In Pieces

Margaret Morlan was Sally Field’s mother. From a young age, Field called her mother by her nickname, “Baa,” and she refers to her this way throughout In Pieces. Field explains that her mother came from a long line of resilient Alabama women. Field’s maternal grandmother, Joy, moved to California and married Wallace Morlan. Their daughter, Margaret, grew up in California and studied literature at Pasadena City College. She soon married Richard Field and gave birth to their firstborn child, Ricky. The two were separated when Field was called to serve as a medical registrar in World War ll. Meanwhile, Morlan’s striking good looks attracted the attention of a talent agent, leading her to become an actress.

Upon Field’s return, the two welcomed their second child, Sally, but when Sally was a few years old, Morlan divorced Richard. She then married Jocko O’Mahoney and had a third child, Princess O’Mahoney. While raising her children, Morlan continued to work as an actress, starring in projects such as The Man From Planet X, The Big Clock, and Samson and Delilah. Later in life, Morlan helped her daughter Sally raise her children, becoming their caregiver while Field worked. Morlan died at age 89 on November 6th, 2011, in California.

Field’s relationship with her mother is a major part of her memoir. Field speaks highly of her mother’s affectionate, gentle nature and strong commitment to her family, revealing that from a young age she felt deeply connected to her mother and longed for her companionship and approval: “I was enchanted by her” (83). However, Field’s relationship with Margaret was complicated by Jocko’s harsh parenting and abuse, as Field was scared to tell her mother about it. She resented how Margaret allowed Jocko to control the family and household.

As a mother herself, Field appreciated that her mother acted as a caregiver to her sons, Peter and Eli, but was also sometimes jealous of the close connection Margaret formed with them: “I placed my children into the arms of my mother and walked away, only to feel jealous of her relationship with them when I returned” (378). Later in life, Field’s frank conversation with Margaret about Jocko’s abuse cleared the air between them and helped Field process her childhood trauma. She realized that she had idealized Margaret throughout their relationship, but still appreciated her mother greatly despite her flaws. Field’s parting words in her book reiterate her deep love for her mother and desire to reunite with her, emphasizing the centrality of their relationship in her life: “I loved her profoundly and I will miss her every day of my life. And I know, without a doubt, that when I close my eyes for good, she will come to get me. Till then, Baa” (564).

Jocko O’Mahoney was an American stuntman and actor best known for action films like Cody of the Pony Express, Roar of the Iron Horse, Money, Women and Guns, and Tarzan. O’Mahoney married Margaret Field, becoming Sally Field’s stepfather. He died in 1989.

In her book, Field’s portrayal of Jocko focuses on his negative contribution to her life as a cruel and controlling father figure. Field discusses how Jocko’s marriage to her mother greatly changed their lives; his success in the film industry led to his buying a large, luxury house, where Field spent many of her formative years. She claims that Jocko’s success made him more arrogant and recalls his humiliating and controlling parenting toward her and her brother, Ricky. Jocko’s intense physical training of the children, whom he expected to swim and to do stunts and gymnastics, made Field feel scared and disrespected. Field recalls how Jocko’s overspending strained the family’s finances and how, as his career choices began to dwindle, the family was uprooted several times. Jocko’s repeated sexual abuse haunted Field’s childhood, and by her teens, she recognized that Jocko was “dangerous.” When Field was a young woman, Jocko continued to influence her, advising her to take on certain projects, such as The Flying Nun. Later in life, Field graciously reflects on how she does not see Jocko as a “monster” like her mother does, but as a “wounded, flawed human like the rest of us” (554).

Richard Field was Sally Field’s father. After marrying Margaret Morlan in 1942, Field was drafted to serve in World War ll and worked as a medical registrar in London and Paris until the end of the war. Upon his return home, Richard and his wife welcomed their daughter, Sally.

In her book, Field details her distant relationship with her father, portraying him as an emotionally negligent parent who could not connect well with his children. After her parents’ divorce, Field saw her father only on weekends. From a young age, she felt that her father was uninterested in her and ignored her, so she dreaded visiting him. She recalls feeling tense around him, explaining, “Even at four, maybe before, I felt guarded, afraid to allow him into my heart for fear that his need to be comforted or to feel important or successful or even loved would suffocate me” (64). Their relationship remained distant throughout her adolescence and adulthood. As an adult, Field better understood Richard’s resentment of her mother, who divorced him to remarry Jocko.

Renowned American method acting teacher, director, and actor Lee Strasberg was born in Ukraine. He grew up in New York, where he became involved in theater. Strasberg worked as an actor and stage manager before joining the Actors Studio in New York City as an acting coach. During Strasberg’s decades-long career at the Actors Studio, he trained numerous well-known actors such as Sidney Poitier and Dustin Hoffman.

