Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker (2020): Season 1, Episode 4 - A Credit to the Race - full transcript
Famed Negro
beauty culturist Madam CJ Walker
is America's first self-made
female millionaire,
establishing the Madam CJ Walker
Manufacturing Company
a mere two years ago.
Wonderful Hair Grower
put Madam Walker on the map,
but her pressing oil, Glossine,
and hot comb kit
made her a household name,
with salons and sales agents
across the country.
And now, her daughter Lelia
is following in her footsteps,
opening a salon known as the Dark Tower
in the heart of Harlem.
Time for a toast. To Sarah.
Congratulations on officially moving
to New York.
Mm-hmm.
Why, thank you, Dr. Du Bois.
And to my beautiful daughter Lelia,
for being so gracious
and putting me up in Harlem
while they finish my new estate.
And for creating such a beautiful salon.
May The Dark Tower be your legacy.
- Dinner is served.
- Mmm.
Please follow me to the residency.
I'm so excited to see what Lelia
has done with this magnificent house.
I hear they have a greenhouse.
- More champagne?
- Oh.
Don't mind if I do.
Read the story on you
in The New York Times.
Must feel pretty great
to be Madam CJ Walker right now.
I feel like I'm living a dream.
Madam? Madam, are you all right?
Sarah!
Sarah.
Madam, are you all right?
Sarah, come home.
Sarah.
Sarah.
Are you listening?
I want you on a strict vegetarian diet.
And you'll need to take a sabbatical
from working for at least a year.
Mm-mmm.
This is serious.
How bad is it?
Well, according to your test,
your kidneys are failing,
and there is no cure.
You're dying.
Madam?
It's Mr. Ransom and Lelia here with you.
Mama, are you okay? What'd the doctor say?
Oh.
Too much champagne, and...
my blood pressure's a little high,
but other than that, I'm...
...fine.
Well, uh...
you had us worried.
I just got the best idea.
I want to have a convention.
I want to bring all my employees together,
all 10,000 of them,
together under one roof.
What do y'all think?
Well, that, uh, that sounds interesting,
but, uh, we can talk about it tomorrow.
- Let's get you home.
- Oh... I want it to be big.
Bigger than the National Negro
Business League Convention.
Bigger... than the Teamsters.
And I want to have panels and...
and lectures and a formal gala.
Mama, slow down.
Ten thousand employees.
That ain't just big, that's a small army.
Mm-hmm.
An army.
I like that.
I like that.
An army.
- ♪ Oh ♪
- ♪ How about if you ♪
♪ Take flight and reach my altitude? ♪
♪ There'll be no need for the floor ♪
We were there.
- Oh, it was nice.
- Ladies.
- Oh, I loved it.
- Really?
Here. To celebrate the show tonight.
- Cheers.
- Cheers.
To a wonderful opening.
I think you should really come back
more often.
Exactly which songs are you guys
going to be singing tonight?
What's going on?
Come on.
Is this a party or a place of business?
If you're not working here,
or a paying customer, get out.
- Get out!
- Mama.
You remember the Whitman Sisters?
They're opening
at the Lafayette Theater tonight.
Oh.
They bought out the salon to get ready.
Yes, of course. My apologies.
I'm a big fan.
I caught your act in Chicago.
Well, welcome, ladies.
Carry on. I'm just gonna..
...borrow my daughter.
Mama, what are you doing
out of bed? You should be resting.
A little warning would have been nice.
Now, Ransom found a venue
for my convention,
so you and me need to go over there
and make a plan.
Now? Can't we do that later?
I have important clients.
I don't have time for "later," gal.
You gotta strike while the iron's hot.
And we need to go out
and get you some new dresses.
This is all the rage in Paris.
You're never gonna catch a decent husband
dressed like that.
- Mama...
- I want grandbabies.
It's been years since you divorced John.
The only men that are interested in me
are after my money.
Okay, your money.
Well, now that I'm living in New York,
I can help.
I'll make a list of acceptable men,
and you'll have a new beau on your arm
by the convention.
Sarah Walker.
You can run, but you can't hide.
I'm busy.
I don't have time for your nonsense
anymore, CJ.
You the one that wanted the divorce.
Now sign the damn papers!
- Don't barge in making demands.
- You haven't changed.
You still as selfish as ever.
Ain't nothing more selfish
than a man cheating on his wife.
Oh, and I heard your little girlfriend
Dora has been running around
trying to pass herself off
as Madam CJ Walker.
- You thought I wouldn't find out?
- It's my name.
I can do
whatever I damn well please with it.
No, no, no. Madam CJ Walker is my name!
I worked like a dog to build it.
Now I'm not signing anything
until I get some assurances
that you and Dora
won't put any products out using my name.
It's been two years.
Stop toying with me, Sarah.
Sign the damn papers!
Harrison will show you out.
- Harrison...
- Harrison?
I ain't leaving New York
until you sign on the dotted line.
Now, I'm gonna be at the Marshall Hotel
under my name...
Charles Joseph Walker!
On your tab, woman.
Don't... Don't touch me.
This one's head is just way too big.
No, not that one.
This one look like
his mama still dress him.
Is your mama Mata Hari or something?
How she find these men?
And with photos too?
Beats me.
All I know is Mama ain't been right
ever since she fainted.
Doesn't she see you have more to offer
than making babies?
We're still moving to Paris.
Mama just got spooked in the hospital.
Once she move out and get busy
with the convention...
she'll forget all about me.
I'm not so sure.
We have to make sure she focuses
on something other than you.
What's something she's always wanted?
Long hair all the way to her fanny,
a koala bear, and a trip to the moon.
No. I meant for her business.
A few years back,
she was this close to getting Glossine
into the 10 Cents and Less store.
But drunk old CJ messed that deal up.
I know Henrietta Saunders.
Her daddy owns
the Saunders Drugstore chain.
- Really?
- Mm-hmm.
Well, call up Henrietta
and see if she wants
to come out with us tonight.
Mmm.
She had the nerve
to kick me out of my house.
I mean,
it's my house till the divorce, right?
Why won't she just sign the papers?
What does she w...
