Remember When: They are often more than just movies

By Guest Columnist Mary Jane Boutwell

So often, we ole folks forget how youngsters are influenced by people and activities that go on around them and us. Shortly after reading The Canton News that focused on movies made in and around Canton, I was talking with one of these youngsters. He told of a weekend when he went to cook supper for friends around Flowood. When he got there, late due to work, he prepared chicken thighs for niblets and cooked them. His problem was it was not where he normally cooked with all the seasoning he was accustomed to. Doing his best, when the first batch was done, one of his friends walked into the kitchen. When he asked for a taste, the tasting turned into eating. That continued with each batch and different taster. The rest of the food was barely touched.

When this was over, everyone went back to watch a movie. “O’ Brother Where Art Thou” was showing. The young man asked his friends to take it off. The friends defended their choice saying, “It is a good movie.” The young man responded by informing them of his knowledge of every background used. The river he described in detail. One of the young ladies asked him to take her to see it. “No, it’s flooded under one to one and a half feet of water.” The levee- “I have ridden the levee since I was three or four years old.” When the dining room appeared, he pointed to the screen and said, “ I quilted there.” The camera moved, “ I played bingo there.” As the camera moved again, “ See the alley? I took art classes over there.” Their response was, “You sew! You what! 

The latest movie has been advertising for locals to be extras in the current production. When I watch “A Time to Kill,” I see so many people I worked with and our children had friends in different scenes. Mississippians are wonderful, knowledgeable, welcoming people. A while back, the conversation went to “A Time to Kill” and the Virlillia Store used in the opening scenes. I remember when it had a hitching rail out front and horses, mules, and mule drawn wagons were tied out front. A side room was added for a movie theater that later became a pool hall. Across the road, now Patrick Road, on the opposing corner was a run down gin. The pond for water used in the cooling tower is still there. You must look hard to see it. 

One of the then(50 years ago) can describe the building in detail. The original part was built of lumber, beaded flat boards for the walls, shelves, rafters, studs, floors, etc. As you walked from one room to the next, it was easy to tell the additions. The add-ons were not as finished. When the store was burned, it had farm chemicals banned for use by the government. DDT comes to mind. There was a ledger from before before the early 1900’s of credit of purchase. Blank checks from banks in Yazoo, Madison, Hinds, and Holmes County were on the counter. The blanks had the name of the bank, most of them, and the account owner filled in the rest. No account number, no home address! This was a great level of trust and honor. The Virlillia Store is no longer there. But, the film recorded it. Hopefully in the months to come we can get a record of the building and memories of us “ole folks.”

EDITOR’S NOTE: Mary Jane Boutwell is a passionate historian and is thrilled to share stories about way back when.