Hurry up!
Late enough as it is.
There's a joke
Some of the old-timers used to tell
About canaan, texas.
"Oh, canaan?
That's the promised land, all right...
"And the bank's got the promissory notes
To prove it."
Now, while that may
have been true for many,
For daniel burton and his family,
It was truer than most.
Not too thick now.
The jar's got tolast us all week.
I'm telling you,
If we'd have planted soy
beaninstead of all that alfalfa,
We might have somethin'worth selling.
We'll get by somehow.
We always do.
Dj up?
Bus'll be here soon.- In his room.
"Going to new york."
You stilldoing homework?
I couldfinish for once...
If I didn't haveso many chores.
Well, you best hustleif you want breakfast.
Okay...
I'm on it.
Coffee can wait.
Rodney?
Best be goin'.
Bus'll be heredirectly.
Almostforgot my book!
And my sugar.
Mwah!
That boy and his books...
Unlike the burtons, my
grandma owned our farm...
Free and clear.
Even so,
For a black boy growing
up in the rural south
In the ' s,
Canaan offered a promise
of a different sort.
Hurry up, boy.
We're late enoughas it is.
Dj?
Sissy!
Bus is here.
Bye, papa.
Have a good day, honey.
Dj!
I'm comin'!
Bye, papa.
Bye, son.
Hang on, I'm coming!
Hurry up, hurry up!
Grab a seat.
Late enough as it is!
Well, it ain't my fault!
Dj, you still doing homework?
How am I supposed tofinish anything
If I'm doing chorestill dark?
What's the capitalof new york?
Uh...
Sarah?
What?
What's the capitalof new york?
Look it up, like you're supposed to.
Why you asking her?
Anybody knowsthe capital of new york
Is new york city.
You sure?
It's what I put.
See? Right here. New york city.
It's wrong.
What'd you say, boy?
The capitalof new york state
Is albany.
He's just guessin', that's all.
Am not.my grandma told me.
Well, I ain't neverheard of your grandma,
And I ain't neverheard of albany,
And I saythat ain't nothin'
But a pucky-pile.
The capital of new yorkis new york city.
Don't blame me
If you're too stupidto even cheat.
That's forcallin' me "stupid."
That's for being stupid!
Come on, dj, show that boy!
That'll teach him!
Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!
Dj!- Fight! Fight!
Come on!- Fight! Fight! Fight!
Come on, dj! Get 'im!- Fight!
Fight! Fight! Fight!
Fight! Fight!
Dj?
Knock it off, you two!
I said, knock it off!
I said, knock it off! Sit down!
Come over here.
And not one more peep
Or you'll find yourself
In more troublethan you're already in.
And that goesfor the rest of ya!
Not one peep!
You ever have trouble
With that colored boybefore?
No, sir.
Then why this time?
He thinkshe's so smart
Just 'causehe knows things.
Well, maybe he does.
What kind of thingsdoes he know?
Nothin' good, just the names of stuff.
You ever thought, if this boy's so smart,
Maybe you'd learn somethingif you'd listen
Instead of fightin'?
You ever thoughtabout that?
They're just a bunchof
poor coloreds, anyway.
I reckon there ain't nothin'worth learnin'
Froma bunch of poor coloreds.
Car 'son.
You go ahead.
I'm not much in the mood.
You still stewin'about the boy?
I just can't have himpicking a fight
With every kidthat crosses him.
He'll be all right.
Just give himsome extra chores.
The boy's nursin'some real hatred
For the coloreds.
I'm not surehow that all started
Or if he had a little helpalong the way...
But I'll tell you one thingfor certain...
I'll not raise that boy upto be a bigot.
So help me, I won't.
I just keep thinkin'...
There's got to bea way to bring this right.
Miss freeman?
Yes? What is it?
State your business.
I'm daniel burton.
I reckonwe need to talk about our boys?
And, the next thing I know,
Here he is, with his clothes all tore up,
And his nose a-bleedin'.and for what?
Just for tryingto help your boy
Do his homework.
Well, dj saidyour boy called him names.
Said he called him "stupid"
In frontof his friends.
Rodney? Call your boy stupid?
I raised that boymyself,
Ever since his mama ran
offwhen he was just a baby.
To think, my boybe callin' your boy stupid?
Mister, you don'tknow my rodney.
No, sir.
Well, the othersheard it, too, ma'am...
Not just him.
Well, he knows nowto
stay away from your boy.
He talks smart to your
boy, or any other boy,
I'll see to his whippin'myself.
It seems to me that, to keep
from getting a whipping,
Your boy'll be afraidto
even speak to my dj again.
Ever.
And, dj, the same thing.
Well, I 'lows that's true...
If'n that's how it be.
You know, miss eunice, I've
been doing some thinking.
What if we was to punish 'em
By instead ofkeeping 'em apart,
Putting them together?
Make them live togetherfor a whole week.
Half of it here
And half of it at our place.
No, sir. Uh-uh.
Ain't nothin'but a crazy idea.
Why, anyone can seethere's
barely enough room
For the two of usas-is.
Here comes rodney now.
You can see for yourselfthe
kind of boy he is.
Rodney?
This man's mr. Burton.
He's the other boy's father.
Nice to meet you.
Your stupid boyowes me a new book.
Rodney!
You just wait tilli cut
me a hickory switch!
Well...
I suppose I couldspare the boy
A couple days.
A couple daysit is, then.
I reckon a boy could learn
a lotin a couple days.
Don't you?
Yes, I do.
Please don't make me!
I'll never fightwith him again!
You best get on in there.
Well, hustle up, son!
They're expecting youfor dinner.
Hey.you mind your manners.
Hello, there, dj.
Come right on in.i got
supper waitin' for you.
