The Wilgus Stories
Set in the mountains of Kentucky, The Wilgus Stories is a trilogy (Fat Monroe, Night Ride and Maxine) about Wilgus Collier and those close to him.
Premiere Date
June 1, 2000
Length
60 minutes
Adapted from Gurney Norman's novel Kinfolks, The Wilgus Stories dramatizes three rites of passage in the life of Wilgus Collier, a coalminer's son in Appalachia. In Fat Monroe, starring Ned Beatty, nine-year-old Wilgus holds his own against the good-natured teasing of his father's crony. In Night Ride, an adult again perplexes Wilgus, now age 14. In the dark, on a wasteland of burning mine tailings, wild Uncle Delmer offers Wilgus memories of his dead father and the mysteries of the universe. In Maxine, set in 1970, 23-year-old Wilgus packs up his VW for California and graduate school. Before he sets off, he comes to the aid of his distraught friend Maxine, a single mother who, for the first time, is able to depend on Wilgus.