Long, Hot Summer, The (1958)

[bunniefuu]

It was him! He did it.

Then his hog
got in my corn again.

He had no fence that would hold it,
so I put it in my pen.

I told him he could have his hog back
when he paid me a dollar pound fee.

- What did he say to that?
- He didn't say nothin'.

But yesterday
I got his answer, all right.

My barn burned!

A barn burner is the meanest,
lowest creature there is.

I can't find against you, Quick.
There's no proof.

But I can give you some advice.

Leave this county
and don't come back to it.

You're the judge.

That'll do. Take your belongings
and get out before dark.

♪ The long ♪

♪ Hot summer ♪

♪ Seems to know everytime ♪

♪ You're near ♪

♪ And the touch of a breeze ♪

♪ Gently stirs all the trees ♪

♪ And a bird wants to please ♪

♪ My ear ♪

♪ The long ♪

♪ Hot summer ♪

♪ Seems to know what a flirt ♪

♪ You are ♪

♪ Seems to know your caress ♪

♪ Isn't mine to possess ♪

♪ How could someone possess ♪

♪ A star ♪

♪ But you may long for me ♪

♪ Long before the fall ♪

♪ Long before the winds announce ♪

♪ That winter's come to call ♪

♪ And meanwhile ♪

♪ I'll court you ♪

♪ And meanwhile ♪

♪ I'll kiss you ♪

♪ Meanwhile my lonely arms ♪

♪ Will hold you ♪

♪ Strong ♪

♪ And meanwhile ♪

♪ The long ♪

♪ Hot summer ♪

♪ Slowly moves along ♪

♪ Oh, so slowly ♪

♪ Moves along ♪♪

You like a lift to town?

Never walk
when I can ride.

- Just push 'em out of your way.
- Thank you, ma'am.

I went shopping in those Memphis
stores this morning and just went wild.

Alligator bag, figured print,
summer shoes.

Which is all a laugh considering
we live in Frenchman's Bend...

and nobody's gonna see 'em but
redneck farmers and immediate family.

I don't care though.
I got my morale to keep up.

- Are you two country girls?
- Country?

Our little town's the most nowhere place
in the state of Mississippi.

You can believe me when I tell you
it laces you in tight as a corset.

And as far as social amusements
are concerned, there are none.

Well, that's all right.
I'm a quiet-livin' man myself.

I only know one reason
for living quiet.

That's if you're too old
to live any other way.

In other words, you girls just take
your fun where you can find it?

Don't jump to any conclusions,
young man.

We're giving you a ride,
and that's all we're giving you.

Where are you headed?

I go as far as you go, ma'am.

You sound free as a bird.
Doesn't he sound free as a bird, Clara?

Clara's wondering what kind
of a bird, aren't you, Clara?

Well, now if you aren't a mind reader.

Clara here's a schoolteacher
and mighty finicky about her reputation.

She didn't want to pick you up.

I said, "Why not?
There's two of us and one of him."

She said, "'Cause he
looks mean and dirty."

Well, now I'd say that lady is
a real fine judge of character.

You've got no regard
for the safety of your person,

the way you drive this old Lincoln car.

Honey, I'm getting a fallen kidney
joltin' around this countryside with you.

Looks like Varner's the man
to see around here.

You can find him over at
our house most any time.

You two girls
belong to Varner?

We two girls most particularly
belong to Varner.

How does a man
make a living around here?

- Honest or dishonest?
- Let me hear what's open.

Now, a fella that's hardworkin'
and clean-livin'...

can plant cotton
in the bottomland,

corn along the edge
of the hills.

If he ain't particular, he can
make whiskey in a homemade still.

And what he don't drink,
he can sell.

Well, what happens
if a federal man comes by?

Ooh, they've been known
to come by.

Also been known
to disappear.

Hey, um, not entirely.

No, not entirely.

Missing man's shoes
might show up, or his hat,

maybe even
his suspenders.

'Course somebody else
is wearing them.

You a federal man?

Well, let's say
I'm a farmer, Dad.

Uh-huh.
Let's just say so.

If you was to follow that road over
there, you'd come to a tenant farm.

You could work
if you have a mind to.

Belongs to a fellow
named Varner.

What doesn't?

What's your name, boy?

Quick. Ben Quick.

Quick?

Sure now.
So that's him?

Heavenly days!
There's Agnes Stewart.

She called up all nervous and fluttery
this morning to say she was comin' over.

I forgot to tell you about it. Jody!

Jody, I'm home!
And I spent all your money!

Well, looks like you sure
had a busy day, honey.

Just wait till you see
what I have for you.

Bought you a red-and-white pure silk
tie and a box of brown sugar pralines...

and some maroon felt
bedroom slippers.

I bought you
all kinds of other things too.

Whole bunch of good records
and some sport shirts.

- All sorts of things!
- Honey, it ain't my birthday.

I just wanted you to know you was
in my thoughts up there in Memphis.

You just sit down and close your eyes.
I'm gonna model my purchases.

You wanna know something,
honey?

- I hate this house when you're not in it.
- Well, I'm in it now.

And I'm gorgeous!

Wait till you see
this new dress!

They show the same one
in the June Vogue magazine,

only without these
little bows in the back.

Salesgirl said to me,
"Miss Varner,

that dress was made
in heaven for you."

On account of
I'm so long waisted.

She said five customers
had that dress on...

and I was the only one
did anything for it.

You like it?

What I like is you, honey.

- There's more.
- There sure is.

And all of it mighty pretty!

Ooh! Oh, now.
You come to your daddy.

- Come on now.
- No!

Come to your daddy! I got you!

- I got you!
- Jody!

What in the world's
going on up there?

We don't go in much for
stately quiet around here.

Where did you get
so much energy on a day like this?

That party has been going on
since Papa left for the hospital.

I don't see how you can stand all that
hootin' and hollerin' and carryin' on.

It would just turn me
into a nervous wreck.

They're young and in love.

"They're young."

For your information, we're still
on the green side of 25 ourselves,

for all the good it does us.

Oh, Clara, that baby brother of yours
is like a five-year-old kid.

You know what we were doing
in there? Having a pillow fight.

I hit him so hard, I knocked
the wind smack out of him.

- Hello, Agnes sweetie.
- Hello, Eula.

You sure do look calm
and collected on this hot day.

Well, I'm not.
I'm damp and cranky.

Oh, I know what you mean.

I'm going straight into
a bubble bath myself.

Agnes, you bring a beau by
one of these nights,

and we'll cook up a party.

Hey, Eula?

Oh, if I'm not mistaken,
that's my master's voice.

"Bring a beau by."

My phone rang
just one time last week.

Just one time.

And this man with a deep,
beautiful voice says,

"Can I interest you in
the Encyclopaedia Britannica?"

Let's go upstairs, and I'll give you
a permanent. That'll cheer you up.

Clara, you've given me three
permanents in the last six months.

All my ends are splittin'.

Oh, Clara, it's unnervin'
havin' all this time on my hands.

I wanna rush home and fix supper
for some big, handsome man...

and put kids in a bathtub
and broil steak and crank ice cream...

and... think about
what the night's gonna bring.

Why aren't there enough men
to go around?

There's no shortage.
Just of the right kind.

Ooh, I'm not fussy
on that subject.

Neither am I.

Tell me just one thing.

Have you ever, in your life,
been proposed to?

- I have.
- And you let him go?

No, I didn't let him go.
I watched him get scared off.

Hmm, he came to call on me,
and then he met my father.

Then he didn't come calling
on me anymore.

Speaking of your father, when's
that august personage coming home?

Tomorrow, and the forecast...

is storm and thunder.

Well, you come on over
to my house for supper.

Alan's been askin' about you.

He's sick in bed,
bein' fed milk puddin',

all dreamy with temperature.

Thoroughly enjoying himself.

I'd give something to know what goes
on in my brother's temperature dreams.

I know what goes on in mine.

Uh, don't swivel around.

There's someone comin'.
Someone young.

It's probably
a sewing machine salesman.

Yes, well, even if it is, don't say
no right off. Let's at least talk.

Morning, ladies.
Fine, warm day, isn't it?

Yes, indeed.
Pretty as a picture.

My, my. You all look like
two butterflies lit out on the grass.

Hello again, Miss Clara.

If it's work you're looking for,

you can see
the foreman at the gin.

If it's food, they'll take care
of you 'round the back door.

Well, now, you hadn't
hit on it yet, lady.

What I'd like to see now
is the man of the house.

Lucius?

What is it, Miss Clara?

Would you tell Mr. Jody there's
a person waiting to see him, please?