Evenin', miss eunice.
Evening, mr. Burton.
There we go.
Now...
Let us bow our heads
And thank the lordfor his goodness.
We thank thee, sweet lord
Jesus, for us to sharethis
meal, one to another...
And blessthose poor folk...
Them folk ain't got
themselvesenough to eat,
While we enjoythis plenty.
And as we partake of this food,
Let us grow
Not only in strength,
But in love... One to the other,
And a desireto be more like thee.
Amen.
Amen.
"Amen?"
Amen.
So, you boys hungry?
All right.
Where did a boy your size
Get hisself an appetitelike that?
It's how I eat at home.
You lived here,
After a time, there
wouldn't be any home left.
I didn't knowyou white folk had
A taste for skunk.
Skunk?
Fresh.
k*lled it myselfout behind the privy.
I reckon that's whereit's been livin'...
Down below, where it's warm.
Rodney!
What'd you tell himsomething like that for?
Lucky I don'thave my switch,
Or I'd blister you good!
Would you listen to that?'Tis shameful.
Think of all that foodgoing to waste.
Shameful!
Oh...
Oh!
Child?
Child... He was jokin'.
That weren't no skunk!
It's squirrel.
What are y'alldoing here?
Ask my daddy.he made me do it.
Do what?
Spend the night.
With coloreds.
You boys, keep it quiet back there,
You hear?
What is the matterwith you?
Y'all look awful.
She made us sleepin the same bed.
So?
You afraid you'llturn into one of them?
It ain't catchin'.
Use this one.it's easier.
So how long your folkslived here?
Since my great-granddaddy.
You?
Since my great-great-granddaddycame.
I reckon he came overonthe mayflower.
Columbus.
What's so funny?
Nothin'.
It's just that columbuscame from spain,
Not england,
And he came on thesanta
maria, notthe mayflower,
And he's been deada hundred years
Before any of your folksshowed up.
That tells how muchyou know about it.
Hey! Watch what you're doin'!
You think you're so
smart, but you know what?
No one cares what you think
Because you're justa bunch of poor coloreds
And nothingin the whole wide world
Can change that... Not one bit.
Sometimes, he can be a pill.
I don't blame him.
I didn't want himat my place, neither.
Oh, it won't be so bad
Once you getto know everybody.
You'll see.
First, there's dj, you know him already,
And my papa,
And thenthere's grandpa,
Who's sometimesthe crabbiest man,
Even ifhe don't mean it,
And my little brother, "bobber."
Don't you all got a mama?
She died...
Right afterbobber was born.
Well, my mama ran offwhen I was a baby.
My grandma, miss eunice, raised me.
Around here,
I guess we all kind ofraise each other.
You missed one.
So did you.
We're only pickin' up
trashbecause you're here.
It's make-work.
How can it be make-workfor you?
You ain'tpicked up nothin'.
If you hate it so much, why don't you quit?
'Cause I ain't like you... Stupidandlazy.
What was that? Think someone's dead?
I'm gonna find out!
Wait for me!
There's somethin'
moving.it's comin' this way.
Quick, behind the tree.
You hear him?
Nope. He's stopped.
Just a bird.
Think he's gone?
I reckon.
Well, now...
Who's ourlittle friend here?
He ain't my friend.
Well, whoever he is...
If I was him, I'd be careful
About sneaking around backin the woods.
Be a shameto accidentally mistake you
For some thievin' varmint.
Who was that?
That's just carl hammer.
His boy's in prisonfor killin' a man.
I thought he's sureto k*ll me, too!
You?
Why'd he waste his timekilling you?
Come on.
I don't see nothin'.
Whatever it was, must've crawled off.
Look, there's somethin'.
Still warm.
Hey...
Blood.
There's some more.
I bet he's in there.
Well, I'll be switched.
It's a pup!
Ol' carl hammershot himself a pup.
You want to k*ll 'im?
You move him wrong, he'll start thrashin'.
He'll tear himself upand bleed to death.
We got to bind him up.
How do we do that?
We'll use our shirts.
Pick him upfrom underneath his belly,
Gentle-like.
Not too tight.
Now what?
Get himback to the barn.
Help me here.
You sure carl's the onethat did this?
Oh, it was carl, all right.
We sawhim walkin' away.
With his g*n.
Well, there ain'tmuch more
We can do nowbut wait.
Let's get up hereto the house
And get supperbefore it gets cold.
Can't wehave supper here?
Just in case?
You ain'tgoing to tell miss eunice
I made you eat in the barn,
Are you?
No, sir.
All right, then, I suppose.
Come on, sissy.
Let's go fixthese boys a basket
Before they starve.
Grandpa playing dominoesthis evening?
Right after supper.
Good.
I need to havea little talk
With our neighbor,
And it wouldn't hurtto
have a friendly witness.
It's thatson-in-law of yours.
He's the problem.
Don't goblamin' him.
He's kin.
Let me enlighten youabout kin, wylie.
There's blood kin,
And thenthere's the kind he is.
You thinkany blood kin'll be
Invitin' them coloredsinto your house?
Hello? Carl?
Whoa! Whoa, whoa!
Settle down, now.
That's only daniel.
You got no reasonto get all riled up
Every time somebodyknocks on your door.
Evenin', carl.
Danny-boy, danny-boy.
Get on in hereand have a drink.
Oh, thanks, carl,
But that's notthe reason I'm here.
No?
Fact is,
I don't appreciateyou
going around sh**t' dogs.
Little pups, at that.
Dogs? Who said anythingabout sh**ting dogs?
My boyand a pal of his
Found a little pupyou shot.
Got it down there in the
barn, tryin' to save it.
That was a dog?
