Heart of Dixie (1989)

Three young sorority women try to find love with potential men, while worrying about changes in their way of life when integration begins at their college in 1957 segregated Alabama.

Director:

Martin Davidson

Writers:

Anne Rivers Siddons (novel), Tom McCown (screenplay)

Stars:

Ally Sheedy, Virginia Madsen, Phoebe Cates

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ally Sheedy	...	Maggie DeLoach
Virginia Madsen	...	Delia June Curry
Phoebe Cates	...	Aiken Reed
Treat Williams	...	Hoyt Cunningham
Don Michael Paul	...	Boots Claibourne
Kyle Secor	...	Charles Payton 'Tuck' Tucker
Francesca P. Roberts	...	Keefi (as Francesca Roberts)
Peter Berg	...	Jenks
Jenny Robertson	...	Sister
Lisa Zane	...	M.A.
Ashley Gardner	...	Jean
Kurtwood Smith	...	Professor Flournoy
Richard Bradford	...	Judge Claibourne
Barbara Babcock	...	Coralee Claibourne
Hazen Gifford	...	Dean Howard

Storyline

Alabama, 1957. Pampered Souther belle Maggie DeLoach and her fellow sorority sisters Delia June, Keefi, and chapter president M.A., at Randolph College have lived the cosseted good life, free from worry and the strife that's starting to affect the rest of the Deep South during the Civil Rights movement. But when Maggie meets a liberal and dashing young photographer named Hoyt Cunningham who talks about the impending changes in the South, as well the radical talk from her outgoing classmate Aiken, Maggie knows her life will soon change too.

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Plot Keywords:

college | alabama | civil rights | southern u.s. | racism | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 August 1989 (USA)

Also Known As:

Brennender Hass

Filming Locations:

Arkansas, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$367,091, 27 August 1989, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$1,097,333

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jason Bruce Robertson utilized his 1968 Chevy Camaro SS, as requested due to the need for "older" vehicles. However, it was cut from the film due to continuity issues, with the film supposedly set in the 1950's and not the late 1960's.

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Goofs

In the final scene with the national guard posted outside the administration building, the air conditioners which are placed prominently in two front windows are certainly not the type or size of air conditioners in 1957.

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Connections

References Blonde Sinner (1956)

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Soundtracks

The Great Pretender
Performed by The Platters
Courtesy of PolyGram Special Products, a Division of PolyGram Records, Inc.
Written by Buck Ram
Courtesy of Panther Music Corp.

User Reviews

Southern Innocence

I liked this film. It was set in Alabama (I gather in Dothan, home of Fort Rucker, because of the presence of soldiers).

Ally Sheedy was so innocent looking and she fit the part nicely. I was only 15 in the 1957 setting and not interested in civil rights - too busy playing ball and watching the Milwaukee Braves beat the Yankees in the World Series.

Toward the end of the film, who was the governor who let the black girl into the university? It wasn't George Wallace because he blocked the entrance and I believe that would have been at the U of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, or was it a school in Montgomery? I've been to many Alabama cities but all after the protests and riots. I still saw racism; but, that would be true in all states. How can a white person root for a black athlete and still be racist?