Crystal Lee Sutton, the real-life woman behind the Oscar-winning film Norma Rae, passed away on September 11, 2009, at 68. She died of inoperable brain cancer at Hospice Home in Burlington, North Carolina.
Dolly Parton connection
In Norma Rae, Sally Field’s character sings along to Dolly Parton’s song ”It’s All Wrong, But It’s Alright” on the radio.
A decade later, Field and Parton would share the screen as co-stars in the beloved film Steel Magnolias, forming a memorable connection between the two icons.
The truth about the UNION sign scene
The iconic scene in Norma Rae, where she writes “UNION” on a piece of cardboard and stands on a table until her co-workers turn off their machines, is directly inspired by an event in Crystal Lee Sutton’s life.
This dramatic moment, which has become one of the most famous in U.S. film history, was a pivotal act of defiance by Sutton in 1978.
In the film, the character Norma Rae is called into the management office and fired after attempting to copy a racist letter.
Refusing to leave, she writes “UNION” on cardboard and stands on a table in the weaving room, holding it up for all to see. This act of bravery remains one of the most powerful and defining moments in cinematic history.
Crystal Lee Sutton herself recounted the real event: “I took a piece of cardboard and wrote the word UNION on it in big letters, got up on my work table, and slowly turned it around. The workers started cutting their machines off and giving me the victory sign. All of a sudden the plant was very quiet…”
The truth about the movie poster
One thing that has frustrated some people is one of the film’s movie poster.
Instead of featuring a determined Norma Rae in her work clothes holding the union sign, as you’d expect, the poster shows a smiling, more polished Sally Field simply raising her hands in the air. It seems odd, almost as if the union sign was intentionally removed.
There is an explanation for this shift in focus. Martin Ritt, the director, once stated that his main interest was in telling the personal story, admitting that he “couldn’t have cared less about labor unions.”
In a way, the movie Rocky also had an influence on how Norma Rae was marketed.
Tamara Asseyev and Alex Rose, the co-producers of Norma Rae, revealed in an interview that Rocky showed them the box office potential of a story about “a small person who succeeded.” This insight helped them sell the idea to 20th Century-Fox and Alan Ladd Jr., after it had been rejected by several other studios.
The escape from acute cuteness – broken ribs
Sally Field, long known for her sweet and light-hearted roles, had grown tired of being cast as the “cute” flying nun.
”I was so tired of being boring, but for a long time, I really didn’t have the guts to make any hard decisions,” she said.
So, Norma Rae was more than just a breakthrough — it was a turning point.
And Sally Field really threw herself into the role — so much so that during a scene where she’s struggling to avoid being shoved into a police car, she ended up breaking one of the actor’s ribs.
”You don’t expect to win anything, do you?”
But when Sally Field won the Academy Award for Best Actress, her emotions were a mix of disbelief and overwhelming joy. Hollywood had finally acknowledged her talent, but the road to this moment had been far from easy.
We now know that Field took on the film against Burt Reynolds’ advice, which ultimately led to the end of their relationship.
We also know that Reynolds refused to attend the ceremony with Field, despite her Best Actress nomination. And when Field told him she was attending the Cannes Film Festival, he was dismissive, asking in a frustrated tone, ”What the hell I intended to do there?” He dismissed it as a ”waste of time” and lashed out, questioning, ”You don’t expect to win anything, do you?” before hanging up the phone.
Thankfully, it was fellow actor David Steinberg and his wife, Judy, who came to her aid when Reynolds refused to be her date to the Academy Awards.
”David said, ‘Well, for God’s sakes, we’ll take you,’” Field recalled. ”He and Judy made it a big celebration. They picked me up in a limousine and had champagne in the car. They made it just wonderful fun.”
More than four decades later, Norma Rae remains one of the most powerful films about workers’ rights, and Sally Field’s performance continues to inspire.
But behind the triumph was a woman who gave everything she had to bring one of the most important characters in cinema to life. The truth? Success didn’t come easily — it was fought for, just like Norma Rae herself.