ROLLTON — Many longtime Carroll County residents remember the fall of 1968 well.
From Sept. 30 to Oct. 21, “The Reivers,” a 1969 movie starring Steve McQueen and based on a William Faulkner novel, was filmed in and around Carrollton.
“The Reivers” was set in Mississippi in 1905. A couple of scenes were shot in Greenwood, but a majority of the movie was filmed in downtown Carrollton — and many of the buildings are still recognizable today.
It was the first time a major motion picture was filmed largely in Carroll County. The arrival of production crews, cameras and famous movie stars also brought excitement to the area. Hollywood had come to Carroll County.
A poster of “The Reivers” features the yellow Winton Flyer, which will be at the Carrollton Pilgrimage Friday and next Saturday.
“It was a lot of fun,” said Cathy Whitfield, who was a senior in high school at the time and was also an extra in the film. “Then on the weekends, when they weren’t filming, the town was just full of people just coming to see the scenery or hopefully to see one of the stars. Carrollton had not seen anything like that, really, so it was exciting from the time that they first announced it.”
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The making of “The Reivers” included about 200 extras, who were mostly Carroll County residents.
As a sixth-grader, Kathy Cox got to take two weeks off from school because she was selected to be an extra.
“We were up early every morning and had to be at the Masonic Lodge — that’s where we did the makeup and all the costumes — at 4 o’clock in the morning,” said Cox.
Then, after hair and makeup, there was a lot of waiting.
“They’d get you ready, and you’d sit around and wait until they wanted you in a background scene,” said Cox.
Pam Lee and Kathy Cox, holding Jo Jo, look at the Facebook page “The Reivers — 50th Anniversary.”
Cox was in the background of several scenes. She was with two other local girls — one of whom was in a grade above her and the other a grade below. They were in the background as the children of Tom and Betty Wiltshire.
“I just remember a brown paper sack that was tied up with a string, and they wanted us to kind of tussle with it going across the street,” she said. “We broke it. We busted it pulling on it too much.”
Cox said she had no idea she was getting paid to be in the movie. She just thought it was fun and was excited about not having to go to school.
“About two or three weeks later, I got a check in the mail, and it was like $200,” said Cox. “I had no idea we were even getting money. My brother had cut grass all summer, and he didn’t even make close to that. He couldn’t understand that.”
Cox said she also didn’t realize how big a star McQueen was. She remembers being around him.
She was at the east side of the gate of the entrance of the Carroll County Courthouse with the other girls she was in scenes with, and McQueen stepped up and asked, “Y’all want a Coke, girls?” He gave them old-fashioned glass bottles of Coke, Cox remembers.
“It was fun,” said Cox about being an extra. “People would watch on the courthouse square. Carrollton was filled with people.”
Wilton Neal, who is the Carroll County tax assessor, was a freshman at Holmes Community College during the filming. He said he was envious of all of the people from his hometown getting watch the production of the film — or getting some screen time as extras — every day.
The Reivers, 1968
“I wanted to be here, but I couldn’t because I was playing football and had school,” he said.
Holmes Community College’s football team had games on Thursdays or Saturdays. After a Thursday game, Neal was able to head home that weekend.
“I wanted to get in on it,” he said.
And he did. Neal was an extra in the scene when Rupert Crosse as Ned takes the yellow Winton Flyer for a joy ride and crashes it by the cart of falling watermelons.
“It was good just being a part of it because all of the excitement and everything going on here,” said Neal.
There were several local extras during that scene, including Whitfield.
“It was an exciting time watching them prepare every day,” said Whitfield, who got to miss school for three days when she was an extra. “I’d get in from school, and it’d be something different.”
Whitfield said she remembers the movie crew putting dirt on the street to make it look more authentic to 1905. “They painted the streets first, and then they put a dirt-sand combination on it to make it look old,” she said.
Cathy Whitfield holds up a button that says, “I’ve Been To Carrollton, Miss. To See Steve McQueen in ‘The Reivers.’”
Whitfield’s family owned a grocery store where the Farm Bureau office is now. She said the production crew gave her grandfather old wrappers to put on canned goods to place in the window of his store.
“They were old turn-of-the-century labels,” Whitfield said.
One of the most exciting moments for the Carroll County residents was when “The Reivers” director Mark Rydell crowned the J.Z. George High School homecoming queen.
“We have pictures in our yearbook of that,” said Whitfield. “A lot of our yearbook pictures were made using the backdrop of the movie scenes.”
During the fall of 1968, Julia Banks was moving from Perry, Iowa, to Fort Collins, where she was having trouble finding a place to rent. So she decided to come back to her hometown.
From left, Julia Banks, Cathy Whitfield and Wilton Neal reminisce as they look through pictures taken during the filming of “The Reivers” at the Merrill Museum in Carrollton.
But really, Banks said with a laugh, “That was my excuse for coming to Carrollton, to watch them make the movie.”
With her 4-year-old son, Banks would watch the filming of the movie almost daily.
“I was in one of the scenes that was filmed in Greenwood, but I guess it wound up on the cutting- room floor,” Banks said.
