TRUE WOMEN {PART 1 OF 2} (TV)
Summary
The first installment in this two-part miniseries, based on the book by Janice Woods Windle, following the stories of several women in 1800s America. The story begins in Georgia in 1835 as young Euphemia Ashby learns that her father has suffered a heart attack and died while traveling towards home. Crushed, Euphemia is forced to leave behind her best friend, Georgia Lawshe, and move to Peach Creek, Texas to live with her older married sister Sarah, her husband Barlett and their children. Euphemia overhears Sarah and Bartlett discussing the ongoing war with the Mexicans, and everyone is shocked when General Sam Houston arrives and announces that the Alamo has fallen. Bartlett and the other Texas Rangers immediately take up arms, and Sarah efficiently assumes charge of the women, stating that they will flee to Louisiana for safety. She leads a procession of women and children across the state, aware that the feared Mexican leader Santa Anna is following them, and Sarah bravely fights off a group of bandits when they swarm the camp in search of gold. An injured soldier then staggers into camp and reveals that Santa Anna has executed a large group of Texan soldiers, but Sarah furiously orders the grieving women to carry on and not lose hope. Euphemia, who lost her own mother in childbirth, wonders if God is punishing them, and when they come to a river, a heavily-pregnant Sarah immediately begins to build a raft. She goes into labor, though her child is stillborn, and Euphemia is devastated when Sarah's other infant, Johnny, for whom she has been caring, also grows ill and dies.
With the raft complete, one woman boldly tows the rope across the river in order to use it as a ferry, and Euphemia continues writing to Georgia, explaining that they can hear the nearby battles between Santa Anna and Houston. The Texans are soon victorious, thanks in part to "the Yellow Rose of Texas," and Sarah, overjoyed to be reunited with Bartlett, soon moves the family back to Peach Creek. Elsewhere, Georgia faces scorn for defending a group of Native Americans, and she questions her family's slave Josiah about the rumors that she herself is a "squaw baby." Josiah hints that her maternal grandmother is "a mystery," and though Georgia is initially thrilled by her father's suggestion of moving to Texas, she soon realizes that the family is in danger because of her mother's mixed heritage. Her mother Cherokee finally explains that her own mother was indeed a Creek, and she tells her that she must take pride – though secretly – in her lineage. Georgia is then horrified to witness the murder of Josiah's Native wife Tobe, shortly followed by the expulsion of the Cherokees and Creeks from Georgia in what would come to be known as "the Trail of Tears." She confides her secret to Euphemia in a letter, sure that her friend will not shun her, though Cherokee secretly burns the messages. Back in Texas, Sarah fumes that they have "let the devil loose" with endless retaliatory killings between Texans and Natives, and Euphemia, unaware of her friend's true identity, writes to Georgia about learning to fight the "very bad people." Sarah tells her sister about women's important roles in society, saying that she must help to "change this world." They soon encounter a group of Comanches, though their leader, Tarantula, lets Sarah go after a wordless exchange.
Seven years later, Sarah and Bartlett throw a party at their elegant mansion and Euphemia tells her good friend Matilda Lockhart about her hopes to marry the "crazy" William King. Bartlett opines that the Texans should not "provoke" the Comanche, unaware that Tarantula is observing from nearby. Later, he and his associates arrive at the house, and Sarah, worried that they require women for "breeding," confronts him with a rifle, though she allows him to take supplies from their stores when he states that he does not intend to start violence. Elsewhere, the "wild" Georgia reflects that her childhood friend Euphemia never wrote back to her after learning of her heritage, unaware that her mother burned her letters. Bartlett reveals that the Lockharts were attacked by Comanches, and Euphemia is outraged to learn that Matilda has been taken prisoner. At the same time, Cherokee learns of her brother's death, and Georgia is taken aback when her uncle sends them a "gift" of several slaves, including Martha, whom Georgia quickly realizes is also her uncle's biological daughter. Georgia and Martha develop a contentious friendship of sorts, torn between being cousins and being a master and a slave, and Georgia confides in her about her long-ago friendships with Josiah and Euphemia. In Peach Creek, the family's Christmas celebration is marred by Euphemia's worries for Matilda, and tempers flare when her brother Travis objects to their slave Tildy's presence at the dinner table and Euphemia responds by declaring Tildy to be her "unofficial sister." Georgia is smitten by a handsome doctor, Peter Woods, but worries that they are "too different" to be together, and Martha correctly observes that she is concerned about his reaction to her secret heritage. Bartlett and Sarah argue when Sarah refuses to abandon the home despite the rumors of approaching Comanches, and he rides off to do his duty as a Texas Ranger. Tildy is grabbed by the natives when she ventures outside to check on Euphemia's horse, and Sarah orders Euphemia to kill all of them – including herself – if they are overpowered. She confronts the Comanches and attempts to save Tildy, but she too is captured, and Euphemia tries to steel her nerves as she takes aim with the rifle. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: CBS
- DATE: May 18, 1997 9:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:29:23
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:84495
- GENRE: Drama, historical
- SUBJECT HEADING: Drama, historical; Mexican War, 1846-1848; Cherokee Removal, 1838; Indigenous Peoples Collection
- SERIES RUN: CBS - TV, 1997
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Craig Anderson … Executive Producer
- Lynn Raynor … Producer
- Terence A. Donnelly … Co-Producer
- Christopher Lofton … Co-Producer, Writer
- Karen Arthur … Director
- Janice Woods Windle … Based on the book by
- Bruce Broughton … Music by
- The Sinfonia of London … Music by
- Nancy Biehler … Choreographer
- Dana Delany … Cast, Sarah McClure
- Annabeth Gish … Cast, Euphemia Ashby (adult)
- Angelina Jolie … Cast, Georgia Virginia Lawshe Woods
- Tina Majorino … Cast, Young Euphemia Ashby
- Rachael Leigh Cook … Cast, Georgia Lawshe (young)
- Michael York … Cast, Lewis Lawshe
- Jeffrey Nordling … Cast, Dr. Peter Woods
- Salli Richardson … Cast, Martha
- Tony Todd … Cast, Ed Tom
- Julie Carmen … Cast, Cherokee Lawshe
- Matthew Glave … Cast, William King
- John Schneider … Cast, Sam Houston
- Michael Greyeyes … Cast, Tarantula
- Anne Tremko … Cast, Matilda Lockhart
- Irene Bedard … Cast, Tobe
- Powers Boothe … Cast, Bartlett McClure
- Charles S. Dutton … Cast, Josiah
- Khadijah Karriem … Cast, Tildy
- Jill Parker-Jones … Cast, Mrs. Colville
- Reed Frerichs … Cast, Travis McClure (at 20)
- Kevin Page … Cast, Soldier (Goliad)
- Jerry Biggs … Cast, Redneck
- Staci Anderson … Cast, Jennie Boles
- Lee Horton … Cast, Mrs. Peterson
- Miles Fisher … Cast, Travis McClure (at 13)
- David Cass … Cast, Looter
- Mona Lee … Cast, Ester Lochart
- Brady Coleman … Cast, John Lochart
- Doran Ingram … Cast, Scout
- Blue Deckert … Cast, John
- Joe Stevens … Cast, Carl Boles