What the Deaf Man Heard is a 1997 American comedy-drama television film directed by John Kent Harrison, written by Robert W. Lenski, and starring Matthew Modine and James Earl Jones.

Sammy's curious questions annoy Helen but she won't reveal the surprise and admonishes him to be silent, putting him to sleep.

Sammy sees Tolliver's activity in a reflection and steels himself to not react to the blast, which convinces the entire town that he is in fact deaf.

Sammy spends the next two decades living in the terminal and working as the town's handyman, hearing various secrets from people who believe him to be deaf.

As his inheritance is tied up in a trust until his mother dies, he has various unsuccessful moneymaking schemes, all financed by funds he has embezzled from the church.

Black junk dealer Archibald Thacker and his sons masquerade as poor but are actually Harvard-educated businessmen as well as moonshine runners.

"[2] Tony Scott gave it a more favorable review in Variety: "Primed with a quirky premise and by charmingly offbeat characters, penned by Robert W. Lenski, What the Deaf Man Heard is a joy.

[5] It also received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV (Matthew Modine).