The Watsons Go to Birmingham Page #4

then she got highly offended.

You all just do not know good art,

that is not a bird, it is a bee.

Well, maybe if I scrunch

my eyes real tight.

Scrunch.

Anything else I can get you folks?

No, thank you, we gotta

get on the road.

Where are you headed?

Down to Alabama.

Wow, that is a long ride.

Well, you all be

careful, all right?

- We will, thank you.

- Thank you.

Thank you.

Let's go.

How we gonna work

this record player?

What do you mean?

We're gonna take turns?

Well, we won't be playing

it for quite a bit yet...

because we can carry WKBO all

the way down into Ohio...

and they play pretty good music.

But when we do play it,

we're gonna take turns?

Sure.

Cool. I'm first?

Sure, okay.

We'll go by seniority.

Cool.

Guess you showed them, didn't you?

Boy, they are begging you to

talk, weren't they, Daddio?

- You little...

- I guess being a lipless wonder can't stop you from talking.

Stop! Stop!

Stop it!

Hey! Hey! I said no nonsense

and I don't mean maybe.

President Kennedy submitted...

Jack you up in Alabama, punk!

Ssh, ssh. Daniel, turn that up.

What'd they say?

to desegregate schools...

allow federal programs to be cut off in any

area where discrimination was practiced.

And establish a community

relations service...

to help local communities

to resolve racial disputes.

The bill is expected to

be voted on this fall.

And in other news,

yesterday in Birmingham...

there was another bombing in

the North Smithfield section.

Time to use the bathroom.

Byron, help Joey put her shoe on.

Oh, nasty.

What's the word on them toilets?

Oh, you like those, huh?

You better get used

to those, Byron.

That's called an outhouse, and

that's what Grandma Sands has.

What?

Uh-huh, that's where you gonna be taking

care of your business for a while, boy.

Wait, let me dig this.

You mean if I gotta use the

bathroom, I gotta go outside?

Into a little, nasty

thing like that?

Well, ain't they got no

sanitation laws down there?

How you gonna have a hole for a

toilet and not get folks sick?

Don't them things attract flies?

Oh, I remember those outhouses.

We used to go visit my

grandma in the country...

and she used to keep a

catalog inside the outhouse.

So when you were done, you

know, doing your business...

you had to rip off a

page from the catalog.

We get the picture, Daniel.

You had to do it, man.

You had to do it.

Dad, now can we play

my favorite song?

Now, just for Kenny Watson of the famous

Watson's, I'll play his favorite song.

All right.

You can run like a rabbit

Fly like a bee

No matter what you do

You'll never get away from me

Because I'm right behind you

Baby right behind you baby

I'm right behind you baby and

You'll never get away from me

You can make up your face

Dye your hair

No matter what you do

Turn around I'll be there

I'm right behind you baby

I'm right behind you baby

Well I'm right behind you baby

Dad, do you know what

you're listening to?

Kenneth, you know

I've been thinking.

I've been thinking about changing

all our names to country names...

when we go back to Michigan.

So, I'll be Clem. You'll be Homer.

And you know, Joey, you have to have a

cute name, your name will be Daisy May.

And you, you'll be Billy Bob.

And your mother, well, uh, your

mother's name can just stay Wilona...

because I don't believe we could find a

more country name than that if we tried.

Yes, well, I hope you can make sure

and get us the whole ways home, Clem.

Elsin' we'll be some

pitiful folks sho nuff'.

Uh-uh, uh-uh.

Civil rights leader Medgar

Evers was gunned down today...

outside his home in

Jackson, Mississippi.

In his arms was a stack of sweatshirts

that read, Jim Crow must go.

What?

My word.

In 1954, Evers wrote an article

called, "Why I Love Mississippi".

Here is an excerpt.

It may sound funny, but I love the south.

I don't choose to live any where else.

There's land here where a man can raise

cattle and I'm going to do that some day.

There are lakes where a man can

sink a hook and fight bass.

There is room here for my

children to play, and grow...

and become good citizens, if

the white man will let them.

Whoo!

When we finally arrived

in Birmingham...

it didn't seem so different

from Flint after all.

There were no outhouses, but I would soon

learn that when you looked a little closer...

it was like you were

in a different world.

Whoo! Babies, we home!

We home!

Oh, you look so good.

You do, too!

Really? Y'all come over here

and give your grandma a hug.

Oh!

Kenneth Bernard Watson, you best acting

so silly. Give Grandma a good hug!

Whoa.

It's so nice to see you,

Grandma Sands.

Oh, 'Lona, look at this child!

If this ain't you!

Look at this baby!

Just as pretty and sweet

as you want to be.

Oh, you calling this a bad child?

This little saint's about ready to go

back north, go to Sunday School...

go home and scrub all

the floors, aren't you?

Yes, ma'am.

Oh, you grew up to be

a fine looking boy.

You was so puny when you was born, you

nearly worried us crazy. Now look at you!

Strapping man!

Oh, we gonna get on just fine.

What you think, By?

Yes, ma'am.

My family, my beautiful,

beautiful family!

Oh, Wilona, family,

this is Mr. Robert.

Hi, I heard...

Y'all come on inside, let me

get you something to eat.

What you staring at?

What'd you expect?

We just got here.

I gotta feel the old bird out.

She probably got a weak heart or something.

I ain't gonna have her death on my hands.

By, By, By.

By?

- Dad?

- Yeah.

Good morning, Kenny.

Morning, Dad, morning, By.

Morning, Mr. Robert.

- Morning.

- Man, you gotta quit drinking so much water.

He sweated up the

whole bed last night.

I ain't sharing a bed with your leaky,

little b... your leaky, little self again.

When y'all boys gonna

get used to the heat?

So, is he too old to hunt?

Well, he never was a good hunting

dog, but he's a great guard dog.

Old Toddy'd give his life for

anybody under this roof.

Should we be worried?

Oh, no, just some folks want

to cause trouble, that's all.

Uh, trouble?

Well, since colored folks moved up here,

started building all these nice homes...

some folks want to harass them.

Now they gotta integrate all the

elementary schools in September...

they trying to destroy

the whole neighborhood.

Chase everybody away.

But you ain't gotta

worry, we got Toddy.

The mailman won't even

come near this house.

He come up in the backyard

one day, Toddy tore him up!

Nothing like a good dog.

You see a little boy with a big

dog, that dog obey that little boy.

You better not mess with him.

Byron, Kenny, I'm gonna teach

you some of Toddy's tricks.

And he gonna love playing with

you boys while you're here.

When do we eat?

When do we eat? You the only one

that hasn't eaten yet, Kenny.

But Grandma and your mother's

in the kitchen, go eat.

Watch this, Toddy, down! Toddy, down!

He thinking about it.

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