Hallmark Movie Set Opens at Lepanto
May 18, 2004
Hallmark Movie Set Opens at Lepanto
*****
By Craig Ogilvie, travel writer
Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism
LEPANTO -- The farmhouse used in the 2003 Hallmark Hall of Fame film production of "A Painted House" has found a permanent home in Poinsett County. Following a brief trip to another state, the building has been reassembled and furnished, and it is now open for public tours.
The five-room structure was originally built near Clarkedale (Crittenden County), where most of the farm scenes were filmed. Afterwards, the 30-by-60 foot structure was dismantled and rebuilt on the grounds of Hallmark's international headquarters in Kansas City. It remained there as a promotional display until after the CBS premiere on April 27, 2003.
Based on novelist John Grisham's 2001 best seller about life on a small cotton farm in northeast Arkansas during the early 1950s, the made-for-television movie evolves around 10-year-old Luke Chandler and his relationship to his parents and grandparents. The prolonged task of painting the farmhouse serves as a catalyst to unify the family and field workers.
All of the movie's town scenes were shot in Lepanto, which was transformed into a typical 1950 Delta community with changes in signage, costumed extras, temporary storefronts and dozens of antique automobiles.
"The local people really enjoyed having a movie filmed here," tour guide Doris Pounders said. "Many of the merchants wanted to retain the '50s look created for the downtown scenes. But, everything had to be returned to the way it appeared before the movie people came."
Interest in the film continued after the production crew and actors left town. A group of enthusiastic Lepanto area citizens organized "Citizens for Progress" in hopes of raising enough money to have the house returned to Arkansas. After Hallmark offered to donate the building, the group organized bake sales, sold T-shirts and conducted other campaigns to cover the cost of setup and furnishings. Volunteers, using their own equipment, brought the Chandler house back to Arkansas in May, 2003.
"That's when the real work started," Pounders said. "The carpenters had to piece it back together like a big puzzle."
Visitors are amazed by the historically accurate décor in each room. Many of the furnishings are from the movie set, retrieved from the movie's design team and from local people who purchased movie set items at a local auction conducted soon after the filming ended.
Grisham, born Feb. 5, 1955, in Jonesboro, lived on a cotton farm in eastern Craighead County until age 7. At the request of the set designers, he sketched the layout of his childhood home, and, upon touring the recreated house, Grisham and his parents reported it was "very realistic."
The living room and kitchen are furnished in authentic period style, including the window curtains and cookware. Early 20th-century vintage photographs adorn the house, and young Chandler's bedroom is complete with sports memorabilia and rare baseball-print wallpaper. Another room holds the actual costumes worn by several of the movie's cast members along with other items used in the production.
The hallway provides space for "A Painted House" posters and models of the set, plus color photos made during the making of the movie. A gift shop occupies another room, offering T-shirts, calendars with photos from the film, artwork, homemade jellies and other Delta products.
A walking tour of Lepanto's old downtown district now includes 29 poster-style frames that encase photos made during the filming. The tour was created with a grant from the Delta Byways Tourism Association. Downtown is also the site of Museum Lepanto USA (area historical displays) and the annual Lepanto Terrapin Derby Festival in early October.
The "Painted House" is located along Ark. 135 at the southern edge of Lepanto. Hours of operation are 1 to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday during the warm months of the year. The house is available for group tours anytime by calling (870) 475-2384 or (870) 475-2591. A small admission is charged. Information is also available at
www.lepantoaralumni.com/CITYOFLEPANTOHOMEPAGE.html.
####
Submitted by the Arkansas Department of Parks & Tourism
One Capitol Mall, Little Rock, AR 72201, (501) 682-7606
E-mail: info@arkansas.com
May be used without permission. Credit line is appreciated:
"Arkansas Department of Parks & Tourism"
Hallmark Movie Set Opens at Lepanto
*****
By Craig Ogilvie, travel writer
Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism
LEPANTO -- The farmhouse used in the 2003 Hallmark Hall of Fame film production of "A Painted House" has found a permanent home in Poinsett County. Following a brief trip to another state, the building has been reassembled and furnished, and it is now open for public tours.
The five-room structure was originally built near Clarkedale (Crittenden County), where most of the farm scenes were filmed. Afterwards, the 30-by-60 foot structure was dismantled and rebuilt on the grounds of Hallmark's international headquarters in Kansas City. It remained there as a promotional display until after the CBS premiere on April 27, 2003.
Based on novelist John Grisham's 2001 best seller about life on a small cotton farm in northeast Arkansas during the early 1950s, the made-for-television movie evolves around 10-year-old Luke Chandler and his relationship to his parents and grandparents. The prolonged task of painting the farmhouse serves as a catalyst to unify the family and field workers.
All of the movie's town scenes were shot in Lepanto, which was transformed into a typical 1950 Delta community with changes in signage, costumed extras, temporary storefronts and dozens of antique automobiles.
"The local people really enjoyed having a movie filmed here," tour guide Doris Pounders said. "Many of the merchants wanted to retain the '50s look created for the downtown scenes. But, everything had to be returned to the way it appeared before the movie people came."
Interest in the film continued after the production crew and actors left town. A group of enthusiastic Lepanto area citizens organized "Citizens for Progress" in hopes of raising enough money to have the house returned to Arkansas. After Hallmark offered to donate the building, the group organized bake sales, sold T-shirts and conducted other campaigns to cover the cost of setup and furnishings. Volunteers, using their own equipment, brought the Chandler house back to Arkansas in May, 2003.
"That's when the real work started," Pounders said. "The carpenters had to piece it back together like a big puzzle."
Visitors are amazed by the historically accurate décor in each room. Many of the furnishings are from the movie set, retrieved from the movie's design team and from local people who purchased movie set items at a local auction conducted soon after the filming ended.
Grisham, born Feb. 5, 1955, in Jonesboro, lived on a cotton farm in eastern Craighead County until age 7. At the request of the set designers, he sketched the layout of his childhood home, and, upon touring the recreated house, Grisham and his parents reported it was "very realistic."
The living room and kitchen are furnished in authentic period style, including the window curtains and cookware. Early 20th-century vintage photographs adorn the house, and young Chandler's bedroom is complete with sports memorabilia and rare baseball-print wallpaper. Another room holds the actual costumes worn by several of the movie's cast members along with other items used in the production.
The hallway provides space for "A Painted House" posters and models of the set, plus color photos made during the making of the movie. A gift shop occupies another room, offering T-shirts, calendars with photos from the film, artwork, homemade jellies and other Delta products.
A walking tour of Lepanto's old downtown district now includes 29 poster-style frames that encase photos made during the filming. The tour was created with a grant from the Delta Byways Tourism Association. Downtown is also the site of Museum Lepanto USA (area historical displays) and the annual Lepanto Terrapin Derby Festival in early October.
The "Painted House" is located along Ark. 135 at the southern edge of Lepanto. Hours of operation are 1 to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday during the warm months of the year. The house is available for group tours anytime by calling (870) 475-2384 or (870) 475-2591. A small admission is charged. Information is also available at
www.lepantoaralumni.com/CITYOFLEPANTOHOMEPAGE.html.
Submitted by the Arkansas Department of Parks & Tourism
One Capitol Mall, Little Rock, AR 72201, (501) 682-7606
E-mail: info@arkansas.com
May be used without permission. Credit line is appreciated:
"Arkansas Department of Parks & Tourism"
Submitted by the Arkansas Department of Parks & Tourism
One Capitol Mall, Little Rock, AR 72201, 501-682-7606
E-mail: info@arkansas.com
May be used without permission. Credit line is appreciated:
"Arkansas Department of Parks & Tourism"