Hollywood Activists, Or How Norma Rae Got Norma Raed
by Ned RiceThe cruel exploitation of the impoverished masses has been a staple of Hollywood storytelling since the earliest days of movie making. In fact, thanks to big-screen classics from The Grapes of Wrath to Slumdog Millionaire you might say that grinding poverty has been a real gold mine for Tinseltown. Given Hollywood’s progressive politics you might also think that a good chunk of the vast box office earnings inspired by the world’s poor might by now have filtered down to the same unwashed throngs who are, in a sense, responsible for it. And in most cases you would be wrong.
Crystal Lee Sutton, 68, died a couple of weeks ago of brain cancer. You might know her better by her Hollywood name: Norma Rae. Crystal’s life story was the inspiration for the 1979 Sally Field blockbuster that grossed $22 million (in 1979 dollars), four Oscar nominations, and two Oscars including Best Actress for the aforementioned Ms. Field. Norma Rae’s character is #15 on the American Film Institute’s list of all-time greatest screen heroes; Norma Rae is rated 16th of their “100 Most Inspiring Movies of All Time.” Given all this you probably think that Crystal Lee Sutton died in relative comfort, content with her life’s work and unencumbered by material concerns such as medical bills. Well, guess again.
Crystal Lee Sutton actually did many of the things in real life that Sally Field did in Norma Rae, including writing “Union” on a piece of cardboard and holding it up for everyone to see, sparking the wildcat strike that launched her cause. But when the producers of Norma Rae refused to give her script approval Sutton withdrew her name from the picture, thereby foregoing any participation in the profits. While Sally Field and the producers of Norma Rae were attending the Oscars, Crystal Lee Sutton went on to a series of other low-paying jobs, including work at a chicken processing plant (afterward saying she’d “rather shovel shit” than work there again) and then put herself through school to become a nurse’s aid. At some point Crystal received a small settlement from the movie she inspired, but it wasn’t enough to provide her with even minimal financial security.
At the time of her death Crystal had just won a dispute over coverage with–you guessed it—her medical insurance company, and her husband was working two low-paying jobs to support Crystal during her last days. Upon hearing of Crystal’s death, Sally Field described her as “a remarkable woman whose brave struggles have left a lasting impact on this country and, without doubt, on me personally. Portraying Crystal Lee in ‘Norma Rae,’ however loosely based, not only elevated me as an actress, but as a human being.” To which she might have, but didn’t add, “It didn’t elevate me enough to write Crystal a generous check from the many millions I have earned as an actress, or to organize a Hollywood fundraiser on her behalf, or to assume even partial responsibility for her medical bills, which would have been well within my means, but, you know… I felt like I was pretty darn elevated, just the same.” To paraphrase somebody you know, Ms. Field, we resent you! We really, really resent you for this! Oh, there’s that darn piano music telling me to wrap up… oh, thank you, everybody!
It would be unfair–exploitative, even– to blame Sally Field for the fact that Crystal Lee Sutton died broke and forgotten. Lots of other people in Hollywood were in a position to ease Crystal’s financial burdens and couldn’t be bothered to do so. What’s appalling is how many leading Hollywood figures enrich themselves playing, writing about, or directing movies about the poor, the down-trodden, and so on, and then forget all about the real-life subjects of their scenery-chewing once they’ve moved on to their next project. Worse, these smug actorcrats berate us little people for not paying enough taxes, not donating enough to charity, and, lately, for resisting efforts to “reform” the health care we’ve earned by extending it to those who haven’t.
And it’s not just actors who won’t walk the activism walk. Michael Moore has built a career out of parlaying social activism into a series of lucrative “documentaries,” if an investigative film whose findings are written before shooting starts is your idea of a documentary. Moore has been called… OK, by me… the only filmmaker in Hollywood who shoots three different ending to his documentaries and then uses the one that tests the best. For all of his blathering about “the little guy” and workers’ rights, Moore is notorious for not paying his crews union wages, not giving his writers the on-screen credits they deserve, and generally being a miserable person to work for. Moore’s four most popular films alone have grossed over $300 million; if his earnings for TV, publishing and speeches are included his tales of exploited G.M. workers, exploited teens, exploited Iraqis, exploited sick people, and exploited victims of the banking crisis have generated close to half a billion dollars. Some might say that capitalism, described by Moore in his latest offering (which I refuse to plug here) as evil, has been pretty good to him. But if Michael Moore is re-distributing the millions he’s pocketed to the victims he and his film crews have, uh… well, exploited in order to make those millions, it’s the best-kept secret in Hollywood.
But as I’m sure you all know they don’t call it show “business” for nothing, and I’ve got my own career to think about. So in the interest of full disclosure I hereby acknowledge that I’ve recently taken my place at the Hollywood writer/actor-vist feeding trough. I’ve just started a script about a union organizer whose bravery in the face of corporate intimidation sparked a movement that improved the lives of millions, after which her life story was stolen from her and turned into a highly acclaimed movie that made millions for everyone involved except its subject. The working title for my new project is Crystal Lee and I’ve gotta tell you, I’m pretty excited about it.
