''Run the Wild Fields'' is an American drama television movie that premiered in 2000. Released as a

Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...

Original Movie, it was based on the play ''And The Home of the Brave'' by Rodney Vaccaro.

Premise

In the spring of 1945, young mother Ruby and her 10-year-old daughter, Pug, live on a small farm in

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

. Frank (Ruby's husband and Pug's father) is fighting in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

and has been

missing in action Missing in action (MIA) is a casualty classification assigned to combatants, military chaplains, combat medics, and prisoners of war who are reported missing during wartime or ceasefire. They may have been killed, wounded, captured, ex ...

for three years in the Pacific. Ruby, believing he is still alive, leaves everything just as it is and will not farm the fields or sell Frank’s car. Pug discovers Tom, a drifter whose leg was injured in a dog attack. Ruby brings him into the house for treatment, despite the concerns of their neighbor, Silas. Tom quickly recovers and decides to move on. Ruby gifts him some items, including Frank's old jacket. Before he can leave town, Tom is arrested for vagrancy and suspected

theft Theft is the act of taking another person's property or services without that person's permission or consent with the intent to deprive the rightful owner of it. The word ''theft'' is also used as a synonym or informal shorthand term for some ...

. Ruby comes to his defense and, to avoid a vagrancy charge, she hires Tom as a farm hand and lets him live in a large shed on the property. Silas investigates further and informs Ruby that Tom spent two years in jail and is a draft dodger. Despite these revelations, she continues to employ him. Ruby, Tom, and Pug clear the fields and ready them for planting. Tom acts in a fatherly manner towards Pug by taking her fishing, celebrating her 11th birthday, and teaching her how to dance. Meanwhile, Silas harbors romantic feelings for Ruby and sees Tom as a rival. Bullies at Pug’s school start spreading rumors that Tom is a coward and a Nazi sympathizer. At a party, Tom is harassed by a group of young men, whom he refuses to fight. Ruby praises his restraint, but Pug worries that he may truly be a coward. Later that night, Tom reveals to Ruby that his younger brother fought and died in the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, lin ...

, and the loss has left him disillusioned. Pug receives a letter that she hides from her mother. The media announces that WWII has ended, to everyone’s excitement. During a town celebration, Pug gathers the bullies in a shed to try to convince them that Tom is a brave man by telling

tall tale A tall tale is a story with unbelievable elements, related as if it were true and factual. Some tall tales are exaggerations of actual events, for example fish stories ("the fish that got away") such as, "That fish was so big, why I tell ya', it n ...

s. Meanwhile, Silas aggressively insists Ruby should be with him. Tom intervenes and punches Silas. Tom immediately regrets doing so, and Silas expresses remorse for his own bad behavior. The shed catches on fire, trapping Pug and one of the boys inside, and Tom risks his life to save them. It's revealed to the townsfolk that Tom fought alongside his brother for the Republican faction in the Spanish Civil War. Privately, Ruby and Tom admit to having romantic feelings for one another, but they hesitate to go further. Tom discovers the letter that Pug hid; it's from Frank saying that he is healthy and coming home. She tearfully says she wants Tom to stay and be her father. However, he leaves and plans to go back to his own home. Frank returns to the farm and is happily reunited with his family. An adult Pug reflects, in

voice-over Voice-over (also known as off-camera or off-stage commentary) is a production technique where a voice—that is not part of the narrative (non-Diegetic#Film sound and music, diegetic)—is used in a radio, television production, filmmaking, th ...

, about the positive impact Tom had upon her life, however briefly she knew him.

Cast

Joanne Whalley Joanne Whalley (born 25 August 1961) is an English actress who began her career in 1974. She has appeared primarily on television, but also in nearly 30 feature films, including ''Dance with a Stranger'' (1985), ''Willow (film), Willow'' (1988), ...

as Ruby Miller *

Sean Patrick Flanery Sean Patrick Flanery (born October 11, 1965) is an American actor, author, and martial artist. He is known for playing Connor MacManus in ''The Boondock Saints'' (1999) and its sequel '' The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day'' (2009), Greg Sti ...

as Tom Walker *

Cotter Smith Joseph Cotter Smith (born May 29, 1949) is an American stage, film, and television actor. Early life He was born in Washington, D.C., the son of Madeline (née Cotter) and John Lewis Smith, Jr., who was a federal judge. He graduated from the ...

as Silas Green *

Alexa Vega Alexa Ellesse PenaVega (née Vega; born August 27, 1988) is an American actress and singer. She is known for her roles as Carmen Cortez in the ''Spy Kids'' film series and Julie Corky in the 2004 film ''Sleepover''. In 2009, she starred as the ...

as Opal "Pug" Miller *

Bill Lake Bill Lake ( W.F. Lake) is a Canadian actor whose career began in Vancouver and who has appeared in many movies, television movies and series, stage plays and commercials. He has over 175 credits in a variety of productions since the 1970s. Caree ...

as Sheriff Bob *

Aaron Ashmore Aaron Richard Ashmore (born October 7, 1979) is a Canadian actor. He is known for his roles on American television series such as Jimmy Olsen on ''Smallville'', Steve Jinks on '' Warehouse 13'' and Johnny Jaqobis on the Canadian television series ...

as Charlie Upshall * David Nerman as Frank Miller * Deborah R. Sullivan as Adult Pug Narrator and others.

Awards

* 2001:

Daytime Emmy Awards The Daytime Emmy Awards, or Daytime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the New York–based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences ...

: Outstanding Directing in a Children's Special - ''Paul A. Kaufman'' * 2001: Daytime Emmy Awards: Outstanding Children's Special - ''

Paul Rauch Paul Rauch (1930 – December 10, 2012) was an American television and film producer. Rauch's work was primarily in American soap operas. Career Rauch's earlier jobs included Vice President, Programs-East Coast for CBS, Supervising Producer for ...

, Paul A. Kaufman, Robert Halmi Jr. and

Rodney Patrick Vaccaro Rodney Patrick Vaccaro (born April 24, 1952) is an American screenwriter and film producer. He wrote '' Three to Tango'', a 1999 film which starred Matthew Perry, Neve Campbell, and Dylan McDermott, and in 2001 won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outs ...

'' * 2001: Daytime Emmy Awards: Outstanding Writing in a Children's Special - ''Rodney Patrick Vaccaro'' (Nominated) * 2001:

Young Artist Awards The Young Artist Award (originally known as the Youth in Film Award) is an accolade presented by the Young Artist Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded in 1978 to honor excellence of youth performers, and to provide scholarships for young ...

: Best Performance in a TV Movie (Drama)-Leading Young Actress - ''Alexa Vega'' (Nominated) * 2001: Young Artist Awards: Best Family TV Movie/Pilot/Mini-Series-Cable - ''Run the Wild Fields''(Nominated)

References

External links

* * 2000 television films 2000 films 2000 drama films American drama television films Films directed by Paul A. Kaufman 2000s English-language films {{US-tv-drama-film-stub