Lily Dale (1996)

The story takes place in 1910, Texas. 19-year-old Horace Robedaux

Director:

Peter Masterson

Writers:

Horton Foote (screenplay), Horton Foote (play)

Stars:

Mary Stuart Masterson, Sam Shepard, Stockard Channing

Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Mary Stuart Masterson	...	Lily Dale
Sam Shepard	...	Pete Davenport
Stockard Channing	...	Corella
Tim Guinee	...	Horace Robedaux
John Slattery	...	Will Kidder
Jean Stapleton	...	Mrs. Coons
Sean Hennigan	...	Card Player
Chamblee Ferguson	...	Drummer
Elbert Lewis	...	Vegetable Vendor
Johnathan Bren	...	Trio Singer
Brent Anderson	...	Trio Singer
Mark Walters	...	Uncle Albert
Angee Hughes	...	Mrs. Westheimer
John Hussey	...	Mr. Westheimer
Horton Foote	...	Old Horace (voice)

Storyline

The story takes place in 1910, texas. 19-year-old Horace Robedaux is invited by his mother (Corella Davenport) to visit her and his little sister (Lily Dale) in Houston. Horace's father died of alcoholism when he was 12 and Corella has been married to a railroad worker (Pete Davenport) for seven years. Pete let Corella bring along Lily Dale but refused to accept Horrace. Tension built up between Pete and Horace as Pete's trip to Atlanta cut short and Horace was seriously ill when he got there.

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Plot Keywords:

1910s | stepfather stepdaughter relationship | mother son relationship | houston texas | family relationships | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for mild thematic elements

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 June 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

Hallmark Hall of Fame: Lily Dale (#45.4)

Filming Locations:

Texas State Railroad, Rusk, Texas, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Footeprints Productions, Hallmark Entertainment, Showtime Networks

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Connections

Edited into Hallmark Hall of Fame (1951)

User Reviews

Lily Dale, trip to the past

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."