Learning moviemaking on a B set
ISAIAH 61:1,2 – The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn…
••• On our Calendar Watch, this Sunday is known as Palm Sunday throughout the Christian world. Passover starts this Saturday. These events lead into our glorious Easter celebration, heralding the resurrection of Jesus Christ…
••• Seems like “yesterday” the movies came to Tehuacana, shooting a flick designed to scare the daylights and night lights out of you. In reality, that anniversary is coming up pretty soon, the 52 years ago of 1973 in Tehuacana, with most scenes having been shot in Louisiana Hall on the campus of old Trinity U. and Westminster Junior College.
I believe most of the B-grade movie, “Don’t Look in the Basement,” was to later have a sequel made, although I never did hear if this had become a reality.
I recall having shown up with camera and notepad in hand for about three or four straight nights during much of the shooting. I had a special invitation to attend these sessions, and although it was a low-budget film, it followed similar scripts as the biggies…a bit of makeup, and Director Brownie BROWNRIGG’s yelling “quiet on the set,” etc.
Brownrigg and a couple of more from the crew, when the movie was complete, had stopped at The News to tell me how they appreciated the publicity, which included a couple of features with accompanying photos. Suddenly, those short trips to my old “stomping grounds” appeared to all be worthwhile. I know, having never been around a movie-making set, while really soaking up virtually every move of the moviemakers, was something to behold.
They didn’t have to tell me when silence was the preferred way. I was too scared to move which might have brought down wrath. I took no chances.
Some of the actors and actresses came from dinner theatre personnel out of Dallas, while others came from a list of character actors who had been in larger productions. I enjoyed every one of these “character actors and actresses,” which included Jessie Lee FULTON, who had speaking roles in Larry Mc-MURTRY’s “The Last Picture Show.”
I learned a lot about how the mixture took place of fake “blood” which gushed forth in a few gory scenes of the Tehuacana horror movie. They had some folks in the film, most of whom were residents and actors throughout the Metroplex. Jessie Lee Fulton, the ticket seller and general manager of Archer City’s “…Last Picture Show,” proved to be an interesting conversationalist. The wife of Charlie WATERS, the hard-hitting safety on the late Tom LANDRY’s Dallas Cowboy team, was among the acting personnel.
All of the crew, recognizing my wanting to learn about this moviemaking, even if was a B-grade film, were so accommodating, many taking time between shots to come forth with explanations. They included the mad man killer in what was supposed to be an insane asylum.
Mother Nature helped the crew out during one segment of shooting. There was a thunderstorm passing through Tehuacana. Fortunately, it was accompanied by some loud thunder. That fit the bill in that particular scene for Brownrigg. There were some gory scenes to take place, including one guy hanging in a closet. The thunder and little storm added to the eerie goings-on. I do know I was impressed with the surroundings and sounds which were working to perfection.
Peggy didn’t ask much about that night’s proceedings, probably fearing I would rattle a lot about what I had experienced. She seemed perfectly content to await my story in The Mexia Daily News.
I was under no illusion. It wasn’t “Gone With The Wind.” I was perfectly content just to watch a horror film unfold in the town where I was raised…
••• POLITICS CORNER: Some say, “The Democratic Party EXISTS to RESIST. This of course means they resist anything and everything Trump, even if it’s good for the country.
Have you ever noticed that the Demos never offer a solution to a problem?!! This is UNLESS there is quite a bit of wild spending attached. Spending themselves into oblivion seems to be a must for that party…
••• COLUMN CLOSERS: The Tesla was once the darlings of the Democrats… electric cars and getting rid of all gasoline in the “Green New Deal.” Once President Trump erased the “deal” from their minds with a stroke of his pen, suddenly it did not seem so important.
Put someone like Maxine WATERS in charge of your party to also become your spokesperson, and apparently, you’re on your way to what?!! She must have a lot of “pull” with the Democrats. After all, on her mind now is the deportation of President Trump’s wife, Melania, although she hasn’t explained why…
Bob is a retired editor of The News. The opinion he expresses are his own and not necessarily those of the newspaper. He can be reached at bobwright59@gmail.com