What does she want?
I wish I knew.
I know I'm running up her tab
something awful, I know that much.
Maybe she's still in love with you.
Or thinks you're still in love with her.
I told you.
You my Walker Girl now.
You told me I'd be Madam CJ Walker by now.
We making good money with Addie.
We?
I don't see you punching a clock.
You know what I mean.
I don't want to work for Addie.
I'm a star too, you know.
I'll stay here as long as it takes.
Wear Sarah down.
No. We need a new plan to get rid of her.
I've heard some interesting things
about Sarah and Addie Munroe.
I know you got some dirt.
Spill it.
Ugh...
Would you mind concentrating
on the work in the back of the house?
I'd like to set up something
in the garden.
Yes, ma'am.
Mama?
Mama?
Oh. There you are.
Mmm.
Good morning.
How was your date with Dr. Hanover?
Great.
He had to deliver twins
and never showed up.
Dr. Hanover is one of the most
eligible bachelors in Harlem.
I hope you rescheduled.
Well, I was so busy trying to get in
with Saunders Drugstore,
I must have forgot.
It says the board wants to meet
to talk about getting Walker products
in their stores.
How on Earth did you pull this off?
Let's just say
I know people in high places.
I've been trying to make a deal like this
for years.
We should do something special
for the presentation.
New ads just for Saunders.
Maybe a photo shoot in your garden?
Lelia Walker, you just might have
a knack for business after all.
Oh.
Look at that.
Hello.
You must be the model.
- What's your name, darling?
- Fairy Mae Bryant.
Fairy Mae, you have
the most gorgeous hair I've ever seen.
I like your hair, too.
And your house.
Well, thank you.
It's so pretty.
- You live next door to Rockefeller?
- Yes.
I've never met him, but I want to.
I'd ask him to let me into that school
they named after his wife.
- What do you know about Spelman College?
- I don't know.
Just heard it's the best college
for colored gals, is all.
Mm-hmm. I wanted Miss Lelia to go there,
but she wasn't interested.
I'll take her place.
I like your gumption.
Fairy. Go inside, honey.
They're ready to do your hair.
Oh!
- Isn't she the cat's meow?
- Where on Earth did you find her?
Sweeping up at the salon.
Her family fell upon hard times.
Her father died, and...
left her mother with seven children,
the youngest still nursing.
So I thought it'd be nice
to take her under my wing.
Well, find out what they need
and let me know.
I could use a little helper.
Be nice to have a child around the house
for a change.
Sarah?
Sarah?
We're having trouble
finding a venue for the convention.
Now, if we had a smaller affair,
maybe just the top agents...
What if I had the convention here?
It's almost finished.
You're joking, right?
It's my land. I own it.
I can do whatever I want.
Madam, you are the first Negro
to move into this neighborhood.
Now what do you think
your neighbors would do
when they see hundreds of our people
storming their town?
- I don't care...
- Care, right.
I know. That's what you pay me to do.
I would be remiss
if I didn't voice serious concern.
It's dangerous.
Now, suppose the police come...
with dogs.
Or worse.
I've made up my mind.
I have to do this now.
Miss Sarah?
There's a lady yelling on the phone
for you.
Sounds like the name Maddie?
Thank you, baby.
Hello?
I knew it in my bones,
Sarah Breedlove.
You stole my formula, and now I got proof.
Who is this?
You know damn well who this is.
I'm sorry, you have the wrong number.
Don't you dare hang up on me.
Your husband's fiancée
gave me quite an earful.
Told me that your Hair Grower
is practically the same as mine.
- Nonsense.
- I'm taking it straight to a chemist,
and me and my lawyer
are gonna shut you down.
You are finished, Sarah.
What is it?
Addie Munroe...
has had it out for me for years.
Lord have mercy. What is it this time?
She's accusing me of stealing her formula.
- Can you believe?
- I'll handle it.
Let me make some calls.
CJ...
My apologies.
My daughter is usually very punctual.
Glossine is for the youth.
Glossine is for the people.
Glossine is the future!
Gentlemen, my daughter
can be a little out there.
Sometimes.
Cut it.
What, uh, Lelia was trying to demonstrate
is all women dream
of having hair like this.
Which can be achieved with the help
of the Walker hair care system.
My people are moving out of the South
in droves now.
More colored women
are getting professional jobs than ever.
And we want to look
sophisticated and urban.
And that's why I want my product
in your stores.
- Now let me tell you about the product.
- No need.
Your impeccable reputation precedes you.
We've read all about you
in The New York Times, Madam Walker.
And Saunders Drugs...
wants to be in business with you.
Oh, thank you, Mr. Saunders.
Thank all of you.
Ransom?
You did it, Miss Sarah.
- Believe it.
- Amen.
I'm gonna be a millionaire.
We need to celebrate.
Mmm.
Addie...
knows I stole her formula.
It was you, right?
You told Dora.
I had to find a way
to level the playing field.
You were supposed to take that secret
to the grave.
I was running out of options.
This is my reputation you're toying with.
I know that don't mean much to you,
but it's everything to me.
For years...
I hated being known as
"Mr. Madam CJ Walker."
Turns out not being your husband
is much worse.
Hmm.
Well, you certainly got your vengeance,
didn't you?
Found yourself a nice high-yellow grifter
to embarrass me with.
And now you destroy my legacy?
You betrayed me with the company
and tossed me away like a rag.
If you had kept your thing in your pants...
You had my thing in a vise grip for years.
How am I supposed to compete
with the whole damn company?
I would have put up with anything, CJ.
Anything... except her.
You knew it.
You knew it, and you did it anyway.
Sarah, don't. I made one...
I made one mistake.
One mistake, and that's... that's...
loving you more than anything.
And you broke me.
You broke me.
You broke me.
I love you.
CJ.
Oh, CJ.
Oh.
Oh.
Sarah? Sarah?
Hey. Hey.
Don't leave.
I, uh...
I need to think.
Okay, I gotta go.
I have to get up early tomorrow.
Come on. One more drink.
I've barely seen you
since the Saunders deal went through.
Let's at least celebrate it.
