2009 On Location: Memphis – Wrap Up
Very early on Thursday, April 23rd, producer Lesley Spencer and two “Why They Run” cast members, Marty Yundt and Kathy Pollock headed south on I-55 from Chicago to Memphis for that night’s opening of the 2009 On Location: Memphis International Film Festival. The following is an account of that trip as told by Lesley Spencer.
“It was a thrill and an honor to be included in the Film Festival and we were all looking forward to our first trip to Memphis. After a long but fun day of driving, expertly guided by our British speaking GPS device, “Lady Directions,” (Lady Di for short), we arrived in time to attend the Filmmaker’s Opening Night Reception and view the opening film of the festival - "Prom Night In Mississippi" - a theatrical documentary film by Paul Saltzman, which played to a packed house.
“Prom Night In Mississippi” tells the story of how in 1997 Academy Award winning actor Morgan Freeman offered to pay for the senior prom at Charleston High School in Mississippi (where he used to live) under the condition that the prom had to be racially integrated. At that point in time, his offer was ignored. Canadian filmmakers Paul Saltzman & Patricia Aquino heard about the offer and contacted Freeman 10 years later to see if the offer was still good. It was. Then, in 2008, Freeman presented his offer again. This time the school board accepted, and history was made. Charleston High School had its first-ever integrated prom! Until then, blacks and whites had had separate proms even though their classrooms had been integrated for decades. The filmmakers and some of the teenagers from the film attended the screening and held a Q&A afterward. The audience loved this truly amazing documentary and I can’t say enough good things about it. Its message of “hope” set a real humanitarian tone for the festival. Prom Night in Mississippi
An opening night Awards Party followed the screening at Ground Zero Blues Club in downtown Memphis. This took us over to the Beale Street area where the drinks were flowing, a cacophony of live music was blasting, and the intoxicating smell of ribs on the grill permeated the air in all directions. The party then progressed over to Ernestine and Hazel’s for a night of Memphis music, soul burgers and more fun.
The next morning, Friday, our film editor Dan Bora arrived from New York city and we hurried over to the landmark Peabody Hotel to watch the resident ducks make their daily journey from their roof top suite down to the marble fountain in the lobby, where they spend their days. It was really something you have to see to believe –- elegant elevator doors opening, and several ducks emerging and proceeding to march down the red carpet to hop into the fountain, while a lobby filled with spectators watched in disbelief! We then attended a Filmmaker’s barbecue luncheon at a famous Memphis restaurant called "Rendezvous," whose dry ribs were touted as “the very essence of Memphis barbecue.” The restaurant is located in an alley and it took some doing to find it – but it was well worth the search!
The Filmmaker’s luncheon was sponsored by the Memphis Chamber of Commerce and one of many special events organized for the filmmakers. There were several film festival board members and various other local dignitaries present at the luncheon and we were able to meet and chat with the festival Executive Director/President, Lisa Bobal, as well as other filmmakers and a couple of the festival selection committee board members who told us how much they loved our film. This was very gratifying to hear – especially being in the company of so many other great documentaries. I was beginning to understand why "Why They Run" was chosen for this particular festival - there was a real humanitarian tone to Memphis in general, and the film festival, in particular – and we fit right in. The food at Rendezvous was absolutely delicious (our first time having dry rub ribs) and we had many pleasant conversations with the various and sundry people there. Southern hospitality is a beautiful thing! Hogs Fly
Friday afternoon we went to Graceland. Graceland itself is just over the top. From the airplanes parked outside, to the steady stream of busses full of tourists going back and forth, to the gift shop that is packed with every conceivable form of Elvis memorabilia, to the overly decorated house itself - the money making industry that revolves around it is a socioeconomic phenomenon. But whether you are a true Elvis fan or not, you cannot help but be blown away by his accomplishments. Between the vast number of gold and platinum albums lining the walls and the sheer number of humanitarian awards he won, Elvis’s life was, by any measurement, truly amazing. None of us had ever realized the full extent of his generosity until we saw all of the plaques on the walls, plus all of the canceled checks to the wide variety of organizations he contributed to, and the multitude of stories of how he helped absolutely anyone he could who was truly in need – which was, by all accounts, a steady steam of people throughout his lifetime. Graceland
After a bit more sight seeing we raced back in time to see a couple of more documentaries that evening, the most memorable being the academy award nominated: "The Witness: From the Balcony of Room 306" - the poignant retelling of a crucial turning point in the civil rights movement, the day Martin Luther King was assassinated. Only one man was on the balcony that day with Dr. King when he was shot – the Rev. Samuel “Billy” Kyles. In “The Witness” Rev. Kyles shares his intimate eyewitness account of the events leading up to Dr. King’s assassination. witnessroom306.com
At the Q&A after the screening lo and behold - there was Rev. Kyles himself! He shared with us many more details about his relationship with Martin Luther King and the civil rights movement in general – and why he had chosen to leave the more integrated north to move down to Memphis in the first place, which was at that time 100% segregated. But Rev. Kyles wanted to be where the greatest need was and where he could do the most good, and so down to Memphis he went, bringing his wife and three small children with him. One issue he particularly relished tackling was breaking down the segregation barrier at the local movie theater in town where blacks were not permitted to sit on the first floor, being instead, relegated to the balcony. As he refused to sit in the balcony he never saw any films for a very long time until the theater became integrated. The first film he and his wife saw from their first floor seats was "To Kill A Mocking Bird."