You could have said "gentleman."

Same amount of wind.

Where did you find him?

Out on the road.
I gave him a lift this mornin'.

Why did you have to go
and be so unfriendly?

Agnes, the last, desperate
resort is strangers.

- We haven't come to that yet.
- Oh, haven't we just.

Clara, you want to hear
a cold, clinical fact?

Every single girl we went
to normal school with...

is married and pregnant
or about to be,

while I'm residing
with my mother and brother...

and you're still occupyin' the bedroom
you had when you was 13.

I don't know about you, Clara.

I know what's making me nervous.

Well, don't throw in
the towel yet, Agnes dear.

Those tranquilizers
may see us through yet.

- You Varner?
- Yeah, I'm one Varner.

Hey, turn that thing off, Eula!

- EULA
- What can I do for you?

My name's Quick.
I heard you had a farm to rent.

Hey, Eula. Do you hear me? I'm gonna
come up there and kick that thing in!

JODY, EULA

I'll tell you.

- How much family you got, boy?
- You're looking at it.

Well, a man usually puts six,
seven hands in the field.

Well, one's all you'll get from me.

Jody, you've got the store
to talk business in.

For heaven's sakes!
It's our passenger!

- How do you do, ma'am?
- Hello yourself.

Here now.
You two know each other?

- Uh-huh.
- Well, how come?

The how come is Clara and I obliged him
with a ride when his car broke down.

Well, we're talkin' business.
Come on now. Come on now!

How much rent
you able to pay, boy?

How much rent
you aimin' to rent for?

Oh, half your crop.

You furnish out of my store.

No cash?

Mm-hmm.

That's food and tobacco at your prices.
That makes a dollar worth about six bits.

Take it or leave it.

I'll take it.

EULA

EULA

- Jody!
- JODY

Mister, you sure do leave
your calling card.

Summertime,
when the livin' is easy.

No, thank you.

When are you gonna
start workin'?

Lady, I never move
and work in the same day.

Mr. Quick, my daddy's
coming home tomorrow.

He sets quite a store by this rug.
You tracked it, you clean it.

That's a lot of fuss to be makin'
about a rug, lady.

If it's the rug
that's botherin' ya.

What else would it be?

You correct me if I'm wrong,
but I have the feeling I rile you.

I mean, me being so mean
and dirty and all.

Mr. Quick, you're being personal with me.
I'll be personal with you.

I've spent my whole life around men
who push and shove and shout...

and think they can make anything
happen just by bein' aggressive.

I'm not anxious to have
another one around the place.

Miss Clara, you slam a door in
a man's face 'fore he even knocks on it.

Would you have the rug
at the house by 6:00, please?

Thank you.

Don't swallow the seeds.

Ernest! Sam! Orville! Marty!
You behavin' yourself?

I'm back!

- Varner's home.
- He don't look very peaked.

Anybody know what they
cut out of him in that hospital?

You all can bet
it wasn't his pocketbook.

- Is that you, Will Varner?
- Come closer if you got any doubts.

This is more like
the land of the livin'!

I'm glad you made it home,
you old piece of beef!

You're gettin' a little fatter, Minnie,
and a little blonder.

And how 'bout you? I understand
they cut and stitched you up.

Is there anything left
of you worth havin'?

Put 18 cans of beer on ice and wait
and see. I'm comin' back, Minnie.

Later.

My white hairs kinda had you fooled, huh?

- Yes, sir.
- Drive on!

Welcome, Mr. Will.

- Yeah!
- Welcome to your home.

Here I am, back in
your capable hands again, Lucius.

- Back where I belong.
- Hi, Daddy Varner!

Eula gal, ain't you
dressed up to beat hell!

- In honor of you.
- That's good.

Three months I ain't smelled nothin'
but the starch of nurses' uniforms.

That's what I like.

There's bones there, but the bones
is covered up with plenty of real woman.

I was hopin' there'd be
a little more of you.

Isn't it about time you was fixin'
yourself maternity dresses, Eula gal?

You're embarrassin' me,
Daddy Varner.

Hello, Papa.

Well, well, well.
There's a fulsome greeting.

There's a hallelujah chorus.

Not dancin' in the streets,

not an only son exactly pining
his heart away for his daddy,

but simple and direct.

He said hello,
didn't he?

Suppose we could get through
the opening ceremonies without civil w*r?

- I'll be coming to you later, sister.
- I know you will, Papa.

Jody's been an absolute livin' doll
while you've been gone.

I'd call that
a fine recommendation,

except I already had me a look
around town before I come here.

What's happened? We gone
out of business, huh? We retired?

We livin'
off of income?

What do I see in town?
Two dead-asleep clerks watchin' a store.

And no gin goin' at all!

Things may have slacked off
a little bit today, Papa,

because I was home
seein' to your arrival.

But we done all right. You can
look at the books if you'd like.

Well, now... I intend to.

I'm gonna crawl over them books
like an old fly over flypaper.

You better bring me another,
Lucius.

Yes, sir,
I'm my old self again.

Them doctors down at Jefferson,
they gutted me...

and took away just about every organ
they thought I could spare.

They didn't pare my spirit
down none.

Thank you, Jody, for your kindly
inquiries as to my health.

Next!

All right, sister.

You're on.

What do you want
to know, Papa?

You still fixin'
to get yourself known...

as the best-lookin', richest
old maid in the county...

or you seen
any young people lately?

Any young people seen you?

Been to any parties, picnics,
barbecues, church bazaars?

Have you mingled?
Have you mixed?

Or have you kept yourself up
in that room all this time

readin' them poetry books?

I hope this doesn't come as a shock
to your nervous system, Papa,

but when you're away,
I do what I please.

Well, I'm back!

Welcome home.

Lucius!

When are you gonna give me
my due respect in front of my wife?

I've got a business too, Jody.

I've got a little respect for that.

I know you wasn't‒

You and me just don't
talk the same language.

That's what gives us
our aches and our pains.

Now me‒ all the time
I was in the hospital,

I didn't just lay there.

I was busy.

Yes, I wheeled and dealed. That's what
I done, boy. Now, what about you?

- May wasn't so good.
- Oh.

But June and July
made up for it.

That's to be expected.

I moved all our heavy
farm equipment.

- Oh, yeah?
- We're fresh out of inventory.

- Including that old tractor?
- That's right.

- The one that don't go uphill?
- Includin' that.

Good.

I rented off that tenant farm
nobody 'round here would have.

And a fella come down here
from Boston, Massachusetts.

He bought a lot of land
and built this big fence around it...

and started a goat ranch.

Only he plumb ran out of goats,

and it went bust.

- Yeah?
- Yeah.

So, Papa, now you got 2,000
acres more of good grassland.

Well, seems like you ain't been
sittin' on your spine altogether.

- How'd you rent that farm off?
- On shares.

Profitable?

Well, I had a little trouble
with the man.

What's the name
of this poor unfortunate?

A fellow name of Quick.

Quick? Ben Quick?

Yeah, yeah,
from out west.

You knucklehead fool!

You empty-headed yokel!

What are you
calling me names for?

Quick!

Don't you keep abreast
of anything except Eula?

Don't you know what Quick means
in this county? Hellfire!

Ashes and char!

Flame follows that man
around like a dog!

He's a barn burner.

I never do anything right.

Not to my immediate recollection!

You want to hear something?
I sweat around you.

All those months you were away
in the hospital, I was dry.

Now I'm sweatin' again.

I ain't got time
for your personal troubles.

You started something
with Mr. Ben Quick,

and I got to finish it...

before this house of mine
goes up in smoke!

I'm Varner.

Yeah, I already met
one Varner.

I'm the other.

Just driving by. Thought I'd stop
and see if you got any plans.

That cabin ain't fit for hogs,

but I can get along with it.

Well, we can talk that over.

Way I hear it, you're a boy that gets
into a little trouble with your landlords.

The kind of trouble that might need
the help of the fire department.

If you scared of me, mister, why don't
you just come right out and say so?

Huh! Son, why should I
be scared of you?

'Cause I got a reputation
for being a dangerous man.

Hmm.

You're a young, dangerous man.

I'm an old one.

You don't know who I am.
I better introduce myself.

I'm the big landowner and chief
moneylender in these parts.

I'm commissioner of elections
and veterinarian.

I own the store
and the cotton gin...

and the grist mill,
the blacksmith shop.

It's considered unlucky for a man
to do his tradin' or gin his cotton...

or grind his meal
or shoe his stock... anywhere else.

Now, that's who I am.

You talk a lot.

Yes, I do, son.

But I'm done talkin' to you...

except for passing you on
this piece of information.

