Bessie

---

( indistinct singing

echoing )

( gasping )

- ( muffled applause )

- Woman:
We love you, Bessie!

Man:

We love you, Bessie!

( chatter )

- Hey, Bessie...

- ( cheering continues )

- ( chatter )

- Woman:
I love you!

I love you so much!

- Bessie!

- I love you so much!

( woman whispers )

Bessie...

( voices echoing )

Man:

I love you, Bessie!

That was amazing!

( door creaking )

Hello?

Girl:

Mommy!

Where are you?!

( crying )

Where's my mama?

Mommy!

I want her back!

I want my mama back!

Where did she go?

- Woman:
Mama ain't

here to save you now.

- ( crying continues )

Woman:

Your mama dead.

- Girl:
Where's my mama?!

- Woman:
It's your fault

Mama dead.

- Bessie.

- Girl:
Where are you, Mom?

Where are you?

Woman #2:

Bessie!

( crying continues )

- ( music playing )

- ( crowd cheering )

( overlapping voices )

You ain't part of the act.

- Whoo!

- Excuse me!

Excuse me!

Excuse me!

I gotta get downstairs!

I gotta be changing!

Man:

Come on back here and put on

a good show for me tonight.

Woman:

I gotta change first.

Get on outta the way, Leroy!

Leroy:

Tape. Let's roll tape...

( Bessie laughing )

Man #2:

Ooh, yeah, girl.

( both laughing )

- ( man #2 moans )

- ( kissing )

( Bessie moans )

Come here, girl.

- Oh, yeah.

- ( both moaning )

Ah, yeah.

- Yeah.

- You like that?

- Ooh.

- Yeah.

Oh, that's nice.

Just let me

put it in.

No, I think

it's just fine

where it is.

Oh, come on, baby.

Just a little bit.

No, pap--

( cries out )

Man #2:

It's gonna feel

real good to you.

- ( Bessie grunts )

- ( gasping, groaning )

Don't mean I don't wanna

mess around a little bit.

- I just didn't

wanna do all of that.

- ( distant applause )

- ( thuds )

- Come on, now.

It's just getting

good to me.

- ( thuds )

- ( man groans )

What the hell

happened to you?

- Clarence?

- I told you

be here 9, 9:
30.

- What time is it?

- 11:
00, hell!

Come on,

go, go, go!

Wait, wait, wait.

Give me this.

( music playing )

Here, put this

on your head.

Put that on

right now.

There you go.

Come on, let's go.

Come on, now.

That's good.

Just...

( crowd cheering,

whistling )

Woke up this morning

When chickens was crowing

for days...

( overlapping voices )

Get her off the stage!

- Good Lord!

- Just let her sing anyway.

- Looked on the right

side of my pillow...

- Get off the stage!

- ( jeering continues )

- My man had gone away...

( overlapping voices )

I don't wanna hear this, man.

Go back inside.

Oh, come on.

Just let the girl sing!

By his pillow

He left a note

Reading,

"I'm sorry, Jane

You got my goat

No time to marry

- No time

to settle down"...

- ( crowd chattering )

- Get what everybody else gets.

- Well, we ain't everybody else.

No, no, no.

You said $5, sir.

A little something extra

for me and my sister.

A dollar's good enough

and a dollar's what

you'll take.

$2, sir,

for the both of us?

- For a week's work?

- That's the deal.

( birds chirping )

( woman humming )

( humming continues )

Woman:

Can you see her this time?

- ( kissing ) Hmm?

- ( coins clink )

( kisses )

You had a good week,

at least.

I know washwomen

who make more.

Don't be that way.

Well, I'm tellin' ya,

Mama ain't satisfied.

I'm gonna quit the 81.

You not.

Not if it means

quitting you.

( moans )

- ( knocking on door )

- ( giggling )

Woman #2:

Bessie, you come

out of there right now!

I told you about having

all those men in the room.

Ain't no mens here,

Miss Taylor!

- ( both laughing )

- Just us ladies, ma'am.

( giggling )

Bessie:

Go on and take her her board.

She'll cool down.

- ( coins clink )

- Miss Taylor?

Y'all are gonna have to take

that foolishness somewhere--

- Okay.

- Miss Taylor:

This is not

the only boardinghouse

in Atlanta.

( knocking )

Bessie!

Hey, look here, I'm coming

to work with you today.

I gotta get me

a new act.

- I like it.

- I like you.

I like you, too.

- ( giggling )

- ( knocking )

- ( music playing )

- Miss Taylor:
Bessie!

Man:

Good, Georgette.

Mary Watson, if I have

to tell you to smile

one more time,

we having words.

Francine, baby, you're

clomping around up there

like a horse.

A H-O-R-S-E.

Bessie, get down now.

Stop teasing.

- It's not your rehearsal.

- Hey, Mr. Scandrick.

I've been working on

a little something.

Are you saying you wanna

be in my chorus line?

Yeah, come on, girls.

Let's show him.

- And a...

- ( piano playing )

Oh, I've got

what it takes

But it breaks my heart

to give it away

It's in demand

They want it every day

I've been saving it up--

You just keep

right on saving it.

- ( dancers laugh )

- You don't like it?

It's all right, but it ain't

hitting on all the sixes.

Now, if you done

messing up my rehearsal--

What about the bag test,

James, hmm?

Yeah, give her

the test.

You must be

lighter than.

( dancers laughing )

- ( cheering )

- Man:
Whoo!

The top prize

for tonight's raffle--

a gold tooth.

That's right.

Hold up them tickets.

Hold 'em up.

I know you got 'em.

I know you got 'em.

But first,

the Queen of Melody,

the Empress of Rhythm.

We're talking about

the real Mother of the Blues,

Ma Rainey.

- ( music playing )

- Ma:
This the real

blues here.

Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.

( cheering, applause )

Ooh.

Audience:

Ooh.

Lord, you see me

weepin'

And you hear me cry

Woman:

Sing it, girl.

Lord, you see me

weepin'

And you hear me cry

I ain't weepin'

'bout no money

Just that man of mine

Lord, you see me

weepin'

And you hear me cry...

We got rehearsals

in the morning.

- I could be sleeping

or at least partying.

- Well, go on, then.

- I just wanna meet her.

- You can meet her tomorrow.

Man:

Mobile, Alabama,

we're on the road for a week,

then Gainesville, Florida.

- ( piano music playing )

- Oh, slow, slow, slow, baby.

Have mercy.

Contract's only four nights,

then we can go on to--

Why we backtracking

to Mississippi instead

of going to 'Bama?

Seem like we should

just go on from here,

maybe do a longer run

in Mobile, even add

Huntsville.

Well, we'll be

making it just in time

for cotton season

and catch everybody

with their pay, you know?

- ( distant

piano music playing )

- ( train hissing )

Oh, sh--

( train whistle blows )

Hey, get back here.

Man:

Besides, the harvest

don't start in Florida

- for another two weeks.

- Mm-hmm.

You've been using

that goober oil

like I told you?

Yes, ma'am.

Nice and soft.

Well, what about Tennessee?

You got Memphis,

you got Chattanoog-- oh!

- ( piano music stops )

- How'd you get in here?

- Can I join your show?

- You can see yourself out.

Where you from?

- Blue Goose Hollow.

- A who what?

That a street name?

Bessie:

Where I'm from, they don't

have no street names.

( chuckles )

That where your

people from, too?

They died a long time ago.

Well, the loneliest thing

in the world

is a motherless child.

Well, I got two brothers

and my sister Viola--

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