand,
mama.
But it's done now,
so...
[ Sighs ]
Let's forget about it.
All right,
Sonny.
You did bring jessie mae,
didn't you?
Yes, ma'am.
Well, now she's here
and she can get out the car
and come
take a look around.
No, she doesn't seem
to want to, mama.
You asked her?
[ Chuckling ] Yes, ma'am.
Did you ask
about your raise, son?
Yes, ma'am.
Mr. Douglas told me
he liked my work
and he'd be glad
to recommend a raise for me.
Oh.
The sky's so blue,
ludie.
You ever see
the sky so blue?
No, ma'am.
Callie Davis died.
Is that so?
When did that happen?
They don't
rightly know.
They found her dead.
She'd been riding her tractor
just the day before.
They buried her yesterday.
Mama, I should have made myself
bring you here before.
I'm sorry.
But I thought it'd be easier
for both of us
not to see
the house again.
I know, ludie,
but now you're here.
Don't you want to come inside
and take a look around a bit?
I don't think I'd better,
mama.
I don't see any use
in it.
I'd rather remember it
like it was.
[ Laughs ]
Old house has gotten
kind of rundown, hasn't it?
Yes, it has.
I don't think it'll last out
the next Gulf storm.
Doesn't look like
it would.
You know who you look like
standing there, ludie?
Who?
My papa.
Do I?
Just like him.
Course, I've been noticing
as you grow older
that you're looking more
and more like him.
My papa
was a good-looking man, ludie.
Was he?
You've seen his picture.
Didn't you think so?
I don't remember.
Been a long time
since I looked at his picture.
Well, he was always considered
a very nice-looking man.
Do you remember my papa
at all, son?
No, ma'am.
Not too well.
I was only 10
when he died, mama.
I remember
the day he died.
I heard about it as
I was coming home from school.
Lee Williams told me.
I thought he was joking.
I called him a liar.
I remember...
You taking me
into the parlor there
on the day of the funeral
so I could say goodbye to him.
I remember the coffin,
people sitting in the room,
old man Joe Williams
took me up on to his knee
and he told me
grandpapa was his best friend
and that his life was
a real example for me to follow.
I remember grandmama
sitting by the coffin crying.
She made me promise
that when I had a son of my own,
I'd name him
after grandpapa.
And I would have,
too.
I've never forgotten
that promise.
Well...
I didn't have a son.
Or a daughter.
Billy Davidson
told me
that his wife
is expecting their fourth child.
They have two girls
and a boy now,
and Billy Davidson... he doesn't
make much more than I do.
And they certainly seem
to get along.
Own their own home
and have a car.
Does your heart good
to hear them tell about
how they all get along.
Everybody has their own job,
even the youngest child.
She's only 3.
She puts the napkins
around the table at meal time.
That's her job.
Billy said to me,
"ludie, I don't know
how I'd keep going
without my kids. "
He said,
"I don't understand.
"What keeps you going,
ludie?
What you work for?"
I said, "well...
[Chuckles] Billy... "
[ Voice breaking ]
Oh, mama...
I haven't made any kind of life
for you... either one of you.
And I try so hard.
I try so hard.
Mama,
I lied to you.
I do remember.
I remember so much.
[ Sighs ]
This house...
The life here.
The night you woke me up
and dressed me
and took me for a walk
and there was a full moon
and I was crying because I was
afraid and... You comforted me.
I want to stop remembering,
mama.
Doesn't do any good
to remember.
[ Car horn honks ]
We have to go now,
mama.
Jessie mae is nervous
I might lose my job.
Ludie,
what happened to us?
Why have we come
to this?
I don't know,
mama.
To have stayed
and fought the land
would have been better
than this.
Yes, ma'am.
Pretty soon,
it will all be gone.
10 years,
20 years.
This house,
me, you.
I know, mama.
But the river
will be here,
the fields, the woods,
the smells of the Gulf.
That's what I always
took my strength from, ludie.
Not from houses,
not from people.
It's so quiet here.
So eternally quiet.
I have forgotten the peace,
the quiet.
Ludie,
do you remember
how my papa always had that
field there planted with cotton?
Yes, ma'am.
See?
It's all woods now.
I expect someday,
people will come again
and cut down the trees
and plant the cotton
and maybe even
wear out the land again.
And then their children
will sell it
and go to the cities and
the trees will come up again.
I expect so,
mama.
We're part of all this,
ludie.
We left it.
But we can never lose
what it's given us.
Jessie mae: Ludie?
Ludie?
Ludie,
are you coming or not?
We were just starting,
jessie mae.
Hello,
jessie mae.
[ Sighs ]
I am not speaking to you.