Please.
We can celebrate tomorrow.
Let's celebrate in Paris.
Peaches, I already told you.
I can't just run off to Paris right now.
Let me guess, because of your mom?
I'm sick of your excuses, Lelia.
I just don't believe you anymore.
I don't need Paris.
I need you.
Lelia Walker!
- Mama.
- What in God's name are you doing?
- It's not what you think.
- Yes, it is.
Tell her the truth.
Tell her.
Let's go.
Just wait for me, please.
Whatever this is,
it stops now.
You find a husband,
and you start a family.
No!
I cannot do it. I won't. I tried.
- Nothing is ever good enough for you.
- All I want is an heir.
What about what I want?
Huh?
That's your dream, it's not mine.
I can't live your life.
You have to! You don't have a choice!
Can't you see I'm dying?
The doctor says
I don't have a lot of time.
Kidney disease.
Now you gonna have to be strong, baby.
Keep the company going.
And you need a family.
Who's gonna look after you when I'm gone?
Mama, no...
I built all this wealth
to pass down to you.
To leave a legacy.
But if you don't have any children,
what's it all for?
Now I need you to promise me
that you're gonna settle down.
Look at me.
You promise me
that you're gonna settle down?
I promise.
Okay.
I'm just gonna put
one more coat on it.
All right.
Ransom, I was thinking...
the first shipment to Saunders should...
Ransom?
What is it?
Ransom?
What's wrong?
Colored man can't even
take his boy for ice cream
without harm coming his way.
Did something happen?
Sweetness was looking in on my family,
helping Nettie while I've been here.
Took my boy Willard to the ice cream shop.
Some older boys...
white boys,
bumped into him, knocked over his cone.
Sweetness told them to apologize.
Didn't mince words.
Their fathers didn't like
some flashy, uppity nigger
talking to their sons that way.
I'm sorry, Ransom.
Willard?
The owner of the shop, he hid him.
Thank God.
Spent my entire life ashamed of Sweetness.
Too flashy, too loud...
too angry.
Brilliant man.
Real head for figures.
If he were white,
he'd have been the head of a bank
or a corporation or something.
And he died for...
He died fighting for my son!
I'm sorry.
- I'm sorry.
- It's all right.
Come on. I'll help you pack.
- What about your convention?
- No.
- What about the work that we...
- We're going to Sweetness's funeral.
Lelia will finish the preparations.
Let's get you home.
My condolences.
Oh, Sweetness.
Sarah.
My lawyer is looking into
pressing charges against you.
I bet Saunders Pharmacies doesn't want
that kind of attention either.
Oh. Congratulations on your little deal.
Jealousy is an ugly color on you.
No, no. I'm not jealous.
Tired...
of folks underestimating me
as just another light bright.
Done with being taken advantage of.
So instead,
you want to be remembered as a villain
who shut down Madam Walker's company.
The woman who took thousands of jobs away
from hard-working folk.
I wish I had never knocked on your door
that day, Sarah Breedlove.
What do you want from me, Addie?
Hmm?
You want me to tell the world
that I stole your formula?
Is that what you want?
Excuse me, ma'am.
Did you know that Madam CJ
stole Miracle Hair Grower
from Addie Munroe?
You think you can just swan in here
and steal my work
and all the glory that comes with it?
I can admit I stole your formula.
But you need to admit
that I made it better.
I worked hard on that formula.
And my success made you work harder.
You stole from me,
and you lied about it for years.
I wanted us to work together!
I begged you!
No.
But you didn't want me.
I would have done anything
to be in business with you, Addie.
Anything.
You do work miracles with hair.
We could have been a great team,
the two of us.
Think of all the money we could have made,
all the folks we could have helped
if we had done it together.
Life is short, Addie.
Let it go.
White folks out here killing us.
We have got to stop fighting
over things that don't matter.
All aboard!
All points south.
All aboard.
You sure you don't need me
to come to the convention?
Your family needs you more.
I've signed the divorce papers.
Can you make sure CJ gets a copy?
I'll personally deliver it.
I don't want him or Dora
to get my company...
if something happened.
I'm sure you know about my health.
Lelia never could keep a secret.
You shouldn't be having a convention.
I've slowed down.
No, you haven't.
I've watched you.
This is serious.
I can't afford to lose you too.
Oh.
We're all gonna die, Freeman.
I can't control that.
But I can control...
how I'm remembered,
what I leave behind.
No one will ever forget you, Madam.
I'll make sure of it.
I'm gonna hold you to that.
♪ Been called an angel and the devil
Since the dawn of time ♪
♪ Been called a sweetheart
And the apple of your eye ♪
♪ Been called a vixen and a tramp
And everything between ♪
♪ Been called all kinda of things
Never what I seem ♪
♪ But you can call me queen ♪
♪ But you can call me queen ♪
Oh.
This is everything I dreamed it would be.
Let's go greet our guests.
♪ You can call me queen ♪
No drugstore! Save Glossine!
No drugstore! Save Glossine!
No drugstore! Save Glossine!
No drugstore! Save Glossine!
No drugstore! Save Glossine!
No drugstore! Save Glossine!
Ladies! Ladies!
Ladies, please.
My deal with Saunders Drugstores
is groundbreaking.
In a few years, it will make
the Walker Manufacturing Company bigger
and even more accessible.
What about us?
You selling your products in stores
makes us obsolete.
- Right, ladies?
- Yeah!
I'm prepared to offer you
a large percentage of the profits
in a year.
I need to put food on the table tonight!
Who says you'll still have sales agents
in a year?
I give you my word. I will.
You want our trust?
- Drop your deal with Saunders.
- Yes.
- Or we quit!
- We quit! That's right.
- Wait a minute.
- No more waiting.
You, Madam, have until the end
of the gala tonight to let us know.
- Right, ladies?
- Right!
No drugstore! Save Glossine!
No drugstore! Save Glossine!
No drugstore! Save Glossine!
No drugstore! Save Glossine!
No drugstore! Save Glossine!
No drugstore! Save Glossine!
No drugstore! Save Glossine!
Pull!
Pull!
Madam Walker.
