Norma Rae

1. Norma Rae The Story:Norma Rae Webster works in a non-union textile mill in Alabama in 1978. She is a widowed mom of two. They live with her parents, both of whom work at the mill. The noise of the looms was enough for her mom to temporarily lose her hearing. Norma Rae and her co-workers get very few breaks. One day, a union organizer named Reuben from N.Y.C. came to Norma Rae’s town. He asked her to help organize the workers at the mill. She reluctantly agrees. The manager is a little suspicious. So he calls Norma Rae into his office. She thinks he’s going to ask her out (again). Instead, he gives her a promotion, to “spot checker”. A “spot checker” goes around to check everyone’s work. It’s also a device by management to put pressure on the workers to speed up. Norma Rae immediately gets to hate the new position. Even though it earns her and extra $1.50 hr., her friends won’t talk to her anymore. So she goes back to her old weaving job. Then she meets a man named Sonny. He’s a very good looking guy. He has a daughter of his own. Norma Rae and Sonny have a “whirl-wind” courtship and get married. Norma Rae goes to hear Reuben give a union speech. It’s then that she realizes that the mill should be unionized and gives him her full support. At the mill one day, her dad starts to not feel well. He has a numbness in one of his arms. The sure sign of a heart attack or stroke. His upcoming break would be in 15 minutes. He asks the supervisor if he could leave. His supervisor refused. Norma Rae’s dad slumped over in a cart and died. After her dad died, Norma Rae began to really get into unionizing work. Sonny wasn’t happy with it. But he did learn to accept it. Norma Rae goes “undercover” for Reuben. There is a letter on a bulletin board that he wants her to copy. She gets caught by management and gets fired. Before she leaves, Norma Rae writes the word “UNION” on a piece of paper, stands on a table and holds up the sign for everyone to see. One by one, her co-workers shut down their looms. The first one to do so is her own mom. They hold the union vote……..if you want to know how it ends, see the movie!

2. CAST PHOTOS

3. CAST • Sally Field as “Norma Rae”- She won the Best Actress Oscar in 1979 for this film. • Beau Bridges as Sonny • Ron Leibman as Reuben • Pat Hingle as Vernon (Norma Rae’s dad) • Barbara Baxley as Leona (Norma Rae’s mom) • Martin Ritt-Director

4. REVIEWS • Rotten Tomatoes: • “Norma Rae” got 89% on the “Tomatometer”. 17 fresh and 2 rotten. Audience rating of 77%. • ImDb: 7.2/10 • My review: I thought it was a wonderful film. The acting was great! It was a little long, but I didn’t mind. Would like to see it sometime without have to fast forward through the commercials. I’d give it 8 out of 10 stars. I’m a fan of good acting. That’s why the length didn’t bother me too much. I would definitely recommend this film!