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Driving Miss Daisy
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==Plot== In 1948, Daisy Werthan, or Miss Daisy, a 72-year-old wealthy, [[Jewish American|Jewish]], widowed, retired schoolteacher, lives alone in [[Atlanta|Atlanta, Georgia]], except for a black housekeeper, Idella, who comes in daily. When Miss Daisy accidentally drives her [[Chrysler Windsor#1946β1948|1946 Chrysler Windsor]] into her neighbor's yard, her 40-year-old son, Boolie, buys her a [[Hudson Commodore#Third generation|Hudson Commodore]] and hires 60-year-old Hoke Colburn, a black chauffeur, as Miss Daisy can no longer drive due to her being a high insurance risk. Boolie tells Hoke that Miss Daisy may not appreciate his efforts, but she cannot fire him, because Boolie is his employer. At first, Miss Daisy refuses to let anyone drive her, but Hoke's patience pays off, and she reluctantly accepts the first two trips; one to the [[Piggly Wiggly]] supermarket, the other to her [[The Temple (Atlanta)|synagogue]]. Then she tries to get Boolie to fire Hoke after discovering a can of salmon missing from her pantry. However, Hoke, unprompted, admits to eating the salmon, and offers a replacement. As Miss Daisy and Hoke spend time together, she comes to appreciate his many skills. She teaches him to read for the first time using her teaching skills and resources. After Idella dies in the spring of 1963, rather than hire a new housekeeper, Miss Daisy decides to care for her own house and have Hoke do the cooking and the driving. Meanwhile, Hoke buys the cars in which he drives Miss Daisy, after they are traded in for newer models, and he negotiates a higher salary with Boolie. The film explores [[racism in the United States|racism against African Americans]] and [[antisemitism in the United States|antisemitism]] in the South. After her synagogue [[Hebrew Benevolent Congregation Temple bombing|is bombed]], Miss Daisy realizes that she is also a victim of prejudice. American society is undergoing radical changes, and Miss Daisy attends a dinner at which Dr. [[Martin Luther King Jr.]] gives a speech. Boolie declines when she invites him to the dinner, suggesting that Miss Daisy invite Hoke. She waits until the last moment, asking Hoke to be her guest during the car ride to the event. She attends the dinner alone while Hoke, who is insulted by the manner of the invitation, listens to the speech on the car radio. One morning in 1971, Hoke arrives at the house to find Miss Daisy agitated and showing signs of [[dementia]]: she believes that she is a young teacher again. Hoke calms her down. In that conversation, she calls Hoke her "best friend". Boolie arranges for Miss Daisy to enter a retirement home. In 1973, Hoke, now 85 and rapidly losing his eyesight, retires. Boolie, now 65, drives Hoke to the retirement home to visit Miss Daisy, now 97.<ref>{{cite book| title=Driving Miss Daisy| first=Alfred| last=Uhry| date=January 1, 1998| publisher=Dramatists Play Service, Inc.|isbn = 0822203359}}</ref> The two catch up, and Hoke gently feeds her Thanksgiving pie. The final scene is an image of the black Cadillac driving on a road.
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