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"Fried Green Tomorrows"
Film Explores Juliette's Charm
BY GINA HERRING
It's been 13 years since Hollywood
came to Juliette and turned the sweet little town into the fictional Whistle
Stop for the movie "Fried Green Tomatoes." Once a thriving town split
by the Ocmulgee River, Juliette began to whither away and was slowly being
swallowed by kudzu after the mill finally closed its doors in 1957. The
quaint one-street town was just what the producers were looking for. The
movie brought Juliette back to life. The old Williams General Merchandise
store was transformed into The Whistle Stop Café and the train depot was
hoisted up on a truck and moved to its current location. After the release
of "Fried Green Tomatoes", Juliette became an instant tourist attraction
and has remained much the same for more than 12 years since the Hollywood
folks packed up and left.
Now, filmmaker Neill Calabro is producing a documentary entitled "Fried
Green Tomorrows." It's all about Juliette and the impact of the movie
on the quiet town snuggled in Monroe County. "I tried to think about why
the movie is still so popular and what's the feel that people get from
it," said Calabro. "Juliette is a real life Mayberry. It has everything
except Andy Griffith. It reminds us of a time when life was easier."
ALWAYS INTERESTED in movies, Neill Calabro figured one way to get involved
was to be an actor. A friend who had lived in California had told him
that he knew people who made a living as film extras. So, in the summer
of 1995, Calabro and a friend traveled the east coast looking for movie
sets. The two were able to talk their way onto sets as extras on several
movies. They eventually made their way west to Hollywood. Calabro spent
a little over a year in Los Angeles making his living as an extra. He
can be seen dancing in the opening scene of Austin Powers and even snagged
a speaking part on Melrose Place once. L.A. soon proved to be too much
for Calabro. He grew tired of being out there and not getting anywhere.
"The whole place is concrete," said Calabro. "There's no green anywhere.
It's no place for a southern boy."
Scottie Frazier and Emmy Collins enact an FG2m scene
Calabro moved back to Georgia in 1999 and bought a digital
video camera and editing equipment. He decided if he was going to be in
the film industry he would have to do it himself. He worked on a few independent
projects and even produced a science fiction farce that was a part of
a film festival in New York. About a year ago Calabro curiously wandered
into Juliette. Halfway expecting to see an overgrown tourist trap, he
was pleasantly surprised to find Juliette had not been spoiled by Hollywood.
The town was almost exactly the same as it appeared in the movie. Calabro
began to talk to townspeople and quickly fell in love with the place.
"I went and bought the movie," said Calabro. "It's so far off the highway
and yet they have hundreds of people from all over visiting every day.
I wanted to document the town before it explodes and someone builds a
Wendy's or something." Calabro said part of the appeal of the town is
that you can still see the huge mill in the background, shop for crafts
and antiques, have some fried green tomatoes at the café and, of course,
watch the train go by. Calabro looked at it and thought, "I want to know
more about this place, maybe other people will want to know too." Calabro
said, "When I first came, I thought it was so neat, but I had no idea
how beloved it is around the world." He said what struck him is that the
town is built so you can just enjoy the old ways of life.
CALABRO HAS spent a lot of time over the last year in Juliette talking
to the people. He's been fascinated by all the stories they have about
the filming of the movie and life there now. "Everyone is so nice. The
town is so sweet," said Calabro. "Oh, and the train! The train is a dinosaur
- it looks like a big monster and it's huge. Even though I have seen it
go by a hundred times, I still want to look every time it passes." Calabro
said that the train adds a presence to Juliette. "Everyone who's visiting
will get excited and pull out their cameras to catch a shot of the train.
It's like going back in time." He has tirelessly filmed hours and hours
of footage. He has produced a three and a half minute trailer to promote
his documentary. "It took me over 70 hours to create that three and a
half minute trailer," said Calabro. "People don't realize how much editing
is involved when working on films." The documentary will incorporate re-enacted
scenes from the movie juxtaposed with scenes from Juliette today. Throughout
the film will also be conversations with people who live there today and
who were involved with the filming back in 1991. Calabro wants to make
sure that the documentary is more about the town of Juliette, not just
the movie. "It's an amazing survival story of one of the few times that
Hollywood came into a town and actually gave it life," said Calabro.
Danny-host and Nancy have a smile
CALABRO IS still weighing his options for the distribution
of his documentary, which will probably run anywhere from about an hour
to 90 minutes long. The DVD promises to be loaded with extras such as
interviews with local people. Recently, Calabro went to the East Juliette
Homecoming, a yearly get together of current and former residents hosted
by Rhett McMurray. Together, Calabro and McMurray interviewed several
residents who are in their 80s and 90s who love the town. The documentary
trailer has been playing at the Habersham Winery in Juliette during the
day and a lot of people have asked if they could buy it. The story there
is still so great that when people see new footage of Juliette it's like
finding an unreleased Elvis song. Calabro has relied heavily on the generosity
of strangers and friends alike to help him get the documentary made. He
has been amazed at how many people have been willing to help.
"The town has been really cooperative in talking to us and allowing our
camera and crew into their store. It's been great," said Calabro. The
host and narrator of the film is actor, Danny Vinson, who is volunteering
his time and talent for the project. Calabro has to work his filming schedule
around Vinson's schedule. Vinson was recently cast as Bill Johnson in
a movie about Johnny Cash and can only help Calabro at certain times.
Calabro hopes to have the film completed by this time next year. He still
has to interview the folks at The Whistle Stop Café and some of the newer
shops in town. He also will be filming some more re-enactments from the
movie, although they will not be word for word as not to infringe on
any copyrights.
Calabro is looking for other people to volunteer their time and services.
If you're interested in the project there are several ways to get involved.
He needs to gather some more funding to aid in the completion of the film.
Calabro produced the trailer to have something to show to potential investors.
He's looking for some actors to play Idgie, Ruth, young Idgie, Big George,
Reverend Scoggins, and the Cicely Tyson character, Sipsey for the re-enactments.
Calabro also needs clothing from the 30s to dress the actors (of course
he'd buy them if he ever gets investors). If anybody has an old car from
1920 to 1933, it would be useful. He would also like to talk to anybody
who was involved in the movie from 1991 who may have some interesting
stories, trivia or helpful information on what went on during all of the
filming.
TO
FIND OUT more about the documentary, log on to the website at www.friedgreentomorrows.com.
If you would like to help in any way, audition for a part (no pay involved)
or have materials or information, e-mail Neil Calabro at friedgreen2morrows@msn.com.