Jackie Torrence Shares Stories From Her Family Album

"She didn't need an electric mixer, she had her right hand," says storyteller Jackie Torrence of her grandmother. With wide eyes and sly humor Torrence recounts episodes from her first six years with her arthritic grandfather (the official coat-tail puller of the local preacher, to remind him it was time to "shuddup"), no-nonsense grandmother (whose feed sack apron Torrence still has and treasures), and buxom Aunt Sally (whose "jiggle" young Jackie coveted) in rural North Carolina. Laugh-out loud funny (after telling someone that she aspired to be a "hussy" one day--a new word she'd learned--Torrence says: "don't let anybody tell you that homemade soap is sweet"), the program is also painfully poignant at times, as Torrence recalls her early speech impediment, grandfather's death, and bulldozing of her grandparents' house. Like her previous effort, African-American Stories (VL-7/96), Torrence displays here a superb storytelling gift: she's warm, wise, and witty; our only quibble was with the ill-advised 2-camera set-up which sometimes threw off the timing. Recommended. Aud: E, J, P. (R. Pitman)