I coulda swornit was that thievin' coyote's
Been k*lling my chickens.
Mostly retriever, from the looks of him.
Pretty hard to mistakefor a coyote.
Not to mention,
Those are my woodsdown
there along the creek,
Not yours.
I never been one to accusea
neighbor of trespassing,
And I ain't fixin' to start now,
But I would appreciate
If you'd be justa little more careful.
My kids play down in theresometimes.
I'll see you at the house, wylie.
Night, carl.
You hold it right there.
You got some nerve... Comin'
round here, lecturin' me.
Just can't leave well enoughalone, can you?
Carl!- Leave it be, wylie!
Put the g*n down, carl.-
Stay put, I'm telling you!
You know this ain't
gotnothing to do with me.
You know that.
I'm warnin' you, burton.
Carl, don't bea damn fool!
I ain't the onewho locked up your boy.
Might as well you did.
You and the rest of 'em.
Wouldn't have evengone to trial,
'Cepting the boy he killedwas colored.
And you takin' it out on
megoing to square that?
It's a start.
Then you bestpull the trigger.
They had no right, doin' that to my boy.
No right!
Yeah, I know.i know, I know.
It's justthe whiskey talking!
He didn't meannothin' by it.
He'll be all rightin the mornin'.
How'd you knowto bandage him up
Like that?
Learned it from a book.
A book about dogs?
No, a bookabout the civil w*r,
About a nursewho fixed up union soldiers
Who'd been shot.
If it was me, I mean just me,
I'd have grabbed him up
And run as quickas I could.
Dog would probablybe dead now,
Bled to deathon the way.
He'd be dead
If he was still down
therein that creek bottom,
'Cause I wasn't strong
enoughto lift him up by myself.
I reckon it was a good
thingwe were both there.
Took both of usto save him.
He still might die.
He was shot pretty bad.
He's our dog now.
We ain't going tolet him die.
Okay, then, if that don't work,
What about "patches?" That's a good name?
Good name for a girl's dog!
Might as well justname him "buttercup."
Buttercup? I like buttercup!
How about "b*llet?"
b*llet's a good name.
Well, I ain't surehe'd take too kindly
Your naming him "b*llet,"
after what he's been through.
You might want to hold offon
names for a little while.
I'd just hate to see
youget settled in on one
And then find outhe
wasn't going to make it.
Looks like the bus is here.
You best hurry up now.
You miss the bus, and you're walking.
Them's the rules.
Them's the rules!
As if the rules madeany
difference around here.
Hurry, now!
Grab a seat.
What's the matter, boy?
Didn't you hear me?
Grab a seat.
I know!
Let's call him "bandit!"
Bandit?
Sure.
'Cause he's an outlaw, like jesse james...
Hunted down in cold blood, nearly k*lled!
That'll reallymake ol' carl mad.
Every time he hears it,
He'll remember howhe stole his chickens!
It's perfect.
The outlaw dog."
Let's shake on it.
There.now it's official.
Hey! I thought we was late!
It ain't gettin' any
earlier, just sittin' here!
Hey...
How you doing?
It's going to be okay.
Come on.let's check on bandit.
Papa!
Bandit?
Bandit! Bandit!
Dj! It's bandit!
Bandit's alive!
Bandit's alive!
Dj! Dj!
Whoo-hoo!
Boy is possessed, if ya ask me.
Well, don't thattake the cake?
I wouldn't've give you
a chancein a hundred...
Not even a thousand!
See? I told ya.
I told you we weren'tgonna let him die.
Good boy.
He's gonna be okay!
Come here, bandit!
Here, boy, come on!
Here, bandit! Come on, boy!
There you go.good boy, good boy.
Coffee... Dark molasses... Flour.
Anything else?
Seems there wassomethin' else,
'Cept, these days,
I can't remembereven to forget.
Sure I'll think of it'bout
the time you're gone.
Let's go before
She remembersit's something heavy.
Oh! Clabber girl, that's it!
I need mesome clabber girl.
Uh, yes, ma'am.
Can't forgetthe clabber girl.
What is "clabber girl," anyway?
It's bakin' powder.
Didn't your mama
Ever make you raisedbiscuits from scratch?
If she did, I don't remember.
Too long ago.
You ever think of her?
Who, mama?
Mm-hmm.
Yeah, sometimes.
I try real hard to remember her,
But, after awhile,
It's tough to knowif I
really remember anything,
Or if I just rememberthat
I used to remember.
You?
I was too young.
Besides, miss eunice saidthe
less I knew, the better.
She said my mamawas like the wild wind
The devil himselfcould not tame.
"Wild wind the devil himselfcouldn't tame."
That'd besomething to see.
You ever wonderif you'd recognize her
If you saw her, all growed-up?
Maybe.
I found a picture of herwhen she was young.
I had to hide itfrom miss eunice, though,
So she wouldn't take it.
Man... She was beautiful.
I know.
I seen it.
You did not.
Did too.
Stuck right thereinhuckleberry finn.
Found it the first nighti
stayed at your place.
What you doin'lookin' at my books?
What you afraid of, that I'd read one?
Might be surprised.
Go long.
Come on!
Morning, mr. Shoup.
Well, look who's here.
If it ain'trodney freeman.
I'd half expectto see your nose in a book.
How's miss eunicedoin' today?
She's fine.
She still keepingthat switch good and handy
In case you get ideasin your head?
I bet she is.
So what you needthat I don't got, son?
Uh... Some instant coffee, dark molasses,
And some flour.
Clabber girl.
Oh, and some clabber girl, please.
Clabber girl?
I just opened up a new case.
Here, let me get youa fresh one.
Here you go.
Here.best be taking one of these.
What is it?