Mr. Rockefeller.
We meet at last.
What in tarnation
is going on at your house?
My workers are striking.
I'm trying to reason with them.
Well, workers are always unreasonable.
Like children.
- You have to decide what's best for them.
- I've tried.
- But they want me...
- Who cares what they want?
You didn't get where you are
by letting people push you around.
They don't like it? Fire 'em.
Welcome to the neighborhood.
Huh.
No drugstore! Save Glossine!
No drugstore! Save Glossine!
No drugstore! Save Glossine!
No drugstore! Save Glossine!
No drugstore! Save Glossine!
No drugstore! Save Glossine!
No drugstore! Save Glossine!
No drugstore! Save Glossine!
No drugstore! Save Glossine!
Yeah, so I had a young boy,
he came to me in the office.
He had a scrunchy little finger.
So I just, you know,
put a little splint on it
and then I kind of wrapped it up.
He was bleeding so much.
Oh. Lelia.
There you are.
Been looking all over for you.
Family emergency.
Pardon me; I need my daughter.
It's gonna take all day and all night,
so you may as well go on home, honey.
First, you push George on me.
Then you drag me away?
I know. I know.
You just look... so... unhappy.
Seeing you with him
just about broke my heart.
You've always been different.
Always gonna be.
So from now on, I'm backing off.
No more dates.
I want you to live your life
the way you want.
The point of this convention,
the point of the company
is to give women like us choices.
Freedom.
I've always just wanted to make you proud.
Oh, darling.
I am proud of you.
You've done a great job
with the Harlem salon,
and I know I don't say that enough.
Lelia, you...
you are my legacy.
My most precious gift.
The beauty of my whole world.
And I always love you.
Always.
I have a surprise for you.
Mama, you were right.
We do need an heir.
And I do want to continue your legacy,
and I can't do it alone.
But I found someone
who needed a little uplifting.
Take a look.
Fairy?
What are you two up to?
Fairy Mae already feels like family.
So I talked to Fairy Mae's mother
and convinced her to let her live with us.
But...
I promised we'd try
to get her into Spelman.
Oh.
Hey, baby.
My girls. Come here.
Oh.
My girls.
Ladies...
you are all so much more
than employees to me.
It's why I had this convention,
why I invited you to my home.
I may have dreamed Walker Manufacturing,
but you...
made it a reality.
Yes, we did.
All I've ever wanted
was to help colored women.
Precious few of us
ever get to reach our destinies.
We are dismissed, undermined,
ignored, stepped over,
beaten, or even worse, lynched.
That's true.
And that is why I have decided
to pull out
of the Saunders Drugstore deal.
Yes.
Yes, I don't need a chain store
to grow my business.
- I have you!
- Yes!
Warriors!
Yes!
An army of strong, powerful women.
Stand with me.
Stand with me, and I vow
to help each and every one of you
take control of your lives.
- Yes.
- Take control of your destinies!
Yes, ma'am.
Stand with me.
Yes! Yes! Yes!
- Yes, we will!
- Yes!
Ooh! Everybody looks so lovely tonight.
- Cheers.
- Cheers.
Beautiful.
I'm so glad you did this, Mama.
Mmm.
I'm glad I got to see it.
How did you ever come up with all this,
Miss Sarah?
Sisters!
Let's talk about hair!
My name is Lelia, and this is my mama.
We have a product here
that I'm sure will change your life.
Female enterprise
is good for us all.
It's the way of the future.
I can see it clear as day.
If you become a Walker sales agent,
you'll have a better job and more money.
Madam CJ Walker will make sure
all your dreams come true.
I don't know how I dreamt it,
but I wasn't gonna let anything stop me.
Look what I dreamed up!
I started selling door-to-door.
I became a hairdresser.
Secretary.
Factory forewoman.
I went to Lelia College,
then I opened my own salon.
By the 1930s, I had worked for
the Walker Company for over 20 years.
In the 1950s, I supervised
a dozen Walker beauty schools.
I was a Madam CJ Walker
national sales agent in the 1970s.
♪ This is who I am ♪
♪ This is what I do ♪
♪ This is who I am ♪
♪ I'm the living proof ♪
♪ This is who I am ♪
♪ This is what I do ♪
♪ This is who I am ♪
♪ Comin' with the truth ♪
♪ This is who I am ♪
♪ This is what I do ♪
♪ This is who I am ♪
♪ I'm the living proof ♪
♪ This is who I am ♪
♪ This is what I do ♪
♪ This is who I am ♪
♪ Comin' with the truth ♪
♪ Path, I make wrath ♪
♪ I make sure this blast
I break glass ♪
♪ I make sure this lasts
It's all math ♪
♪ I make sure this pass
I make class ♪
♪ I make sure that you know
You better know ♪
♪ I got pedal to the floor
I make row ♪
♪ It's all water into wine
As he rhyme ♪
♪ I make it's all mine
A gold mine ♪
♪ I stay on good track, can't fall back
You see, this all patience ♪
♪ Ain't no contract, I'm free stacks
I'm out of The Matrix ♪
♪ And you know that you set back
With no paid vacation ♪
♪ And you hate that you love that
But can't change the station ♪
♪ This is who I am ♪
♪ This is what I do ♪
♪ This is who I am ♪
♪ I'm the living proof ♪
♪ This is who I am ♪
♪ This is what I do ♪
♪ This is who I am ♪
♪ Comin' with the truth ♪
♪ Every time heavyweight champ
In this mother, sucker ♪
♪ 'Cause you don't hear no lies
In this energy I'm giving, brother ♪
♪ I don't waste no time
This is legacy, in truth, mother ♪
♪ Passin' down the tithes, this is church
When you hear me, sucker ♪
♪ Every time heavyweight champ
In this mother, sucker ♪
♪ You don't hear no lies
In this energy I'm giving, brother ♪
♪ I don't waste no time
This is legacy, in truth, mother ♪
♪ Passin' down the tithes, this is church
When you hear me, sucker ♪
♪ This is who I am ♪
♪ This is what I do ♪
♪ This is who I am ♪
♪ This is who I am
This is who I am ♪
♪ Comin' with the truth ♪
beauty culturist Madam CJ Walker
is America's first self-made
female millionaire,
establishing the Madam CJ Walker
Manufacturing Company
a mere two years ago.