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Sally Fields – I dislike her, I really dislike her!
[...] a strange post here: Hollywood Activists, Or How Norma Rae Got Norma Raed This entry was posted in Posts about Health & Beauty and tagged actorvists, Business, [...]
In one sense it is sad, yes. In another sense, it isn't sad at all. You at least can look yourself in the mirror. You do what is right. That is its own reward.
Just to play Devil's Advocate here, are you implying that it is mandatory for Hollywood acting elite to continue relationships with the real-life people they had portrayed, decades afterwards? That Julia Roberts should still know the intricacies of Erin Brockovich's family life, that Meryl Streep should know the intricate financial quandries that the families of Karen Silkwood, Lindy Chamberlain, and Roberta Guaspari have? That the actors of Schindler's List should write holiday cards to the survivors that they portrayed?
My heart goes out to Crystal Lee Sutton, but I didn't see any active campaigning on her behalf, not even from the likes of Ned Rice–until now, weeks after her passing. That's not hypocrisy. That's an anecdotal blind spot.
This is so typically Liberal… They only care about the perception that they care. They want to be seen as great glorous and caring, but Gosh (They don't believe in a true God other than themselves) forbid they actually get their hands dirty touching these unwashed masses with their dirty problems. As loong as they can get the glory, honor, and buly pulpit to rant about how things should be, they are happy. Perception, that is all that really matters… In their book.
[...] On Norma Rae. [...]
[...] On Norma Rae. [...]
And we are to blame, too, because "we the people" know what hypocrites Hollywood liberales are and still we use their product.
Matt Damon, Sean Penn, Michael Moore, Ben Affleck, Julia Roberts — the list is endless. If we'd just bite the bullet and forego "entertainment" by these roaring hypocrites.
A strong, organized boycott might not make a difference initially, but if H'wood had to depend on the liberals to foot the bill for the liberal pap they spread, they might not be able to spread so much of their manure around.
In the mid-'80's, Warren Beatty and Diane Keaton starred in a movie, "Reds", which was a paean to American Communist, John Reed (whose body was interred in the Kremlin wall). I remember a scene at the beginning of the movie which was set in John Reed's New York tenement apartment. There was a handwritten sign on the door to the apartment that said, "Property is theft – come on in." I wonder if Warren Beatty, Diane Keaton, or any other "actocrat" (great term, by the way, Mr. Rice) who lauds Hugo Chavez, Fidel Castro, Che Guevara, or any other odious 3rd-world Marxist, has a similar sign posted on the entrance to his or her real-life home? I would guess that Michael Moore most certainly does not (probably keeps his Twinkies and pork rinds under lock and key).
You have a point but I think that at the very least there is some thick irony here, especially as regards the typical Hollywood reflexive support for government-run health care.
I would not be surprised to soon read an editorial by some Hollywood celebrity actually citing Sutton's experience as a stark example of why we need government run health care, and totally miss the irony of Hollywood people making millions on the story of her life and then cutting her out of the profits.
Thank you for continuing to highlight the hyposcrisy inherent in all our lives, but especially in the Hollywood elite. What you have written is shameful and extremely troubling. It's a cautionary tale and only by the Grace of God go all of us. Still, I pray I am able to continue putting my money and charity where my mouth is.
I think that the point is that after some Hollywood producers made some money with a film based on a pivotal episode in the late Ms. Sutton's life, Ms. Sutton got a pittance and died in penury of a painful illness (Erin Brockovitch, at least, made millions through rather suspect environmental lawsuits). It's not unlike certain rock stars (Mick Jagger, Eric Clapton, to name two) who made millions doing covers of old Blues songs and the original artists (people of color, it should be noted) got squat.
Already done for the most part.
I rarely see movies in the theatre and am highly selective on my rentals.
What he's saying is these holier then thou Hollywood elite don't practice what they preach.
Where I come from that's called a "hypocrite".
Wouldn't you be curious about what became of someone who helped bring you fortune and fame?
I think the climate is right for a documentary focusing on the hypocrisies of the Hollywood elite. They use their fame and notoriety to elect presidents and push whatever agenda is popular at the moment. Turning the tables on these people would be fitting. Let's weed out the heroes from the phony wannabes so the REAL person shines through. Although Rosie O'Donnell makes me ill with all her anger and rage at every living being that is not her, I remember her calling out Hollywood after 911. Shaming the billionaires to give at least a million to the victims, knowing they were just "lending their faces" to the cause. This is one movie/documentary I will pay to see.
I read that Eddie Furlong, the little kid in Terminator is on a suicide watch. If not, is on a downward spiral, and so was Brad Renfern (from The Client). Any superstar adults such as Arnie or Susan Sarandon, lending a helping hand to these kids, or is it just business?
