Norma Rae is a 1979 American drama film that tells the story of a factory worker from a small town in North Carolina, who becomes involved in the labor union activities at the textile factory where she works. The film stars Sally Field in the titular role, Beau Bridges as Norma Rae's husband, Sonny, and Ron Leibman as union organizer Reuben Warshowsky.

The movie was written by Harriet Frank, Jr. and Irving Ravetch, and was directed by Martin Ritt. It is based on the true story of Crystal Lee Sutton (1940–2009),^[2][3] which was told in the 1975 book Crystal Lee, a Woman of Inheritance by New York Times reporter Henry P. Leifermann.^[4]

Norma Rae was filmed on location in Opelika, Alabama. The mill scenes were shot at Opelika Manufacturing, and the motel scenes were filmed at The Golden Cherry Motel.

Sally Field won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal as Norma Rae Webster. Norma Rae won a total of 2 awards, plus 6 other nominations.^[1] The film was selected for inclusion in the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress in 2011.

Plot[link]

Norma Rae Webster is a minimum-wage worker in a cotton mill that has taken too much of a toll on the health of her family for her to ignore her Dickensian working conditions. After hearing a speech by New York union organizer Reuben Warshowsky, Norma Rae decides to join the effort to unionize her shop. This causes conflict at home when Norma Rae's husband Sonny says she's not spending enough time in the home. Despite the pressure brought to bear by management, when confronted, Norma Rae takes a piece of cardboard, writes the word "UNION", stands on her worktable, and slowly turns to show the sign around the room. One by one, other workers stop their mill machines, and eventually, the entire room becomes silent, after all machines have been switched off. Norma Rae then successfully orchestrates an election to unionize the factory, resulting in victory for the union.

The story is based on Crystal Lee Sutton's life as a textile worker in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina, where the battle for the workers union took place against a J.P Stevens Textile mill. Her actual protest, in the mill, is the scene in the film where she writes the sign "UNION" and stands on her worktable until all machines are silent. Although Sutton was fired from her job, the mill became unionized, and she later went to work as an organizer for the textile union.

Cast[link]

• Sally Field as Norma Rae Webster
• Beau Bridges as Sonny Webster
• Ron Leibman as Reuben Warshowsky
• Pat Hingle as Vernon
• Barbara Baxley as Leona
• Gail Strickland as Bonnie Mae
• Morgan Paull as Wayne Billings
• John Calvin as Ellis Harper
• Noble Willingham as Leroy Mason
• Grace Zabriskie as Linette Odum

Awards[link]

The film Norma Rae won Academy Awards for Best Actress in a Leading Role (Sally Field) and Best Original Song (for David Shire and Norman Gimbel for "It Goes Like It Goes"). It was also nominated for Best Picture and for Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium. The film was also nominated to the Palme d'Or (Golden Palm) at the 1979 Cannes Film Festival and Field was awarded Best Actress, in Cannes, for her performance.

In 2011, Norma Rae was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". ^[5] The Registry said that the film "is less a polemical pro-union statement than a treatise about maturation, personal willpower, fairness and the empowerment of women."^[5]

American Film Institute recognition[link]

• 2003 AFI's 100 Years... 100 Heroes and Villains:
  • Norma Rae—#15 Hero
• 2006 AFI's 100 Years... 100 Cheers—#16

^[6]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Norma Rae at the Internet Movie Database
• Norma Rae at AllRovi
• Norma Rae at Box Office Mojo
• North Carolina News Network news story, Inspiration for Norma Rae Dies