Raggedy Man
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''Raggedy Man'' is a 1981 American drama film based on
William D. Wittliff William Dale Wittliff (January 21, 1940 – June 9, 2019), sometimes credited as Bill Wittliff, was an American screenwriter, author, and photographer who wrote the screenplays for '' The Perfect Storm'' (2000), ''Barbarosa'' (1982), ''Raggedy Ma ...
and Sara Clark's 1979 novel, and directed by
Jack Fisk Jack Fisk (born December 19, 1945) is an American production designer and director. As a production designer, he is known for his collaborations with Terrence Malick, designing all of his first eight films including ''Badlands (film), Badlands'' ...
. It follows a divorced mother and telephone switchboard operator living with her two sons in a small town during
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 ...
. The film was Spacek’s first film after her
Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
-winning performance in '' Coal Miner’s Daughter'', and was also her first film to be directed by her husband. For this role, Spacek received a
Golden Globe The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...
nomination for Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama. Henry Thomas, who made his film debut role, later starred in his breakout role for the film ''
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial ''E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial'' (or simply ''E.T.'') is a 1982 American science fiction film produced and directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Melissa Mathison. It tells the story of Elliott, a boy who befriends an extraterrestrial, d ...
''.


Plot

Nita Longley is a divorced mother of two boys and a
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 ...
switchboard operator In the early days of telephony, companies used manual telephone switchboards, and switchboard operators connected calls by inserting a pair of phone plugs into the appropriate jacks. They were gradually phased out and replaced by automated system ...
working for a telephone company in
Gregory, Texas Gregory is a city in San Patricio County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,907 at the 2010 census. Geography Gregory is located at (27.920604, –97.292480). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of ...
. She splits from her unfaithful husband four years prior. A sole operator for the small town, Nita is on-call day and night. She petitions her boss Mr. Rigby for a secretarial job with regular working hours, but Rigby tells her that because of wartime her job is “frozen” and that everyone has to make sacrifices. Nita's status as a single mother makes her the target of not only town gossip but also of unwanted attention from men. Two brothers, Calvin and Arnold Triplett, frequently peep in on and harass Nita at her home. One of the townspeople is the nameless “raggedy man”, a man with a disfigured face who is always dragging around a lawnmower. The raggedy man is usually seen lurking in the background when the Triplett brothers try to intimidate Nita’s sons, Harry and William Henry. After a night of drinking, Calvin knocks on a door, but is rebuffed by Nita, who tells him the telephone company does not allow after-hours visitors. One night, Teddy Roebuck, a
sailor A sailor, seaman, mariner, or seafarer is a person who works aboard a watercraft as part of its crew, and may work in any one of a number of different fields that are related to the operation and maintenance of a ship. The profession of the s ...
on leave, arrives at Nita’s doorstep in need of a pay phone so he can contact his fiancée. A heartbroken Teddy learns his fiancée is now involved with another man. Nita offers Teddy a cup of coffee to cheer him up, and they form a bond. With nowhere else to go, Teddy decides to spend the rest of his leave with Nita and her sons. He becomes close with the boys and takes them on a bus trip to a beachside carnival, and he and Nita fall in love with each other. After Calvin and Arnold try to get a peek at Nita bathing, Nita telephones Sheriff Watson to report a
peeping Tom Lady Godiva (; died between 1066 and 1086), in Old English , was a late Anglo-Saxon noblewoman who is relatively well documented as the wife of Leofric, Earl of Mercia, and a patron of various churches and monasteries. Today, she is mainly reme ...
. Though the sheriff does not find anyone, he tells Nita that everyone in town is talking about the stranger staying with her. When Nita mentions having seen the raggedy man near her house, the sheriff explains the man is a harmless drifter named Bailey who has been around town the past couple of years mowing lawns. When Teddy is seen on Nita’s porch without his shirt on, it further sparks the townspeople’s gossip. Nita letting another man stay in her home particularly incenses Calvin and Arnold, who are still angry at her rejection of them. They lure William Henry to the town bar and try to ask him intimate questions about his mother. Teddy walks in and gets in a fight with Arnold and Calvin. After tending to Teddy’s injuries, Nita and Teddy agree it would be best for him to leave town. The boys sadly bid Teddy goodbye, and Harry resentfully blames Teddy’s departure on his mother. When Harry protests he wants to go to live with his father, Nita counters that his father has never returned for him. After her application for a job transfer is met with resistance from Mr. Rigby, Nita decides to buy three one-way bus tickets to
San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= U.S. state, State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , s ...
from the local agent. That night, Harry goes outside to use the outhouse, but Calvin locks him inside. He and Arnold invade Nita’s house, unplugging the telephone system and cutting the lights. Suddenly someone outside starts Calvin’s truck, honks the horn, and aims its lights at the front porch. When Arnold steps outside with a knife to investigate, he sees it is the raggedy man. Arnold manages to stab the raggedy man, but after a struggle the raggedy man kills both Arnold and Calvin before they can harm Nita and her sons. Nita finds Arnold and the raggedy man lying dead on the porch. Looking closer at the raggedy man’s disfigured face, Nita realizes “Bailey” is actually her long-lost, unfaithful husband and the boys’ father, Harry Longley, Sr. (
Sam Shepard Samuel Shepard Rogers III (November 5, 1943 – July 27, 2017) was an American actor, playwright, author, screenwriter, and director whose career spanned half a century. He won 10 Obie Awards for writing and directing, the most by any write ...
). The next day, with the sheriff’s blessings, Nita and her sons board the bus to San Antonio. Harry is happy that their father returned to protect them, and they agree they will see Teddy again.