That's voter registration.
Miss eunice is signed upto vote, ain't she?
I... Don't know.
It's likely.
You got to be sure, son.
We got us an electionthis fall.
There's going to besome changes comin',
And you best be ready.
What's he talking about, "changes comin'?"
Aw, that's justold man shoup
Lookin' tostir things up.
Well, as if things ain't
stirredup enough already.
Hey, come on, bandit!
Let's gofind miss eunice.
Come on, boy.
Miss eunice?
Rodney forgotyour clabber girl!
And dj ateall your molasses.
Hey... Bandit, come here.
Grandma?
Rodney! Come! Quick!
Grandma?
Grandma...
What do you mean, "it's settled?"
Just that.
It's settled.
The boy'scomin' to live with us.
In caseyou haven't noticed,
Farm prices arethe lowest they've been
In five years.
Winter's coming'!
We're going to be luckyto
feed the mouths we got.
We'll get by somehow.
We always do.
You know, i-i...
I don't know whereyou got it into your head
That it's our job
To take careof every stray
Or orphan comes along.
The boy's got kin.
Let his own folktake him in.
Now, rodney ain't every
strayor orphan now, is he?
He's practicallyfamily already.
Besides that, it wouldn't be right,
Him living up there, all alone.
Look, l-let me tell
yousomething about family.
There's family, and there's...
There's blood family,
And if you confuse the
two, it's always trouble.
Carl ain't going tolike this one darn bit,
That boy moving in here,
And you knowhe's not alone.
So here's a question for you.
If you're so worried
About what carl hammer'sgot so much to say,
What I want to know is,
Who you planning onanswering to,
Come judgement day...
The good lordor carl hammer?
You know, he's just a funny old man,
But, you know,
After my uncle eliaspassed away,
Miss eunice had inheritedall his things...
Which includedthis old copper still
That he'd used fromhis
old moonshining days.
Moonshinin'?
That's illegalwhiskey.
They called it "moonshine"
'cause they made it at night
So they wouldn't get caught.
Mm-hmm. So, one fall day,
straight out of the blue,
Miss eunice decides
She's going to set upold
uncle elias' still.
Ha! Well, that reminds
meof ol' carl, you know.
He once got it in his head
He was going to makesome white-lightnin'...
Shh! Grandpa!
Would you let him tell it?
Well, come on now, you heard the boy.
Keep goin'!
Well... I guess wordhad gotten around
That thislittle ol' colored woman
Had fired up a still,
And... In broad daylight.
Next thing you know,
All these fellasfrom the government
Start showin' up, you know,
with g*ns drawn and everything...
They weren't gonna sh**t her, were they?
Well, they had intendedto
find out what's what,
That's for sure.
The head honcho...
He had prided himself
On knowing moonshinewhen he found it,
So, quick as can be,
Grabs himself a jar...
And proceeds over to the still,
And decidesto have himself a taste.
Ah...
No sooner did ithit the back of his throat
Than he started, just, you know,
Coughing and hacking and...
And swearing and cussing...
Why?
Was it bad moonshine?
Well...
Well, that's just it.
See, it wasn'tmoonshine at all.
Miss eunice had set upthat old still
And was making herself
A big batch
Of lye soap.
Lord have mercy!
Oh, my goodness.
I hope you're writin'some of these down.
Writin' what down?
Your stories! They're so wonderful.
Sarah's right.
You really should bewritin' 'em down.
They... They're just family stories.
I don't imagine
Anyone would actuallybe interested in 'em.
I don't know about it, son.
You might be surprised.
Student protests
Continued today on many college campuses.
More evidence of the rising tide
Of civil unrest sweeping the country,
While, in the south,
Marches held in several major cities
Erupted in v*olence when
police fired tear gas...
Makes you wonderwhat the world's coming to,
Don't it?
That all of her?
Yeah.
Hardly worth the troublebringing it in.
Well... Wouldn't take itso hard, daniel.
Plenty of company this year,
With the pricesso soft and all.
There you go.
Hopefully, things'llbe better next year.
Well, if not,
It's likelyi'll just plow it under
Before it plows me.
How bad is it?
We'll get by somehow.
Didn't know you'd bebringin'
in a mighty sequoia.
Blame bobber, he picked it out.
Let's decorate it!
Pa, where's the angelfor the top?
I keep it withyour mama's things.
I'll go get it.
Every year,
When I see that golden angel,
I tell myself
It ain't mine to question.
The lord took herwhen he thought best...
But, still...
I know how you miss her.
We all do.
She would've lovedthis christmas...
Bobber gettingso big and...
Rodney here and all.
Well, thenit's only fittin'
She watch froman angel's perch...
High up on the tree...
Just like always.
Yeah.
Come on.
Hold on just a second.
I don't want the boys
To see melike this here, so...
You look fine.
Okay.
Team work, boys, we're a team here.
Here comes some more now.
♪ Always stayed strong ♪
♪ Even whenthe crops failed ♪
♪ We kept on keepin' on ♪
♪ Backs against the wall ♪
♪ World triedto knock us down ♪
♪ We just wouldn't fall ♪
♪ We'll get by somehow ♪
♪ We always do ♪
♪ And that's what makes
a hometurn into true ♪
♪ And when the chips are
downwe'll see it through ♪
♪ We'll get by somehow ♪
♪ We always do ♪
♪ Back when we were young ♪
♪ Nothing but timeto lose ♪
♪ We kept the faithin the lord ♪
♪ If we forget now ♪
♪ What we knew then ♪
♪ What good was it before? ♪
♪ We'll get by somehowwe always do ♪
♪ And that's whatmakes
a home turn into true ♪
Guarding the tree?
Ain't nothing to guard.