Hollywood hypocrisy is nothing new, which makes the sign Sally Field is holding in the picture perfect. While lecturing the "common folk" about how we should live, Hollywood royalty live as they please. Crystal's passing prompted Ms. Field to acknowledge the import role this woman's life story played in her own life, but never indicated that she felt any duty or desire to share even a small portion of her abundant wealth with her. Norma Rae launched Sally Field into superstar status and led her to the life of luxury she enjoys today – a life Crystal and her family could only dream of. Sally Field has proven that she is one of those Hollywood elites who notices the stones in other people's eyes, but never the boulder in her own.
A liberal is someone who will give you the shirt off somebody else's back.
or for that matter, anybody who thinks unchecked illegal immigration is no big deal. they refuse to draw the line at our nation's borders- what about their own front doors?
I vomit a little into my mouth, every time I see Sally advertising her osteo medicine on television. Since I can't stand the sight of smart Sally, I change the channel.
Double ditto Buck! I don't watch any Television at all unless it's a re-run of Seinfeld or the Simpsons.
Yet somehow I still survive. 
As long as they raise "awareness", their work is done:
http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/2008/01/23/18-awa...
I'm so glad that I woke up to the hypocrisy of Hollywood types years ago.
Your comment is silly for at least in this case it's obvious that Field did know of CLS's plight (she knew when she passed away…she could have at least footed the funeral bill).
And yeah, Nick. If you don't remember the people who made your life and your success possible, then what kind of person are you? Oh yeah, you're a Hollywood hypocrite.
Liberal giving? Sure, some liberals are generous to the point of setting up a business around it (Paul Newman is one man who made noble efforts with his Newman's own brand and I'll always admire him for that). On the other hand, there's the Joe Biden type of liberal: Between 1998 and 2007, his charitable contributions ranged from $995 down to $120 on income as high as $319,853 and as low as $210,797.
It's no wonder people like Biden only understand forced charity. They are unable/unwilling to give without a gun to the head. Tithing would be a great place for them to start as most claim to be Christian.
Same, I have not paid to see any movies that feature any of the "Stars" you mentioned above, and I won't since not one of them makes any films worth seeing.
yeah that is a funny site. I realized i'm about 37% white because if it.
If you ever see a sign like that in real life, please be sure to start loading yourself up with every one of the sign-owner's valuable non-possessions you can carry and see how far out their door you get.
Hollywood? What about unions?
Where were Norma Rae's precious unions in her hour of need? Crystal's story and the movie were practically recruiting videos for union membership.
Surely the union bosses would have taken care of her. It's an object lesson as to how unions take care of you.
But even more, it shows that if you want to kill a company, have bad management. If you want to kill an industry, unionize it. Crystal's textile industry simply does not exist in the United States anymore.
And expect the shirtless person to say thank you.
Criminals have higher moral standards than liberals. At least they don't expect you to thank them when they rob you.
Congratulations! Glad to hear you understand what charity truly is. You do it because its right, not so it looks good on your political resume.
Here's one of my favorite charities I help support.
http://www.stlabre.org/
The last movie I paid for (not counting $1 on demand from cable my daughter occasionally likes) was Lord of the Rings. That I wanted to see on the big screen.
that is interesting, I was recently investigating some of the south western tribal charities.
I usually donate to church, and have a local abused womens shelter that we contribute to most often. But I have a little more income this year and was interested in some additional groups.
Any leads on some service animal organizations?
Toy story Double feature in 3-D opens tomorrow!!
I am there…I mean my 3 year old son is really excited about going.
pretty perceptive for a guy who avoids interactions with much of the outside world
St. Labre is a great charity in my opinion. It's a cluster of 3 schools on a reservation in Montana. They're much more than just a parochial school. They're basically a second family for a lot of the kids, who live in crushing poverty and with broken families. Educational charities are my favorite, because you don't just help them with their present needs, you help break the cycle of poverty. When those kids get through school, they've learned how to work, how to live, and chances are, most if not all of their descendants will have escaped poverty. In my opinion, you get a better return on investment than investing in Bernie Maddoff before his crash.
I also do Food For The Poor Inc. It's an arm of Catholic Charities, and has one of the highest ratings for the portion of donations that go directly to the poor. They provide emergency relief in Latin America, but they also have a philosophy (I can't remember the exact 26 letter word for it) where they help locals establish sustainable economies, but they don't subsidize them. Any and all work that can be done by locals, is up to them. They provide education, tools, raw materials, but the people build their communities themselves. One that I read about, a village grew excellent coffee, but had no way to get it to market, so they went in, helped them set up a processing and export business, then bowed out and let the villagers run it themselves. It takes charity to the next step, not a hand out, but a hand up.
And I also contributed to the defense funds for the ACORN sting!
