This weekend Pineville Missouri is celebrating Jesse James Days, August 6-9 on the square in Pineville. Come down and enjoy all that they offer and visit with Tyrone Power, Jr.
What a great read ~ I enjoyed Cindi's writing and recommend you reading it!
When I learned that Jesse & some of his men rode with Bushwhackers, that led me to read other books about the Kansas and Missouri Border Wars...
"Gray Ghosts of the Confederacy: Guerrilla Warfare in the West: 1861-1865" by Richard S. Brownlee is a great book about the Civil War & the making of the Bushwackers, I highly recommend it.
There are other wonderfully written books about the Civil War in Missouri, the James Gang and the Border Wars...check them out!
Here's the story that I wrote for our Historical Society newsletter. I enjoyed finding the tidbits from all of my research and decided to write about those little gems that are interesting, because there has been so much has been written about Jesse James.
Outlaw, Missouri Bandit, and Hero:
75 Years of Jesse James
By
Karen Utter Jennings
Outlaw,
notorious Missouri bandit, and hero; Jesse James was all that and more. Folks formed
their own opinion about the young man, born in Northern Missouri and who rode through
the country making history by robbing banks and trains, terrorizing the Union Forces
and blazing a name for himself. Some say he was a criminal and worthless, while
others call him a hero and idolize his name.
75
years ago, during August and September in 1938, Hollywood came to McDonald
County because of Jesse Woodson James. This caused one of the biggest
sensations McDonald County will ever see. As I read about the filming of “Jesse
James,” I found fascinating facts that I offer here in my article. These
tidbits come from various newspapers, oral history from area residents and
photographs.
Henry
King, movie director for 20th Century Fox Productions, chose
Pineville and the outlying area as the principal location to shoot the moving picture
because Pineville resembled the town of Liberty, Missouri and the courthouse
that stands in the center of Pineville’s public square was crucial to the
film’s storyline.
Pineville’s
mayor, F.T. Drumm, worked closely with the motion picture director and received
a telegram from Henry King on August 10, 1938: “Dear Mayor: At our executive
meeting yesterday the decision was rendered in favor of doing the picture at
Pineville for which I am very happy. Mr. Bowman and the Art Director and staff
are leaving for Pineville, August 11. The company will arrive on or about the
20th. You can acquaint those in the vicinity of Pineville with these
facts but I prefer to continue this information to that locality as much as
possible. Kindest regards, Henry King.”
It
was official. Hollywood descended on McDonald County.
Stars
of the movie were Tyrone Power who played the part of Jesse James; Henry Fonda
was Frank James; Nancy Kelly portrayed Zee James; Randolph Scott was the U.S.
Marshal; Jane Darwell played the part of Jesse’s mother; Lon Chaney, Jr. was a
member of the James Gang.
The
movie company made their headquarters at Noel, where more than 150 movie people
arrived there on a Sunday morning. Several private homes, cottages and tourist
cabins were readied for the movie actors and members of the company. Marx
Cheney, owner of the Shadow Lake Resort of Noel commented, “About the only
air-conditioning we can offer is a cool Ozark Breeze.”
Henry
Fonda invented his own air conditioning by placing large cakes of dry ice
outside his cabin window. He used an electric fan to blow across the ice and his
cabin was cool when he ended the day’s movie shootings.
Shadow
Lake was a favorite hangout for dinner and after hour’s entertainment for the
movie crew and actors. The resort town boomed when tourists arrived by the
hundreds to see the movie stars and possibly get their autographs.
The
Pineville square was transformed to represent Liberty, Missouri. This was done
by covering the paved streets with 400 loads of dirt and gravel, hiding the
concrete walks with old-fashioned board walks, building false store fronts,
adding hitching rails and water troughs, and erecting several buildings such as
the U.S. Marshall’s office, a newspaper office representing the “Weekly
Gazette” and building the Dixie Belle Hotel.
Twentieth-Century
Fox spent $25,000 to make those changes in Pineville.
On
August 16, 1938, more than 200 local people were hired as extras for the motion
picture. Men grew their beards and women gathered the appropriate attire to
“look the part.” Men, women, and children were excited to be a part of such a
huge production.
Initial
scenes were filmed at the log cabin home of Albert Barnes, a Pineville barber. The
Highway Patrol was stationed along the main road to stop traffic and request
that motorists shut off their engines because the noise ruined the scenes.
Mrs.