Ain't nothing here at all.
Well, lookie here.
First one I came tohas your name on it.
Socks.
I already knew that.
I always get socks.
Listen, bobber.
It's been a pretty hard year,
what with the harvest and all.
Might not be a lotfor
any of us this christmas,
But what we don't havein presents,
We can make up forin other ways,
Like being together,
And being thankfulfor what we do have.
We just all got to tryextra hard, okay?
Okay.
You have to promise.
Okay. I promise.
Now, that'sa good little bobber.
Now you bestbe getting to bed.
Come on, let me tuck ya in.
Okay.
Would you look at this one?
It says "rodney."
You didn't have toget me anything,
After everythingyou've already done.
Well, are yougoing to open it,
Or do we have to guesswhat's in it?
New jeans!
Thanks, mr. Burton.
Well, don't thank me.it's from all of us.
I never had new jeans
beforein my whole life!
Miss eunice alwaysused to
get me secondhand jeans
From ol' man shoup.
Couple of times, there
was still somebody in 'em.
Well, friendsand neighbors,
It looks likethat'll do 'er
For another year.
Well, not quite.
Turns outthere's a little something more.
Where's he goin'?
To getyour new baby brother.
Dj!
All right, now...
Now, before you all gogetting all excited,
There's somethingi'd best explain.
Back when I was a boy,
one particular christmas,
It had beena pretty rough year.
Now, we're weren'texpecting much,
But, come christmas morning,
Here were all these
giftswrapped and under the tree,
Just like always.
Now, your grandma burton...
That's my mama...
She 'bout had a fit.
She looked at my daddyand said,
"Where'd you get the
moneyfor all that there?"
He just smiledand laughed, said,
"Don't you know nothing, woman?
"Even if you're flat broke,
You can stillhave some christmas."
Now, you see, to him,
"some christmas" meant
Giving all those thingsthat
you wanted to give
When nothing but your heartcould afford it,
So, this year,
I thought we should have
us "some christmas," too.
Here you go, dj.
I hope you like it.
What is it? What is it?
It's a tru-flex bass rodwith penn reel.
Well, I seen youeyein' it
In merton's store windowevery
time you went downtown.
It's just what I wanted.
Thanks, pop.
But... But it's just a picture!
Sissy?
It's beautiful, papa.
Well, you deserve somethin'a
pretty girl would like.
Hard as you work around here?
Ridin' herd on all of us?
I hope it's your color.
I sure thoughtit looked like you.
Pops!
Got a little somethingwith
your name on it here.
Open it! Open it!
I want to seewhat you got!
What is it, grandpa?
A chair.
That's not just any chair!
That's a customez-boy recliner.
Top-grain imported leather,
all the way from italy.
Let mesee that, grandpa.
Would ya look at that?
Four separatecyclo-massage motors.
That's just got as many
motorsas a boeing- !
Let mesee that thing.
What am I going to dowith
four cyclone motors?
Aw, you're all crazy,
Like your daddy.
What about me?
I wantsome christmas, too!
Well, here you go, pal.
I got a bicycle!
Hey, that's justnot "any" bicycle.
That's a stingray.
I knew that!
I see you riding sissy'sbig
ol' girl's bike around here,
Dodging the rocksand trees.
So that's wheremy bike's gone,
You little sneak!
♪ I got a stingray! I got a stingray! ♪
And last, but not least... Rodney.
What is it?
I thought it mightmake it easier
For you to write downthose
stories you like to tell.
Thanks, mr. Burton.
I'm sure I'll write downsome
good things with it.
I know you will.
I have no doubt.
That night,
As the family gathered around the table,
Who could have imagined
That a few clippings from asears catalog
Would have turned a meager christmas
Into a celebration of such joy...
A celebration not of things,
But of hope...
A hope that didn't hang on money
Or weather or crops,
But simply... On hope itself.
Comin'?
In a minute.
You're the onewho wanted
To fix miss eunice's porch, not me.
I said I'm comin'.
Hey, you want a colafrom shoup's?
If you're buying, I'm sure enough drinking.
Now, whatin heaven's earth
Is he up to now?
And put the chairsin there.
I need six to a row,
At least six to a rowon either side.
Afternoon, mr. Shoup.
Why, rodney freeman!
Where you been, boy?
I ain't seen you
Since yourgrandmother passed.
I've been outat the jerritt place.
They got you workingout there, huh?
Mm, not workin', he lives there.
That right?
Took you in like family, did they?
I reckon.
So what's the tent for, some
kind of revival meetin'?
Well, there's certainlygonna
be a lot of preachin',
If that'swhat you mean.
We got folks arrivingall
the way down from detroit
To get us organizedto vote.
Just 'cause you livin'with them white folks
Ain't no causeto fancy yourself one.
No offense, boy.
Come on, rodney.
We got work to do.
I hearthat family of your's callin'.
Seems you got workto do, now.
What time's the meeting?
: , Sharp.
I recommendyou get there early,
Get yourself a seat.
I predictthey'll be standin' room only.
We need to replacethe siding on the barn.
A lot of it's rotted.
There's some -bysyou can use.
Bobber, you can help grandpa.
Yes, sir.
You know, there probablyain't -board-foot
Of solid wood left
In the whole barn.
Well, then, by tonight,
there's going to be .
So, you guys,
Y'all come alongwith me.
There's a farm auctiondown
in taylor this evening.
Might be able to
findsomething on the cheap.
Actually, mr. Burton,
I was hoping to godown to shoup's tonight.
You know, there'ssome organizers
Coming infrom detroit, so...
Can I go? I want to go with rodney!
Bobber, shh!
Bobber, you ain't runningaround
these roads after dark,
And that's the end of it.
