Lily Dale (1996) Online

I caught this T.V. movie the other night and was deeply moved by the story of the young boy, Horace, who is cut out of his family "fortunes" when his mother remarries after his father, a drunkard, fades from their lives. His step-father sends him to work in a dry goods store in a distant town at the age of 12, justifying his rejection of the boy by boasting of how he was supporting his entire family when he was exactly the same age. He clearly favors his wife and step-daughter, who remain with him and benefit from the material fortune that his steady paycheck as a railroad man at the turn of the century can bring...The story underscores the narrow choices women had a long time ago--the mother must sacrifice her son in order that she and her daughter survive and thrive. Yet her marriage to Mr. Davenport is not a marriage of convenience altogether; there is affection between them. It is only in this one area of his life that Mr. Davenport is completely unreasonable--he feels threatened by the vulnerability of his new wife's son, who is the same age he was when his father died and he had to go to work to support his entire family. He is repelled by the boy and sends him away, not even allowing him to spend the night in the house when his mother asks him to travel to visit. Stockard Channing does a wonderful job playing a woman walking the line between wishing to please her second husband and wishing desperately to reach out to her only son. She takes risks and strives to maintain her dignity in the face of a situation which is hell itself--sheer insanity...Those among contemporary audiences lucky enough never to have experienced the type of persecution Horace undergoes may find it difficult to believe that Mr. Davenport could be so unreasonable. Personally, I found it totally plausible. This movie does what great literature does--reminds one that one is not alone. After my mother's death the dynamics of my family changed completely and things were done to people, not only myself, that she would never abide were she alive. If someone cannot relate to this plot, it is more likely to be a reflection of the fact that they have lived an extremely protected life and have little imagination than it is any flaw in the movie or the play it was based on. The writing is superb and the leading roles are played by seasoned actors and actresses whose work is solid as a rock. Jean Stapleton has a delightful cameo at the beginning and end of the movie. Ms. Masterson has a challenging role as Horace's sister, Lily Dale, who is a nervous, narcissistic girl who is basically good hearted. She is a very complex character for and Ms. Masterson has to go through a transformation in the course of the film; she accomplishes a wide range of emotional affects in a short amount of time. I was very impressed by the way she pulled it off and thought she did a fabulous job...Lily Dale is a period piece and the setting and costumes are exquisite; they create a real sense of another time and place and what daily life at the turn of the century was like for some people. At the same time, the basic theme of the film--injustice within families--is a timeless one. At any rate, seeing the movie reignited my interest in Mr. Foote's work; I had read a number of his plays in my 20's when I was an actress in New York. Now I should like to read his entire body of work. I highly recommend this movie.

I've seen this movie and liked it. Channing plays the part of a mother of two almost grown children, a daughter that is adored by her stepfather and a son that is loathed. The daughter living at home with the parents enjoys a comfortable life, while the son is only visiting the family. The young man is only welcomed by his mother. His sister is protective of her favorite child status, sides with her stepfather to make the visit uncomfortable and awkward. While visiting he becomes very ill. Instead of drawing compassion and help his illness only serves to bring even more of his stepfather's mistreatment. The young man leaves in the throws of a terrible fever knowing that he can never return, nor will he ever see his mother again.

This is a great look into life in the uptight 1910s in Texas with broken families reuniting under awkward circumstances. The star is really Horace, the son from a prior marriage visiting his mother and sister. Lily Dale, the sister and the character who offers the title of the play, has all the best lines. Horace has no good quotes that I remember, therefore, he is sort of like you and I, the audience, but nonetheless, the star, since it is through him that all drama is triggered. Lily Dale is also from the prior marriage. But mother and sister are now linked to a new father figure, the second husband. Horace is not a part of this new union. Through inaction and sometimes outright comment the sister and the stepfather let Horace know he has no status in this new family unit; he is not welcome. The mother is conflicted. I couldn't help but think of my grandmother's life and what it must have been like for her and her siblings with their mother and stepfather, so this film had some impact for me. Lily Dale is naive, needy and manipulative; and being courted by a fun-loving regular guy who has no real purpose in this drama except to trigger some scary premarital talk between mother and daughter about sex and child birthing. The drama begins and ends with Horace being anxious about never having been baptized. Maybe that could be an issue in the 1910s, but really, who cares today? The script has wonderful contradictions, for example, LD describes the house as gloomy and silent before Horace arrived, yet she still seems to want him to leave. My favorite quote from LD: "look away, I want to ask you something."

Don't listen to the idiots. This is good, solid storytelling delivered by a great cast.

Lily Dale was an unimaginative and plotless waste of film. There was no character or plot development. We knew the whole lame story from the first few scenes on the train. If you are thinking of renting or buy Lily Dale I suggest you forget it-don't waste your hard earned money on this flop.