I built me a new jail
in my courthouse this year,

and if during the course of your stay
here something, anything at all,

should happen to catch fire,

I think you oughta know
that in my jail,

we never heard of the words
"habeas corpus."

You'd rot.

Well, a smart man,
he'd give me a job.

- You're already working for me.
- None of this weed-scratching.

I'm talkin' about a job
that'll give me a white shirt...

and a black tie
and three squares.

You've got a place in your store

and several other spots
where you could use me.

You'd be writing yourself
a fire insurance policy into the bargain.

I'll give it some thought.

Yes or no, mister.
Ain't no in-between.

You're mighty bushy-tailed
for a beginner.

I'm in a hurry.

You're wasting your time.
The job at the top's already taken.

But like you said,
you're an old man.

I am that.

You bear that in mind.

Be respectful.

Yes, sir, Mr. Varner.
Now, just who do I have to k*ll?

Well, we won't start
right off with m*rder.

Happens I just got handed me
30 Texas horses on a foreclosure.

You get rid of them for me
at a reasonable profit,

and we're in business.

Well, there's a cool breeze
from the river, Alan.

Everything nice comes
with you, Clara‒

hot broth, cool breeze
from the river.

How's your school?

You mean that free-for-all
I run in town?

Those 35 hellions who are
making their last stand against me?

I wouldn't say it was
a summer on the Riviera.

Well, it's unnatural to keep kids
in school in the summertime.

In the winter they gotta
help work on the crops.

Somewhere along the line,
they gotta learn to read and write.

Besides, who knows?
I don't have much hope,

but maybe I have a young painter
or poet cooped up there.

Oh, Alan, I love this place.

Grace, dignity, beautiful things
left undisturbed.

Just the way they were
a hundred years ago.

Most people say
I'm fighting the 20th century.

I suppose I oughta
sell this place,

put it to corn and cotton,
go get a job like everybody else,

but I wouldn't be any good at it.

- I'd hate it and make a mess of it.
- Then don't do it.

There are enough hustlers around here
as is. You stand for something.

You hold on to it.

Your father refers to me
as decayed gentry.

That's because
he is pea green with envy.

You listen here. He would give
anything to have what you have.

Wouldn't he just love to have
your shine and polish?

He can put up all those billboards
and neon signs and fillin' stations,

but quality is one thing
he can't buy, and he knows it.

He has quality, Clara, in you.

That's what I came through
this dusty summer day to hear.

I want you to be hale
and hearty again.

I want you to be your courtly, gallant
self again and come callin' on me.

- Very soon, ma'am.
- Well, you better.

Girls get all fidgety and looked at
sideways and talked about...

when they don't have
their gentlemen callers.

Besides, I've missed you.

That boy's temperature
has been a-hoverin'

between 100 and 100
and two-tenths for three days,

so none of that now.

I just brought over
some of Lucius's broth.

Oh! He won't eat a bite
I don't cook.

I'm gonna hustle you
right along,

'cause it's way past
son's nap time.

All right, Miss Stewart.
I'll give up the field for now.

Good-bye.
Good-bye, Alan.

Good-bye, Clara.

- Why, you old crook, you.
- Hmm.

- Them's horses out of hell.
- That's right.

Them ponies never even had a rope
on 'em. You didn't tell me they was wild.

Well, you knowin' that, uh,

kinda gives you the edge
over everybody else, huh?

Minnie Littlejohn,

I'm gettin' thirsty again.

Since when you been
in the horseflesh business?

Ain't no kind of business.

What you're watching is
a plain old-fashioned swindle.

So, of course,
I ain't involved in it directly.

- You hired that boy to fleece 'em?
- I hired that boy‒

Tell you the truth, I don't know why
I hired him, but I aim to find out.

Okay, come on now.
Let's gather 'round in here, folks.

Come on. Let's move in here.
John, come on now.

Bring your whole family down.
I don't wanna strain my tonsils.

Let's go. We gonna get goin'.

Mr. Armistead, I heard what you
had to say about them horses.

I wouldn't hesitate to put my own
sister on one of 'em if I had a sister.

You there. Now, Miss Clara?

How'd you like to be the proud owner
of one of them handsome-lookin' horses?

I can see you've got "no"
written all over your face, but wait.

You stop and think a minute.

You can pack yourself a picnic basket
and follow some woodsy trail.

You can ride off steam
and bad temper

if you happen
to be afflicted that way.

If you see a young fellow
along the way

who happens to take your eye,

you can put him behind you
and ride double.

Uh, what's your answer,
Miss Clara?

You were right the first time.
I got "no" written all over my face.

That don't bother me none at all, folks.

A lot of women say "no"
when they mean "yes."

That's for sure!

I ain't foolin' about these horses.
The man that buys one of these,

he'll get the best horseflesh
he ever drove for the money.

Naturally they got spirit.
I ain't sellin' no crow bait.

Who's gonna start with a bid?

Tell you what I'll do. I'll give you
ten dollars for that there fiddlehead.

Ten dollars? You couldn't buy
that much dynamite for ten dollars!

There isn't a horse in there
can't run a mile in three minutes.

You put 'em out to pasture,
they're gonna board themselves.

Work 'em all day long,
and every time you think about it.

Pretty soon every one of them
gonna be so tame,

you'll have to put 'em out
of the house at night like a cat.

Buzz!

Who's gonna start it off
with a bid, huh? Come on.

- Minnie, what are you doin'?
- Buzz!

I got a hum in my blood,
and I feel as if I'd swallowed a bee.

You swallowed five bottles
of beer in the hot sun.

That's what you swallowed.

Who's gonna give me $40
for that fiddlehead horse?

$10, take it or leave it.

- Eleven.
- That's the way, Pa.

- Shut up, son.
- Thirteen.

- Wait a minute. What are you doin'?
- Fifteen.

Fifteen dollars. I got fifteen dollars
bid on that fiddlehead horse.

Who's gonna make it 20?

Kiss me, Will.

I got a number
of friends...

and, uh,
associates here.

Hon, I'm your friend.

I'm your associate.
I have been for ten years.

Then what's the matter?

Will, all this time,
this summer,

all I've done is put up
22 jars of piccalilli,

and I put down a corn beef
in a crock.

And I say to myself,

"Minnie, where is it all gonna end?"

It's gonna end with me
eatin' a corn beef.

You know I'm partial to it.

At midnight suppers after you've
come sneakin' up the back stairs.

I want to serve it to you
right here at 6:00.

- Minnie.
- Forty dollars.

What are you tryin'
to say?

I made plans, Will.

Matrimonial plans.

Now, you ain't ever heard me
say the word... "matrimony."

Well, now, I'm willin' to overlook that.

You know my married sister
in Tallahassee?

Uh-huh.

Well, she's makin' me up
some hand-crocheted sheets.

And I've sent away for some
flatware with the initial "V" on it.

Minnie,

I'm 61 years old.

Look, honey, it's no good
you tryin' to tell me you're too old.

I happen to be in a position
to deny it.

Hmm.

Just hand it over here.
Thank you, thank you.

Twenty-two dollars from you.

Twenty-five from you,
32 from you, and 30 from you.

Thank you.
Thank you, gentlemen.

Don't forget 'bout bangin' them horses
over the head till they get used to you.

- They won't give you any trouble.
- That's all there is to it?

- That's it.
- They belong to us now?

Yeah. Get yourself a rope, go in there
and take the horse that belongs to you.

All right, we'll need some rope.
Come on, Joe.

You're not much
of a prospect, Miss Clara.

You don't need my money.
You've got everybody else's.

Yeah, but it's the holdout
that challenges me.

I'll tell you, Mr. Quick.

The last time I parted with my money
to a pitchman, I was 12 years old.

And nobody's ever taken you since.

Nope. Nobody ever will.

Well, life's very long and full
of salesmanship, Miss Clara.

You might buy somethin' yet.

Here they come!
Look out!

Oh!

That's a musical horse.

Here, don't you bring
your filthy feet in here!

They'll go on all night
tryin' to catch them rabbits.

Boy, you got something
belongs to me.

You ain't no better
than a crook.

Well, you ain't nothin' better
than a con man.

You sell my crooked merchandise.

Never mind the name-calling.
Now, where's my share?

I got somethin' for you, boy.

Come on.

- Whoa, you!
- Head 'em off! Head 'em off!

Whoa!

Ah, you wild-eyed stallion, you!

The man that built this place,
his name's forgotten.

This was his dream
and his pride.

Now it's dust.

Must be a moral
there somewhere.

- Looks like that's about all there is.
- I don't know.

