The Liberation of L.B. Jones (1970) on Netflix
L.B. Jones, an African American funeral director in Somerton, Tennessee, seeks a divorce from his younger wife Emma. He suspects white police officer Willie Joe Worth of an affair with her.
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- Netflix3.3/5
- IMDb6.8/101,436 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes63%
Trailer
Plot summary
In the town of Somerton, Tennessee, L.B. Jones is a wealthy African American funeral director. He asks the law firm of Oman Hedgepath and his nephew Steve Mundine to handle a divorce from his much younger wife, Emma. Jones believes Emma had an affair with Willie Joe Worth, a white police officer, and that Worth is the father of the unborn child she is carrying. Worth wants the case settled without public scandal and urges Emma not to contest the divorce. Emma has other plans: she hopes to collect enough alimony to keep up the comfortable life she has grown used to.
Cast
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Did you know?!Facts and trivia about The Liberation of L.B. Jones (1970)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Jesse Hill Ford's novel drew on events in the Southern town where he lived, and he was verbally attacked there for writing about them; the film's release brought fresh controversy, especially in Humboldt, Tennessee, where Ford lived.
- Jesse Hill Ford wrote the first screenplay himself, then Stirling Silliphant was brought in to do a draft for $200,000, while director William Wyler was paid $600,000.