Wonderful Hair Grower
put Madam Walker on the map,
but her pressing oil, Glossine,
and hot comb kit
made her a household name,
with salons and sales agents
across the country.
And now, her daughter Lelia
is following in her footsteps,
opening a salon known as the Dark Tower
in the heart of Harlem.
Time for a toast. To Sarah.
Congratulations on officially moving
to New York.
Mm-hmm.
Why, thank you, Dr. Du Bois.
And to my beautiful daughter Lelia,
for being so gracious
and putting me up in Harlem
while they finish my new estate.
And for creating such a beautiful salon.
May The Dark Tower be your legacy.
- Dinner is served.
- Mmm.
Please follow me to the residency.
I'm so excited to see what Lelia
has done with this magnificent house.
I hear they have a greenhouse.
- More champagne?
- Oh.
Don't mind if I do.
Read the story on you
in The New York Times.
Must feel pretty great
to be Madam CJ Walker right now.
I feel like I'm living a dream.
Madam? Madam, are you all right?
Sarah!
Sarah.
Madam, are you all right?
Sarah, come home.
Sarah.
Sarah.
Are you listening?
I want you on a strict vegetarian diet.
And you'll need to take a sabbatical
from working for at least a year.
Mm-mmm.
This is serious.
How bad is it?
Well, according to your test,
your kidneys are failing,
and there is no cure.
You're dying.
Madam?
It's Mr. Ransom and Lelia here with you.
Mama, are you okay? What'd the doctor say?
Oh.
Too much champagne, and...
my blood pressure's a little high,
but other than that, I'm...
...fine.
Well, uh...
you had us worried.
I just got the best idea.
I want to have a convention.
I want to bring all my employees together,
all 10,000 of them,
together under one roof.
What do y'all think?
Well, that, uh, that sounds interesting,
but, uh, we can talk about it tomorrow.
- Let's get you home.
- Oh... I want it to be big.
Bigger than the National Negro
Business League Convention.
Bigger... than the Teamsters.
And I want to have panels and...
and lectures and a formal gala.
Mama, slow down.
Ten thousand employees.
That ain't just big, that's a small army.
Mm-hmm.
An army.
I like that.
I like that.
An army.
- ♪ Oh ♪
- ♪ How about if you ♪
♪ Take flight and reach my altitude? ♪
♪ There'll be no need for the floor ♪
We were there.
- Oh, it was nice.
- Ladies.
- Oh, I loved it.
- Really?
Here. To celebrate the show tonight.
- Cheers.
- Cheers.
To a wonderful opening.
I think you should really come back
more often.
Exactly which songs are you guys
going to be singing tonight?
What's going on?
Come on.
Is this a party or a place of business?
If you're not working here,
or a paying customer, get out.
- Get out!
- Mama.
You remember the Whitman Sisters?
They're opening
at the Lafayette Theater tonight.
Oh.
They bought out the salon to get ready.
Yes, of course. My apologies.
I'm a big fan.
I caught your act in Chicago.
Well, welcome, ladies.
Carry on. I'm just gonna..
...borrow my daughter.
Mama, what are you doing
out of bed? You should be resting.
A little warning would have been nice.
Now, Ransom found a venue
for my convention,
so you and me need to go over there
and make a plan.
Now? Can't we do that later?
I have important clients.
I don't have time for "later," gal.
You gotta strike while the iron's hot.
And we need to go out
and get you some new dresses.
This is all the rage in Paris.
You're never gonna catch a decent husband
dressed like that.
- Mama...
- I want grandbabies.
It's been years since you divorced John.
The only men that are interested in me
are after my money.
Okay, your money.
Well, now that I'm living in New York,
I can help.
I'll make a list of acceptable men,
and you'll have a new beau on your arm
by the convention.
Sarah Walker.
You can run, but you can't hide.
I'm busy.
I don't have time for your nonsense
anymore, CJ.
You the one that wanted the divorce.
Now sign the damn papers!
- Don't barge in making demands.
- You haven't changed.
You still as selfish as ever.
Ain't nothing more selfish
than a man cheating on his wife.
Oh, and I heard your little girlfriend
Dora has been running around
trying to pass herself off
as Madam CJ Walker.
- You thought I wouldn't find out?
- It's my name.
I can do
whatever I damn well please with it.
No, no, no. Madam CJ Walker is my name!
I worked like a dog to build it.
Now I'm not signing anything
until I get some assurances
that you and Dora
won't put any products out using my name.
It's been two years.
Stop toying with me, Sarah.
Sign the damn papers!
Harrison will show you out.
- Harrison...
- Harrison?
I ain't leaving New York
until you sign on the dotted line.
Now, I'm gonna be at the Marshall Hotel
under my name...
Charles Joseph Walker!
On your tab, woman.
Don't... Don't touch me.
This one's head is just way too big.
No, not that one.
This one look like
his mama still dress him.
Is your mama Mata Hari or something?
How she find these men?
And with photos too?
Beats me.
All I know is Mama ain't been right
ever since she fainted.
Doesn't she see you have more to offer
than making babies?
We're still moving to Paris.
Mama just got spooked in the hospital.
Once she move out and get busy
with the convention...
she'll forget all about me.
I'm not so sure.
We have to make sure she focuses
on something other than you.
What's something she's always wanted?
Long hair all the way to her fanny,
a koala bear, and a trip to the moon.
No. I meant for her business.
A few years back,
she was this close to getting Glossine
into the 10 Cents and Less store.
But drunk old CJ messed that deal up.
I know Henrietta Saunders.
Her daddy owns
the Saunders Drugstore chain.
- Really?
- Mm-hmm.
Well, call up Henrietta
and see if she wants
to come out with us tonight.
Mmm.
She had the nerve
to kick me out of my house.
I mean,
it's my house till the divorce, right?
Why won't she just sign the papers?
What does she w...
What does she want?
I wish I knew.
