Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte

This house, this plantation,

this whole damned parish

belonged to my family

before your people stepped aboard

the stinking cattle boats

that brought 'em to this country.

Don't you dare talk back to me, boy!

My family's seen this state

crawling with lousy carpetbaggers

that knew more about behaving

like a gentleman than you do!

I can't even look at Charlotte

without ugly thoughts ripping my guts.

I'd sooner it had been

one of my field boys.

I could have killed him.

Do you know

what it's costing me not to kill you?

My daughter and Jewel Mayhew's husband.

You gutless, soft, suckling swine!

My daddy sat out there on that veranda,

and let the whole place slide to dust.

When he died,

there was nothing but debts and dirt.

I touched that dirt and made it blossom.

I fought to keep this house

and to bring it back up.

I don't have a son to give it to.

Only Charlotte.

And she ain't gonna give it to you.

You ain't gonna have my home or my child.

I created both and I'm gonna keep 'em.

I ain't watched over my girl

all these years to have some...

to have some...

to have some creature like you

take her away.

Listen, I'm gonna tell you something.

Your daughter ain't a little girl

anymore.

There'll be other men

in her life besides you.

That's not funny.

Tell me something, boy.

How'd you have this elopement

planned out?

- How were you fixing to go about it?

- Tomorrow night during the dance,

Charlotte and I had planned

to meet out in the summer house.

She was gonna have

her bags packed and

we were gonna go away

together, that's all.

And I had got us a room in Baton Rouge,

and we were gonna stay there.

I don't want to hear about that.

You asked me, so I just told you,

that's all.

Now,

you shut your filthy mouth

and you listen to me.

Charlotte doesn't know about this.

She doesn't know you're here now.

She doesn't even know

Jewel was here last night.

How do you mean,

Jewel was here last night?

You mean to tell me that my wife

come over here to talk to you?

As I recollect,

she was sitting right about there.

Now,

I want you to come to that dance

tomorrow night with your wife.

You're gonna meet Charlotte in

the summer house, just like you planned.

But what you're gonna whisper in her ear

is gonna be something else again.

Come on, lazy.

We haven't even danced once.

Champagne wouldn't be

half the fun without Prohibition.

Sure would like to meet Sam's bootlegger.

Sam Hollis sure knows

how to give a party.

I just love to Charleston.

Ginny Mae! You seen Charlotte anyplace?

I got some killing news to tell her.

I haven't seen her for a long time.

The last time I saw her,

she was dancing with John Mayhew.

Yeah, and it looks like it's gonna be

quite a spell before you see her again.

I've just got to find...

I made a mistake, Charlotte, that's all.

Don't cry.

Look, I know it's no consolation to you,

but I really loved you at one time.

Try and understand that.

I really loved you.

I could kill you!

Jenks! You ought to know you can't open

them cases with a thing like that.

Look here, why do you think

I brought this special?

- Good evening, Mrs. and Mrs. Howard.

- Oh, Geraldine!

Hasn't this been just

the loveliest evening?

We have to go now.

Be a dear and thank Mr. Hollis for us.

I can't find him anywhere.

- I'll do that little old thing.

- Thank you, dear. Good night.

Good night, Mr. and Mrs. Howard.

Charlotte?

Char...

No!

No!

No!

Oh, my God!

- One more.

- One more time.

OK. Now, one more time!

Oh, there's Charlotte.

Charlotte, honey,

you come with me now.

No, Papa.

No, Papa.

I... I don't want to, Papa.

No, Papa.

I don't want to, Papa.

- Come with me, baby.

- No, Papa.

Boy, it sure is spooky round here.

Especially the graveyard.

It's spookier.

- Hurry up. It's getting late.

- You think there really is a ghost?

- Who knows?

- Sure, there's a ghost.

There's the house now.

Gives me the creeps every time I see it.

What if she catches me?

Then you tell her you're Jewel Mayhew

and you're comin' lookin'

for your poor little ol' husband's head.

But if she catches me?

Now look,

you wanna join the Spiders, don't you?

Get on in there.

Don't forget to get something

she touched.

Watch out for that cleaver.

She's just liable to chop off

your little head.

Go on. We haven't got all night.

Go on.

John?

- Get outta here!

- Run!

- She'll catch us.

- She ain't catching me.

Come on, move.

I'm scared.

I'm running. I'm running.

Chop, chop, sweet Charlotte

Chop, chop, till he's dead

Chop, chop, sweet Charlotte

Chop off his hand and head

To meet your lover you ran, chop, chop

Now everyone understands

Just why you ran

to meet your love, chop, chop

To chop off his head and hand

Chop, chop, sweet Charlotte

Chop, chop, till he's dead

Chop, chop...

Damn you!

Damn you!

Get off my property or I'll shoot!

I told you to get off my property!

Stan! Look out!

Look out up there, Stan!

- Man, oh, man.

- That crazy woman. I'm telling you...

I wouldn't go out there if I was you.

What do you think you're doing,

firing on my men?

That's my land

he's ploughing up down there!

Damn it! Ma'am, you coulda killed him.

If I'd been aiming to kill him,

I would have.

Now see here, Miss Hollis,

we done what we could to accommodate you,

but this time you've gone too far.

We've got a bridge to build

and roads to lay,

and we ain't got no more time

to fool with ya.

Where you are, I could spit in your eye

with no strain at all.

Now, I ain't in no mood for jokes.

I'm going straight and see the sheriff.

I don't care where you go straight to,

just so long as you go,

and take that and them with you.

Now, you know as well as I do

the State of Louisiana

requisitioned this whole area,

including your house,

over six months ago.

Just because some old fool

in Baton Rouge

signed a piece of paper

doesn't make it so.

Nobody ever asked me to sign anything.

And nobody's gonna tear down

my house

to build a piddling bridge

or anything else!

So you just clear off my property

once and for all.

I don't know,

some folk seem to think

they've a natural-born right

to get away with murder

Hey, look out!

You sure had yourself a good time today,

didn't you, Missy?

You just cool down now.

What are you gonna do, boss?

I'm going into town.

Keep those boys outta

sight till I get back.

I'll bring that sheriff back out here

in a half hour if I gotta drag him out.

Ah, you've fixed things up for fair.

Come. Come on.

They were gonna dig up

Papa's grave.

They wasn't within 100 feet

of them graves.

They're fixing to tear down

the whole house.

I don't see what difference ploughing up

the grounds is gonna make. Come on.

Come on, now.

They offered to move

your Pappy's remains.

You shoulda let 'em.

They can't do him any harm now.

Go on in there,

and get yourself quietened down.

You've done enough for one day.

Let me tell you something,

it ain't gonna be but a half an hour

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