His condemned life as a third-generation slave meant laboring in the hot sun under harsh conditions and under he threat of whips and death.With much of the film""s action occurring within a theatrical boarding house (the Footlights Club) for young, star-struck, vulnerable ingenues and debutantes, it is filled with bitchy and sassy, and stage-struck young women - who laugh and heckle each other, shed ears, express their hopes, dreams and aspirations, spout wisecracks, barbs, and insults, and genuine, heartfelt words of experience.While sitting in his open vehicle driven into the cotton fields, the imperious Norwood ordered that Marvin work in the field immediately before winter set in: ("Tom, you can""t afford to let Marvin go to school now.] Jake also becomes hot-headed when he must defend his sleazy profession (of nosing into other people""s personal affairs) to another shop customer (Doc Erickson) who is employed by the First National Bank Mortgage Department:Listen, pal.