Florence Crowder received $3,000 for the use of her farm that was used as Jesse
and Frank James’ mother’s home. Mrs. Crowder became distressed when she had to
stay away while the filming took over a month to complete. She received an
extra $100 because the crowds excited her guinea hens and they made such a
racket that it interfered with the sound recordings. Director King bought the
guineas and had them served on the menu to the movie crew.
Mrs.
Crowder died on September 22, 1938, just days after the film’s completion.
Physicians said her death was partially due to the excitement of the movie
filming, not being able to live in her home while the filming took place, and
being outdoors in the hot sun.
The
Southwest city train station was the scene of Union soldiers coming to court
martial the county seat where Jesse and Frank were held as prisoners. A special old model train was rebuilt with
engine and cars at Ft. Smith, Arkansas, for the big scene when Jesse and his
gang staged the robbery. Thousands came to watch the filming of the train hold
up. Movie producers used a section of the Frisco tracks for the shooting and
they employed about 250 McDonald and Newton County people as extras for the
train robbery scene.
In
Pineville, one Friday night in August 1938, three men robbed the Tavern and
took $300. Pineville Sheriff Bone said, “Somebody is taking this James business
too seriously.”
Carl
Mayfield of Anderson supplied 100 horses for the movie and the other horses used
were Hollywood trick horses. A photo
postcard depicts a scene where Zee meets Jesse and Frank in a cave. Jesse holds
the reins of a horse named Sally.
An
estimate of 10,000 people crowded into Noel and Pineville, causing traffic jams
along the highway that connected the towns. People form 48 states visited McDonald
County and the crowds swelled to 5,000 daily. Labor Day, 1938, the crowd topped
15,000 people. Highway Patrolmen directed the traffic flow.
Mrs. E.J. Cookerly, Joplin, furnished over 300
zinnias and marigold flowers from her home garden for the filming of Jesse’s
funeral scene.
Finally,
after two months of filming, Hollywood departed from McDonald County.
When
“Jesse James” hit the big screen in January 1939, Joplin’s Fox Theatre’s box
office praised the movie as “the most exciting picture you’ve ever
seen…acclaimed by everyone as TERRIFIC.” Opening day saw 5,000 people walk
through box office. Adult tickets sold for 30 cents until 2 pm, 40 cents plus
tax afterward, with children 10 cents.
Ten
days after the movie hit the big screen, people wrote to Hollywood criticizing
Twentieth Century-Fox for their portrayal of Jesse James’ life in the movie.
Hundreds of letters pointed out discrepancies and inaccuracies of the real life
of the gang. The letters of criticism got no response from the Twentieth
Century-Fox, however, for they knew controversy leads to interest and interest
leads to success.
And
successful it was! Each year Pineville celebrates Jesse James Days with activities
around the square. Residents gather to watch the movie to try to get a glimpse of
a family member who was an “extra” in the film.
During the summer of 1973, Director Henry King
came back to Pineville to attend the annual Jesse James Days Celebration; he stayed
at the Ginger Blue Lodge. During a dinner in King’s honor, Pineville Mayor
Orlin Armstrong represented the people of Pineville and presented him with a plaque
for outstanding service and dedication to the movie industry. Director King
praised the local community the folks who helped in every way and said the
movie was a success due to their cooperation and hard work.
At
the 1973 celebration, Buel Buzzard, pastor of the Christian Church, performed the
marriage of Penny Harmon and Gary Pogue at an old time brush arbor wedding.
Today
Pineville continues to celebrate Jesse James Days. Visit the Historical
Courthouse Museum on the square where the Jesse James Room highlights
memorabilia. Folks round here still talk about the bandit and the Hollywood
filming of the movie in their county.
My
father recalled stories told to him about the filming of the movie; he told me
that his great-grandfather, Thomas “Bud” Johnson, was riding in the train when
the movie was being filmed. He also said they had to put a wagon load of hay in
front of a corner gas station to hide the gas pumps and they could not get the
horse to jump off the bluff into the hole of water so they had to build a ramp
and covered the ramp with branches. The horse fell off the ramp and that is why
he went off bottom first into the water.
Mr.
John Wright to the McDonald County Historical Society donated the old
Washington hand printing press. The hand press was used in the Jesse James
movie in the Weekly Gazette Newspaper Office and printing shop. The printing press
is now housed inside the Historic Courthouse Museum.
I
have formed my opinion about Jesse James and his family. Where do your
sympathies lie? If you are curious and want more information, visit the
Historical Courthouse on the Pineville square museum. Because 75 years later, Jesse
James’ life story lives on.
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