Sunday, Nov. 13, 2016

04:00 PM – 06:00 PM
US/Central

Guest: script supervisor Anne Rapp, who opens the program with a 15-minute portion of her work-in-progress Horton Foote documentary

Shot largely in Waxahatchie, Texas, and based on an original screenplay by Horton Foote, Tender Mercies opened to little fanfare and went on to draw five Oscar nominations—including wins for Foote and lead actor Robert Duvall.

Down-on-his-luck country singer Mac Sledge (Duvall) has nowhere to turn when he wakes up in a motel, broke and hung over. He takes a job from Rosa Lee (Tess Harper), who runs the place. Mac begins to fall for Rosa, who helps him confront his drinking, and also finds an unexpected bond with Rosa's young son (Allan Hubbard). When the opportunity for a career comeback surfaces, Mac must choose between his new life and the life he let slip through his hands. Helping him decide are figures from his former life, including his ex-wife (Betty Buckley), former manager (Wilford Brimley), and the daughter he neglected (Ellen Barkin). In honor of the 100th anniversary of playwright/screenwriter Horton Foote’s birth in Wharton, Texas, Anne Rapp, whose first job as a script supervisor was on Tender Mercies, opens the program with a 15-minute excerpt from her work-in-progress documentary on Foote.