They got a legend about this place.

They do say there's money buried
around here on the grounds...

at the time Grant overrun the country
on the way to Vicksburg.

- What's that got to do with me?
- I been watching you.

I like your push.

Yes, I like your style.
I like your brass.

It ain't too dissimilar
from the way I operate.

You've been here a few days,
you've gone up an inch.

That's 'cause you
listen to me.

You go on listenin' to me, and someday,
in a wild burst of generosity,

I might just make you
a present of this place.

Thank you for nothing.
It's falling apart.

You're a shrewd boy.

You'll find a way of gettin'
some good out of it.

Mister. You've been makin' me
a lot of promises.

One of these days
I'm gonna collect on 'em.

Surely.

I just ain't passin'
the time of day with you.

I'm aware of that.

Come to supper with me,
boy, at the big house.

You ornery critter!

There goes another one
on the creek bridge.

Could be, you know,
them poor unfortunates...

could come out ahead
on the deal after all,

get their money's worth
in health and outdoor exercise.

A night like this is good for him.
It stimulates his liver.

Oh, they'll catch
those horses, Mr. Varner.

They'll catch them and make
good work teams out of them.

You figure you know them redneck
farmers better than me, huh?

Suppose that's 'cause
the, uh, Stewart family's...

been in these parts
a little longer than the Varners.

About 200 years.

That's a long time
to live in one place.

You don't believe in living
in one place, Mr. Quick?

Well, my family moved.
Not that they wanted to.

They was encouraged
by the local citizens.

- You a hunted man or somethin'?
- Somethin', Miss Eula.

I'd like to hear a yes
or no answer to that, boy.

Well, if he's hunted,
he ain't caught.

Lucius, pass the drinks.

Who's for drinkin' some
of my fine brandy, huh?

Alan, you're partial
to my brandy.

Let's see. How many years you
been drinkin' it now, huh?

Five? Six?

I've enjoyed your hospitality
a long time, Mr. Varner.

I sometimes ask myself, do we
get the major part of your attention...

or are you brightenin' up
other parlors around the county?

That's Alan's personal business, Papa.

Don't get yourself fussed, sister.

Alan knows a friendly inquiry
when he hears it, don't you, Alan?

- When I hear one.
- Sure, sure!

A friendly inquiry
never bothered nobody.

As I understand it,
when you ain't here with us,

you keep pretty close to
your house, uh, with your mother.

Papa, I can't stand this.

I think you've forgotten, Mr. Varner,
that my mother is a widow.

- She relies strongly on me.
- Widow?

Your old man ain't dead.
He just disappeared.

Just wandered off.

The end result is the same.
She's alone.

No, she ain't, Alan.
She's got you.

She sure has you.

- I do my best.
- Not around here, you don't!

JODY

Jody, you seem to enjoy
my conversation tonight.

- Guess I'll direct a little bit at you.
- I didn't say nothin'.

You see Ben Quick here?

He's goin' to work tomorrow in the store
as a clerk right alongside of you.

He's going to receive the same
identical wages, the same benefits.

That don't seem to strike you
as quite so funny.

It don't.

What I mean to say is, Jody,
with Ben around,

you can sleep late mornings.

That is, as late as you figure
you can afford to.

Outside, everybody!

Take the evenin' air.

Alan, I apologize
for what we are.

Don't, Clara.
It isn't necessary.

I wouldn't blame you
if you left right now.

Other young men have
with much less cause than this.

My people have stood off Indians,
Yankees, carpetbaggers.

The least they could expect of me
is to stand up to a Varner.

All right then.
Let's go have some more.

Eula! Eu-ooh-la!

Oh, listen to that.

If those boys don't sound like a bunch
of tomcats yowling at the moon.

Eula! Eula!

Isn't it terrible the way they come
prowlin' around here every night?

It's like that in town too.
They follow me wherever I go.

Don't go anywhere then.

- You stay put.
- Oh, now.

- You stay right close to home.
- Jody, they're harmless.

- They're only 16, 17 years old.
- You call that harmless?

- Eula!
- Hey, Eula!

You quit it out there,
or I'll pass among you with a shotgun!

Hey, Eula, come out!

- Eula! Come on out!
- Come on out, Eula!

Come on, Eula.
Get out of the light!

Oh!

They don't have to see her.
They can smell her.

- Eula!
- Eula!

Tom Shortly, V.K. Bookwright,
John Fischer!

Now, I know it's you out there!
Now, quit it!

Eula!

Would somebody please
make them stop?

- Just wait. I'll stop 'em.
- Eula! Eula!

It's a madhouse around here.

They're just young boys.
Healthy, young animals.

How come they don't come
to anybody else's house,

hide in anybody else's garden?

- It's just us that gets singled out.
- We're the ones that got Eula.

It's not her fault. It's yours.

They come here 'cause
they know you're gonna laugh,

you're gonna think it's funny,
no matter how crude and how vulgar!

I was young myself once.

I used to hide in the greenery
and hoot and bellow.

I'll bet you did. I'll bet you stayed
longest and yelled loudest.

Your mama listened.

Blackjack!

All right.

Now let's deal 'em off the top.

Huh.

Is that the way you acquired your fortune?
The way you're acquiring mine?

Those boys sure do make
their desires plain, don't they?

Callin' and callin',

just like they thought Eula
was gonna get up and follow 'em.

Wonder what would happen
if she did.

I imagine there'd
be quite a romp.

Now, why did I make
such a fuss about it?

Because it offended you?

No, it didn't.

Now that's the plain,
unvarnished truth at last.

No, Alan, there's no sense in pretendin'
that girls don't think about sex.

They do.

You oughta hear some of the conversations
between Agnes and me.

Uh, I'd like to.

Well, there's nothing wrong with
being anxious about your love life.

I am about mine.

This is certainly not the way
I expected this conversation to be going.

I thought we were gonna
sit out here on the front porch

and let the moon shine down on us...

and, just like those boys in the bushes,
let nature take its course.

Why, Clara, nature
is taking its course.

You're not the kind of girl
to be howled at

and dragged off
a porch into the bushes.

You're a nice, quiet,
self-contained girl.

You'll see.

Everything you want's
gonna happen to you.

Oh, evening, Alice.

You want to see me?

Miss Minnie Littlejohn
say, "Where are you?"

Oh.

- Where am I, huh?
- Yes, sir.

She say if you're not there
in half an hour,

the place will be triple locked
against you.

Triple locked, huh?

You tell Miss Minnie Littlejohn
I'll be there...

when I'm there.

I'll tell her.

It appears
I have a late date.

Are you married?
You got a woman somewhere?

I live single.

Hmm.

You've known a few
though, huh?

Yeah. My fair share.

Deal.

Well, your friend left early,
without even firing a shot.

I was kissed good night,
Mr. Quick.

Kissed and left. That'd been me,
I'd have stayed till sunup.

- Aren't you reckless.
- Aren't you?

No, I'm just skittish,
Mr. Quick. Just plain skittish.

I have an answer for that.

Let's go in that old Lincoln car of yours
and go plow up the countryside.

Let's go holler off a bridge
good and loud.

There's been enough commotion
around here already tonight.

You want quiet?

Let's go find us
a needle in a haystack.

Mr. Quick, those are all lovely,
colorful suggestions,

but I'm afraid if I
started out to follow you,

I would hear the starch
in my petticoat begin to rustle,

and I'd know
I was out of character.

Get out of character, lady.
Come on. Get way out.

Sudden changes
are not in my line.

You'll never know till you try.

There's a volume of Jane Austen
upstairs by my bed...

and a glass of hot milk
that's getting cold.

You mean your friend would
not like it if we went off together.

The idea of you and me just
wouldn't go down, would it?

- I don't wish to discuss him with you.
- Why not? I respect him.

I admire his manners and I
admire the speeches he makes.

And I admire the big house
he lives in.

But if you're savin' it
all for him, honey,

you've got your account
in the wrong bank.

You can leave anytime now!

Don't ask me twice.

Sister?

Oh, you are out here.
Alone, huh?

When did Alan leave?

- About 10:00.
- Early.

Well, he's been ill.

Yeah? You look
a little pale yourself.

Well, it's hot.
I haven't been sleeping very well.

How old are you,
sister?

Don't you know?

I keep a lot of figures
in my head.

Well, add these. I'm 23.

Huh.

Your mama was 18
when I married her. Just turned.

Papa, are we gonna
talk about that again?

We are.

You know,
you never look at me.

My life comes and goes,
my birthdays come and go.

Do you know I'm really
quite a lively, intelligent girl?