I know I'm running up her tab
something awful, I know that much.
Maybe she's still in love with you.
Or thinks you're still in love with her.
I told you.
You my Walker Girl now.
You told me I'd be Madam CJ Walker by now.
We making good money with Addie.
We?
I don't see you punching a clock.
You know what I mean.
I don't want to work for Addie.
I'm a star too, you know.
I'll stay here as long as it takes.
Wear Sarah down.
No. We need a new plan to get rid of her.
I've heard some interesting things
about Sarah and Addie Munroe.
I know you got some dirt.
Spill it.
Ugh...
Would you mind concentrating
on the work in the back of the house?
I'd like to set up something
in the garden.
Yes, ma'am.
Mama?
Mama?
Oh. There you are.
Mmm.
Good morning.
How was your date with Dr. Hanover?
Great.
He had to deliver twins
and never showed up.
Dr. Hanover is one of the most
eligible bachelors in Harlem.
I hope you rescheduled.
Well, I was so busy trying to get in
with Saunders Drugstore,
I must have forgot.
It says the board wants to meet
to talk about getting Walker products
in their stores.
How on Earth did you pull this off?
Let's just say
I know people in high places.
I've been trying to make a deal like this
for years.
We should do something special
for the presentation.
New ads just for Saunders.
Maybe a photo shoot in your garden?
Lelia Walker, you just might have
a knack for business after all.
Oh.
Look at that.
Hello.
You must be the model.
- What's your name, darling?
- Fairy Mae Bryant.
Fairy Mae, you have
the most gorgeous hair I've ever seen.
I like your hair, too.
And your house.
Well, thank you.
It's so pretty.
- You live next door to Rockefeller?
- Yes.
I've never met him, but I want to.
I'd ask him to let me into that school
they named after his wife.
- What do you know about Spelman College?
- I don't know.
Just heard it's the best college
for colored gals, is all.
Mm-hmm. I wanted Miss Lelia to go there,
but she wasn't interested.
I'll take her place.
I like your gumption.
Fairy. Go inside, honey.
They're ready to do your hair.
Oh!
- Isn't she the cat's meow?
- Where on Earth did you find her?
Sweeping up at the salon.
Her family fell upon hard times.
Her father died, and...
left her mother with seven children,
the youngest still nursing.
So I thought it'd be nice
to take her under my wing.
Well, find out what they need
and let me know.
I could use a little helper.
Be nice to have a child around the house
for a change.
Sarah?
Sarah?
We're having trouble
finding a venue for the convention.
Now, if we had a smaller affair,
maybe just the top agents...
What if I had the convention here?
It's almost finished.
You're joking, right?
It's my land. I own it.
I can do whatever I want.
Madam, you are the first Negro
to move into this neighborhood.
Now what do you think
your neighbors would do
when they see hundreds of our people
storming their town?
- I don't care...
- Care, right.
I know. That's what you pay me to do.
I would be remiss
if I didn't voice serious concern.
It's dangerous.
Now, suppose the police come...
with dogs.
Or worse.
I've made up my mind.
I have to do this now.
Miss Sarah?
There's a lady yelling on the phone
for you.
Sounds like the name Maddie?
Thank you, baby.
Hello?
I knew it in my bones,
Sarah Breedlove.
You stole my formula, and now I got proof.
Who is this?
You know damn well who this is.
I'm sorry, you have the wrong number.
Don't you dare hang up on me.
Your husband's fiancée
gave me quite an earful.
Told me that your Hair Grower
is practically the same as mine.
- Nonsense.
- I'm taking it straight to a chemist,
and me and my lawyer
are gonna shut you down.
You are finished, Sarah.
What is it?
Addie Munroe...
has had it out for me for years.
Lord have mercy. What is it this time?
She's accusing me of stealing her formula.
- Can you believe?
- I'll handle it.
Let me make some calls.
CJ...
My apologies.
My daughter is usually very punctual.
Glossine is for the youth.
Glossine is for the people.
Glossine is the future!
Gentlemen, my daughter
can be a little out there.
Sometimes.
Cut it.
What, uh, Lelia was trying to demonstrate
is all women dream
of having hair like this.
Which can be achieved with the help
of the Walker hair care system.
My people are moving out of the South
in droves now.
More colored women
are getting professional jobs than ever.
And we want to look
sophisticated and urban.
And that's why I want my product
in your stores.
- Now let me tell you about the product.
- No need.
Your impeccable reputation precedes you.
We've read all about you
in The New York Times, Madam Walker.
And Saunders Drugs...
wants to be in business with you.
Oh, thank you, Mr. Saunders.
Thank all of you.
Ransom?
You did it, Miss Sarah.
- Believe it.
- Amen.
I'm gonna be a millionaire.
We need to celebrate.
Mmm.
Addie...
knows I stole her formula.
It was you, right?
You told Dora.
I had to find a way
to level the playing field.
You were supposed to take that secret
to the grave.
I was running out of options.
This is my reputation you're toying with.
I know that don't mean much to you,
but it's everything to me.
For years...
I hated being known as
"Mr. Madam CJ Walker."
Turns out not being your husband
is much worse.
Hmm.
Well, you certainly got your vengeance,
didn't you?
Found yourself a nice high-yellow grifter
to embarrass me with.
And now you destroy my legacy?
You betrayed me with the company
and tossed me away like a rag.
If you had kept your thing in your pants...
You had my thing in a vise grip for years.
How am I supposed to compete
with the whole damn company?
I would have put up with anything, CJ.
Anything... except her.
You knew it.
You knew it, and you did it anyway.
Sarah, don't. I made one...
I made one mistake.
One mistake, and that's... that's...
loving you more than anything.
And you broke me.
You broke me.
You broke me.
I love you.
CJ.
Oh, CJ.
Oh.
Oh.
Sarah? Sarah?
Hey. Hey.
Don't leave.
I, uh...
I need to think.
Okay, I gotta go.
I have to get up early tomorrow.
Come on. One more drink.
I've barely seen you
since the Saunders deal went through.
Let's at least celebrate it.
Please.
We can celebrate tomorrow.
