The dark truth behind Sally Field’s Oscar Win in Norma Rae
Sally Field’s powerful performance in Norma Rae (1979) cemented her place as one of Hollywood’s finest actresses.
Her portrayal of a determined textile worker fighting for labor rights earned her an Academy Award and left audiences in awe.
But behind the scenes, the path to that unforgettable performance was marked by emotional struggles, self-doubt, and even a few broken ribs.
Holidays, the 40-hour work week, healthcare, worker safety laws, child labor protections, minimum wage — the list goes on. None of these crucial worker rights would exist without unions, even for those not in them.
In Norma Rae, Sally Field’s iconic portrayal of a woman standing up for her rights and the rights of her fellow workers is still a reminder of how far we’ve come.
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Sally’s performance not only earned her the recognition she deserved, but also likely inspired future powerhouse performances from actresses like Julia Roberts in Erin Brockovich and Meryl Streep in Silkwood.
But as mentioned, she had to pay a high price for her iconic role.
Did the film against Burt Reynolds’ advice
Before Norma Rae, Sally Field was still trying to break free from her early TV image as The Flying Nun and Gidget. Hollywood didn’t take her seriously, and she knew she had to prove herself. When the opportunity to play Norma Rae Webster came along, she saw it as a chance to redefine her career — but it wouldn’t be easy.
A major problem was that Sally’s then-boyfriend, superstar Burt Reynolds, was being unsupportive and jealous.
Reynolds didn’t approve of Field taking on the role of Norma Rae and famously told her, ”No lady of mine is gonna play a whore.” When Field tried to explain that it was just a part she was playing, Reynolds mocked her, saying, ”Oh, so now you’re an actor… you’re letting your ambition get the better of you.”
Sally recalled the moment she first watched the film, sitting in a small screening room at Fox Studios next to her mother, feeling an overwhelming fear.
”What flashed through my head was the fear that I wasn’t enough to hold an audience for two hours,” she reflected.
Proposed on the last day of filming
The high-profile relationship between Sally and Reynolds began after he asked her to star in Smokey and the Bandit. At first, their connection was instantaneous and intense, but it soon turned into a nightmare for Sally.
She describes how the movie star quickly began to ”housebreak” her, dictating ”what was allowed and what was not,” which led her to become a ”shadowy version of herself.” His negative attitude toward her role in Norma Rae was just the latest manifestation of all the criticism Burt had for Sally.
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Despite his objections, Field went ahead with the role. On the final day of filming, Reynolds showed up on set and proposed with a diamond ring. Field recalls the moment, saying it felt ”not me,” and she didn’t accept his proposal. The awkward exchange left her with little to say other than a simple, ”thank you.”
After Norma Rae wrapped up, Field began to feel herself growing more confident and independent – it was almost as if the role and her personal life collided. Field noticed her personality starting to ”flare out,” which did not sit well with Reynolds.
He responded with ”shocked disapproval.”
Worked in the mill every day for two weeks
As many might recall, Norma Rae is inspired by the real-life story of Crystal Lee Sutton, a textile worker from Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina, where the fight for a workers’ union unfolded at a J.P. Stevens Textiles mill.
Field auditioned for the role while briefly visiting New York from the set of Hooper and was chosen for the part, which had already been passed over by several actresses. (According to her autobiography, Shirley MacLaine had initially expressed interest in the role.)
To fully prepare for her role, Sally Field dove deep into the lives of Southern mill workers. She and Beau Bridges conducted thorough research by spending time working in a factory, according to IMDb. Field immersed herself in the environment, adopting the workers’ mannerisms, understanding their struggles, and experiencing the physical and emotional exhaustion they faced.
”I worked in the mill every day for two weeks; not all day long, I didn’t have an 8-hour shift, but I felt like it. I guarantee, two hours in that weaving room felt like 8 hours anyplace else, because the vibration is like the motion on a ship, the whole room shakes and it makes you seasick. So you have to get used to it, get your sea legs. All the actors and the crew were saying, ‘I don’t know how they do it’,” Sally Field explained.
Where did they shoot Norma Rae?
While the real story of Crystal Lee Sutton unfolded in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina – but Norma Rae was actually filmed in Opelika, Alabama.
Filming kicked off in May 1978, and the town’s locals stepped in as factory workers for the scenes. The Opelika Manufacturing Corp. was transformed into the textile mill for the movie, while The Golden Cherry Motel, which has been around since the 1940s, was used for the motel scenes.
