Norma Rae (1979)
- Starring:
- Sally Field, Beau Bridges, (more)
- Director(s):
- Martin Ritt
- Theatrical MPAA Rating:
- PG
- Format(s):
- DVD
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Synopsis of Norma Rae
Norma Rae finds Sally Field cast in the title role, a minimum-wage worker in a cotton mill. The factory has taken too much of a toll on the health of Norma Rae's family for her to ignore her Dickensian working conditions. After hearing a speech by New York union organizer Reuben (Ron Leibman), Norma Rae decides to join the effort to unionize her shop. This causes dissension at home when Norma Rae's husband, Sonny (Beau Bridges), assumes that her activism is a result of a romance between herself and Reuben. Despite the pressure brought to bear by management, Norma Rae successfully orchestrates a shutdown of the mill, resulting in victory for the union and capitulation to its demands. Based on a true story, Norma Rae is the film for which Sally Field won her first Oscar; an additional Oscar went to David Shire and Norman Gimbel for the film's theme song, "It Goes Like It Goes." ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Theatrical Feature Running Time:
- 118 mins
Complete Cast of Norma Rae
- Sally Field - Norma Rae
- Ron Leibman - Reuben
- Gail Strickland - Bonnie Mae
- Lonny Chapman - Gardner
- Bob Minor - Lucius White
- Roy Tatum - Woodrow Bowser
- Bert Freed - Sam Dakin
- Gilbert Green - Al London
- Fred Covington - Alston
- Bob Hannah - Jed Buffum
- Henry Slate - Policeman
- George R. Robertson - Farmer
- Charlie Briggs - Warren Lotting
- Robert Broyles - Sam Bolen
- Frank McRae - James Brown
- Jack Stryker - J.J. Davis
- Lee de Broux - Lujan
- Beau Bridges - Sonny
- Pat Hingle - Vernon
- Barbara Baxley - Leona
- Morgan Paull - Wayne Billings
- Noble Willingham - Leroy Mason
- Booth Colman - Dr. Watson
- Grace Zabriskie - Linette Odum
- James Luisi - George Benson
- J. Don Ferguson - Peter Galiot
- Mary Munday - Mrs. Johnson
- Joe Dorsey - Woodrow Thompson
- Clayton Landey - Teddy Bob Keeler
- Vernon Weddle - Rev. Hubbard
- Gregory Walcott - Lamar Miller
- Edith Ivey - Louise Pickens
- John Calvin - Ellis Harper
- Director(s):
- Martin Ritt
- Writer(s):
- Harriet Frank, Jr., Irving Ravetch
- Producer(s):
- Alex Rose, Tamara Asseyev
- Theatrical MPAA Rating:
- PG(Adult Language, Adult Situations, Violence, Questionable for Children, Mild Violence)
- 1979 - Cannes Film Festival - Best Actress
- 1979 - Cannes Film Festival - Grand Technical Prize
- 1979 - Hollywood Foreign Press Association - Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama
- 1979 - Los Angeles Film Critics Association - Best Actress
- 1979 - National Board of Review - Best Actress
- 1979 - New York Film Critics Circle - Best Actress
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