So what do you say, junior?
Think me and you can
managein town by ourselves?
It's not even fair!
He gets to go off
And listento a bunch of stirpots,
And we got to stayand do his chores?
Come on, grandpa.
Everyone does his
sharearound here, and more.
You know that.
If he wants to go, I figure he should,
Unless, of course, he takes me with him.
I've had enough preachin'for a lifetime.
Well, it ain't fair,
And I know we have tomake allowances,
But that don'tmake it right.
Now where you goin'?
In case you forgot, some
of us got chores to do.
-Bys are on the left, by the garden hose.
Well... Howdy there, mr. Jerritt.
Me and pa'sbeen expecting you.
Remember jake-boy?
He just made parole.
Never even knew about ittill
he showed up at the door.
'Coursei remember jake.
Well, welcome home, there, young fella.
Well, you're just in time.
Just in timefor what?
Jake-boy here figures
If them coloreds canhold
a meetin' down at shoup's,
Then maybe we should holda
little meetin' of our own.
Whatare you fixin' to do?
Nothin'.ain't going to do nothin'.
Just gettheir attention...
And then maybe discourage 'ema little bit.
We want you to come along.
That's right.
You've got to helpwith
the attention-getters.
Jake's got 'em at his place.
Come on.i'll explain on the way.
Well?
See?
Told you he wouldn't.
Hell, wylie...
I thoughtyou'd welcome the chance
To get evenwith them coloreds.
I got no issuewith the coloreds.
Oh, is that right?
Well, you know what I think?
I think you're nothin'but an old fool.
Worst part is, you don't even know it.
Come on, jake.
We got ourselvesa little meetin' to attend.
Oh, god... The boy!
Tonight, our speaker comes to us
From that great motor city, detroit,
Where she has fought bravely
In the battlefor our civil rights...
And, tonight, she brings that battle
Right here to our little
townof canaan, texas.
It is my great good privilege
To introduce to you
Angela knight!
Yeah!
Daniel!
Daniel...
What in the world'sthe matter with you?
You look likeyou seen a ghost!
It's carl.
He's got his boywith him.
Jake? I thoughtthey locked him up for good?
Well, they didn't,
And the both of them'sheaded
down to shoup's,
To bust up the meetin'.
Well, why didn't youdo somethin'?
Well, I triedto do somethin'!
Don't you think I tried?
I-i tried to reason with 'em,
But h-he wouldn't listen to
me, with his boy, jake, there.
We got to stop 'em.- Stop who?
Call the sheriffand tell him
Carl hammer'sheaded for shoup's
And he's got jakewith him.
Not jake hammer?
Dj, go get your rifleand make it quick.
Dj, who's jake hammer?
Stay out of it, bobber.
Who's jake hammer?
Not now, bobber.
Wylie, jump in the truck.
You'recoming with me.
Me? Why me?
Because you're the onlyone on this planet
That might be ableto
talk some sense into him.
Now come on, get in!
Come on, let's go.hustle up!
Hey, hey, bobber.
Not now.back in the house now.
Come on.this don't concern you.
Go on.
Papa thinksthey're goin' down to shoup's.
Well, how soon?
You gotta hurry! We got family there.
Bobber, no!
I got to tell rodneyabout jake hammer!
You get back hereright now!
True power...
Resides in the people...
Yeah!
Who know
They have
The power.
True power...
Resides in the peoplewho
know how to use it!
Yeah!
You sure they werecoming here first?
Well, that's what they said!
We must'vejust missed them.
If we take the back way,
We might stillbeat 'em to shoup's.
Get in the truck.
The power...
Of the vote.
The power...
Of democracy.
The power...
Of change.
Yeah!
Well, what do youthink, jake-boy?
You reckonit's time for us
To call our littlemeetin' to order?
Why, there are places
Where the black voteis %.
We would have
The power
Of the majority.
Come here! Come on!
Come on...
Whoo! Look at 'er go!
Come on, let'sget out of here.
k*ll the lights!
What are you doing that for?
Want 'em to get a description?
How can i... I can't see!
I tried to stop 'em...
Soon as I knew whatthey were fixin' to do,
I... I come runnin'out the house,
Clear out to the road!
I know.
Ol' carl there,
He nearly run me downwith his truck.
I was luckyit wasn't me got hit.
Grandpa, pleasegive it a rest.
We know you didwhat you could.
How is he? How's bobber?
Papa's with him now.
Don't know much yet.
It was carl who done it.
Him and his boy.
It was an accident!
I'd have never let himhurt that boy. Never!
It's all right, grandpa.
Nobody's blaming you.
Thank god, you're all right.
Yes, sir.i'm... I'm fine.
Everybody's fine.
How's bobber?
He's pretty banged up.
He's lost feelingin both of his legs.
Oh, no!- Yeah.
Doctor thinkshe may get some of it back,
But, right now, it's just too soon to tell.
Can we see him?
Better waittill in the mornin'.
They gave him somethin'to help him sleep.
Excuse me.
Is one of you named rodney?
Oh, that's me.
The boy'sasking to see you.
Can't we all see him?
I'm sorry.doctor says only one at a time.
Follow me, please?
Hi, bobber.
Hi.
Don't stay long.
He needs his rest.
I tried to warn youthey was comin'.
I know.
They told me what you did.
Awful brave of you, headin' out like that.
Just like paul revere, warning everyone.
It was the girls' bike.
If I had my stingray...
I could've beaten 'em easy.
I know you could.
Easy.
I'm real proud of you, bobber.
Yeah! Come on, bandit! Faster, boy, faster!
Grandpa?
You feelingany better today?
Carl nevermeant to hurt that boy.
You could go ask him.
He'll tell ya.