Although the Opelika textile mill, which had been the first in town since 1900, closed down in 2004, it wasn’t demolished until 2016. During filming, one tricky detail was the constant hum of the machines at the mill, which made it hard to catch the actors’ lines on camera.
A huge event
When Hollywood came to the small town of Opelika, Alabama, it was a huge event. During the filming, Field had a meeting with then-Gov. George Wallace, while many locals eagerly awaited the possibility of megastar Burt Reynolds visiting his girlfriend on set. The excitement in the air was palpable.
Burt did make a few visits to the filming locations, but it was Sally Field, the film’s leading star, who truly left a lasting impression on the local community.
“She was a lovely lady,” says Warner Williams, who was active with the Opelika Chamber of Commerce during the filming of Norma Rae. “Days before filming, she wore old ragged clothes and hung around the mill, psyching up for her character.”
The real Norma Rae – Crystal Lee Sutton
Crystal Lee Sutton was born on December 31, 1940.
She grew up in Roanoke Rapids, a town that, as she remembers, was sharply divided between workers and managers.
”All my life, textile workers were looked down on. The doctors and lawyers and managers didn’t want their children to associate with us. They always had new clothes, they were the smartest. They were the cheerleaders, and the majorettes — anything outstanding, it came from your higher class of people,” Crystal told Washington Post in 1980.
Crystal Lee started working when she was just 16. By 17, she was already working the 4 p.m. to midnight shift at a textile plant, filling batteries. At 19, she became a mother for the first time, and by 20, she faced the heartache of losing her husband.
At 21, she had her second child, and in 1965, her third arrived.
Known for her courageous stand as a union organizer, Crystal Lee Sutton made headlines in 1973 when she was fired from her job at the J.P. Stevens plant in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina, for her pro-union activism.
At that time, Sutton was a 33-year-old mother of three, working at a wage of $2.65 per hour, folding towels. Her battle for workers’ rights was immortalized in the 1979 film, which was inspired by the 1975 book Crystal Lee: A Woman of Inheritance by New York Times reporter Henry “Hank” Leifermann.
Director Martin Ritt once said of Crystal Lee Sutton, ”I’ve known a lot of women in my life, most of them much more educated and sophisticated, who would not have had the balls that she had.”
Crystal Lee Sutton’s honest take on the movie
Crystal Lee Sutton, the woman behind the story of Norma Rae, was not pleased with how the film turned out.
She believed it should have been a docu-drama. Sutton found the movie ”funny” and admitted, ”It made me cry in parts and it made me laugh… I just thought if they’re going to spend millions of dollars making a movie, I wanted it to be a good educational union movie, not a soap-opera love story like you can see every day on TV.”
Sally Field also cried after watching the movie. She admitted that the overwhelming reaction from the audience at the Norma Rae premiere at the Cannes Film Festival brought her to tears.
Sued the creators of the movie
Norma Rae grossed $12.5 million, yet Sutton received no profits from the movie.
The same was true for the book Crystal Lee — she received nothing from it either.
After the film’s success, Crystal Lee Sutton had to sue 20th Century-Fox to receive a small settlement, eventually getting $52,000 — half of which went to taxes. After paying off some of her loans, Crystal used the remaining money to buy her third husband a secondhand Pontiac Trans-Am. ”He helped me and supported me through all this, and he deserved something,” she told Washington Post.
Sally Field and Crystal Lee Sutton / Getty Images
Her husband, Preston Sutton, expressed his deep admiration for her courage:
”I told my wife I don’t give a damn if we have to live in a car, I’m proud of what she done and what she stood for,” Preston Sutton said. ”You better damn well believe there’s a lot of people that would like to have the guts to do what she did.”
Sally Field and Crystal Lee Sutton met once
One of the highlights of Crystal Lee Sutton’s life came in California in 1980 when she met Sally Field, who played her in Norma Rae. The meeting between the real-life inspiration and the actress, set up to promote the film, was a memorable moment.
Sutton recalled meeting Field at a reception, with cameras flashing as they posed together, their hands raised in a shared moment of triumph.
”We talked about children,” Sutton said. ”She told me if ever there was anything she could do for me let her know.”
Crystal Lee Sutton, the real-life woman behind the Oscar-winning film Norma Rae, passed away on September 11, 2009, at 68. She died of inoperable brain cancer at Hospice Home in Burlington, North Carolina.
Dolly Parton connection
In Norma Rae, Sally Field’s character sings along to Dolly Parton’s song ”It’s All Wrong, But It’s Alright” on the radio.