Sorry about your inability to read with some basic comprehension skills Nick. Better luck in your next life.
I really do think this is happening. I keep hearing that the numbers for the movie openings starring these people haven't been doing so well. Right now, they're blaming it on the recession, but I bet they won't be able to get away with that rationalization for long.
As others have pointed out there is nor should there be any mandate for anybody to help out another person.
However, we are constantly bombarded with preaching from the left in Hollywood that we should support higher taxes for universal health care and welfare, etc. to "help poor people". It is ironic then, that study after study show that conservatives donate to charity (in time and money) at a much greater rate than liberal, even those in showbusiness.
There is nothing stopping those in Hollywood from giving more in taxes than they already do, or giving money to charities more than they do (most are notorious tightwads), but they don't. They are hypocrites.
The last movie I paid to see was Men in Black, 1997. Is it painful, being a movie fan, and not able to enjoy
my favorite pastime? You bet it is. TCM gets the benefit of my patronage as I have become hooked on
old movies. Am I foolish for being such "a right winger" and refuse to finance what Hollywood offers?
You be the judge by your own actions. I try to walk the walk but to what effect? I don't know, as many people
may agree with me but when its their own family making the decision on their entertainment dollar
they capitulate. I hope this not too preachy but liberals give me a rash.
The last movie I paid to see was Men in Black, 1997. Is it painful, being a movie fan, and not able to enjoy
my favorite pastime? You bet it is. TCM gets the benefit of my patronage as I have become hooked on
old movies. Am I foolish for being such "a right winger" and refuse to finance what Hollywood offers?
You be the judge by your own actions. I try to walk the walk but to what effect? I don't know, as many people
may agree with me but when its their own family making the decision on their entertainment dollar
they capitulate. I hope this not too preachy but Hollywood liberals give me a rash.
Why the hate? There's a real question here, and what I see here is exactly as bad as Hollywood snobbery.
"Upon hearing of Crystal's death"… doesn't state whether Sally Field heard of this the next morning, or many weeks later. The funeral could have been taken care of.
Further, if I was Sally Field, and I decided to give a donation, I wouldn't tell the press. It would be a private matter. Doesn't the Bible say something to that effect?
How any other person handles their own money, whether super-rich or super-poor, is none of our own business. But if Ned Rice really cares for Crystal's medical payments, he should have started up a fund at the end of this article, where we all could chip in. (And, for those who have manners, not publicize the amounts they gave).
Without knowing the details of the negotiations leading to Sutton's withdrawal from the project, it is difficult to level a charge of hypocrisy. Script approval seems like it may have been something of an excessive demand, and it is not clear what financial arrangements were offered the woman. One would hope, at the very least, that in making a movie about the triumph of a poor, not terribly well-educated woman, that the producers would have recognized that they were dealing with, well, a poor, not terribly well-educated woman. It does seem, at the least, that many profited from the portrayal of her life to a far greater degree than she did. And when the industry, and many within it, portray themselves as the champion of the "poor and oppressed", it can certainly SEEM hypocritical.
No hate Nick. You just missed the whole point of the article. Nobody said that anyone is legally responsible to follow their real life characters around. What the article clearly stated that if Hollywood were really concerned, then they would act and behave and take steps that really concerned people would easily think to do. And these rich Hollywood people took none of those steps. The fact that this women ended up broke is a sign that nobody gave to her publicly or privately (as if your really cared about the bible). Not quite so sure why you want to defend Hollywood. It is obvious that their hypocrisy is great and it is mostly about the money to them. What next Nick, joining the Michael Moore fanclub?
There you go, picking on Sally. Don't you know she can only take one Boniva a month and thus didn't have a strong enough backbone to do more for the woman? Sally only has one life and one body, she lost her Sister Bertrille outfit and can't fly any more. What do you want from her, Ned, what do you want!?
Nice. Reasonable questions being countered with broad strokes and Michael Moore fan-club assertions.
Hollywood has a lot of super-rich liberals whose actions don't speak well for their words. True. But it's a whole lot more nuanced than that. Each celeb is a different person, with different experiences, with different attitudes, with different networks of friends, with different private associations, with different causes they support, publicly or privately.
So Sally Field lost touch with the real-life counterpart of one of her heroes. Not to be callous about this, but it's not like Crystal Lee chose to continue the friendship–she clearly disapproved of the final script, and pulled herself out (even though the final product came out just fine, even if some facts were tweaked for dramatic effect). Such tensions can cause friendships to break, and people to go their own separate ways. And this happens all the time.
Even a megadose of BONIVA won't help Sally Field develop a real spine. And even this article won't help her re-invigorate her atrophied conscience muscle. What a mess!
…ya know, sometimes really poor actors are called on to play really rich people.
I will look closer
I also found Heifer International, provide animals that can be used for enterprise, Cattle, Sheep, Ducks, Chickens etc, to impoverished villages
I always find more groups than I can support, so I like to spread the wealth in the good years.