An added bonus to hearing Rev. Kyles speak was being able meet him In person afterward and shake his hand. He was the most gracious of men and it was simply overwhelming to be in the presence of such greatness. Rev. Kyles is now 75 years old now but he doesn't look it - and he is still preaching. In fact, 2009 marks the 50th anniversary of his being the pastor at Monumental Baptist Church.
"Why They Run" was shown at noon on Saturday. It was a real treat to see it on the big screen again and we had a Q&A with the people who attended in the lobby afterward, which included several Team In Training Alums. Unfortunately, most of the active TNT Participants in the area were in Nashville that weekend for the Country Marathon, but I was happy to be able to let the alums I spoke with know that the documentary is now available for viewing online. They said they would be happy to spread the word!
After our screening we were all up for another round of barbecue and ended up well off the beaten path at "The Barbecue Shop", which claimed to have the best ribs in Memphis. We found the restaurant thanks to Dan’s long term relationship with his beloved www.chowhound.com and Lady Di’s reliable directions and it is indeed difficult to imagine that anyone’s ribs could be better than theirs. We enjoyed a truly decadent lunch of ribs, barbecued spaghetti, fries, cole slaw, texas toast, and sweet tea all around – a veritable feast!
A trip to the National Civil Rights Museum followed our barbecue extravagnza. The museum was another overwhelming experience, not to be missed if you ever go to Memphis. It exists in two buildings - the Lorraine Motel where Martin Luther King was assassinated, and the boarding house across the street. The exterior of the motel and the rooms where Dr. King stayed have been kept perfectly in tact - but the inside is of the motel has been turned into an amazing interactive museum which clearly and concisely explains and exhibits the entire civil rights movement in America, and in some cases, elsewhere. The sheer number of artifacts contained there and the amount of information they provide is enough to fill up several college courses. The museum continues across the street in the boarding house where James Earl Ray stayed and from where he shot Dr. King. Again, the sheer number of artifacts they have there is mind boggling including: the get away car he drove, the rifle he used, and the hand gun they confiscated from him, to name a few. Civil Rights Museum
Saturday evening we opted for one last sight seeing excursion and ended up along the river front by the I-55 bridge where we found a statue to the Memphis Martyrs – citizens of all races and walks of life from outside of Memphis who, in August of 1878, tended 17,600 Memphians who were suffering from a yellow fever epidemic (5000 had already died). They nursed the sick and buried the dead and their humanitarian efforts caused many of them to lose their lives, becoming martyrs in their service to mankind. This was yet another confirmation of what we had already discovered on our trip – that there was a long standing humanitarian spirit alive and well in the Memphis area!
It was a whirlwind 3+ days, that’s for sure, and we barely scratched the surface of all there is to see and do in Memphis. It is an historically and culturally rich area and we’d all love to go back there some day to see many of the places we didn't have time for this trip. From our early morning runs along side the Mississippi, to our kick ass barbecue lunches, to the amazing films we saw and wonderful people we met, it was a truly a once in a lifetime, awesome experience!”
Click here to see the Memphis trip photo gallery.
Click here to watch a WREG Memphis news clip featuring “Why They Run”.