A decade later, Field and Parton would share the screen as co-stars in the beloved film Steel Magnolias, forming a memorable connection between the two icons.
The truth about the UNION sign scene
The iconic scene in Norma Rae, where she writes “UNION” on a piece of cardboard and stands on a table until her co-workers turn off their machines, is directly inspired by an event in Crystal Lee Sutton’s life.
This dramatic moment, which has become one of the most famous in U.S. film history, was a pivotal act of defiance by Sutton in 1978.
In the film, the character Norma Rae is called into the management office and fired after attempting to copy a racist letter.
Refusing to leave, she writes “UNION” on cardboard and stands on a table in the weaving room, holding it up for all to see. This act of bravery remains one of the most powerful and defining moments in cinematic history.
Crystal Lee Sutton herself recounted the real event: “I took a piece of cardboard and wrote the word UNION on it in big letters, got up on my work table, and slowly turned it around. The workers started cutting their machines off and giving me the victory sign. All of a sudden the plant was very quiet…”
The truth about the movie poster
One thing that has frustrated some people is one of the film’s movie poster.
Instead of featuring a determined Norma Rae in her work clothes holding the union sign, as you’d expect, the poster shows a smiling, more polished Sally Field simply raising her hands in the air. It seems odd, almost as if the union sign was intentionally removed.
There is an explanation for this shift in focus. Martin Ritt, the director, once stated that his main interest was in telling the personal story, admitting that he “couldn’t have cared less about labor unions.”
In a way, the movie Rocky also had an influence on how Norma Rae was marketed.
Tamara Asseyev and Alex Rose, the co-producers of Norma Rae, revealed in an interview that Rocky showed them the box office potential of a story about “a small person who succeeded.” This insight helped them sell the idea to 20th Century-Fox and Alan Ladd Jr., after it had been rejected by several other studios.
The escape from acute cuteness – broken ribs
Sally Field, long known for her sweet and light-hearted roles, had grown tired of being cast as the “cute” flying nun.
”I was so tired of being boring, but for a long time, I really didn’t have the guts to make any hard decisions,” she said.
So, Norma Rae was more than just a breakthrough — it was a turning point.
And Sally Field really threw herself into the role — so much so that during a scene where she’s struggling to avoid being shoved into a police car, she ended up breaking one of the actor’s ribs.
”You don’t expect to win anything, do you?”
But when Sally Field won the Academy Award for Best Actress, her emotions were a mix of disbelief and overwhelming joy. Hollywood had finally acknowledged her talent, but the road to this moment had been far from easy.
We now know that Field took on the film against Burt Reynolds’ advice, which ultimately led to the end of their relationship.
We also know that Reynolds refused to attend the ceremony with Field, despite her Best Actress nomination. And when Field told him she was attending the Cannes Film Festival, he was dismissive, asking in a frustrated tone, ”What the hell I intended to do there?” He dismissed it as a ”waste of time” and lashed out, questioning, ”You don’t expect to win anything, do you?” before hanging up the phone.
Thankfully, it was fellow actor David Steinberg and his wife, Judy, who came to her aid when Reynolds refused to be her date to the Academy Awards.
”David said, ‘Well, for God’s sakes, we’ll take you,’” Field recalled. ”He and Judy made it a big celebration. They picked me up in a limousine and had champagne in the car. They made it just wonderful fun.”
Sally Field attends the 52nd Academy Awards / Getty
More than four decades later, Norma Rae remains one of the most powerful films about workers’ rights, and Sally Field’s performance continues to inspire.
But behind the triumph was a woman who gave everything she had to bring one of the most important characters in cinema to life. The truth? Success didn’t come easily — it was fought for, just like Norma Rae herself.
Purple butterfly sticker near newborns – here’s what it means
Only weeks after Millie Smith and Lewis Cann learned they were having twin baby girls, they learned that only one would survive.
On April 30, after 30 weeks of a high-risk pregnancy, Smith delivered identical twins, Callie and Skye, the latter who lived only three hours.
Later in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), Callie slept without her sister in the incubator, with her loving and grieving parents watching over her. In the unit with other babies, an overwhelmed mom of healthy newborn twins innocently told Smith that she was “so lucky” to not have two babies.
Crushed by the words, the new mom couldn’t find the words to explain her loss. Then, she realized that Skye’s legacy was to help other families who lose a child, and it came in the form of a purple butterfly.
In November 2015 Millie Smith and partner Lewis Cann found out they were having their first Child. Smith, who has twins in the family, said she had a “gut feeling” about having a duo and 10 weeks later, doctors confirmed she was expecting identical twin girls.