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Carroll County Tabernacle
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the filming of “The Reivers” in Carroll County, the annual Carrollton Pilgrimage will feature events focusing on the movie.
The Pilgrimage will be held Friday and Saturday in Carrollton.
Mitch Vogel, who starred as 11-year-old Lucius McCaslin, will be in Carrollton on Friday and Saturday along with the Winton Flyer that was featured in the movie.
This house was featured in
“The Reivers” will be shown at the Carroll County Tabernacle in North Carrollton at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.
In addition to the festivities related to “The Reivers,” visitors can tour 19th-century homes thriving in the 21st century. The Tour of Homes will include the Helm House, Shades Rest, Lum Reek, the Campbell Cottage, the Bole House and Cotesworth, which is back on the tour this year.
Saturday will also feature a number of food and arts and crafts booths on the square.
Tour tickets are $25 each and can be purchased at the Carrollton Water Department or by calling 392-4810. For more information, visit visitcarrolltonms.com.
• Contact Ruthie Robison at 581-7233 or rrobison@gwcommonwealth.com.
{{tncms-inline content="<p><strong>2018 Carrollton Pilgrimage Schedule of Events</strong></p> <p><strong>Friday</strong></p> <p><strong>8:45 a.m.:</strong> Pilgrimage tickets go on sale at the Carrollton Town Hall</p> <p><strong>9 a.m.-5 p.m.:</strong> Homes, Merrill Museum, churches, Gee’s Store, and Masonic Lodge open, Winton Flyer on exhibit on Carroll County Courthouse lawn, meet and greet with actor Mitch Vogel</p> <p><strong>Noon:</strong> Chicken spaghetti lunch at Carrollton Baptist Church</p> <p><strong>Saturday</strong></p> <p><strong>8:45 a.m.:</strong> Pilgrimage tickets go on sale </p> <p><strong>9 a.m.-5 p.m.:</strong> Headquarters, homes, Merrill Museum, churches, hospitality house, Gee’s Store, Masonic Lodge open, Winton Flyer on exhibit on Courthouse lawn, meet and greet with actor Mitch Vogel</p> <p><strong>9 a.m.:</strong> Pioneer Day Festival opens with arts and crafts, food vendors and educational exhibits around courthouse square</p> <p><strong>9:30 a.m.:</strong> Opening remarks, introduction of Miss Pioneer Day Festival winners at courthouse</p> <p><strong>9:45 a.m.:</strong> Music and storytelling on the square, emceed by Ben Wiley Payton (bring lawn chairs)</p> <p><strong>9:45 a.m.:</strong> Ben Wiley Payton performs</p> <p><strong>10:45 a.m.:</strong> Sam Wooden &amp; 21st Century perform</p> <p><strong>11:30 a.m.:</strong> Mississippi storyteller Rebecca Jernigan reads “Shingles for the Lord” by William Faulkner</p> <p><strong>12:45 p.m.:</strong> Ben Wiley Payton and The Thundering Harp perform</p> <p><strong>1:40 p.m.:</strong> Mississippi storyteller Rebecca Jernigan reads “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner</p> <p><strong>2:20 p.m.:</strong> Jim Garrett performs</p> <p><strong>7:15 pm:</strong> Remarks and “The Reivers” introductions at the Carroll County Tabernacle</p> <p><strong>7:30 p.m.:</strong> “The Reivers” will be shown</p>" id="cd8f3170-105b-41dc-91da-49df6a3b879d" style-type="fact" title="If You Go" type="relcontent" width="full"}}
2018 Carrollton Pilgrimage Schedule of Events
Friday
8:45 a.m.: Pilgrimage tickets go on sale at the Carrollton Town Hall
9 a.m.-5 p.m.: Homes, Merrill Museum, churches, Gee’s Store, and Masonic Lodge open, Winton Flyer on exhibit on Carroll County Courthouse lawn, meet and greet with actor Mitch Vogel
Noon: Chicken spaghetti lunch at Carrollton Baptist Church
Saturday
8:45 a.m.: Pilgrimage tickets go on sale
9 a.m.-5 p.m.: Headquarters, homes, Merrill Museum, churches, hospitality house, Gee’s Store, Masonic Lodge open, Winton Flyer on exhibit on Courthouse lawn, meet and greet with actor Mitch Vogel
9 a.m.: Pioneer Day Festival opens with arts and crafts, food vendors and educational exhibits around courthouse square
9:30 a.m.: Opening remarks, introduction of Miss Pioneer Day Festival winners at courthouse
9:45 a.m.: Music and storytelling on the square, emceed by Ben Wiley Payton (bring lawn chairs)
9:45 a.m.: Ben Wiley Payton performs
10:45 a.m.: Sam Wooden & 21st Century perform
11:30 a.m.: Mississippi storyteller Rebecca Jernigan reads “Shingles for the Lord” by William Faulkner
12:45 p.m.: Ben Wiley Payton and The Thundering Harp perform
1:40 p.m.: Mississippi storyteller Rebecca Jernigan reads “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner
2:20 p.m.: Jim Garrett performs
7:15 pm: Remarks and “The Reivers” introductions at the Carroll County Tabernacle
7:30 p.m.: “The Reivers” will be shown