Go ask him.
Grandpa, carl's gone.
He's in prison, remember?
Prison?
For the fire.
Still... He nevermeant to hurt the boy.
I know.
Daniel.that all of it?
That's it.
I'd say you had yourselfa pretty good year.
It's the kind of yearyou hope to get ahead.
Seems likelyyou should.
We had some medical
expenseswe hadn't counted on.
Oh, that's right... With your boy.
Well...
Hopefully, this will help.
Thank you.
Can I help you?
My nameis charlane washington.
I'm sorry?
Charlane... Freeman... Washington.
Did yousay "freeman?"
Yes.
I'm eunice freeman's daughter.
Rodney's mother.
Please... Won't you come in?
Thank you.
Whew.
Hey, rodney.
Somebody hereto see you.
Hello, rodney.
Mama?
Just... Look at you.
All grown up.
There ain't no mistakin' youanywhere.
What are you doing here?
Why, I've cometo take you home.
This is home.
I mean home with me.
I'm married now, to a good man.
A navy man.
We got ourselves a nice
houseout in oakland.
Oh, it's the housei've
always wanted to have...
For us.
Now, you just hold ona minute.
You can't just roll up
in hereand take him off,
Miss whoever-you-think-you-are.
But he's my boy.
Well, where were youwhen
miss eunice died, huh?
Where were you whenno other
soul would take him in?
Hold on, dj.
Let's don't go running awaywith ourselves.
How am I supposed to knowif
she's his real mother or not?
Of course I am!
Well, anyone can telljust by looking.
Rodney, tell them.
Tell themi'm your mama.
Rodney?
Excuse me.
I havesome chores to do.
Rodney...
Now justhold on a minute.
If you think we're
justgonna let some stranger
Waltz in hereand take him off,
You've slipped a gear.
Son, it ain'tup to us.
We've got no claimon the boy.
Not a legal one, anyway.
But he's family!
So's she, more so than us.
Look, he's not goin'and
that's the end of it,
And you can just go backto
where you come from.
Dj, you needto simmer down.
It don't matterwhat we think.
What matters iswhat's best for rodney,
And I reckonhe's plenty old enough
To make that decisionfor himself.
I'm sorry.
Ma'am, you got tounderstand,
This ground'splowed pretty fresh.
Best give him the nightto sleep on it.
Tomorrow's plenty soonenough to decide,
Don't you figure?
I suppose.
I'll see you tomorrow.
You going to let herjust come in here
And take him off?
What do we evenknow about her?
Only what she told us...
She loves the boy,
Wants to tryto make things right.
It's not like
He's much of a boyanymore anyhow, you know?
I mean, uh...
She probablycouldn't change him now,
Even if she tried.
Miss eunice didtoo good
of a job on him early.
Like we've done ever since!
I like to thinkmaybe we made a difference.
I don't know.
To show upwithout a word of warning,
And just announceshe was taking him off,
Like we're nothing morethan foster care?
How dareshe treat us like that?
She has no rightto break up this family
Two weeksbefore christmas.
Her mother'd be mighty proudof that one.
Mighty proud.
You thinkjust 'cause we love the boy,
That's strong enough
reasonto hold him here?
What otherreason is there?
I don't know, sissy.
Sometimes, I thinkthere
ain't nothing in canaan
That's strong enoughto hold him.
Boy's got the whole worldyet to know.
Bright as he is?
A world beyond anythingyou
and me could even imagine.
Now, he sees it.
I know he sees it.
Those are his fieldsto work,
Like these are ours.
I reckon it might begod's
way of tellin' him,
"Best get a start on it."
Come on.
Let's get back to the house.
It's okay.
What is it, bobber?
He's gone!
Just him, or did hetake his things?
Just him.
Let's gofind your brother.
He might knowwhat's goin' on.
Junior?
What's goin' on?
Rodney's gone.
Well, I'm notsurprised.
You knewhe was goin'?
No, but I figuredhe might.
And justwhat in the world
Am I supposed totell his mother
When she shows up here
Expecting an answerin a little bit?
That he just upand ran off?
Don't getall riled up, okay?
I'll go find him.
You telling meyou know where he's at?
Yeah, I gota pretty good idea.
Rodney?
So?
You leavin' or not?
Leavin'.
Why?
In years,
I haven't beenfurther west
Than wichita falls,
And that waswhen I was nine.
What's westof wichita falls
That's soblasted important?
Oakland, for one.
That's wheremy mother lives.
Oakland, california.
That's near wherejohn
steinbeck used to live,
And jack london.
Can you imagine living
Where those writersused to live?
Yeah, but if you stayed,
Maybe, one day, people'll
be coming to canaan,
To seewhere you lived.
Ever think about that?
No.
See?
The way I figure it is,
I lived a year herewith you,
I oughta livea year with her.
Now, why would you do that?
Equal punishment,
Just like the fifth grade.
To think...
If I hadjust done my homework,
None of this would havebeen happening.
If you'd have shut upand
written down albany,
Like I told you,
None of thiswould've been happening.
That'swhat started it,
If you'd bother to remember.
How was I supposed to know
That you knew albanyfrom a pucky-pile?
Hmm...
I guessyou'd have to thank miss eunice.
Well, you see,
Miss eunicewas born in albany.
Yeah, now you tell me.
Okay.
I'm grateful that you didsuch
a good job keepin' him.
Very grateful.
He's going to bea real
blessing to you, ma'am.
God knowshe's been that to us.
A blessing and more.
Now you keep on writin'
Those stories of yoursnow, y'hear?
Yes, sir. I will.
And I'll be backreal soon.
You come back here, we'll put you to work...
Make you earn your keep.
Take care.
Send us letters... And pictures. I...