Let's celebrate in Paris.
Peaches, I already told you.
I can't just run off to Paris right now.
Let me guess, because of your mom?
I'm sick of your excuses, Lelia.
I just don't believe you anymore.
I don't need Paris.
I need you.
Lelia Walker!
- Mama.
- What in God's name are you doing?
- It's not what you think.
- Yes, it is.
Tell her the truth.
Tell her.
Let's go.
Just wait for me, please.
Whatever this is,
it stops now.
You find a husband,
and you start a family.
No!
I cannot do it. I won't. I tried.
- Nothing is ever good enough for you.
- All I want is an heir.
What about what I want?
Huh?
That's your dream, it's not mine.
I can't live your life.
You have to! You don't have a choice!
Can't you see I'm dying?
The doctor says
I don't have a lot of time.
Kidney disease.
Now you gonna have to be strong, baby.
Keep the company going.
And you need a family.
Who's gonna look after you when I'm gone?
Mama, no...
I built all this wealth
to pass down to you.
To leave a legacy.
But if you don't have any children,
what's it all for?
Now I need you to promise me
that you're gonna settle down.
Look at me.
You promise me
that you're gonna settle down?
I promise.
Okay.
I'm just gonna put
one more coat on it.
All right.
Ransom, I was thinking...
the first shipment to Saunders should...
Ransom?
What is it?
Ransom?
What's wrong?
Colored man can't even
take his boy for ice cream
without harm coming his way.
Did something happen?
Sweetness was looking in on my family,
helping Nettie while I've been here.
Took my boy Willard to the ice cream shop.
Some older boys...
white boys,
bumped into him, knocked over his cone.
Sweetness told them to apologize.
Didn't mince words.
Their fathers didn't like
some flashy, uppity nigger
talking to their sons that way.
I'm sorry, Ransom.
Willard?
The owner of the shop, he hid him.
Thank God.
Spent my entire life ashamed of Sweetness.
Too flashy, too loud...
too angry.
Brilliant man.
Real head for figures.
If he were white,
he'd have been the head of a bank
or a corporation or something.
And he died for...
He died fighting for my son!
I'm sorry.
- I'm sorry.
- It's all right.
Come on. I'll help you pack.
- What about your convention?
- No.
- What about the work that we...
- We're going to Sweetness's funeral.
Lelia will finish the preparations.
Let's get you home.
My condolences.
Oh, Sweetness.
Sarah.
My lawyer is looking into
pressing charges against you.
I bet Saunders Pharmacies doesn't want
that kind of attention either.
Oh. Congratulations on your little deal.
Jealousy is an ugly color on you.
No, no. I'm not jealous.
Tired...
of folks underestimating me
as just another light bright.
Done with being taken advantage of.
So instead,
you want to be remembered as a villain
who shut down Madam Walker's company.
The woman who took thousands of jobs away
from hard-working folk.
I wish I had never knocked on your door
that day, Sarah Breedlove.
What do you want from me, Addie?
Hmm?
You want me to tell the world
that I stole your formula?
Is that what you want?
Excuse me, ma'am.
Did you know that Madam CJ
stole Miracle Hair Grower
from Addie Munroe?
You think you can just swan in here
and steal my work
and all the glory that comes with it?
I can admit I stole your formula.
But you need to admit
that I made it better.
I worked hard on that formula.
And my success made you work harder.
You stole from me,
and you lied about it for years.
I wanted us to work together!
I begged you!
No.
But you didn't want me.
I would have done anything
to be in business with you, Addie.
Anything.
You do work miracles with hair.
We could have been a great team,
the two of us.
Think of all the money we could have made,
all the folks we could have helped
if we had done it together.
Life is short, Addie.
Let it go.
White folks out here killing us.
We have got to stop fighting
over things that don't matter.
All aboard!
All points south.
All aboard.
You sure you don't need me
to come to the convention?
Your family needs you more.
I've signed the divorce papers.
Can you make sure CJ gets a copy?
I'll personally deliver it.
I don't want him or Dora
to get my company...
if something happened.
I'm sure you know about my health.
Lelia never could keep a secret.
You shouldn't be having a convention.
I've slowed down.
No, you haven't.
I've watched you.
This is serious.
I can't afford to lose you too.
Oh.
We're all gonna die, Freeman.
I can't control that.
But I can control...
how I'm remembered,
what I leave behind.
No one will ever forget you, Madam.
I'll make sure of it.
I'm gonna hold you to that.
♪ Been called an angel and the devil
Since the dawn of time ♪
♪ Been called a sweetheart
And the apple of your eye ♪
♪ Been called a vixen and a tramp
And everything between ♪
♪ Been called all kinda of things
Never what I seem ♪
♪ But you can call me queen ♪
♪ But you can call me queen ♪
Oh.
This is everything I dreamed it would be.
Let's go greet our guests.
♪ You can call me queen ♪
No drugstore! Save Glossine!
No drugstore! Save Glossine!
No drugstore! Save Glossine!
No drugstore! Save Glossine!
No drugstore! Save Glossine!
No drugstore! Save Glossine!
Ladies! Ladies!
Ladies, please.
My deal with Saunders Drugstores
is groundbreaking.
In a few years, it will make
the Walker Manufacturing Company bigger
and even more accessible.
What about us?
You selling your products in stores
makes us obsolete.
- Right, ladies?
- Yeah!
I'm prepared to offer you
a large percentage of the profits
in a year.
I need to put food on the table tonight!
Who says you'll still have sales agents
in a year?
I give you my word. I will.
You want our trust?
- Drop your deal with Saunders.
- Yes.
- Or we quit!
- We quit! That's right.
- Wait a minute.
- No more waiting.
You, Madam, have until the end
of the gala tonight to let us know.
- Right, ladies?
- Right!
No drugstore! Save Glossine!
No drugstore! Save Glossine!
No drugstore! Save Glossine!
No drugstore! Save Glossine!
No drugstore! Save Glossine!
No drugstore! Save Glossine!
No drugstore! Save Glossine!
Pull!
Pull!
Madam Walker.
Mr. Rockefeller.
We meet at last.