"It would be unfair–exploitative, even– to blame Sally Field for the fact that Crystal Lee Sutton died broke and forgotten. " — Ned Rice
Even a megadose of BONIVA won't help Sally Field develop a real spine. And even this article won't help her re-invigorate her atrophied conscience muscle.
Remember, with all liberals,including Sally: THOUGHTS are ACTION, and WORDS are DEEDS !
What a mess!
“Hollywood has the best moral compass, because it has compassion,” Weinstein said. “We were the people who did the fundraising telethon for the victims of 9/11. We were there for the victims of Katrina and any world catastrophe.”" — Harvey Weinstein
Good luck, and thank you for your generosity to the less fortunate. It won't be in money, but you will receive much more than you give.
Food for the Poor does the live stock thing too. As well as fruit trees for orchards. Two years ago I donated a goat in my father's name for his Christmas present (he loved it), and last year a latrine. We're still chuckling over that one.
Good luck, and thank you for your generosity to the less fortunate. It won't be in money, but you will receive much more than you give.
Food for the Poor does the live stock thing too. As well as fruit trees for orchards. Two years ago I donated a goat in my father's name for his Christmas present (he loved it), and last year a latrine. We're still chuckling over that one.
What I like is while they do the crying starving children guilt thing, they also have concrete plans for actions. That's what I like to see. I know what the problems are, I want to know how to fix them.
"The working title for my new project is Crystal Lee and I’ve gotta tell you, I’m pretty excited about it."
I really really like that idea Ned! I love to see words backed up by action and can't wait to see the results!
How do you find which groups have a good rating for the amount of donations actually going to the poor?
They're all over the internet, you can find a lot of rating sites by just using Google. But read this report from the Wall Street Journal first, then carefully evaluate the various rating sites, and pick one you trust.
A couple of years ago I was trying to shame a bunch of liberal friends and one libertarian friend in to coming up with $2,000 between us to pay for a one family house to be built in Guatemala. And predictably so, only the libertarian was interested in parting with their own money. He did some research on Food For The Poor, and he was impressed with it. I don't remember which site he used, and he's on vacation this week, so I can't ask him.
But this should be enough to get you started. I'm very stingy with charity. I want it to help, not be used to pad administrative budgets.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB12296329967141940...
http://www.charitynavigator.org/
http://www.charityguide.org/volunteer/charityrati...
If I were a mulit-millionaire who had gotten a major career boost and a Best Actor statue out of someone's life story you can bet I would have kept in touch with them, and if they were broke I would have helped them out. Thanks for reminding me about Julia Roberts – WHO WON A BEST ACTRESS FOR PLAYING ERIN BROCKOVICH, THEN NEGLECTED TO THANK ERIN DURING HER ACCEPTANCE SPEECH!!!!!!!!!! I had no idea that Crystal Lee Sutton even existed until I read her obituary – after which I wrote this piece in her honor. What have you ever done for her, Nick, except defend the Hollywood types who used her and then tossed her aside?
That is funny, because the vast majority of entertainment elites are major supporters of the Party that does believe they know best how to spend our money. This Party, made up of a lot of super rich and supported by many super rich, constantly preaches against those people who are trying to become wealthy and makes policy to hinder entrepreneurs who have made more money than the Party deems necessary. This Party also does believe it is mandatory, throught taxation, that we support all their so-called compassionate programs, while it has been frequently documented the rich Party members give very little to charity themselves.
P.S. to the above, Food For the Poor also have some really nice hand made crafts and gifts from the poor people they work with. They're teaching them skills allowing them to build businesses and support themselves. I particularly like the Christmas cards made from recycled banana tree bark. They're really nice. They send me a package of 10 every year as a thank you gift. I make sure every liberal who said no gets one, every year.
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Ned… really quick. If you care for the financial straits of Crystal Lee Sutton, then you owe it to this board to set up your own contribution bucket, for us to freely give, or not. If you do not, then you, too, are just as guilty as Sally Field, using Crystal Lee Sutton in order to advance your own agenda.
And I am not defending Sally Field. I'm merely stating the obvious: that you do not have all the facts, save for broad strokes. You can do better than that.
Or, as some famous person whose name I have forgotten put it, "When X gives money to Y, it is charity. When X forces Z to give money to Y, it is robbery." While I'm not the most charitable person in the world, and that does bother me, I also don't expect other people to do the giving for me.
