It is three after seven.
Yes, ma'am. You said we were Ieaving at fifteen to eight.
At the Iatest, I said.
What business you got dragging this mess out of the house by yourseIf?.
Who was here to heIp me?
Lord, have mercy!
It don't take more than five minutes to Ioad this car.
You're fixing to break your arms and your Iegs before we even Ieave the manor.
You're taking on too much.
I hate doing things at the Iast minute.
What you taIking about? Been ready to go for a week and a haIf.
-Give me that. -No, don't touch that.
It sure is pretty. Is that Mr. WaIter's present?
Yes. It's fragiIe. I'II put it on the seat.
Good morning, Mr. Werthan.
You nearIy missed us.
You were Ieaving at quarter of.
-She's taking on. -Be stiII!
FIorine bought this for UncIe WaIter.
Mama, it's not a snake!
I think it's notepaper.
How appropriate. UncIe WaIter can't see.
Maybe it's soap.
How nice that you take an interest in your uncIe's 90th birthday.
Don't start up with me, Mama.
I can't go to MobiIe with you.
I have to go to New York for a convention.
The convention starts Monday.
And I know what eIse I know.
Leave FIorine out of this. She ordered the tickets eight months ago.
I'm sure My Fair Lady is more important than your reIatives.
Those Christians wiII be impressed.
I can't taIk to you when you're Iike this.
-We're expected in MobiIe for supper. -You'II be there.
-How wiII you stand her aII day? -They'II fix crab. AII that troubIe.
She's just worked up.
Here's $50 in case you have troubIe.
Don't show it to Mama!
-Have you got a map? -She's got it in the back seat.
It's 7:16!
You shouId have a job on the radio announcing the time.
-I want to miss rush hour. -You wiII.
CongratuIate UncIe WaIter for me and kiss everybody in MobiIe.
The air conditioning...
...did you check it, Iike I said?
I got the air conditioning checked.
I don't know why. You never Iet me turn it on!
Hush up!
Goodbye.
Good Iuck!
Good God!
Turn Ieft.
No, right! Turn right!
Did I ever teII you about the first time I Ieft Georgia?
When was that?
A few minutes back!
Go on!
My daughter...
...is married to a PuIIman porter.
She is aIways on the go.
New York, Detroit, Saint Louis....
l say, ''That's all well and good, Tommie Lee...
''...but l don't feel the need for it. ''
So here it is.
The first time.
I might teII you, Miss Daisy...
...AIabama ain't Iooking Iike much so far!
IdeIIa sure does stuff eggs good!
You stuff yourseIf good.
I was thinking about the first time I went to MobiIe.
It was WaIter's wedding. 1888.
1888! You were nothing but a IittIe bitty thing.
I was 12.
We went on the train.
Oh, I was so excited.
I'd never been in a wedding party.
And I'd never seen the ocean.
Papa said it was the GuIf of Mexico, not the ocean, but it was aII the same to me.
I asked Papa if it was aII right for me to dip my hand in the water.
He Iaughed because I was so timid.
And then I tasted the saIt water on my fingers.
Isn't that a siIIy thing to remember?
No siIIier than what most foIks remember.
Boy!
Yes, sir.
What are you doing with this car?
This is my car, Officer.
Can I see your registration, pIease, and your Iicense, boy.
What's this name? Wertheran?
Werthan.
Never heard that one before. What kind of name is it?
It's of German derivation.
German derivation.
Thank you, ma'am.
An oId nigger and an oId Jew woman riding down the road together.
Now that is one sorry sight.
Oh, my God!
The sign says Phenix City 30 miIes.
We're not supposed to go to Phenix City! Oh, my God!
Maybe you read it wrong.
I didn't. Stop the car. Stop the car!
Lord, have mercy.
Here. You took the wrong turn at OpeIika.
You took it with me, Miss Daisy, and you got the map.
I was getting the Iunch! Go on back. My God!
It ain't been more than 30 minutes since we turned.
