Created December 2009

Does American cinema capture that elusive spirit of the American South?  Who are the Jean Giono, Marcel Pagnol and the Fernandel of American cinema? 

A tall tale from Fried Green Tomatoes (1991) Jon Avnet
 
“One time, there was this lake and it was right outside of town. We used to go fishin’ and swimmin’ and canoein’ in it, and this one November this flock o’ducks came in and landed on that lake, and uh the temperature dropped so fast that the lake froze right there and then the ducks, they flew off and took the lake with them and now they say that lake is over in Georgia… "

A lullaby I learned from my late grandmother who was born on a farm, saw one of the last covered wagons traveling westward in the 1880’s, went to college like her eight brothers, became a school teacher and took the train to go West a thousand miles away from home to teach children of all ages at a one-room school, married a Yankee, raised two sons, lost the younger son to war, and was a grandmother of eight.:

Go to sleep my little pickaninny 
Brer fox will catch you if you don’t
Slumber on the bosom of your old Mammy Jenny
Mammy’s gonna swap you if you don’t

Ole, ole, ole, ole, ole…
Underneath the silver southern moon
Lullaby, rockabye, Mammy’s baby
Mama’s little Alabama coon!

I’s Mama’s little Alabama coon
I ain’t been born very long
I’ve seen one full moon
I’ve heard one sweet song

Ole, ole, ole, ole, ole
Underneath the silver southern moon
Lullaby, rockabye, Mammy’s baby
Mama’s little Alabama coon!

Created December 2009
Does American cinema capture that elusive spirit of the American South? Who are the Jean Giono, Marcel Pagnol and the Fernandel of American cinema?
A tall tale from Fried Green Tomatoes (1991) Jon Avnet
&#8220;One time, there was this lake and it was right outside of town. We used to go fishin&#8217; and swimmin&#8217; and canoein&#8217; in it, and this one November this flock o&#8217;ducks came in and landed on that lake, and uh the temperature dropped so fast that the lake froze right there and then the ducks, they flew off and took the lake with them and now they say that lake is over in Georgia… &quot;
A lullaby I learned from my late grandmother who was born on a farm, saw one of the last covered wagons traveling westward in the 1880&#8217;s, went to college like her eight brothers, became a school teacher and took the train to go West a thousand miles away from home to teach children of all ages at a one-room school, married a Yankee, raised two sons, lost the younger son to war, and was a grandmother of eight.:
Go to sleep my little pickaninny 
Brer fox will catch you if you don&#8217;t 
Slumber on the bosom of your old Mammy Jenny 
Mammy&#8217;s gonna swap you if you don&#8217;t
Ole, ole, ole, ole, ole&#8230; 
Underneath the silver southern moon 
Lullaby, rockabye, Mammy&#8217;s baby 
Mama&#8217;s little Alabama coon!
I&#8217;s Mama&#8217;s little Alabama coon 
I ain&#8217;t been born very long 
I&#8217;ve seen one full moon 
I&#8217;ve heard one sweet song
Ole, ole, ole, ole, ole 
Underneath the silver southern moon 
Lullaby, rockabye, Mammy&#8217;s baby 
Mama&#8217;s little Alabama coon!