Less than two weeks after the excitement of knowing they would double the children in their home, the British couple were devastated to learn that one of their babies had a fatal condition and wouldn’t survive after birth.
“During the scan, the doctor didn’t say anything. I was very excited and loved seeing the little babies, but she was silent. Both Lewis and I immediately knew there must be a problem,” Smith said.
Doctors shared the news that one of the babies had anencephaly, which according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) affects about one in 4,600 babies across the U.S. It’s a serious birth defect where a baby is born without parts of the brain and skull, and “almost all babies born with anencephaly will die shortly after birth.”
Knowing that one baby would die soon after birth, and that there were risks involved for their other baby, the couple decided to move forward with the extremely high-risk pregnancy.
Over the next several months, Smith and Cann named their twins Skye and Callie. “We knew that Skye needed to have a name before she was born,” Smith said. “Knowing she would only survive for seconds or minutes, I wanted her to be named during that time.”
The meaning behind “Skye,” she explained “was somewhere we knew she would always be, that we could look up at the sky and remember our baby.”
When Smith went into labor after only 30 weeks on April 30, she needed an emergency C-section. To help navigate the loss, the couple had a “bereavement midwife” during the birth, and they were put I a special room the called the “Daisy Room,” where families can spend time with a baby before and after she/he passes.
“When the girls were born, they both cried. This was a huge moment, as we were told that Skye would not make a noise or move,” said Smith, who was thankful to have three hours with Skye before she died. “We were cuddling Skye when she passed away. This was the worst moment in our lives. I have never ever felt heartbreak like that before. But I am proud that she fought for so long to spend time with us.”
Born premature, Callie had to stay in NICU while she gained some strength and also in the unit were three other sets of twin.
“Most of the nurses were aware of what had happened, but as time passed, people stopped talking about Skye. After about four weeks, everyone acted as though nothing had happened, meaning the families around me had no idea about our situation,” Smith recalled.
One morning, a stressed mother whose twins were also in NICU, harmlessly said to Smith that she was “so lucky” to not have twins.
“None of the other parents knew what had happened or anything about Skye. The comment was completely innocent and more out of humor…They weren’t to know that I did at one point have two.” Smith continued, “But the comment nearly broke me. I ran out [of] the room in tears and they had no idea why. I didn’t have the heart to tell them what had happened. A simple sticker would have avoided that entire situation.”
It was in that moment Smith realized she had to create something that would speak for parents who had just lost a baby, ensuring the misunderstanding never happens again.
She designed a poster for the NICU explaining both hospital personnel and visitors that any incubator with a purple butterfly on it means that one or more babies, in a set of multiples were lost.
“I chose butterflies, as I felt it was fitting to remember the babies that flew away, the color purple because it is suitable for both boys or girls,” said Smith.
The purple butterfly concept–now under the Skye High Foundation–has spread to hospitals in several countries around the world.
Callie is now a lively, happy seven-year-old, and twin’s memory lives in purple butterfly cards along with other initiatives to help families with babies like Skye all over the world. The purple butterflies now come in numerous forms, like ornaments, cards, blankets, stuffed animals and more.
“Ultimately I will never be able to stop this from happening but the more support groups we can set up and put things in place like the stickers the better it will be. It’s the hardest thing anyone has to deal with,” Smith said.
Losing a child of any age can’t be easy for a parent and the world is blessed for people like Millie Smith who’s aiming to help others.
Please share this story so others know what a purple butterfly next to a newborn means!
If you enjoyed reading this story about Millie Smith and her twins, you’ll probably also love the story about a new mom who thought she was having seven babies, but instead had nine!
Perplexing picture of ‘headless’ dog leaves people baffled
All of us who adore animals also love to gaze at photographs of our furry companions. It doesn’t matter what mood I’m in – if I see an adorable puppy, a playful tiger cub, or a beautiful horse, a smile forms on my lips.
But sometimes, you come across animal pictures that leave you speechless. And with the image we’re about to look at now, I believe you’ll feel much the same as everyone else on the internet – what am I actually looking at?
To uncover the truth, I suggest you scroll down…
A certain photo has been circulating on the internet for some time now, and it’s causing quite a commotion due to its puzzling subject.
Initially, it appears to depict a dog without a head – which understandably triggered widespread panic and concern. But this is the kind of image that will make you do multiple double-takes just to grasp what’s happening in the picture…
Fortunately, the reality is not as ominous as your initial impression might suggest, and for that, we’re truly grateful.