They fixed crab for me.
Minnie aIways fixes crab. They go to so much troubIe.
It's aII ruined by now.
We going to have to puII over.
What's wrong with the car?
There ain't nothing wrong with the car.
I got to be excused.
I got to go make water.
You shouId have thought of that at the service station.
You know coIored can't use the toiIet at any service station, Miss Daisy.
There's no time to stop. We'II be in MobiIe soon. You can wait.
No, ma'am.
-I toId you to wait! -I heard what you said.
How do you think I feeI having to ask you, ''Can I go make water?''
Like I'm some chiId.
You ought to be ashamed.
I ain't no chiId, Miss Daisy.
And I ain't just a back of the neck you Iook at whiIe you go where you got to go.
I'm a man, I'm near 70 years oId, and I know when my bIadder's fuII.
Now I'm going to get out of this car...
...and go over there and do what I got to do.
I'm taking the key with me, too. Now that's aII there is to it!
Hoke!
Hoke?
You aII right, Miss Daisy?
Of course I am.
Is that you, SIick? It's BooIie. How you doing?
CongratuIations on your dad's big day.
Thank you, BooIie. Thank you. Aunt Daisy!
It's BooIie on the phone.
HeIIo!
Hey, Son!
UncIe WaIter appreciates your caII.
I don't think he can come to the phone.
Fine. How's Hoke?
What do you mean? How shouId he be?
Happy birthday, UncIe WaIter.
I got to hang up now, BooIie.
Yeah, I'II teII him.
'Morning, Miss McCIatchey.
WeII, good morning to you.
Can I see him?
It's Mr. SincIair Harris, sir.
My cousin SincIair?
His wife.... The one that taIks funny.
She's from Canton, Ohio.
She's trying to hire me.
-What? -Yes, sir. She said:
''How they treating you down there, Hoke?''
You know how she sounds, Iike her nose is stuffed up.
So I said, ''Fine, Mrs. Harris, just fine, thank you.''
She said, ''WeII, you Iooking for a change, you know who to caII.''
I'II be damned!
I thought you ought to know about it.
I'II be goddamned.
Ain't she a mess?
Said, ''Name your own saIary.''
I see. And did you?
Did I what?
-Name your own saIary? -Go away. What you think I am?
I ain't studying about going to work for no trashy something Iike her.
But she got you thinking, didn't she?
WeII, sir, you might say that.
''Name your saIary.''
That's exactIy what she said.
WeII, how does $65 a week sound?
Sounds pretty good, sir.
Course, $75 sounds better.
It sure does!
Beginning this week.
That's mighty nice of you.
I sure appreciate this. Thank you.
You ever have foIks fighting over you?
No.
It sure feeIs good.
One dot.
Nine dot.
Two dot.
Mah-jongg.
You are the Iuckiest thing, BeuIah!
Excuse me.
I don't know how you can Iook at that.
See it a few times, you get in it.
Both your brains are fixing to evaporate.
You can bring the cake now, Hoke.
Don't make a mess with those peas.
Do I ever?
Lord, have mercy, Iook at that. Ain't she got a Iot of hair?
How she get it so shiny?
Washes it in mayonnaise.
-Go on away from here, IdeIIa! -Yes, she did.
I read it in Life magazine.
Don't seem human, does it?
He will tear you to shreds!
l am not going into that court, and l'm not giving in!
You are at the end of your rope.
You murdered Carlson. You'll have to pay!
Either choose the easy way out, or you go into that courtroom...
...and let them carve you into pathetic little bits.
You have a minute to make up your mind.
What happened? She up to something, ain't she?
-You fixing to ruin it. -What are you taIking about?
You got the chicken too cIose together and the fire is too high.
Mind your business.
It's your chicken.
Thank you, Hoke.
Now you enjoy it.
Amen.
Who is it?
'Morning, Miss Daisy.
What in the worId....
I Iearned how to drive on ice when I deIivered miIk for the dairy.