Sometimes I even
make people laugh.

Yet you and I never seem to have
any other conversation but this one.

- You're unmarried.
- You have pointed that out before.

What do you do out here,
you and Alan, huh?

We talk.

What gets said?
Anything important?

He thinks I'm a nice, quiet,
self-contained girl.

Well, that ain't damn near enough!

Thousands of acres out there, millions
of seeds put down in the ground.

Every year the seeds come up again.

Life goes on.

Where's my crop, huh?

What follows me?

What happens when I'm dead?

You'll probably have the biggest
funeral in the state of Mississippi.

That don't scare me, so long as
there's plenty of Varners to mourn me.

Jody and I will be there.

You and Jody, and Jody's kids,
and yours, and their kids!

My descendants, sister.
A line.

A long line with my face stamped on 'em,
my blood flowing in their veins.

All of that
from the two of us?

You think I'm joking.

You listen here to me, sister.

If your blood is so frail
and so delicate...

that it just calls out
for Alan Stewart,

amen, let it be him.

I'll give you a big weddin'.
I'll build a house for you.

I'll put money in Alan's account
at Jefferson First Trust Bank.

But it's gonna be now, missy!

No more pussyfootin',
no more holdin' hands...

and squeakin' that front porch swing
back and forth.

Six years that's all
I've heard is squeakin'.

Well, you can go
and tell his mama... to let go.

You tell her you're taking over
'cause your daddy said so.

And if you should get "no"
for an answer, let me tell you, sister,

it's gonna be that other.

Which other?

That prize blue-ribbon bull,
that hand-grown, handpicked,

hand-selected-by-me fellow
name of Quick.

- You can't mean him.
- Can't I?

Listen, I'm gonna get me
some men in the Varner family.

Some good, strong, strapping men.

Varners!
That's what I want. Varners.

And more Varners.
And more Varners still.

Enough Varners
to infest the countryside.

I'm gonna see that happen,
sister, before I die.

I'm gonna accomplish that.
Yes, ma'am.

By means of that Quick,
that big stud horse.

You mean you'd sell me away
like that?

- I'm not sellin' you.
- Yes, sell me!

Without caring what I feel
or what I think or what I am!

- I'm trying to save you.
- Is that what you call it?

Sister,

you're gonna give me grandsons,

by way of Alan...

or Quick.

But you're gonna do it,
Clara Ann Varner. Hear me now.

You'll get that ring
on your finger.

Here comes Jody.

What's goin' on? Huh?

They ain't come
to do much buyin'.

Penny worth of candy,
two cents worth of nails, maybe.

Oh, they just come
to look.

What at?

We ain't runnin' no sideshow.

They come to look
at the new man.

Three days ago,
never even knew his name.

But from now on, they're gonna
have to be dealing with him...

for all the necessaries of livin'.

Oh, no. They're gonna
deal with me...

like always.

Good morning, Jody.

Mr. Jody?

Mr. Jody.

My little chaps at home never
even had shoes last winter.

We ain't got corn
to feed the stock.

Them $30 my husband paid
for that horse yesterday,

which he ain't even seen
since then,

I earned myself...

sewing at night
and baking cakes.

If that ain't the limit.

You get greased and fleeced,
and then you lay it at my door?

The trouble is
we got an outsider here!

He don't know nothin',

and he don't care nothin'
about you and your worries.

No, sir.

He don't care about anything
except advancin' himself.

Lot of harsh things
being said about me.

And if I was to answer
each and every one of 'em,

why, that'd take up
too much of your time.

All I can say, missus,

is you took your complaint
to the wrong department.

Now, we're under new management.
You got a $30 problem?

It's solved.

Goodwill. Ain't nothin'
in the world like it.

You think you got
a cozy nest here, don't ya?

Well, you ain't gonna
take over from me, boy!

Well, off with
the old, on with the new.

Same old store,
same stand.

- All we got is a new broom. Mornin'.
- Hi, Will.

You can't teach an old dog
new tricks. Mornin'.

But you sure can teach a young
willin' puppy just about anything.

Ben Quick, fetch me a Coke!

Give him time.

A penny on the waters pays
interest when the flood turns.

Thank you for your encouragement
and kind support.

Jody, aren't you ever
goin' to work again?

You always gonna be
hangin' round?

I can't do my nails or fix my hair
without havin' you hangin' round.

Now, you take that Ben Quick.

He's down at that store
workin', sweatin'.

He's where you ought to be.

Who are you
to tell me to work?

You ain't never outta a chair.

Only time I seen you break cover...

is when they're sweepin',

cleanin' the house,
callin' you to the dinner table.

Now, you got no call
to be insultin'.

As your wife, I just don't wanna
see you get passed by that boy.

- Now, Jody.
- Come on.

- No, Jody.
- Come on.

I'm gonna‒ I'm gonna
busy myself elsewheres,

that's what I'm gonna do.

I'm gonna remove myself.
I know what I'll do.

- I'll get me an education.
- Come on.

Clara's been after me
for months and months,

sayin' it's never too late to learn.

No, Jody. No!

I sure do wish you'd find yourself
some other form of recreation.

Well, it's a little late
to be keepin' store, isn't it?

No, I'm just, uh, movin' these
cotton dresses down in front...

so the ladies can see 'em
when they first come in.

You seem to know
a lot about women.

Well, I know what makes 'em
spend their money.

You come in to buy somethin',
Miss Clara, or you just shoppin' around?

I was just passin'.

Well, it's a warm night. I've been
drinkin' some beer. You want some?

- No, thank you.
- You got a sweet tooth?

I can offer you, uh,
rock candy and licorice whips.

Jawbreakers.
Do a big business in jawbreakers.

Outgrew 'em, huh?

Well... sunbonnets?

Or hand lotion? Lilac water?
Freckle remover?

Spotted dimity?

Just can't sell you, can I?

Well, do you have an aspirin?
I have a headache.

Oh, sure.

We got all kinds
of nostrums and remedies.

'Course, I don't
have headaches myself.

- 'Cause I don't have any problems.
- Or scruples.

Nope, not those either.

Well, I have both.

You got a thin skin is what you got.

But the world belongs
to the meat eaters, Miss Clara,

and if you have to take it raw,
take it raw.

I couldn't live that way.

Well, let's just examine the way
you do live, Miss Clara.

Now, you drive around in that old
Lincoln car of yours like it had wings,

and you teach school, and, uh,
you sit out on your front porch

with your skinny little friend
drinkin' lemonade.

Now, what is all that, when
you see the rest of the world...

passing you by paired up?

You're, what, 23?

Yeah, them's the golden years,

and you're bein' asked
to play a waitin' game.

Why wait?

Aw, school is out,
Miss Clara.

Them blinds are drawn,
night's fallen.

Nobody here to see
if you make a mistake.

You put them things down, Miss Clara,
'cause I'm gonna kiss you.

I'm gonna show you
how simple it is.

You please me,
and I'll please you.

Oh, I know what's troublin' you.

It's all those boys
hollerin' for Eula every night.

And Eula with her hair
hangin' down,

and Jody with his shirt off,
chasin' her.

And your old man at 60,

and he's callin' on his lady love.

All right.
You proved it. I'm human.

Yes, ma'am,
you're human all right.

Barn burner!

Well, you hit on it.

I can see my white shirt
and black tie and Sunday manners...

didn't fool you for a minute.

Well, that's right, ma'am.
I'm a menace to the countryside.

All a man's gotta do
is just look at me sideways,

and his house goes up in fire.

And here I am, livin' right here in
the middle of your peaceable little town.

Right in your backyard,
you might say.

Guess that oughta
keep you awake at night.

Anything you break,
you gotta pay for. Heh.

- What are you doin' here?
- Takin' the air.

You hired me to tend your store.
Now, I'm tendin' it.

That don't need no supervision.

You and my daughter
had some words, huh?

Yeah, a few.

She don't cotton
to you much, does she?

Ain't no love lost.

That don't need to
slow you down none.

I put you forth as a candidate.

Oh, yeah? And just what office
you got me runnin' for?

I opened a lot of doors for you,
Ben Quick. Ever ask yourself why?

Am I a senile old man?

Am I a sentimental old fool?

- I am not.
- So?

I'm a man with a purpose.

Well, we all got
some mission in life.

Care to hear yours?

Just what do you think
you'd like me to do,

if you was able
to make me do it?

Get married.

Have sons.

- Well, I'll be damned.
- More than probable you will be,

but first you're goin' to church
and get married, ya hear?

To my daughter.

That's the one you
didn't figure, ain't it?

Yeah, that's the one.

Well?

What about it?

