Over the Hill 1931

Morning chaos at the Shelby household

Ma wakes the four children – Johnny, Thomas, Isaac, and Susan – and tries to get them ready for school. The boys fight and kick each other as they dress, waking Pa, who irritably spanks Isaac. This early routine sets a tense, hard-working tone for the Shelby household.

School humiliation and Johnny's punishment

At school, Isaac endures humiliation when a drawing of his kissing the teacher is revealed. Although Thomas did it, Johnny is blamed and punished by Pa afterward. After the episode, Johnny is comforted by his childhood friend Isabelle Potter.

Isaac's moral progress and misstep

Isaac earns the family's respect by memorizing the Ten Commandments and remaining a model student. Yet he secretly steals twenty-five cents from the savings, showing a conflicting streak beneath his pious exterior. The incident foreshadows the complex family tensions to come.

Ma's late-night work and Pa's unemployment

Ma works late at night, sewing and ironing for others, while Pa remains unemployed and hopeful for a promised government job. The household tightens around her labor, highlighting the economic strain on the family. She keeps faith in a better future despite the growing pressures.

Christmas Eve gathering years later

Years pass and the children return for Christmas Eve, now grown with partners in tow. Johnny brings Isabelle, Susan arrives with Ben, Thomas comes with Phyllis, and Isaac arrives with Minnie. After dinner, the family faces unspoken disappointments and fragile hopes for the future.

Pa's fateful bootlegging plan

After dinner Pa goes out to meet men for whom he will transport bootleg liquor. Johnny hears gunshots, sees Pa speeding by, and later finds Pa's car stuck in the snow. He offers to take care of the car, but is arrested for possessing the liquor.

Johnny's prison sentence and Ma's visits

Johnny is sentenced to three years in prison for the liquor charge. He tells Isabelle not to wait, but she remains close to Ma, who visits him in prison. The family endures the separation as Johnny begins his long confinement.

Pa's death and unspoken guilt

Pa dreams about Johnny slaving in the prison workshop and wrestles with guilt. He resolves to tell Ma the truth, but he dies before he can speak. His death leaves Ma to face the consequences of the unspoken crime alone.

Johnny's release and reunion

A year early for good behavior, Johnny returns home to a tearful reunion. He discovers the house is being sold and confronts Isaac about letting Ma fall into hardship. He then decides to go work in Seattle and to send money to Ma and Isaac from afar.

Isaac's scheming against Ma

In Johnny's absence, Isaac pressures Ma to sell her house and move in with Thomas and Phyllis. Ma catches Phyllis sunbathing with her lover on the roof, and Minnie and Ben both refuse to welcome Ma into their homes. Isaac's cold ambition accelerates Ma's decline.

The Alaska letter and Ma's peril

Isaac receives a letter from the Alaska Mining Corporation about Johnny's expedition lost at the North Pole, but he burns it and pockets the monthly check. He uses the money to suggest Ma belongs in the poorhouse, deepening the family’s estrangement. This moment marks a cruel turning point.

Ma checks into the poorhouse

Ma opts to enter the poorhouse to secure lodging and work. The move is a humiliation that underscores how far the family has fallen and how little support she has left.

Johnny's fury and the rescue

Johnny returns home and erupts when he learns the house is for sale and that Isaac enabled Ma's stay in the poorhouse. He fights Isaac in the street, then Isabelle intervenes and helps him drive to the poorhouse. There, he finds Ma scrubbing floors and lifts her out, proclaiming that his boy has returned.