What in tarnation
is going on at your house?
My workers are striking.
I'm trying to reason with them.
Well, workers are always unreasonable.
Like children.
- You have to decide what's best for them.
- I've tried.
- But they want me...
- Who cares what they want?
You didn't get where you are
by letting people push you around.
They don't like it? Fire 'em.
Welcome to the neighborhood.
Huh.
No drugstore! Save Glossine!
No drugstore! Save Glossine!
No drugstore! Save Glossine!
No drugstore! Save Glossine!
No drugstore! Save Glossine!
No drugstore! Save Glossine!
No drugstore! Save Glossine!
No drugstore! Save Glossine!
No drugstore! Save Glossine!
Yeah, so I had a young boy,
he came to me in the office.
He had a scrunchy little finger.
So I just, you know,
put a little splint on it
and then I kind of wrapped it up.
He was bleeding so much.
Oh. Lelia.
There you are.
Been looking all over for you.
Family emergency.
Pardon me; I need my daughter.
It's gonna take all day and all night,
so you may as well go on home, honey.
First, you push George on me.
Then you drag me away?
I know. I know.
You just look... so... unhappy.
Seeing you with him
just about broke my heart.
You've always been different.
Always gonna be.
So from now on, I'm backing off.
No more dates.
I want you to live your life
the way you want.
The point of this convention,
the point of the company
is to give women like us choices.
Freedom.
I've always just wanted to make you proud.
Oh, darling.
I am proud of you.
You've done a great job
with the Harlem salon,
and I know I don't say that enough.
Lelia, you...
you are my legacy.
My most precious gift.
The beauty of my whole world.
And I always love you.
Always.
I have a surprise for you.
Mama, you were right.
We do need an heir.
And I do want to continue your legacy,
and I can't do it alone.
But I found someone
who needed a little uplifting.
Take a look.
Fairy?
What are you two up to?
Fairy Mae already feels like family.
So I talked to Fairy Mae's mother
and convinced her to let her live with us.
But...
I promised we'd try
to get her into Spelman.
Oh.
Hey, baby.
My girls. Come here.
Oh.
My girls.
Ladies...
you are all so much more
than employees to me.
It's why I had this convention,
why I invited you to my home.
I may have dreamed Walker Manufacturing,
but you...
made it a reality.
Yes, we did.
All I've ever wanted
was to help colored women.
Precious few of us
ever get to reach our destinies.
We are dismissed, undermined,
ignored, stepped over,
beaten, or even worse, lynched.
That's true.
And that is why I have decided
to pull out
of the Saunders Drugstore deal.
Yes.
Yes, I don't need a chain store
to grow my business.
- I have you!
- Yes!
Warriors!
Yes!
An army of strong, powerful women.
Stand with me.
Stand with me, and I vow
to help each and every one of you
take control of your lives.
- Yes.
- Take control of your destinies!
Yes, ma'am.
Stand with me.
Yes! Yes! Yes!
- Yes, we will!
- Yes!
Ooh! Everybody looks so lovely tonight.
- Cheers.
- Cheers.
Beautiful.
I'm so glad you did this, Mama.
Mmm.
I'm glad I got to see it.
How did you ever come up with all this,
Miss Sarah?
Sisters!
Let's talk about hair!
My name is Lelia, and this is my mama.
We have a product here
that I'm sure will change your life.
Female enterprise
is good for us all.
It's the way of the future.
I can see it clear as day.
If you become a Walker sales agent,
you'll have a better job and more money.
Madam CJ Walker will make sure
all your dreams come true.
I don't know how I dreamt it,
but I wasn't gonna let anything stop me.
Look what I dreamed up!
I started selling door-to-door.
I became a hairdresser.
Secretary.
Factory forewoman.
I went to Lelia College,
then I opened my own salon.
By the 1930s, I had worked for
the Walker Company for over 20 years.
In the 1950s, I supervised
a dozen Walker beauty schools.
I was a Madam CJ Walker
national sales agent in the 1970s.
♪ This is who I am ♪
♪ This is what I do ♪
♪ This is who I am ♪
♪ I'm the living proof ♪
♪ This is who I am ♪
♪ This is what I do ♪
♪ This is who I am ♪
♪ Comin' with the truth ♪
♪ This is who I am ♪
♪ This is what I do ♪
♪ This is who I am ♪
♪ I'm the living proof ♪
♪ This is who I am ♪
♪ This is what I do ♪
♪ This is who I am ♪
♪ Comin' with the truth ♪
♪ Path, I make wrath ♪
♪ I make sure this blast
I break glass ♪
♪ I make sure this lasts
It's all math ♪
♪ I make sure this pass
I make class ♪
♪ I make sure that you know
You better know ♪
♪ I got pedal to the floor
I make row ♪
♪ It's all water into wine
As he rhyme ♪
♪ I make it's all mine
A gold mine ♪
♪ I stay on good track, can't fall back
You see, this all patience ♪
♪ Ain't no contract, I'm free stacks
I'm out of The Matrix ♪
♪ And you know that you set back
With no paid vacation ♪
♪ And you hate that you love that
But can't change the station ♪
♪ This is who I am ♪
♪ This is what I do ♪
♪ This is who I am ♪
♪ I'm the living proof ♪
♪ This is who I am ♪
♪ This is what I do ♪
♪ This is who I am ♪
♪ Comin' with the truth ♪
♪ Every time heavyweight champ
In this mother, sucker ♪
♪ 'Cause you don't hear no lies
In this energy I'm giving, brother ♪
♪ I don't waste no time
This is legacy, in truth, mother ♪
♪ Passin' down the tithes, this is church
When you hear me, sucker ♪
♪ Every time heavyweight champ
In this mother, sucker ♪
♪ You don't hear no lies
In this energy I'm giving, brother ♪
♪ I don't waste no time
This is legacy, in truth, mother ♪
♪ Passin' down the tithes, this is church
When you hear me, sucker ♪
♪ This is who I am ♪
♪ This is what I do ♪
♪ This is who I am ♪
♪ This is who I am
This is who I am ♪
♪ Comin' with the truth ♪