Norma Rae Page #5

It's just a mud hole.

It's cooling off my mosquito bites.

It's as clean as I can get it.

Thank you.

Whoo!

It is hot.

I'm coming in.

Come on.

You know what?

An old farmer used to live

around here with a BB gun.

Sure hope he's moved.

Yeah. Me, too.

What's that? Something's

flicking around my...

Those are minnows.

Those are what?

Minnows. They won't hurt you.

They better not.

You're a fish out

of water down here.

It's not exactly my native habitat.

What would you do on a

day like this at home?

Play handball at the Y,

go see Aida at the Met.

Eat Chinese, play

poker, hit the sack.

I've been two places in my life.

I've been to Henleyville,

been to Piston.

Oh, you'd love New York.

You would, wow.

Super town.

Most beautiful women in the world,

best food, opera, theater, ballet.

Reuben.

What?

You're homesick.

Right.

God.

Reuben.

You got a skinny build.

Yeah?

Sonny works out with weights.

I tried that.

I dropped them and broke my foot.

Well,

you don't got to worry, because

you got a head on you,

and you use it.

What?

We got a bad connection, because

the line is being tapped.

Hey, you? This is

Norma Rae Webster.

I'm talking union to Henry Willis.

I'm on every night.

Same old story, no commercials.

Union, union, unions.

Look, have your boss man tap me.

Then you can go home

to your wife and kids.

Henry?

Shoot!

You ain't gettin' any sleep.

Neither am I.

We're working tomorrow morning.

I got 100 calls to make tonight.

Is that going on our phone bill?

We'll take it out of my paycheck.

That damn milk is sour!

I didn't have a chance

to go shopping.

And you didn't get to the washing,

or the kids, or to me!

Is that right?

That's right!

Damn TV dinners!

Kids going around in dirty jeans!

I'm going around, uh, without!

Altogether!

You want cooking?

You got cooking.

You want laundry?

You got laundry.

You want ironing?

You got ironing.

You want to make love?

You get behind me and lift up

my nighty, and we'll make love.

Norma.

Norma!

Hey.

Come this time. Don't

just nod your head.

Doris, come on. Bring

your peanut butter pie.

I heard your little

one's got the measles.

Keep him away from mine, will you?

Brenda, how's your new baby?

Get down to the Golden Cherry.

Hey, get down to the Golden Cherry.

Sue? Come on, read this, every

single word of it. It's important.

Come on down.

If I got the time, you do.

I don't bump into you much anymore.

You all right, Daddy?

About the same.

Your color's bad.

You been drinking?

Thimbleful now and then.

It's not good for you.

What's the difference?

I lie down and wonder

if I'll get up again.

Don't talk old. I don't like it.

Listen.

I'm coming over there

one of these nights

and take you out to a grand supper.

OK.

OK.

Has James gone back?

I guess so.

Where'd he go, home?

I don't know.

Jesus.

I ought to be going home, too.

Hey, how's Dorothy?

Terrific. Thanks.

I see you got a new picture of her.

You like it? My mother sent that.

She and your mother must

get along real well.

Are you kidding?

My mother loves her.

She's a lawyer, she's

Jewish, and a great cook.

What else is there?

How come she's so smart?

Dorothy?

Books.

Oh, madame, your dinner.

Le grand banana and a beer.

No.

Who's this?

Dylan Thomas.

He was a poet, genius, and a drunk.

What's he write about?

Love, sex, death, other

matters of consequence.

Is he hard to read?

Eh...

Eh...

So why should I bother?

Because maybe he has

something to say to you.

Open that, will you?

"Rage, rage against the

dying of the light."

Yeah?

Yeah.

Well, I'll try him.

Good.

Hell, there ain't nothin'

on TV but reruns anyway.

Don't eat while you read.

I hate banana in my books.

Kvetch, kvetch, kvetch.

Warren?

Warren?

Nobody showed up at the meeting.

They got us on a stretch-out.

Put us on a three-day week.

Twice the work for half the pay.

All on account of you.

You stand there for a minute.

Oh, man.

There's six turnips and two

quarts of water in there.

That's supper for seven people.

Sell your union someplace else.

Hey...

My arm's numb. I better lie down.

You got a break in 15 minutes.

I better go now.

Hang on. Your break's coming up.

In a minute, Lucius.

Mavis, Rhonda.

Hey, Betty.

You're supposed to be here at 3:15.

It's 4:
15. Working for

this union or not?

I got my tooth filled.

You were getting your

beer gut filled!

Chew your old man out. Get off me.

I'm giving 9, 10, 12

hours here every day.

We're doing our share of work.

Either do your share or don't

call yourself a union member!

Norma! Shut your cake hole.

Out of the office.

I only said what was true.

Out.

Come on.

Peter.

Get to work. Come on.

Everybody back to work.

Mouth.

You can't come down

that hard on a man.

Leave him his balls. Easy. Jesus.

If you were in the state

department, we'd be at war.

- All right. I got a big mouth.

- Um-hmm.

Cotton mill workers are

known as trash to some.

The union's the only way

we'll get our own voice

and make ourselves any better.

I guess that's why I push.

Our own Mother Jones.

Who's she?

She was some considerable lady.

She made it happen for the

coal miners in West Virginia.

You ain't mad at me?

If the situation ever called for

a smart, loud, profane,

sloppy, hard-working woman,

I'd pick you every time, kid.

How come sloppy? Nobody

wears girdles anymore.

I didn't order anything.

Well, hey, you ate it!

What do you want?

Warshovsky around?

Reuben's at the printer's.

Pretty late for the printer's.

Reuben keeps them working late.

You're Norma Rae, aren't you?

Huh?

I'm Mrs. Webster.

We're from the union

national headquarters.

Al London, Sam Dankin.

Is that right?

I might as well give

you my shopping list.

We need envelopes, stamps.

We're almost out of typing paper.

How about some typewriters

that don't stick?

We're not in office

supplies, Mrs. Webster.

You aren't around much, either.

Hello, Reuben.

Sam, you're getting fat.

I've gained a couple pounds.

Al, how are you?

Lousy. I got a cold.

What brings you guys?

You're not getting up a

head of steam, Reuben.

You know what I'm up against.

We're worried.

That makes three of us.

It's a small,

Southern Baptist town.

You got to keep your

nose very clean.

Why? You see any snot in mine?

Maybe Mrs. Webster

would like to leave?

Why?

This concerns her.

I'm making it easy on her...

It's late. What do you want?

If the company wants

us to look bad,

they'll use anything

to make us look bad.

The mill hands go to

church every Sunday.

She's talking union to them?

They say she's made a porno movie

with a local police

officer, very explicit.

Run it for me.

There doesn't have to be a movie,

if people talk like there's one.

The lady has an illegitimate child.

She's slept around.

She naps on your bed.

Are we in the union business or the

character assassination business?

After an 18-hour day, I got

the Legion of Decency here!

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