Field discusses how Strasberg offered excellent instruction and support through his Actors Studio workshops. Field contrasts the boredom of sitcom acting with the stimulating and challenging process she enjoyed at the Actors Studio. She portrays Strasberg as a strict and challenging teacher who only occasionally offered praise. Field recalls an incident in which she reacted poorly to Strasberg’s criticism, causing an argument between them. In hindsight, she acknowledges that Strasberg was right to critique her performance and is grateful for his advice. Strasberg taught Field to be more present and to immerse herself fully in her characters, drawing on her own emotions and experiences in the process. Field credits Strasberg with teaching her a mindset and skills that became crucial to her success, and reveals that during her performance in Sybil, she sent him a letter thanking him.

Marty Ritt was an American film director known for his films Sounder, The Front, and Norma Rae. In her memoir, Field discusses how Ritt was a helpful and respectful collaborator while directing her performance in their award-winning film, Norma Rae. Unlike other directors, Ritt allowed Field to make her own creative contributions and respected her input. Field shares her admiration for Ritt and his approach to filmmaking: “Strict as Marty sometimes seemed, his rules never felt like an invasion but a protection, a safe place to explore. And in that space, he invited and encouraged any notion an actor could come up with” (497). Field blossomed under Ritt’s direction and won her first Academy Award for her performance in the film.

Field’s younger sister, Princess O’Mahoney, is the daughter of Margaret Morlan and Jocko O’Mahoney. Princess was born in 1952. She is a television producer and assistant director whose credits include Nothing But Trouble and Better Call Saul.

Field recalls how, as an emerging actress in her early twenties, she suddenly became a financial provider and source of stability for Princess amid their mother’s divorce from Jocko. As her big sister, Field tried to give career and life advice to the teenage Princess, who was in a rebellious phase: “One moment she felt like my comrade, and the next she felt like a responsibility I didn’t know how to accept” (249-50). Field feels that her becoming the family’s breadwinner “muddled” their relationship, which was already complicated by “basic childhood rivalries” (281), yet her sister also felt like her closest friend.

Further complicating their relationship was Princess’s attachment to her father, Jocko, who tormented Field throughout her childhood. Over the years, Field maintained a close personal and professional relationship with Princess. Field proudly relays how her younger sister worked hard to establish herself in the industry: “On film after film, as my movie career continued, Princess would join me, first as my sister, then my assistant, and then, all on her own and with bone-wearying hard work, becoming an assistant director” (501).

Field’s maternal grandmother, Joy Morlan, had a difficult childhood, living in an orphanage for 10 years when her single mother could not care for her. Eventually, Joy trained as a secretary and moved to California with her mother and sister. She married Wallace Miller Morlan, and the two had a daughter, Margaret (Field’s mother). When Joy’s father passed away, her inheritance enabled her to buy a cottage in Altadena, California, where Field lived for some of her early childhood.

Field’s memoir portrays her grandmother as a stoic person who expressed her love through her continued commitment to her family. Field and her brother referred to her by her first name, Joy, rather than “grandma.” Field recalls how her grandmother was especially reserved: “[I]t was hard to read what was going on inside my grandmother” (46). Field admits that as a child, she found Joy distant, but as an adult, she has a new appreciation for Joy’s affection:

It has taken me a long time to see that it was my grandmother’s sturdy presence in my life—never full of tender touches or hugs and kisses, just a quiet, fierce devotion—that created a rock inside me, a safe spot I’ve always relied on but never knew I had” (45-46).

Sally Field’s older brother, Richard Field, is a physicist. After graduating from the University of California, Field worked at the California Institute of Technology with Richard Feynman and later taught physics at the University of Florida.

In her book, Field portrays her brother as a multitalented and caring person. Her childhood memories reveal his caring nature. For instance, as a five-year-old, he once tried to “rescue” her from her father’s house, leading her home to their grandmother’s cottage. As a teen, Ricky felt guilty about moving out of the family household and leaving his sisters, Sally and Princess, behind. The author presents her brother as a fellow target of Jocko’s controlling parenting and emphasizes how Ricky became quite accomplished, paying for his undergraduate degree through a gymnastics scholarship. She notes that her brother became “[a] first-class athlete and a world-renowned scientist, two things that Jocko would never be” (153).

Steve Craig was Field’s high school boyfriend, first husband, and father to her first two children, Peter and Elijah Craig. Field recounts that Steve was born Steve Craig Bloomfield but dropped his last name because of his father’s abandonment, becoming Steve Craig. Craig had an unusual upbringing, attending military boarding school from the age of four to 13.

In her memoir, Field recalls how she met Steve as a teen and soon fell for his kind and charming personality. He “instantly became a member of the family” (146), as he was also close with Field’s siblings, Ricky and Princess. Field portrays Steve as a reliable boyfriend who supported her personally and professionally, helping Field open up emotionally in ways she never had before: “Because he was with me, I began to feel what I had been afraid to feel alone” (147). However, Field felt restless in their relationship and ended it several times before the two married in 1968. Field reflects on the more difficult parts of their married life, identifying her desire to be more independent and the burden of being the breadwinner as points of tension. Field and Steve divorced when she was 29.