Well, I'd say it's
a mighty interestin' notion.

"Notion"? Notion?

I'm talkin' about the survival
of my family name.

I'm talkin' about the establishment
of my immortality.

You, you wanna put down roots?

Move to my house. Live with us.
Sleep under clean sheets.

Study that skinny gal.

Well, now,
what's in it for me?

Well, there's lands and moneys...

on the day of the weddin'.

- More to come.
- What lands,

what moneys,
and how much more?

We'll have a meetin' with my banker
and my lawyer. You'll see for yourself.

I'll take that old Frenchman's ruin
for a starter.

- Well.
- Yeah. Right now. Tonight.

- I'll give it to you in writin'.
- Yeah, you do that.

Who says I picked the wrong man?

You and me
got a deal, Ben Quick.

And who says marriages
are made in heaven?

All of hell wouldn't
have this one!

Now, make no mistake
about that gal.

She's, uh, delicate, but in other ways
she's smart, like her mother before her.

She has quality. Quality.

It's as close as you and me
will ever get to it.

Move right in, boy. It's all yours.

I'm movin' up in the world.

Miss Clara's room is in
the back of the house.

Mr. Jody and Miss Eula.

- And here's your room.
- And the old man?

Never know where he is.
Don't sleep so good no more.

Just roves around from room to room,
sometimes three in a night.

I had five sisters
and a brother...

and a mother and a father
and an old maid aunt.

And all together,
we slept in a room about...

half this size.

Same as my family.

And look at us now, Lucius.

Big rooms, small rooms‒
all the same size to the Lord.

Bathroom's end of the hall.

Well, just so we don't
crowd each other,

I shave nights
and shower mornings.

You bringin' him here?
Into the house?

Big house.
Room for one more.

But he don't belong here.
He's hired help.

- He's more than that.
- How much more than that?

Well, he's gonna be
kind of brotherly, Jody.

I brought you home a big brother.

So look out for him.
Boy's clever.

He'll be up when you're sleepin',
and he's gonna be where you ain't.

Look alive, Jody. You're a couple
of racehorses startin' out even.

Well, we'll see who is the fastest
and who is the smartest.

It's not exactly even,
considerin' I'm your blood son!

- Don't open that can of beans.
- Well, I am openin' it!

Well, then eat what you got.

Exactly nothin'.

Am I your son,

or ain't I your son?

You was born to me.

Ain't you got any affection for me...
or regard for me?

Just tell me that.

You're just tryin'
to make yourself miserable.

"Miserable"? Seems like I walked
around in misery all my life.

You ain't never been a papa.

No! Except to tell me
to stand up straight.

You push, reach, stretch yourself.

I put down a big footprint.

I said, "Here. Step in. Fill it."

- You never did.
- Well, I tried.

I tried to be what you wanted,
but I ain't got it in me.

Where do ya go lookin'
for it if you ain't got it in you?

You find a way, or you don't.

Papa, please.

You have Lucius dig you up
some worms, Jody.

You go fishin', boy.

Jody?

Don't you lie there with your face
in the pillow, Jody Varner.

That's exactly what
he expects you to be doing.

Jody.
You had spunk once.

Remember, you used to throw
brown paper bags full of water...

on his head
from this very window.

Remember? I'd fill 'em up,
and you'd throw 'em?

You were only seven years old then,
and you were wonderful.

You weren't afraid then.

Jody?

Jody, you remember
John Wesley Pritchard?

You remember how he
stood out in the school yard...

and said, "Clara Varner
has front teeth like a horse,"

and I cried and said, "I'm gonna
get my big brother Jody Varner...

to punch you in the nose,"
and you did?

Jody?

I wouldn't have gotten
through my girlhood alive

if it hadn't been for you.

All of which makes you
very dear to me,

and I don't care what
he did or said to you downstairs.

You look mighty pretty
with them readin' glasses on.

You look pretty
with them off.

You look mighty young there,
Miss Clara,

all curled up in your bed,

like you just washed your hands
and brushed your teeth...

and said your prayers
like a little girl.

I'll bet you was
a mighty appealin' little girl.

I'll bet your hair hung
in a tangle down your back.

I'll bet you knew where to look
for robins' eggs and blackberries.

I'll bet you had a doll
with no head on it.

There's a church bazaar
comin' up next week.

Now, you wear a white dress
and a ribbon in your hair,

and I'll waltz you
around under the moon.

Clara?

Clara.

♪ Clara ♪♪

♪ Beautiful dreamer ♪

♪ Wake unto me ♪

♪ Starlight and dewdrops
are waiting for thee ♪

Okay, folks,
this is the old-fashioned‒

♪ Sounds of the rude world ♪

♪ Heard in the day ♪

♪ Lulled by the moonlight ♪

♪ Have all passed away ♪

♪ Beautiful dreamer ♪

♪ Queen of my song ♪

♪ List while I woo thee ♪♪

- Hi, Will.
- Hi, Sam.

Come on over. I'll give you a
whole grocery store for a dime over here.

That Ben Quick,
he sure is a comer.

Yep. Name suits him, all right.

First into that farm,
then into the store,

now in the house.

And all he started with
was a book of matches.

I wish I was Ben Quick.

He's got this here whole state
of Mississippi to graze on.

Yeah, but if you should happen to go out
to see him on business, go out naked.

That way you won't feel
the cold comin' back.

It's ten cents‒

- Hi, Jody.
- Hi.

- Can I sell you somethin'?
- Uh, yeah. Wedge of pie.

- Apple pie?
- All right.

Fifteen cents.

- Thank you.
- Thank you.

Jody?

- You got a pencil, Will?
- What for?

- I want you to write somethin' down.
- What?

- September 30. That's the day.
- What day?

A six-layer vanilla cake
is comin' from Mayville,

suitably decorated
in boiled white frostin'.

A hundred and four handwritten
invitations have gone out.

No children under six years.

Women have got to take care
of themselves. That's what I done.

What have you done,
Minnie Littlejohn?

It's all arranged.

All but the license and the blood tests...
and the weddin' rings.

Well... Minnie,

you take that six-layer,
white boiled frostin' vanilla cake...

and you cut it up
in 104 pieces...

and you send it out
with your regrets.

All right, Will.

Well, now, Minnie, honey,

how'd you like a...

yellow Thunderbird
automobile, huh?

No, thank you, Will.

Well, how'd you like a brand-new
super sewin' machine...

- with all them fancy attachments?
- No, thank you, Will.

Well...

how'd you like a...
plain gold ring?

Folks? Folks,
can I have your attention?

Y'all come on
and gather round, ya hear?

'Cause this is the moment all you
young fellas have been waitin' for.

Each of these young ladies here
has packed two boxed suppers,

and the high bidder wins
not only the delicious vittles,

but also the privilege
of eatin' 'em...

with the fair young maiden
who prepared 'em...

with her own lily-white hands.

Now, I'm gonna start this off with
the daughter of one of our first citizens,

Miss Clara Varner!

Hooray!

All right, folks. What am I offered for
Miss Clara Varner's boxed supper?

- Ten dollars.
- Ten dollars is bid.

Come on, folks.
Anybody gonna hike that sum?

I'll make it 11.

Well, now, Mr. Quick
is interested in competin'.

It's now eleven, folks.
Eleven dollars.

- Any advance on $11?
- Twelve dollars.

- Thirteen.
- Fourteen.

- Fifteen.
- Fifteen dollars.

Any advance on 15?
Do I hear 16 anywhere?

You hear $16.

- Alan‒
- Okay.

Mr. Stewart has bid $16.
Any advance on 16, folks?

Fifty.

- Fifty dollars.
- In a very fine cause.

Mr. Quick bids $50.
You hear that, folks?

Fifty dollars once.

Fifty dollars twice.

Sold to Mr. Ben Quick for $50.

This is gonna be about the most
expensive chicken supper you ever et, boy,

but worth every cent of it,

considerin' the charmin' company
you're gonna be eatin' it in.

I, uh‒ I hope you're gonna give
him dessert for that price, Clara?

He'll get
his just desserts, all right.

All right, folks. Now, I know
this young lady's a good cook,

'cause I'm her daddy.

What'll I get for drumsticks
and chocolate brownies?

- This all right?
- Nope. I like my picnics in the woods.

- Two dollars.
- Three dollars.

Well, come on now.

Either we eat it,
or the ants will.

That was quite a gesture
you made back there.

What do you expect to live on
for the rest of the month?

I have prospects.

Well, now.
Look what we have here.

Uh, little fancy napkins.

Little frosted cakes.

And little dainty sandwiches
with the crusts cut off.