I'd like a pictureof
the golden gate bridge.
I'll write youevery week.
Hey... Bye, bobber.
Keep working onthem legs, huh?
They'll get strongerand stronger,
If youkeep at it, huh?
Okay.
Hey, wylie?
Rodney's leavin'!
Don't youwant to say goodbye?
He's not beenfeelin' very well...
I guessall the excitement's
Finally catching upto him.
I'm surehe's gonna miss you.
Uh... Tell him goodbye for me.
I sure will.
All right.
Hey-hey-hey.
Now you take care of bandit.
He's my dog, too, remember?
I will.
And... Keep an eyeon the old place for me?
Sure.
Don't goeating any skunk now, huh?
I ain't promisin'nothin'.
You take care, now.
You, too.
Don't forget!
Don't forget!
Rodney!
Wait! I think he's trying
totell me something.
Slow down. Stop! Stop the car.
What... What is it?
Don't you forget...
You always got a placehere in canaan.
You're family now...
And familyalways got a place.
The old man stood there,
Gasping for air.
You understand?
"You understand?
"You hear me?
"You always got a place...
"Right here...
"Right here in canaan, texas.
You understand, boy?"
The boy looked back
Into the faceof the grandfather...
A face made somehow fallowby tragedy.
"Yes, mr. Jerritt," the boy replied.
"I do."
The old man nodded slightlyand then added,
Almost under his breath,
a final benediction.
"You're family now," he said,
"And once you're family,
No matter what... You always got a place."
Thank you.
Where are those boys?
They'll be here.
I don't see
Why we couldn't havejust
stayed here for christmas.
It's his first christmasback in canaan.
If he wants to spend
itout at miss eunice's,
I thinkthat's just fine.
Shouldn't we at leastbe bringin'
A tree or somethin'?
He said to bring ourselvesand nothing else.
What was it?
Where'd you go just now?
Ah...
Just wishingthe old man was still here.
Wylie would've lovedhaving him home again.
I'm sure he would.
Well, there they are.come on.
We best get goin', we're gonna be late.
Come on, y'all.rodney's waitin'.
We're comin', we're comin'.
Hang on, bobber!
Okay...
Hey-hey-hey! Bandit! How you doing, boy?
Rodney!
Bobber!
Wow! When'd you getso big?
I go by "bob" now.
I mean, you can call
me bobber, if you want.
It's justthey can't, not anymore.
Well...
Bob's a good name.
It suits you fine.
You look wonderful!
Thanks. So do you.
Merry christmas, son.
Icanstillcall you "son," can't i?
"Son" works just fine.merry
christmas, mr. Burton.
Welcome home.
Thanks.
It's good to be home.
Thanks for taking careof
the place, by the way.
Well, figuredit was either that,
Or 'doze it under.
I-i guess you allare wonderin'
Why I asked you here.
Yeah, it had crossedour minds.
Y'all remember these?
That's "some christmas!"
You kept themall these years? Why?
Well...
So I could never forget
What happenedthe first christmas.
Mr. Burton, you gave onlywhat
your heart could afford.
Now it's my turn.
Come on.
This is for me?
Well, you're justtoo big
For a stingray!
Figured this wasthe next best thing.
Oh, rodney! It's beautiful!
Thank you.
Well, you best try it
on, see if it fits first.
See, nowyou've got no excuse
For catchin' nothin'.
Yeah, but I'll surelook great tryin'.
Oh, yeah, go ahead, take it for a spin.
It's top-grain leather,
Therapeutic heat...
And cyclo-massage.
Wylie would've loved this!
He'd probablyparked himself in it,
And I'd have had a hard
timegettin' him out of it!
I guessnow it'll be dj
Who'll begetting you out.
That's mighty kind of you.
I don't knowhow to thank you,
For all of it.
Well, actually, there's one more thing.
Do you mindif we talk privately?
Sure!
So you did thisall yourself?
I had some help.
Uh...
I want youto call this man.
"Dr. Marcus hanson, orthopedic surgeon."
He thinks maybehe can help bobber.
Well...
To be honestwith you, rodney, i...
I just don't think
I can affordanother doctor.
Well, this man'snot "another doctor."
He's a teacherat stanford university.
He came to one ofmy book signings.
There's some new thingsthat they're trying
For people withspinal injuries,
New techniques.
Yeah, I reckonthat'd cost me more money
Than I'm likely to seethe rest of my life.
Well, that's just it...
It's not going tocost you anything.
He'll even fly bobberout to california.
All you have to dois come along.
He'd do that for free?
As part of his researchfor the university.
But...
Why would some fellaoffer to do that?
Offer to help out some
kidhe doesn't even know...
For free?
Well, I guessthat's the real stumper now,
Isn't it?
Why would some fella
Be willing to do somethin'so generous
For a kidhe doesn't even know?
See, I'm surprised, mr. Burton.
I figured,
Out of anyoneon the face of the earth,
If anyone knewthe answer to that one...
It'd be you.
And, so, as we partake of this food,
Let us grownot only in strength,
But in love,
One to the other...
And a desireto be more like thee.
Amen.
Amen.
You want a roll, sissy?
Yes, please.
You want someof these 'taters, "bob?"
That night, as we gathered at the table,
In our hearts,
We knew the promise of some christmas
Had more than come round.
And as for canaan becoming
the promised land?
Well, for one brief moment at least,
Who could doubt that it truly had?
♪ Always stayed strong ♪
♪ Even whenthe crops failed ♪
♪ We kept on keepin' on ♪
♪ Backs against the wall ♪
♪ World triedto knock us down ♪
♪ We just wouldn't fall ♪
♪ We'll get by somehow ♪
♪ We always do ♪