Stone Pillow was a 1985 television movie, directed by George Schaefer, in which Lucille Ball, in an attempt to make a dramatic "breakout" from her years in comedy, portrayed an older homeless woman with few resources and even fewer options. The picture received rather mixed reviews, but ranked as one of the top 10 highest rated telecasts that week, and it led Ball to make one last attempt to return to her comedy roots with Life with Lucy the next year.
In an effort to understand the plight of homeless women living on the streets, young social worker, Carrie Lange (Daphne Zuniga) attempts befriending a homeless woman named Florabelle ('Lucille Ball' ). Florabelle believes Carrie is runaway and tells her to go to the homeless shelter for help. Carrie stops another woman from stealing Florabelle's cart and gains her dubious trust. So begins Carrie's education in survival on the streets of Manhattan. Florabelle begins to teach Carrie street survival skills such as when threatened act crazy-the crazier the better, drinking vinegar to toughen the feet and innards, which garbage cans are good to go through for food, and where to find places to sleep and for warmth. This movie makes an effort to investigate the plight of the homeless and what avenues can be taken to help them to help themselves.