You got a bigger appetite
than that, haven't you?

- Hogwash.
- Well, well.

You heard me.
I said, "Hogwash."

That's strong language,
Miss Clara.

You got some foolish ideas
about me, Mr. Quick.

I am no tremblin' little rabbit full
of smolderin', unsatisfied desires.

- Is that so?
- Yes, that's so.

I'm a woman, full-grown,
very smart...

- and not at all bad to look at.
- Amen.

I expect to live at the top of my bent
with no help from you.

You're a real fire-eater, you are.

You are barkin' up
the wrong girl, Mr. Quick,

because it will never be you.

Never say never.

I don't know what arrangement
you think you have with my father,

but you'll find you have
no bargain with me.

Now, we gonna be married,
Miss Clara. Haven't you heard?

You have been hoodwinked,
Mr. Quick.

For once in your crafty life,
you have been had.

You mean you're turnin' me down,
refusin' my hand and my heart?

You're too much like
my father to suit me,

and I'm an authority on him.

- He's a wonderful old man.
- One wolf recognizes another.

- Tame us. Make pets out of us.
- I'm not interested.

I gave up on him
when I was nine,

and I gave up on you the first time
I ever looked into those cold blue eyes.

- You got the color right.
- I've got everything right, Mr. Quick.

Well, I can see you don't like me,
but you're gonna have me.

It's gonna be you and me.

- Not the longest day I live.
- Yes, sir.

They're gonna say, "There goes
that poor old Clara Varner,

whose father married her off
to a dirt-scratchin', shiftless,

no-good farmer
who just happened by."

Well, let 'em talk.
I'll tell you one thing.

You gonna wake up
in the mornin' smilin'.

That's not enough.
Do you understand me?

That is not nearly enough.

Mr. Quick, I am a human being.
Do you know what that means?

It means I set a price on myself,
a high, high price.

You may be surprised to know it,
but I've got quite a lot to give.

I've got things I have been
savin' up my whole life‒

things like love
and understanding and‒

and jokes and good times
and good cooking.

I'm prepared to be the Queen of Sheba
for some lucky man,

or at the very least, the best wife
that any man could hope for.

Now, that's my human history,

and it's not gonna be
bought and sold,

and it's certainly not gonna be
given away to any passin' stranger.

All right. Then run, lady.
And you keep on runnin'!

Buy yourself a bus ticket
and disappear.

Change your name,
dye your hair, get lost!

And then maybe‒just maybe‒
you're gonna be safe from me.

Clara?

You, uh, finished here, Clara?

- Yes. Thank you, Alan.
- Well, now, I'll walk you back.

With your permission, Mr. Quick.

- Do I look very flustered?
- Nope.

Well, I am.
Alan, let's stop a minute.

Well, uh,
what's wrong, Clara?

Wanna tell me?

Alan, this is the hardest thing
I ever had to do in my life.

Well, tell me about it, and we'll
see if we can make it easier.

Alan, I have told people you love me,
and I have told myself you love me.

Now, I've done this for five years,

but I have never
heard you say it.

And now I've gotta know.

Well, I guess I'd better say it
then, Clara. I do love you.

But do you want me
the way a man wants a woman?

What I want
is to help you, Clara.

But, Alan, that's such
a pitiful answer.

That's such a good,
kind, pitiful answer.

It's the only kind of answer
I can make you, Clara.

I didn't mean to waste
your young years like this,

but... you're so sweet,
so graceful, so intelligent,

and you never made any demands.

Well, I wanted to.

Oh, I came very close
a couple of times.

There were all sorts of feminine wiles
I was gonna try out on you.

'Course, I don't guess
it would've done me any good.

Your mama has
a long head start on me,

and I don't think anybody's
gonna overtake her.

How... awful
that must have been for you.

All those Friday evenings with my
dreadful father snippin' at your heels,

and me moonin'
and dreamin' over you.

Must've been very embarrassin'.

I'm so ashamed.
I'm so‒

What are you doin'?
You lookin' for me, Jody?

I'm lookin' for ya. I found ya.

Well, all right now.
We got that much clear. What next?

From the minute
you strayed in here,

everything's gone wrong
in my life.

I been cut down to nothin'.

I lost me my store,
my wife's respect,

and my old man,
he hates me, worse than ever.

All that's over now, boy.

They're gonna find you
downstream tomorrow.

And I'm gonna have my place
back in the world. Do you hear me?

Oh, Jody, you aimin'
to k*ll me?

Yeah, that's right.
What, do you think I'm jokin'? Huh?

Now, w-wait a minute.
Wait a minute, Jody.

Now, I'll tell you what I'll do.

I'll make it up to you.

Yeah, I'll pay you back for
everything you think I've taken.

I don't wanna hear about it!

Now, wait a minute.
Now, look at that, Jody.

Yeah? So you got five dollars.

- Who cares, boy?
- No, sir. Not no ordinary five dollars.

Now, this ain't wages, Jody.
It ain't spendin' money.

Jody, this is treasure.

- From where?
- From right outta my front lawn.

- You kiddin' me? Huh?
- No, sir.

That old Frenchman's place
your daddy give me?

Hey, look, boy.
That's nothin' but a heap o' bricks.

An old haunted house now.

That's what it appears to be.

Now look, boy.

I ain't the kind to be taken in
by a bunch of hokey stories...

old men tell while they sit around
the shed spittin' tobacco juice.

Jody, I'll tell you,
I felt the same way too.

That is till idle curiosity...

led me to do a little pokin' around,
and I'll tell ya,

when this turned up,
I was struck dumb.

But there it is, Jody,

just like people have said
it was for a hundred years.

Boy, you-you-you‒
you tryin' to gull me?

Jody, you just put
your mind at ease.

Look, I know better
than to try to trade you blind,

especially when it's my life
I'm dickerin' for.

It's your life, all right.

Show me.

Come on.

You and your treasure.

We've been workin' an hour.
Now, where is it?

- Huh?
- Well, you never can tell.

It might be in
the next shovel load.

We got it!

Yeah.

JODY

I got it, Pa!

Jody. What are you
doin' out here?

Have you gone out
of your mind, boy?

Get away from me.

Your wife's gettin' kind
of anxious about you, boy.

JODY

Get outta that hole.
Come on home with me.

I said get away from me.

Jody, I ain't goin' without ya.

Go on. Go on.

You keep on thinkin'
I'm crazy.

I'm about as crazy as a fox.

I'm out from under
your thumb, Papa.

I paid that Ben Quick
friend of yours...

one thousand dollars
for the rights to this land,

and everything
I find here is mine!

Who knows? I may be openin' a store
right across the street from yours.

- Who knows?
- Boy,

just what you think
you're gonna find out here?

More of that.
Buckets of that.

Yeah, bite on it.
It's real, all right.

Is this the money
that the folks hid

when they thought
Grant was comin'?

Is this the money that's supposed to have
been layin' out here all these years...

since the w*r between the States?

That's right.

This piece was minted in 1910.

Ben Quick.

He salted this place.

Just took a couple of
hat fulls of silver dollars,

buried out here one night
in an old canvas bag...

to catch a sucker like you.

Someday I'll k*ll ya.
I'll k*ll ya! I'll k*ll ya!

Jody.

Good night.

Sister...

come and have a nightcap with me.

Everything settled
with Alan? Huh?

Yes,
it's all settled.

You mean that?

Well, I'll drink to that!

To your weddin'.
It's gonna be a great big one.

I kinda thought it might be Ben,
but Stewart's more your dish.

Oh, well. Good name.
Good old family.

He's kinda weak, though.
We'll bolster him up, though.

Papa, I'm tired. I wanna go to bed.

Oh, no. Not just yet.

This is a time for father and daughter
to have a little‒ little talk.

Finally?

I know.

I know.

There's been a long,
hard silence between us.

Now's a time
for openin' our hearts.

I got one, ya know.

Have you, Papa?

Honey, I've been eatin'
the bread of sorrow.

You made me happy tonight, but...

I walked around
with a bitterness chokin' me.

Parents and children.

I asked myself,

"What are children for?
Why do we have 'em?"

Well, tonight I know.

- Now I know.
- Do ya?

Oh, I know I been hard on ya,

but... don't feel you been pushed.

You're goin' in the right direction.

Woman's only half a thing
without a man.

What do you know
about women, Papa?

I had the best.

Your mother and I were just...

about as close as...

two people ever get together.

I wanted to be with that woman
all the time‒

look at her, listen to her,

touch her.

She lit up the whole world for me.

I'll tell you
somethin' remarkable.