Since you appear to have an honest and well-thought question here, and not trying to play any "gotcha" games, all I'll say is that I think the point Rice and others here are making is that people in Hollywood should put their money where their mouth is. To be sure, many of them do give millions away through charitable foundations. However, how many of them actually sit down to examine where their money is going, and if this is actually helping the intended recipients? My guess is more of them do it simply for the photo op or to feel good about themselves. The more genuine act would have been (as you rightly mentioned) to make a private donation to someone in need. And unfortunately, many, such as Michael Moore, are actively hypocritical in bashing capitalism and wearing their heart on their sleeve for the poor, then not lifting a finger to do anything at all for them (and in Moore's case, going so far as refusing to allow his crew members to unionize). Individual acts such as Field vs. Sutton can be explained away, but there's a broader mentality that cannot.
Amish? Really? Not that there's anything wrong with that, just that this is kind of the last place I'd expect to see (so to speak) someone with that moniker.
I don't know if Walter E. Williams said it first, but here's his take.
"Charity is reaching into one's own pockets to assist his fellow man in need. Reaching into someone else's pocket to assist one's fellow man hardly qualifies as charity. When done privately, we deem it theft, and the individual risks jail time."
http://www.boycottliberalism.com/Walter-Williams-...
Nick, when it comes to Hollywood, I'm fine with painting them with broad strokes.
They make it so easy.
Accusing Hollywood of hypocrisy is akin to accusing the Klan of racism.
"Wouldn't you be curious about what became of someone who helped bring you fortune and fame? "
Yes. I would. But I guess according to Nick….that's MY problem.
And Sally Field. God I love her work and that makes it hard to pile on.
No doubt. And that's why she decided her life was a fuller one "shoveling chicken shit" than drinking latte at Sunset Plaza.
Believe me. I know exactly where she is coming from.
Dave, you cannot speak for me. And–newsflash–Sally Field was famous before Norma Rae. So the hypothetical doesn't fit.
Norma Rae wasn't Rae, Raed.
Change comes about when enough people stand up and say, "That's enough. We won't tolerate this anymore." Case in point: remember how popular Rosie O'Donnell was before she started shooting her mouth off about left-wing politics? Notice how she's pretty much 'over' now?
I write these columns to encourage others to take a stand. Useless? Hardly. That's how the system works.
Why is it so preferable to extract "charitable donations" from the masses, than to let those who are able contribute voluntarily?
Oh yeah because many who have the means aren't generous with their own money.
It seems it is easier to force the government to be generous with my money than to force open their own wallets.
It is sad when I who made less than $45K last year had more in donations than Mr. Biden did over the last 10.
Should he be forced to give? no. Should he make it my patriotic duty to pay more (to make up for his stinginess)? also, No.
So now you want me to organize a fundraiser to help pay the medical bills OF SOMEONE WHO HAS ALREADY DIED? I think I see the problem here, Nick: YOU'RE A MORON.
Given all this you probably think that Crystal Lee Sutton died in relative comfort, content with her life’s work and unencumbered by material concerns such as medical bills. Well, guess again.
That's capitalism for you.
There's unions caring for their own for you.
*MissQuinn*
i think Michael Moore might be right. Any system that lets a fat #&ck like him cart of hundreds of millions of dollars for peddling cynical lies must be evil.
Clearly you recognize that they may have debts incurred from hospital bills and such. It's certainly not uncommon for there to be fundraisers made in tribute for a person's familiy's medical debts, after that person had passed. If you knew about the music legacy of indie rocker Mark Heard, you would know he was in such a situation, incurring medical bills to his family, which didn't evaporate suddenly after his 1992 passing.
But if you don't care about her family's financials in response to the callous disregard of the Hollywood scribes and talents that have since ignored her plight, then I don't see you having any credibility in your articles, as you use her as an anecdote to push your own agenda. (In the meantime, people here seem more interested in the Weinstein's idiotic comment–you could have written about that instead.)
And if you think this is a defense of Hollywood, you're mistaken. It's more of a defense of common decency under conservative principles: nobody has the right to tell others what to do with their money, and if they do choose to give, it's certainly none of our business.
Just to play Devil's Advocate here, are you implying that it is mandatory for Hollywood acting elite to continue relationships with the real-life people they had portrayed, decades afterwards?
"mandatory," implying by force of law? Of course not. But where is the benevolence? Where, in them, is the human characteristic they try to instill in us, the little people of flyover country?
And I'm not necessarily talking about Ms Fields here. She's an actor and was paid for services. End of story.
However, not knowing how that stuff works in Hollywood, I would say, YES to your question re: the producer or author or screenplay writer, or whoever it was that exploited Mrs Sutton.
Haven't you heard? Liberals are allowed to be hypocrites. And they hardly take a strong moral stance on anything anyway. Unless it involves pervert homosexuality, or murdering babies. The story is sad, and makes me angry. But, that is hollywood for you. Sess pool full of crap. The jew, and poor white trash, makes for a great movie tho. The evil southern whites who hate jews, blacks, and white trailer trash workers. Perfect for hollywood.
Ned?
You're kidding aren't you? You must be kidding. They exploited her by telling her story sympathetically ? Jeez, you have to be kidding.