Ain't nothing to it.
Other foIks are banging into each other Iike they're in the funny papers.
I figured your stove was out, so I stopped by the Krispy Kreme.
I know you got to have coffee in the morning.
How sweet of you, Hoke.
We ain't had any good coffee around here since IdeIIa passed.
I can fix her biscuits.
We both can make her fried chicken.
But nobody can make IdeIIa's coffee.
Ain't that the truth?
IdeIIa was Iucky.
I expect she was.
Where are you going?
I'm just going to take these things off.
I don't know what you can do here today, except keep me company.
I'II see if I can make us a fire.
Eat anything you want out of the ice box.
It wiII aII spoiI, anyway.
And wipe up what you tracked onto my fIoor.
What do you think I am? A mess?
HeIIo.
Mama, l'll be right out...
...when I can get down my own driveway.
Stay home, Boolie. Hoke is here with me.
How'd he manage that?
He's very handy. I'm fine. I don't need a thing in the worId.
HeIIo? I have the wrong number. Mama's saying Ioving things about Hoke.
I didn't say I Iove him. I said he was handy.
HonestIy! Are you trying to irritate me in the middIe of an ice storm?
Thank you, WeIIborn.
Thank you aII.
I am deepIy gratefuI to be chosen as 1966 Man of the Year...
...by the AtIanta Business CounciI.
An honor I've seen bestowed on some mighty fine feIIows.
One which I never expected wouId come to me.
I'm afraid that my Ioss up here...
...and my gain down here...
...have given me an air of competence I don't reaIIy possess.
I wiII teII you that I wish my father and grandfather couId see this.
About 72 years ago, they Ieased an oId miII up on Decatur Road...
...with, I beIieve, 25 Iooms in operation.
They managed to grow with AtIanta.
TiII now, Werthan Industries beIieved that what we want is what AtIanta wants.
And this award proves that we were right.
I thank you.
WeII?
What is it? What took you so Iong?
I couIdn't heIp it. There's a big mess up yonder.
What's the matter? I might as weII not go to the tempIe at aII!
No, ma'am, you won't get to the tempIe this morning, Miss Daisy.
Why not? What's the matter with you?
Somebody has bombed the tempIe.
What? Bombed the tempIe?
That's how come we're stuck here so Iong.
I don't beIieve it!
That's what the poIiceman just said.
Oh, my God. Was anybody there? Were peopIe hurt?
I don't know. He didn't say.
Who wouId do such a thing?
You know good as me, Miss Daisy, it'II aIways be the same ones.
I remember one time back down there in Macon.
Lord, I couIdn't have been more than 10 or 1 1 years oId, I reckon.
I had this friend named Porter.
One day there his daddy was, hanging in a tree.
Now just the day before, we'd aII been pitching horseshoes.
He was Iaughing and carrying on and taIking about how me and Porter...
...was going to have strong right arms, just Iike him.
Lord, there he was, hanging up yonder in the tree.
Had his hand tied behind him. FIies was aII over him.
I teII you, I threw up right where I was standing.
You go on and cry.
I'm not crying.
Why did you teII me that story?
Lord, I don't know, Miss Daisy.
That mess back there put me in mind of it.
RidicuIous! The tempIe has nothing to do with that!
Yes, ma'am, if you say so.
We don't know what happened. Maybe that poIiceman wasn't teIIing the truth.
Why wouId he go and Iie about a thing Iike that?
You never get things right!
Miss Daisy, somebody bombed that tempIe and you know it!
I don't want to hear anymore about it!
-You're the boss. -Don't taIk to me!
-Where are you? -Up here!
HeIIo, Mama. How are you feeIing?
Not a good question to ask somebody nearIy 90!
WeII, you Iook fine.
It's my ageIess appeaI.
Miss McCIatchey gave me your message.
FIorine is invited, too.
Thank you.
I guess Hoke shouId drive us. There'II be a crowd.
Mama, we have to taIk about this.
TaIk about what?
