WHAT THE DEAF MAN HEARD

REVIEWED BY ERIN DAMAN

Our rating: 4 out of 5

Because of: thematic elements

Rated:

“What the Deaf Man Heard” is yet another well-made Hallmark Hall of Fame film-a delightful blend of  humor, mystery, drama, and eccentric characters. I sat down to this movie not knowing quite what to expect-and to my delight, I found myself pleasantly surprised. Young Sammy Ayers is a sweet little guy-cute, clever, loving, and obedient.  So when his mom, a striking single mother by the name of Helen, tells him to pack up for an unexpected trip, he gathers up his treasures and hops on the bus with his mom.  Though he asks many questions about why and where they are going, he gets little information from his distracted mother. During the long, tiring bus ride, little Sammy falls into a deep sleep, not noticing that night has fallen and the bus has stopped to let the passengers get out and stretch their legs.

Unbeknownst to Sammy, his mother is kidnapped and carried off into the night. So when Sammy awakens at their destination several hours later, his mama is nowhere to be found. Her suitcase is still on the seat next to him, but his mama isn’t. Confused and worried, he listens mutely as the bus driver tells him this is where his ticket ends, and he must get off the bus. Sammy obeys, taking the suitcase and sitting down on a bench outside the bus depot. For hours he sits and waits, and still no sign of his mother. Eventually, Sammy is noticed by the depot owner, a kindly man by the name of Norm Jenkins. He asks Sammy a number of questions, but gets no reply. Coming to the conclusion that the youngster is a deaf-mute, and seeing no one has come for him, Norm takes Sammy under his wing and gives him something to eat and a room in the back of the depot to sleep in.

Nearly twenty years later, (Circa 1960) Sammy is still living in the back room of the depot, and still not speaking. He’s become the town handyman, who everyone likes and everyone assumes is deaf and mute. Sammy is clever and can fix anything, and lives a happy life under the care of Norm and his friend Lucille, the waitress at the café adjoining the depot. The whole town not only treats Sammy like family, but confides in him as if he were. The townspeople tell Sammy everything-their likes, their dislikes, and their secrets, assuming he is deaf; but the pleasant young man hears every word spoken to him. He knows all about the townspeople-how the wealthy junkyard man who everyone assumes is dirt-poor got to be so rich, the way the town’s pastor is ordered around by wealthy, spoiled Tolliver Tynan, and the thoughts of Tolliver’s warm, friendly sister, Tallassee.

The only secret he doesn’t seem to know is about Norm. Every Saturday, Norm hops on the bus in the morning and doesn’t come back until evening.  No one knows where he goes or what he does. Other than that, Sammy knows everything there is to know about the goings-on of the small Southern town. His advantage doesn’t pose much of a problem until he overhears the biggest secret of them all-two prominent citizens swindling church funds and feeding them into personal investments.  Upon learning this, Sammy finds himself in a quandary-should he take matters into his own hands, and hope no one learns his secret? Or should he speak out, revealing his secret? If he does, will anyone ever trust him again? Everything hinges on “What the Deaf Man Heard.”

There is little to offend in this charming film-no foul language to speak of, and no sensuality. The only violence is implied rape and murder, but nothing is shown. Still, some viewers may be disturbed by the implications of it. A church is destroyed by an explosion due to moonshine being stored in the baptistery (right under everybody’s nose, and in the last place someone would look!). This plot twist may offend some people. The town minister is a young, easily manipulated fellow with not much for backbone, which doesn’t cast clergy in a very favorable light.  I’m not sure if the movie is supposed to be mocking the minister, or the church, so depending on one’s interpretation, one could take offense at the way religion is handled this particular film. It seems a lot of the potentially offensive aspects of the movie hinge on how the viewer interprets them. 

Also, some slighter injustices go unpunished, which may bother some people. These things aside, What the Deaf Man Heard is a cute, funny movie I’m sure just about anybody would enjoy. 

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