That woman loved me.
She did, Clara.

You find that hard
to believe about me?

A ugly, fat
old redneck like me?

Now, tell me, baby.

Have I done wrong with you?

I mean,

imposin' my will on you,

shovin' you this way and the other?

Sometimes the strong
just roll over the weak.

Sometimes, Papa.

Good mornin', Will Varner.
What brings you our way?

- Ahh!
- What's come over you, you old fool?

Don't let it trouble you,
Elizabeth Stewart.

Give me some coffee,
Alan. It's all in the family, Mother.

Make it a half a cup.
We gotta get an early start

if I'm gonna show you
all you're gonna get.

- That's gonna take us most of the day.
- All I'm gonna get?

Sure. You don't think I'm gonna send
Clara to you without a stitch, huh?

I take care of my own.

I'm gonna see to it that you got
the means to take care of Clara.

- Mr. Varner.
- Hmm?

You're makin' a mistake.

- A mistake?
- Yes, sir. A mistake.

You mean,

there ain't no engagement
between you two?

None at all.

That girl lied! She lied!

- Have you lost your mind?
- Will you shut up!

- I'm talkin' to your sissy son!
- If you'll just quiet down a minute,

I'll tell ya somethin'.

I'm no good for your daughter.
I never was. I never will be.

My boy doesn't need any to do
with your family, Will Varner.

He never wanted it.
Your girl pushed it on him.

That's not true.
You just keep out of this.

You shut up!

I don't want the whole county
to find out that...

my daughter was jilted
by anybody like you!

We're not given
to gossip!

You keep a tight lip, boy,

or I'll come after you
with my bare hands!

Hear?

Are you
going to be home all day, son?

Ben Quick!

I'll be back in a minute.

You got yourself a blue suit?
Get it cleaned!

You got some black shoes?
Have 'em polished?

Get yourself a haircut!
You're gonna be married!

You'll find him
at the store, sister!

Get yourself
down there. Now.

Just say one word: Yes.

- Mr. Will! Mr. Will!
- Yeah?

- The mare foaled.
- What? When?

'Bout half hour ago,
and he is a beauty.

Well, I better go have a look.

I'm glad somethin' around here
is gettin' born.

Jody?

Well, now, Jody.

I know that's you out there.

Jody!

I'm not sorry.

I'm not sorry! I'm not sorry!

Jody, at least
let the horses out!

- I'm not sorry!
- Jody!

Jody!

Jody! Jody!

Are you all right, Papa?

Are you hurt any, Papa?

Papa, are you hurt any?

You got hellfire and damnation
in you, Jody Varner.

But you got redemption too.

When I think of the hate that put me
in there and locked the door...

and set fire to it‒

When I think of the love
that wouldn't let me go‒

I got me a son again!

I got me a good right arm...

and a left!

Wait a minute. Only one man
in this town settles his accounts by fire.

You see this rope?

I was supposed to catch me
a horse with this rope‒

a horse I never seen since.

Maybe I got
a better use for it now.

Story of my life.

Why doesn't anyone ever want
to consult with me peaceable?

I wouldn't fool with them folks, boy.
I'd light out.

I'm just not in a runnin' mood.

Get in.

What's it to you whether
I do or whether I don't, Miss Clara?

Get in.

WILL

That's it.
When you got it, use it!

- Papa, are you all right?
- 'Course. Now, don't you fuss, honey.

- I was scared you‒
- We got the thing licked.

There. See?

Get on over there!
In the back!

Ben?

Ben.

I'm sick of that sight.

I seen about 50 fires like that,

or maybe a hundred of 'em.

I seen men with their shirts on fire,

smelled horses cookin'.

I was raised on that smell
of gasoline around me‒

coal oil, kerosene,
anything that'd burn.

My old man used to
keep 'em around the house...

in case he had a grudge
he wanted to settle.

My old man.

My old man.

Last time I seen him,
I was about 10 years old,

lyin' in a ditch,
cryin' my eyes out,

just prayin' that God
would strike me dead.

That was the night that I run ahead
to tell on him, turn him in.

Warned this farmer that he
was comin' with his torch.

I remember...

just lyin' there,

chokin' on my own tears.

I remember that house burnin'

and these men on horseback
and the sound of shots.

My old man was runnin'.

Maybe one of them shots
k*lled him.

Or maybe he died
in one of them fires he set.

I don't know.

I never seen him again.

How terrible that must have been.

No, it wasn't.
The terrible part come later.

Knockin' around
this whole countryside,

floatin' around
from town to town,

lookin' in on other people's
kitchen windows from the outside.

Boy, that man sure left
his mark on me.

I got his name,
and I can't run away from that.

Yes, you can.

People are kinder than you
think if you just tell 'em.

Well, I wouldn't
give 'em that satisfaction.

I wouldn't tell 'em
anything anytime.

All right. Then change your name.
Get rid of it.

I'm a proud man, Miss Clara.

My name is Quick, no matter
how much people hate it.

I was one of 'em.
I hated it too.

No, you didn't.

You hated me.

I guess I did.

You're a hardheaded,
softhearted woman, Miss Clara,

and I like you a lot.

You do, do you?

Yes, ma'am, I do.
All of a sudden, I do.

And if you can save my life, I guess
I can return the favor. I can let you go.

Ain't nothin' to it.

All I gotta do is pack that
old straw suitcase of mine and...

say good-bye to millions.

I won't even feel sorry for myself...

till I get about one mile and a half
outta Frenchman's Bend.

Well,

you couldn't tame me,
but you taught me.

JODY

JODY

Now, hold it.

Now, hold on, ya hear?

Will, we can't let that firebug
get away with this!

- We gotta catch him!
- The fire is out.

- Thanks to you-all.
- Yeah, well, what about Ben Quick?

- The fire's out.
- Yeah, but who started it?

Old jackass
name of Will Varner.

That's who started it.
I dropped my cigar in the hay.

- Ain't that right, Jody?
- That's right, Papa.

- What do you know?
- Well, I guess our work's done, men.

You-all come out here Sunday,

and we'll open some kegs
of beer and have a party.

- You're gonna have company Sunday, Will!
- Thanks, Will!

Thank you. Man's got friends like you,
he ain't got no trouble!

Are you all right?
I heard you was in that barn!

Yeah, in and out.
Now, simmer down, Minnie.

You ain't a rich widow yet.

If you got a minute, Will,
I'll be sayin' good-bye.

You'll be doin' what?

Yeah, I'm leavin', soon as
I get my things together.

Don't the room and board
here suit ya?

- No, I got no complaints about that.
- What is it then?

Will, you and me, we been
in business only a little while‒

- just one hot summer.
- JODY, EULA

EULA

We started off on that
horseflesh game, remember?

- Get to the point.
- We sort of left off horses.

We got started on people.
Now, that's somethin' different.

- Which people you talkin' about?
- I'm talkin' about Clara,

that daughter to Will Varner.

You wanna stay
and hear this?

Papa, wild horses wouldn't
drag me off this front porch.

Will, ya know, in all this schemin'
we been doin',

we forgot somethin', you and me.

- I get preached to on Sunday!
- Yeah, I know,

and you don't listen...
and neither did I.

I didn't take too easy
to the idea.

In fact, I've been a little long
comin' around to it, but‒

Well, life's a pretty valuable thing,

and it ought to be treated
with a certain amount of respect.

You're old enough to know that,
and I'm young enough to learn it.

Well, isn't that the truth.

So I'll be seein' you around, Will.

First off, nobody give you permission
to call me by my front name!

Will, that shoutin'
ain't becomin' to you.

And second,
don't tell me what life is like!

Life around here
is what I say it is!

You can't always have it
your way, Will.

I got influence. I'll dog you
wherever you go. I'll break you.

No, you won't.
You'll miss me.

What are you grinnin' about?

Huh? Now there's
your gratitude.

There's your thanks!

I put that boy where there was fast,
easy money just layin' there.

I put him in the Garden of Eden,
let him dip his bread in honey,

and he's got the all-out gall
to tell me no!

I gotcha!

Mmm.

So you run,
and you keep on runnin',

and you buy yourself
a bus ticket and you disappear.

And you change your name
and you dye your hair,

and maybe‒just maybe‒

you might be safe from me.

CLARA

Do I know human nature, huh?

Didn't I say that fella Quick
was made for my Clara?

Am I gonna be
a grandfather? I am!

Oh, Minnie, it sure is good to be alive
this summer evenin'.

Yeah, alive with friends
and family...

and a big healthy woman
to love ya.

Oh, I like life, Minnie.

Yeah. I like it so much,

I might just live forever.