I think his point is, it would have been humane to help her out later in life, but they didn't. Not contributing to a charitable cause, in itself, is not outrageous.
How ever, then lecturing those of us who do, on how terrible we are for not supporting a program that will destroy freedom in America, is morally outrageous.
I agree as far as unions go. I think the basic idea behind a union is even stupid. If bosses treat their employees unfairly, the employees should quit. The boss will have to eventually treat people decently in order to have employees. It works fine in the self-employed world. Sure, people that are desperate might take the jobs, but they can always leave them, too. Killling sweat shops and child labor were right things to do, but unions have gotten so far out of hand it isnt funny.
T-Rav,
Amish Dude has been posting here for quite a while. Maybe he is an ex-AD? I married into an Amish family in my first marriage, as my father in law had left the church, but he still called himself Amish.. Dont know Amish Dude's story, but I can honestly say I have never met kinder people than the Amish I have known.
Why couldnt Fields have came out and said that she heard that Crystal Lee had died, and she was setting up a fund for her family? She could have, just to show some basic human kindness. I guarantee the idea never occurred to her, that is the real problem. There have been many decent actors who have helped out people just out of the goodness of their hearts. I remember how Mel Gibson paid all the insurance on Robert Downey Jr's contract for his first movie back from drug addiction. Yes, I know that is slightly different than a person they were portraying, but no one made him do it, he just wanted to help a friend pull his life together. Nice.
I appreciate when "Hollywood" movies and TV shoes are filmed in Canada or Yugoslavia. Is it in the interest of international free trade?
Nope. The film studios and TV networks film in foreign countries to avoid the Hollywood unions, OSHA and environmental regulations. You know, the people behind the cameras and on the sound crew and in the production studios–the little people. The ones that don't matter as long as Tom Cruise gets his $20 million.
Big wig liberals in Hollywood don't make checks out to charity, they get politicans elected that take money from middle America to write checks out to liberal causes.
Movies have nothing to do with reality that 's why we can walk a way from them when the credits roll.
two things, 1. Field was famous for being the Flying Nun, and 2. for bedding Burt Reynolds. Norma Rae made her an actress that could command a higher payday. And while Dave can speak for himself, rather than for you, wouldn't you remember friends and relatives who helped you in your life? That's called being charitable. Field, like so many celebrities, could care less about the true lives they portray, unless the caring gets them in front of a camera again. Field would eat children to get a decent role instead of being a paid spokesmouth for a heath charity.
1) You forgot Sybil, for which Sally Field first demonstrated her true acting prowess, and won an Emmy for Outstanding Actress. (2) As I wrote elsewhere, you do not know (a) the circumstances behind Field's and Sutton's relationship, (b) friendships fall out of favor all the time, even amongst influential people, (c) you do not know if Sally Field (or any of the writers/director/etc) donated to her family in private, (d) Sutton chose to pull her name out of the project; certainly that could have left a pretty big rift in the friendship–no? (e) while the author here rails against this poor woman's treatment all her life, he does so weeks after her passing, without providing any avenue for people who wish to donate to her family's sustenance to do so. That is unconsciable, and it gives conservatives as much a hypocritical tag.
I'm a huge fan of Samaritan's Purse – run by Franklin Graham. Very stand up organization that seems to have no limits on who they'll help.
I have a sister in law who has ruined the holidays for me. She is quite selfish and has "Disliked every gift (I) have ever given"
In an effort to celebrate the meaning of the season, We donated to a charity in her name. She got mad that we would be able to claim the donation on our taxes and not her. And thus a Christmas tradition was born. She enjoys being mad at me, I enjoy making her mad, and a worthy organization gets funds, Everyone wins!!
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Tracey Megerle and Julie Hook Sutphen. Julie Hook Sutphen said: Hollywood Activists, Or How Norma Rae Got Norma Raed http://is.gd/3Qjtt What a phony bitch…. [...]
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Wanpeirui. Wanpeirui said: Hollywood Activists, Or How Norma Rae Got Norma Raed-Big Hollywood http://bit.ly/veWNj [...]
I haven't been to a movie theater in over 15 years, and I never rent movies. If I can't find a movie I want to see on TV, I find it on the internet somewhere. You'd be surprised how many movies you can find on the web. Even new releases.
[...] working a heel lock attempt before taking his opponents back and attempting a rear naked choke. Hollywood Activists, Or How Norma Rae Got Norma Raed – bighollywood.breitbart.com 10/01/2009 The cruel exploitation of the impoverished masses has [...]
Nick, real quick…why would I establish a fund to benefit SOMEONE WHO HAS ALREADY PASSED AWAY? In case you hadn't noticed, Big Hollywood is a forum in which to discuss aspects of the entertainment industry such as the hypocrisy of Hollywood figures which was the subject of my column. If you want to call exposing and denouncing hypocrisy and exploitation my "agenda" you go right ahead. What's your agenda? Defending millionaire hypocrites?