About the feasibiIity of aII this.
I beIieve Martin Luther King has done some mighty fine things.
If you don't want to go, why don't you just say so?
I want to go! You know how I feeI about him.
Of course, but FIorine....
FIorine has nothing to do with it. I stiII have to do business here.
I see. Werthan Bag wiII go out of business if you attend the King dinner.
Not exactIy. But a Iot of men I do business with wouIdn't Iike it.
They might...
...snicker a IittIe.
CaII me Martin Luther Werthan behind my back.
Maybe I wouIdn't hear about certain meetings at the CIub.
OId Jack RaphaeI at IdeaI MiIIs, he's a New York Jew instead of a Georgia Jew.
AII the reaIIy smart ones come from New York, don't they?
Some might throw their business to Jack instead of oId Martin Luther Werthan.
I don't know. Maybe it wouIdn't happen.
But sometimes that's the way things work.
Anyway, if we don't use those seats, somebody eIse wiII.
If we don't use those seats? I'm not supposed to go, either?
You can do whatever you want.
Thanks for your permission.
Can I ask you something?
When did you get so fired up about Martin Luther King? You weren't before.
Why, BooIie!
I've never been prejudiced in my Iife and you know it.
Then why don't you ask Hoke to go with you?
Don't be ridicuIous. He wouIdn't go.
Ask him and see.
AII right.
BooIie said the siIIiest thing the other day.
What did he say?
He was taIking about Martin Luther King.
I guess you know him, don't you?
King? No, ma'am. I don't know him.
I was sure you did.
But you've heard him preach?
Yes, ma'am, same way you have, on the TV.
I think he's wonderfuI.
-What you getting at? -It's so siIIy.
BooIie says you wanted to go with me to this dinner. Did you teII him that?
No, I didn't.
I didn't think so. What'd be the point? You can hear him whenever you want.
I think it's wonderfuI the way things are changing.
Now what you think I am, Miss Daisy?
What do you mean?
The invitation to this dinner...
...came in the maiI a month ago.
Now, if did be you wanted me to go with you...
...how come you wait tiII we in the car on the way before you asked me?
What? AII I said was BooIie said you wanted to go.
Next time you want me to go somewhere, you ask me reguIar.
You don't have to carry on so much.
Let's just Ieave it aIone.
HonestIy!
TaIk about things changing. They ain't changed aII that much.
I'II heIp you to the door.
Thank you, Hoke, I can heIp myseIf.
...can see that the South has marvelous possibilities.
Yet in spite of these assets...
...segregation has placed the South...
...socially, educationally, and economically behind the rest of the nation.
Yet there are, in the white South, millions of people of good will...
...whose voices are yet unheard...
...whose course is yet unclear...
...and whose courageous acts are yet unseen.
These millions are called upon...
...to gird their courage, to speak out...
...to offer leadership that is needed.
History will have to record...
...that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition...
...was not the vitriolic words and the violent actions of the bad people...
...but the appalling silence and indifference of the good people.
And our generation will have to repent...
...not only for the words and acts of the children of darkness...
...but also for the fears and apathy of the children of light.
'Morning, Miss Daisy.
Miss Daisy?
Hoke, is that Hoke?
It's me. You aII right?
-Hoke, what did you do with my papers? -What papers?
My papers! I had them aII corrected Iast night...
...and I put them where I wouIdn't forget them on my way to schooI.
What did you do with them?
What are you taIking about?
The chiIdren wiII be disappointed if I don't give them their homework back.
I aIways give it back the next day.
That's why they Iike me.
You taIking out your head.
Why aren't you heIping me?
What do you want me to do?
Find those papers. I toId you!
It's aII right if you moved them. I won't be mad.
But I've got to get to schooI. I'II be Iate.
Who wiII take care of my cIass? They'II be aII aIone. Oh, God!
I do everything wrong!
Now set down in here. You're going to faII and hurt yourseIf.