The picture was uploaded to Imgur in 2019, and it didn’t take long for it to create quite a buzz. And it’s easy to understand why. In a short period of time, image garnered more than 143,000 views and received 3,200 upvotes.
É assim que fica um cachorro com três pernas lambendo o rabo. Agora você já viu tudo. pic.twitter.com/pRrsyq4WcK
But thankfully, it was later revealed that there was no cause for alarm regarding the dog. So, what was the truth behind the scary image?
It turns out that it simply featured a dog who had undergone surgery to have its front leg amputated, which was a sad but necessary procedure.
The photo was the unfortunate result of the dog’s owner attempting to capture an image just as the dog turned around to lick its side. To clarify things for online users, someone used a drawing diagram to illustrate how the picture came about and posted it on Reddit. No everything makes sense, right?
Reddit
To alleviate any remaining concerns, the dog’s owner stepped forward and shared a full-front picture of the now-famous pup with his three legs.
This adorable little canine has captured our hearts, and it’s safe to say that it won’t be long before he becomes a social media pet influencer.
Kelly Ripa breaks down on TV after losing her 17-year-old dog
Kelly Ripa and her husband are mourning a heartbreaking loss.
On Wednesday, Ripa became emotional on live television as she spoke about the passing of her beloved dog, Chewie.
Fighting back tears, she admitted she thought she had already processed her grief—but the emotions were still overwhelming.
Couldn’t stop crying
Losing a dog is like losing a family member — that’s something every pet owner understands. Now, Kelly Ripa and her husband Mark Consuelos are mourning the loss of their beloved 17-year-old dog, Chewie. After weeks of declining appetite, the couple faced the heartbreaking decision to say goodbye.
The popular TV presenter shared the heartbreaking news during an emotional episode of Live with Kelly and Mark on Wednesday. Mark opened the show and said that their beloved dog, Chewie, had passed away at 17.
He shared that Chewie’s health had deteriorated rapidly — she had stopped eating and was severely dehydrated. As soon as Kelly heard the words, she couldn’t hold back her tears.
She tried to stay composed, but the emotions were simply too overwhelming.
”I’m really sorry. I thought I got it all out, guys. I really thought I got it all out, and I apologize because I did not. This is not how I wanted this to go down. God, she gave us so much,” Ripa shared.
According to Kelly, Chewie was a truly special and loving dog. As Kelly and Mark’s children grew up and left for college, Chewie remained a constant presence in their home — a family member, a loyal companion, and a source of endless joy.
Chewie was like a cat
”She was very much like a cat, you know, in a lot of ways,” Kelly shared and continued:
”She pet you when she wanted affection. She never let us kiss her face. She was very precious about her face. She was not that dog. And, after she passed away last night, I kissed her a thousand times on the face, I kissed her nose.”
”I’d never kissed her nose before. And I know that she was like, somewhere in dog heaven, p**sed! But, I didn’t care because it was just so nice to have that.”
Kelly and Mark’s heartfelt and honest words about Chewie touched many, especially those watching the show. Countless fans have reached out to Kelly on Instagram to share their condolences, according to Daily Mail.
Fans poured out their support for Kelly Ripa on Instagram, expressing their sympathy after she tearfully shared the heartbreaking loss of Chewie.
One person wrote: “Watching you now and crying! Don’t apologize! Chewie is part of your family! I went through it too. It’s been seven months, and I’m still missing mine! You were always talking about both your dogs! Chewie had a great life! I’m so sorry for your loss.”
Another added: “I cried with you while you guys were talking about Chewie, felt like I knew the pup well from how you spoke so lovingly of her. I’m so very sorry for your loss. Losing a beloved pet is losing a member of your family, and there was no need for you to apologize. We all felt horribly for you. She’s resting in peace now, looking down on you. God Bless you all.”
A third viewer shared: “I’m watching the show and crying about the loss of Chewie! They are your fur babies and bring us so much joy. Grieve as much as you need to. I will be praying for you and your family!”
Another heartfelt message read: “I knew the moment you walked out today what had happened. So very sorry for your loss. Do not apologize for being upset. She will always be a part of your family. We dog owners understand.”
Losing a beloved pet is like losing a piece of your heart, and Kelly Ripa’s raw emotions only prove how much love she had for Chewie. As one fan beautifully put it, “It shows her humanity.”
Our deepest condolences to Kelly and Mark during this difficult time. If you’ve ever loved and lost a furry friend, you know how deep this pain runs—feel free to share this story to honor Chewie and all the pets who’ve left paw prints on our hearts. ❤️🐾