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About
Amidst her own personality crisis, a southern housewife meets an outgoing old woman who tells her the story of Idgie Threadgoode and Ruth Jamison, two young women who experienced hardships and love in 1920s Whistle Stop, Alabama.
Theatrical
Jan 24, 1992
Box Office
$119.4M
Budget
$11.0M
Return
10.9x
DVD / Blu-ray
Dec 15, 1998
Theaters
1,913
Director
Jon Avnet
Writers
Fannie Flagg, Carol Sobieski
Producers
Martin Huberty, Anne Marie Gillen, Jon Avnet
Music
Thomas Newman
Studio
Universal Pictures, Act III Productions, Avnet/Kerner Productions, Electric Shadow Productions, Fried Green Tomatoes Productions
Latest
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Quotes
See all →The Secret of Life is in the Sauce
Tagline
The secret of life? The secret's in the sauce.
The Nature of Storytelling and Truth
Ruth
I love your stories. Tell me a story, Idgie. Go on, you old bee charmer. Tell me a good tall tale. Tell me the one about the lake.
Idgie
What lake?
Ruth
The one that use to be here.
Idgie
Well, that was just a lie.
Ruth
I know that, fool. Tell me anyway. Tell me a story.
Idgie
Uh, one time... there was this lake... And it was right outside of town. We used to go fishing and swimming and canoein in it. And, uh, see, one November, this big flock of ducks came in.. and landed on that lake. And then the temperature dropped so fast that the lake just froze right there. And they... er... the ducks... they... flew off, you see, and they took that lake right with them. Now they say that lake is somewhere over in Georgia. Can you imagine that?
[Walks over to Ruth, who has just passed away, and begins sobbing]
Sipsey
It's okay, honey. Let her go...let her go. You know, Ruth was a lady, and a lady always knows when to leave.
[holding Idgie]
Unexpected Truths in Courtroom Deception
Idgie
I can't believe he swore on the bible.
Ruth
Well, not really. If that judge had looked any closer, he'd have seen it was really a copy of Moby Dick.
Empowerment through Anger and Humor
Evelyn
I never get mad, Mrs Threadgoode. Never. The way I was raised, it was bad manners. Well, I got mad.. and it felt terrific! I felt like I could beat the shit out of all those punks. Excuse my language. Just beat em to a pulp. beat em till they begged for mercy! Towanda the avenger. And after I wipe out all the punks of this world, I'll take on the wife-beaters, like Frank Bennett, and machine-gun their genitals! Towanda will go on the rampage. I'll put tiny little bombs in Penthouse and Playboy so they'll explode when you open them. And I'll ban all fashion models who weigh less than 130 pounds. And I'll give half the military budget to people of 65 and declare wrinkles sexually desirable. Towanda, righter of wrongs, queen beyond compare!
Ninny
How many of them hormones are you taking, honey?
Cast
Full credits →K
Kathy Bates
Evelyn Couch
J
Jessica Tandy
Ninny Threadgoode
M
Mary-Louise Parker
Ruth Jamison
M
Mary Stuart Masterson
Idgie Threadgoode
C
Cicely Tyson
Sipsey
S
Stan Shaw
Big George
C
Chris O'Donnell
Buddy Threadgoode
G
Gailard Sartain
Ed Couch
T
Timothy Scott
Smokey Lonesome
G
Gary Basaraba
Grady Kilgore
L
Lois Smith
Mama Threadgoode
J
Jo Harvey Allen
Woman's Awareness Teacher
F
Fannie Flagg
Teacher
S
Suzi Bass
Nurse
T
Tom Even
Judge
A
Afton Smith
Leona Threadgoode
H
Haynes Brooke
Older Julian Threadgoode
W
Wallace Merck
KKK Man
R
Richard Riehle
Reverend Scroggins
C
Constance Shulman
Missy
