Kinfolks
by Gurney Norman
Wilgus Stories
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Wilgus Stories is a dramatization of three stories from Gurney Norman’s collection Kinfolks—“Night Ride,” “Fat Monroe,” and “Maxine.” Producer/director Andrew Garrison brings to life three tales that follow the growth and personal journeys of the young Wilgus Collier.
Norman’s highly acclaimed Kinfolks has been lauded by critics as a humorous, sometimes bittersweet, yet always honest account of a poor, working-class family from the Appalachian region of Kentucky. True to his source, Garrison imparts these same qualities to the three episodes of Wilgus Stories.
Set in 1957, “Fat Monroe” finds Wilgus at age 9, a typical boy enjoying a shoot-’em-up Western at the Saturday matinee. But when Wilgus decides to hitch a ride home from Fat Monroe (Kentucky native Ned Beatty), he gets his first lesson in how the real world differs from the clear-cut, black-and-white world of the movies.
In “Night Ride,” the now 14-year-old Wilgus spends a day with Delmer Collier, his uncle, and receives an introduction to the wild side of life. Beyond the booze, guns, and fast cars, though, lies a touching tale in which Wilgus learns about the difficult life of those working in the coal-mining towns of Eastern Kentucky.
Finally, “Maxine,” which had its broadcast premiere on KET2, follows the 22-year-old Wilgus on his last day home before trekking across America to visit California. Whereas the Wilgus of “Night Ride” was only a quiet observer, the older and more mature Wilgus of “Maxine” is now able to provide support to those in need, in this case a soon-to-be grandmother, 12 years his senior, who is also the woman of his dreams.
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