I guess you're proud
of the time you gave us,
dragging us all the way out here
this time of the morning.
If ludie loses his job over
this, I hope you're satisfied.
I'm not gonna lose my job,
jessie mae.
Well, you could.
All right, jessie mae.
And she
should realize it.
She's selfish.
That's her trouble.
Just purely selfish.
Now, you tell your mama
what we discussed in the car.
No, we can talk about it
driving back to Houston.
I think we should have it out
right here.
I'd like everything understood
right now.
I got everything written down.
Do you want to read it?
You want me to read it to you,
mother Watts?
What is it,
jessie mae?
It's a few rules
and regulations
that are necessary
for my peace of mind...
And I think to ludie's,
too.
First of all,
I'd like to ask you a question.
Yes, ma'am?
What possessed you
to run away?
Didn't you know you'd be caught
and have to back?
I had to come,
jessie mae.
20 years is a long time.
But what if you had died
from the excitement?
Didn't you know
you could have died?
I knew.
And you didn't care?
I had to come,
jessie mae.
[ Sighs ]
Well, I hope
it is out of your system now.
It is.
[ Sighs ]
I've had my trip,
and it's more than enough
to keep me happy
for the rest of my life.
Well,
glad to hear that.
That was the first thing
on my list.
Number one, there will be
no more running away.
There will be
no more running away.
Good.
Number two, no more hymn singing
when I'm in the apartment.
When I'm gone,
you can sing your lungs out.
Agreed?
Agreed.
Number three...
can't this wait
till we get home, jessie mae?
Honey, we agreed
I'm gonna handle this.
No more pouting.
When I ask a question,
I'd like an answer.
All right.
Number four, with the condition
that your heart is in,
I feel you should not run around
the apartment when you can walk.
All right, jessie mae.
Well,
that's all.
Is there anything
you want to say to me?
No, ma'am.
Well,
I might as well tell you
I'm not staying in that house
and watching over you anymore.
I'm joining
a bridge club.
I'm going to town
at least twice a week.
If you go now,
it'll just be a funeral.
You understand?
I understand.
Well,
all right.
Mama, we also agreed
that we can all try our best
to get along together.
Jessie mae also realizes
that sometimes she gets upset
when she shouldn't.
Don't you, jessie mae?
Mm-hmm.
Ludie: Let's start by trying
to have a pleasant ride home.
All righty.
[ Bird chirping ]
That's a red bird.
A what?
A red bird.
[ Sighs ]
That's what
I thought you said.
Come on.
Let's get going.
Do we go back
by way of Harrison?
Yeah.
Oh, good.
We can stop
at the drug store.
I am so thirsty,
I could drink 10 Coca-colas.
Are y'all ready?
Yes, ma'am.
Where's your purse?
Oh. I guess
I left it inside.
Where?
Oh, I'll go get it.
No, I want to go.
You'll take all day.
But you wait here.
I don't want to get left alone
in this ramshackley old house.
There's no telling
what's running around in there.
There's nothing around
in there.
Well, there might be some rats
or snakes or something.
I said
there's nothing in there.
Ludie: Mama.
All right,
ludie.
[ Bird chirping ]
Isn't that scissortail?
Look.
That's a scissortail.
I don't know.
I didn't get to see it
if it was.
They fly so fast.
[ Laughs ]
Here is your purse.
Now, where's the money
from that government check?
In the purse.
No, it isn't.
Well,
let me look.
[ Sighs ]
[ Laughs ]
What is the matter
with you?
It's a good joke
on me.
What's so funny?
I just remembered.
I left this purse
on the bus last night.
I caused the man
a lot of trouble
'cause I thought
the check was in there.
And do you know, that check was
not in this purse all that time?
Well,
where was it?
Right here.
Huh?
Give it to me
before you go lose it again.
I'm not gonna lose it.
Now,
don't start that business.
Just give it to me.
Jessie mae.
Well, honey,
what if she goes and loses it?
Oh, stop this wrangling
once and for all.
You have given me your word and
I expect you to keep your word.
We have to live together.
And we're gonna live together...
In peace.
It's all right,
ludie.
Let jessie mae
take care of the check.
[ Sighs ]
Here, you keep the check.
Just don't go lose it again.
Come on. Let's go.
Mama, if I get a raise,
you won't have to...
it's all right,
son.
I've had my trip.
Go ahead.
I'll be right there.
The house
used to look so... Big.
Goodbye, bountiful.
Goodbye.
Blessed assurance,
Jesus is mine
oh, what a foretaste
of glory divine
heir of salvation,
purchase of God
born of his spirit,
washed in his blood
this is my story,
this is my song
praising my savior
all the day long
this is my story,
this is my song
praising my savior
all the day long