Please stop commenting on my post, Nick (or should I call you Sally?) People might think we know each other.
Ned… I answered your question. Do a search on this thread for "Mark Heard". It's all there. (I even explained why this isn't a defense for Hollywood's manners). Maybe if you were an honest debater, you would begin there.
Was she in some Hollywood union with Ms. Field and the producers of her movie?
What he's saying is these holier then thou Hollywood elite don't practice what they preach.
If they support an expanded social safety net, they do practice what they preach. What they are not practicing is personal charity, which is crappy, but there you go.
Ah, now I see. My agenda is skewering Hollywood hypocrisy and elitism, your agenda is promoting someone or something known as "Mark Heard". Good luck with that, Nick.
Aunt Mo? No, of course I was kidding. Crystal was amply compensated for living a life the producers of Norma Rae made accolades, Oscars and millions from. That's why she died an indebted pauper.
I'm sure the sympathetic treatment she got in the movie was a great comfort to her as she and her elderly husband scrambled and hustled in her dying days to keep a roof over her head while Hollywood partied.
I'm not claiming they had any legal obligation to give her a share of the profits fropm the movie. I'm saying that if they had any common decency and they knew of Crystal's plight they had a moral obligation to throw her a few crumbs from the millions they earned off her. Not having done so, they have no moral standing whatsoever to tell the rest of us how much we should give or volunteer or pay in taxes on anyone's behalf.
And you say I have poor reading comprehension skills?
You know what would give weight to my empathy? A donation bucket. Which Ned Rice adamantly refuses to set up. (I would set up something of this sort, but I don't know her family's address, or their current needs).
So nice to see you! Miss your posts. In fact, your posts are what kept me coming back to BigHollywood in the beginning. Something pro women is hard to find. As for Sally, it seems playing a nun didn't seem to help her want to stay in touch with those who had an affect on her. Spirituality was overshadowed by high wires.
Hey, FeFe, here's the big news. The time's coming when male/female energies in this world achieve balance. Don't want to get all New age on anyone but that's what's happening. It's why the jihadists and the rappers are so down on women. On a subconscious level they sense what's coming and they're trying to destroy the possibility. Glenn Beck had a forum recently and the most important guests were Tea Party moms. The people who were formerly ACORN board who are speaking out are women. Sally – I think she and Burt should have gotten married, and he knows that, wonder what she thinks. Maybe her liberalism cost her that relationship. I don't write for BH any more for a very specific reason, but I'l read anything Ned Rice writes.
I appreciate this comment. The real truth is… we all forget the people who help us or inspire us. How many of us have stayed in touch with that grade school english or math teacher for all their time and dedication. We are the same people who enjoy our Public Television or Public Radio but just can't find the time, inspiration or motivation to send in twenty bucks because it helps. But do we continue watching or listening to these programs without ever doing anything? Of course we do. Do we feel a tinge of guilt or remorse everytime we turn on our TV's or tune in that channel in our cars? No way!!! WHY NOT??? Because we know that someone else out there will give a shit when we didn't. Somebody else always does. Why do we expect actors worth millions to do the right things in life when we ourselves don't. We equate money with morals and those two very rarely meet. Let's stop bashing Sally Fields, or Liam Neeson and realize that they're after all just actors. It's just their job and they move on just like the rest of us.
I lived for several years near Roanoke Rapids, where Crystal Lee made her famous stand for the union. The J.P. Stevens textile mills were the life's blood of the town. They all closed down years ago and just sit there abandoned. Lot of good the union did, huh?
I realize this thread is a few days old, but all of your posts suffer from the same fallacy that a commenter on behavior X must meet sufficient pre-conditions prior to commenting on behavior X. In other words, Ned Rice cannot comment on Sally Field's lack of support for Mrs. Sutton because Ned Rice also did not support Mrs. Sutton. We can extend this same logic to your comments on Ned Rice: you cannot comment on Ned Rice's lack of support for Mrs. Sutton because you have not supported Mrs. Sutton. Clearly you also do not "care about her family's financials".
The point is, this is an article exposing typical liberal hypocrisy with regards to helping others. It isn't a perfect article considering Sally Field did not have her say and it is remotely possible she did provide financial support to Mrs. Sutton. But, either way, your defense of discussing this angle of liberal hypocrisy strictly on the basis of "you didn't help either" is quite sophomoric and, quite frankly, the same argument can be made of nearly every comment on any behavior or situation. In the end, Sally Field is in a much better situation and under a much greater moral obligation to help Mrs. Sutton than Ned Rice or you or myself. And I can say that without a hint of hypocrisy.
Reminds me of the old Firesign Theater bit–"The Howl of the Wolf Movie: Featuring honest stories of working people as told by rich Hollywood stars."
That and Skip Koolzip's "Eat flaming death, fascist media pigs"…
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