By Steve Flairty
NKyTribune columnist
In last week’s column, I wrote about seeing the premier performance of a Kentucky-based film, Bluegrass Spirits, one written and directed by Kentucky native Jonny Walls. I enjoyed the character-based, 101-minute movie, filmed mostly in Paris, along with assorted other areas of Central Kentucky.
Spirits got me thinking about other Kentucky movies, which I’ll define as ones filmed here and/or are about the state. Of those, I went looking for Kentuckians’ favorites to share and I happily got some nice responses, which I’ll share a little later. I became gleefully happy, though, when a friend directed me to a man from Louisville who had actually been an active part in thirteen of ‘em.
Ron Chilton is in his mid-80s but is still living a dynamic life. He has participated in the challenging Kentucky Senior Games since 1997 and has a rigorous mind. He has worked in radio and TV work for much of his adult life, but he told me he’s always had a “full-time passion” for acting, leading him to gain participation in all those Kentucky movies, along with another one shot in Indiana.
So how did he get started on his part-time but full-time passionate movie career?
It began at Danville High School, where he graduated in 1953. “I was chosen for leads in both my junior and senior years in high school, so I was hooked early on,” he said. “Later, I had major roles in every play in my collegiate career at Transylvania and the University of Kentucky.”
He had acting talent, and he also got some help to gain opportunities.
“I had a talent agent located in Louisville and the agency would alert me when a movie company was coming to Kentucky,” he said. His proactive stance on the matter certainly paid off.
And over the course of his screen gigs, he’s had some fascinating experiences. “My most memorable time was during the filming of Raintree County (in Danville) in 1956,” said Ron. “I was the stand-in for Montgomery Clift, so the director called for a close-up of the two stars, Clift and Liz Taylor. So, I was face to face with Liz Taylor’s stand-in when suddenly she was told to exit and in stepped Elizabeth Taylor.”
Naturally, small town Ron from Danville felt some anxiety when that happened. “There I was for a fleeting few seconds and toes to toes with the most beautiful screen goddess in the world,” he said. “I felt as though I was going to faint, when suddenly I was tapped, and the ‘spell’ was broken.”
Years later, a well-known comedic actor gave him a never-to-forget experience. “We were filming Stripes in Louisville (and) I had a surprise incident with Bill Murray. In each film, I always attempted to get my picture taken with the star of the movie. Mr. Murray agreed to the photo, put his arm around my shoulder and just before the picture was snapped, he gave me a ‘noogie’ on top of my head. He then let out a belly laugh and said, ‘How’s that for your photo?’”
Ron praised the state’s desirability as a place to make films. “Kentucky’s rural landscape makes it particularly attractive for movie companies to come to the state for filming,” he said. “MGM location scouts said as much when they chose Danville and surrounding counties to shoot scenes for Raintree County in 1956. Also, the Kentucky Film Commission is becoming much more proactive in persuading film companies to consider the Commonwealth for locations.”
And to those who would like to follow Ron down a similar thespian path, he suggested that you “hire an agent if you’re really serious and watch for notifications. Most newspapers and TV stations will announce that a film company is coming to Kentucky and are looking for background actors.”
The thirteen Kentucky films for which Ron was involved were: Raintree County; April Love; The Great Race; Stripes; Bluegrass; Eight Men Out; Fire Down Below; The Insider; Dreamer; Elizabethtown; Secretariat; Seabiscuit; and Wildcat.
Though perhaps not as personally involved as Ron Chilton, others shared their favorite Kentucky movies. Versailles resident Marcus Lynn auditioned for an “extra” for Elizabethtown, and when they found he was a minister, called him back for another audition. He didn’t get the role but said that it’s “OK.” For Marilyn Bond, of Greenup, April Love, which was shot around Paris, came to her mind.
Jackie Branham mentioned Coal Miner’s Daughter and Kentucky Woman. She has a close connection to the second one, filmed at Paintsville and Martin County. “Kentucky Woman was filmed in the holler I lived in, and we got to watch a lot of the filming,” she said. “We got to meet Ned Beatty and Cheryl Ladd . . . (and here’s a) funny story. Ned had to slap Cheryl on the front porch, which happened to be an elderly preacher and his wife’s home. Mrs. Muncy, the preacher’s wife, was not able to get around very well so they let her stay inside during the filming. When Ned slapped Cheryl, Mrs. Muncy was upset because she thought he really did slap her. I think she kind have let someone on set know about it, too.”
It’s Dreamer for Sharon Turner, a neighbor of mine in Versailles “. . . because it features family relationships in the context of horse racing.” Roger Guffey, of Lexington, praised Coalminer’s Daughter as “the best depiction of Kentucky life” and also mentioned The Dollmaker. Gayle Fulkerson chose Flim-Flam Man, filmed in Winchester, Lawrenceburg, and other Central Kentucky places.
Other Kentucky films suggested as favorites are: Goldfinger; The Great Race; Secretariat; and Raintree County. And Jason Robertson, a former Lexington student of mine now living in Missouri, is disappointed that Netflix’s The Queen’s Gambit, set in Lexington, “chose not to film on site for anything,” he said. “They make references to Fayette County and several key landmarks around the area, but it’s clearly not the Bluegrass.”
For a variety of reasons, let’s hope that Kentucky will continue to attract the film industry, especially quality companies, as they learn of the state’s many alluring attributes.
For those of you who like shivering in fear at Halloween season (I don’t!), you might check out this web site for details on “ScareFest Weekend,” upcoming down Lexington way https://thescarefest.com/events/. For many, I’m sure that it will be a “ghoul” event and “boo-tiful” way of getting together!