Tobacco Road

This is Tobacco Road today, but a hundred years ago...

... when the first Lesters came to Georgia, it was different.

It run 15 miles down the ridge to the Savannah River...

... through the richest cotton and tobacco plantations...

... in the whole South...

... past fine big homes that the Lesters themselves built and lived in.

But that was a hundred years ago.

Come a time then when the land fell fallow...

... and worse and worse.

But you think the Lesters would leave it? No, sir.

They stayed on and on...

... but all that they had and all that they were...

... that's all gone with the wind and the dust.

And this...

This is Tobacco Road today.

Whoa.

Hi, Henry. How come?

Can't complain, Jeeter.

That's good. Hey, is it...?

Is it true what I hear, that Bessie's back?

Yes, sir, last week.

Buried her husband down at Statesboro.

Wasn't hardly cold before she picked up and hiked home.

Well, ain't that good?

Say, is she...? Is she still full of spirit?

Jeeter, it's worse and more of it.

I do declare, it looks like my head's gonna split open...

...with all this singing and yelling and hallelujah-ing.

Whoo! She sure got a powerful voice.

Ain't been quiet since she got back.

Yeah, well, so long, Henry.

You know you got a blowout there?

I can get home as long as I got one good one.

I'm gonna trade this darned car in next year.

Well, so long, Henry.

What's the matter?

- Supper ready? - Supper? Huh.

What about that wood?

Well, there it is, can't you see it?

How come I can still see it? How come you didn't sell it?

Well, you can't sell no wood if nobody wants to buy no wood, can you?

You're the craziest old fool I guess I ever did see.

That's the fourth time you've taken that same load to town...

...and brung it back.

Ain't even had it out of the car.

No, and I ain't gonna take it out of the car.

Hey, here comes Lov.

He's toting a croker sack. It's got something in it.

Reckon it's turnips he's got in that sack.

Turnips? Mm.

I sure could use me some turnips right now.

If it is, Lov sure will give his wife's poor old ma some of them turnips.

He'll give me some...

...because Lov and me, we certainly think a whole heap of each other.

Come on, get back. Pretend like you didn't see him.

Come on, let's get back and just act natural-like.

Hi, Lov! Ain't seen you in a long time.

Say, you must be plumb worn out...

...toting whatever it is you got in that old croker sack.

- I ain't tired. - How's Pearl, Lov? Is she all right?

That's what I come for. I wanna talk to Jeeter about Pearl.

Well, what's she done now? She been treating you mean again?

Jeeter, you gotta say something to Pearl.

I'm getting darned sick of the way she's acting.

Well, are you treating her right?

What's that gotta do with it?

She's married to me, ain't she?

Well, what's she done now?

Well...

...one thing, she won't talk to me.

- What do you want her to say to you? Anything, I don't care what.

She could ask me is my back tired...

...when I come home from the coal chute, couldn't she?

Or do I think it's gonna rain...

...or when is I gonna get my hair cut.

There's a lot of things she could ask me...

...but she won't say one darn word.

Well, maybe you don't go about it right.

Why, I tried every way I know how.

I kicked her and I poured water on her...

...and I chucked rocks and sticks at her...

...and all she does is bawl a lot when she's hurt.

You can't call that talking.

Well, her not talking ain't anything to get mad about.

Why, Ada here never spoke a word to me...

...for the first 10 years we was married...

...and them was the happiest 10 years of my life.

She runs away too.

I'm sick and tired of the whole business.

Give her time, boy. She'll be all right.

She ain't but 13, remember.

You listen to me, Lov Bensey.

If you don't like what she's doing, bring her back home.

Get yourself another wife.

You can have Ellie May.

Oh, every time I say anything, y'all want me to marry Ellie May.

Well, it ain't no use, that's all there is to it.

I want a young wife. I ain't gonna take no 23-year-old woman for a wife...

...and have everybody laughing at me.

- Hey, Lov. - Hey, Ellie May.

It's Pearl I'm talking about.

Lov, will you tell me whatever it is you got in that croker sack?

I been looking at it since you come here...

...and Lord knows I'm just dying to know.

Turnips, by cracky.

Turnips. I ain't...