Cast

*
Sissy Spacek Mary Elizabeth Spacek (; born December 25, 1949) is an American actress and singer. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, three Golden Globe Awards, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and nominations for four Briti ...
as Nita Longley *
Eric Roberts Eric Anthony Roberts (born April 18, 1956) is an American actor. His career began with a leading role in ''King of the Gypsies'' (1978) for which he received his first Golden Globe Award nomination. He was nominated again at the Golden Globes fo ...
as Teddy *
R. G. Armstrong Robert Golden Armstrong Jr. (April 7, 1917 – July 27, 2012) was an American character actor and playwright. A veteran performer who appeared in dozens of Westerns during his 40-year career, he may be best remembered for his work with director ...
as Rigby *
Sam Shepard Samuel Shepard Rogers III (November 5, 1943 – July 27, 2017) was an American actor, playwright, author, screenwriter, and director whose career spanned half a century. He won 10 Obie Awards for writing and directing, the most by any write ...
as Bailey *
William Sanderson William Sanderson (born January 10, 1944) is an American retired actor. He played J. F. Sebastian in the feature film ''Blade Runner'' (1982), and had regular roles on several television series such as Larry on ''Newhart'' (1982–1990), E. B. ...
as Calvin * Henry Thomas as Harry * Carey Hollis as Henry *
Tracey Walter Tracey Walter (born November 25, 1947) is an American character actor. He has appeared in more than 170 films and television series. Life and career Walter was born and grew up in Jersey City, New Jersey, as the son of a truck driver. He has a s ...
as Arnold


Critical reception

The film was well-received by critics. On review aggregate site
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
, it holds a score of 83% based on 6 reviews. In his review which awarded the film 3 and 1/2 stars, critic
Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...
opined that while the melodramatic ending and reveal was unnecessary, the “surface events of small-town life are wonderfully observed”. Ebert praised the performances of Spacek as well as of Roberts, writing, “He is often overwrought in his acting; here, playing more quietly, obertsexpresses great reserve of tenderness and strength, and is very effective”.


References


External links

* * * * * {{Jack Fisk 1981 drama films 1981 films American drama films Films scored by Jerry Goldsmith Films set in Texas Films shot in Texas Films directed by Jack Fisk Films based on American novels 1981 directorial debut films Universal Pictures films San Patricio County, Texas 1980s English-language films 1980s American films