I'm so sorry. It's aII my fauIt. I didn't do right.
It's so awfuI!
Ain't nothing awfuI except the way you carrying on.
It's aII my fauIt.
I can't find the papers. The chiIdren are waiting.
There ain't nobody waiting on you. You ain't a teacher no more.
It doesn't make any difference.
Now Iisten, there ain't nothing wrong with you!
You don't know.
Miss Daisy.
-HeIIo. -Mr. Werthan, this Hoke here.
What can l do for you?
It's your mama.
What's wrong?
She's taking on something awfuI.
Why's today different from any other day?
No, sir. It ain't the same.
I'II be right there.
Miss Daisy, now there ain't nothing wrong with you!
Your mind done took a turn this morning.
You'II snap back if you Iet yourseIf.
I can't! I can't!
You're a Iucky oId woman.
No! It's aII a mess now, and I can't do anything about it.
Now Iook at you. You're rich, you're weII for your time....
You got foIks who care about what happens to you.
I'm being troubIe. I don't want to be troubIe to anybody.
You want something to cry about, I'II run you to the state home...
...Iet you see what's Iying around out there.
I bet there ain't one of them carrying on the way you doing.
I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. Those poor chiIdren.
You keep this up and Mr. Werthan's going to caII that doctor on you.
Just as sure as you're born, that doctor is going to have you out in that asyIum.
Now, is that the way you want it to be?
-Hoke? -Yes.
Do you stiII have that Hudson?
You taIking about from when I first come here?
No, Miss Daisy.
That thing been in the junkyard now more than 15 years.
I'm driving your next-to-Iast car now.
1965 CadiIIac.
It's running fine as wine, too.
You ought not to be driving anything, the way you see.
Now, how you know how I can see 'Iess'n you can Iook out my eyes.
-Hoke. -Yes.
You're my best friend.
-Go on now, Miss Daisy. -No, reaIIy.
You are.
Yes, ma'am.
-Mr. Werthan. -WeII, Hoke, good to see you!
-You didn't drive yourseIf here? -No, sir. I don't drive now.
My granddaughter drove me.
My Lord, is she oId enough to drive?
MicheIIe is around 37 years oId now.
She's teaching bioIogy at yonder SpeIman CoIIege.
-I never knew that. -Yes, sir.
Seems mighty funny to seII the house whiIe Mama's stiII aIive.
Yes, sir, I imagine it does.
Course, she hasn't been inside the door for two years.
I know.
I suppose you don't see her too much.
No, sir, I don't.
It's hard, not driving, Mr. Werthan.
There's no bus that goes out yonder.
Course, I take a taxicab as often as I can.
I'm sure she appreciates it.
Some days she's better than others.
But, then, who ain't?
How are y'aII doing?
Happy Thanksgiving, Mama!
Look who I brought!
'Morning, Miss Daisy.
You been keeping yourseIf busy?
She certainIy has. She goes to jeweIry making.
How many times a week?
She makes aII kinds of things: pins, braceIets....
She's a reguIar Tiffany's.
Ain't that something?
AII right, Mama?
Hoke, I thought of you the other day on the expressway.
-I saw an AvondaIe miIk truck. -Is that right?
A big monster of a thing. Must've had 16 wheeIs.
Go on away from here.
I wondered how you might Iike driving that thing around.
Hoke came to see me, not you.
Looks Iike one of her good days.
Mama, FIorine said to wish you a happy Thanksgiving. She's in Washington.
She's a RepubIican NationaI Committeewoman now.
Good God!
Go charm the nurses!
She wants you aII to herseIf.
You're a doodIe, Mama.
Is BooIie paying you stiII?
Every week.
How much?
Now that's between him and me.
Highway robbery!
It sure is.
How are you?
I'm doing the best I can.
Me, too.
WeII, that's about aII there is to it then.
Look here.
You didn't eat your Thanksgiving pie.
Go on now.
Here, Iet me heIp you. I got it.
Is it good?
Here comes some more.