I ain't had me a good turnip since a year ago last spring...

...and, oh, the good Lord only knows how bad I've wanted one.

Why, you know, I could eat me that whole croker sack full of...

I could eat me a whole wagonload full of turnips...

...between now and sundown.

Don't look for me to give you none, because I ain't.

Well, that's a whopping mean thing to say to Pearl's poor old pa.

Ain't you gonna give me just a bite, Lov?

No.

I tell you what I'll do.

I'll make you a trade for some of them there turnips.

I ain't trading turnips with nobody.

If you'll give me some of them turnips...

...I'll go to your house the first thing in the morning...

...and tell Pearl to behave herself.

Tell her that ain't no way to treat a man...

...who's gone to the bother of marrying her.

And I'll tell her she's gotta stop hiding in them bushes...

...and ask if it's gonna rain. - And are you gonna get your hair cut.

Well, what do you say, Lov?

I don't gotta pay you for that.

I already give you some quilts and two quarts of cylinder oil...

...and $ 7 to marry Pearl, and that's enough.

You gotta make her behave for nothing.

Just one little bitty bite, Lov?

It ain't no use you niggling at me.

Lov.

Please, Lov.

All my children all the time blaming me...

...because the old good Lord made me poverty-stricken.

Them and their ma's all the time bawling me out...

...because they ain't got nothing to eat, as if I had anything to do with it.

Yes, sometimes it looks to me...

It looks to me like the good Lord's got it in good and plenty for a poor man.

But I ain't complaining. No, sir, I ain't complaining.

Ow! Ow!

Hold him, Ellie May, hold him, hold him.

Hold him, hold him, Ellie May.

Hold him, Ellie May. Hold him, honey.

Give me my turnips, you old fool. You old fool.

Give me my turnips. Give me my turnips.

Give me some of them turnips, you old fool.

Let go my leg.

Let go my leg, you fool dog.

Let me out of here.

Hold him, Ellie May. Hit him in the head.

Hey, give me some of them turnips, you old fool.

Give me some of them turnips.

I wish I'd known what kind of family I married into. I wouldn't have done it.

I hope Lov don't hold no hard feeling agin me.

Whoo! - Hallelujah, Brother Jeeter.

Hallelujah, Sister Bessie. Welcome home.

Thank you, Brother Jeeter.

Brother Jeeter, will you join me in a song?

Sure, I'd like to. What'll we sing?

- "It's the Old-Time Religion." - That's good enough for me.

That's enough.

That was all right. You know, I feel better already.

- Jeeter Lester. - Yeah.

You've sinned.

- Who, me? - Yes, sir.

This morning when I was laying abed thinking, a voice come to me and said:

"Sister Bessie, get up and go down to Jeeter Lester, he's at it again."

You sure you ain't got me mixed up with somebody else?

- The voice said it was you. - I ain't done nothing, Sister Bessie.

- Not one little sin? - Well, not one big sin.

Maybe a little sinning in general, but nothing you could call a real sin.

How come the voice say it was you?

Oh, that's easy. The Lord knows what a powerful sinner I was.

I guess I was about the most sinningest man in the whole world.

- Nothing lately? - No, no, nothing lately, Sister Bessie.

Well, I'm mighty glad to hear that, Jeeter...

...because I'm out this morning to run all the sin off Tobacco Road...

...and I got a good start.

- How's your folks? - Oh, they're all right.

They just... They ain't up yet.

- This morning, they is just a little tired. Tell them I said hey.

I sure will, Sister Bessie.

Psst!

Jeeter.

What are you doing hiding here?

- I near about run into her. - Well, is it nice here?

Jeeter, Captain John's coming back.

- Captain John's dead. - It's his son, Captain Tim. It's the same.

He's coming back to Tobacco Road.

- He's gonna give us farmers credit? - That's what everybody says.

Ada. Ada.

Praise the Lord, Captain John's coming back.

- Why, I thought Captain John was dead. He is.

Gonna get me a good mule and some seed cotton...

...and some guano, and I'm gonna...

Who put this old plow down in the dirt?

You did, seven years ago.

First thing I'm gonna do is to burn off all this old broom-sedge...