a.k.a. Space Gynecologist (just a little road trip humor, sorry)
Anyway, the last couple of days have been very interesting. I decided to help Mark with his documentary on Dub Taylor, a famous Western film sidekick who had a 60-year career in show business. He found out that he would get to do an interview with Dixie Carter in her hometown in Tennessee on Tuesday, which was a great opportunity for him, since he needed some sort of break.
I think it was when I was in high school that I started watching Lifetime (I had to, it is television for women). As I would get ready for school in the morning, I would laugh at the Southern women of Designing Women. I was always fascinated by Julia Sugarbaker, Dixie Carter's character, because of her charm, wit, and strong convictions about feminist issues. I didn't know what to expect when Mark and I left Mt. Vernon at 6 am to meet her, but I knew that if she was anything like her character on Designing Women, then I would really like her.
After driving eleven hours (we gained an hour with the time zone change) to see her, we pulled into her little sleepy town in Tennessee and turned into her driveway. Her estate was really beautiful -- old, sturdy, white-washed houses with fireplaces and the aroma of firewood in the front and a brightly-lit music room in the back. There were three guest houses and a beautiful back yard. She had three ladies that worked for her in the kitchen (Mark and James called them servants) and one landscaper. When she came down to meet us, she learned our names and referred to us by name the rest of the visit. I was the only girl, so after the interview, she took me out to show me the grounds and other parts of her estate.
The thing is, I was not really into the idea of going crazy for a celebrity. I have never valued a person by their career, only by their character. I was not going to get all wrapped up in her fame and money and celebrity persona, and I certainly was not going to kiss up to her, even though filmmaking is saturated in that sort of thing. However, from the moment she met us, she demanded my respect just from the way she carried herself and ran her household. She was kind, gracious, personable, engaging, interesting, and all the things that you would expect from any human being, but somehow, it seemed more meaningful from a person who has a lot of things at her disposal. She was really glad to help with this guerilla filmmaking project, and seemed sort of inspired by Mark's vision and work ethic.
She sent us away with pimento sandwiches (cut into 1X1 inch squares) and pineapple and cream cheese sandwiches, which I heard tasted great and were homemade, but I did not partake. After a quick rest, we interviewed Dub Taylor's son, Buck, in Atlanta and then headed home.
So, 2 days, 1300 miles, and 5 hours of sleep later, I opened the door to my apartment, put down my bags and slept like a baby.
4 comments:
Oh man! You are so lucky. Dixie Carter is the best!
I'm glad things went well and that Dixie was everything I ever dreamed she would be.
Great picture!
PS: JJ and I were discussing how great your writing is in this post (not that it isn't always wonderful). It's exceptionally fab this time. Great post!
Thanks! I was really out of it when I wrote this post, but that is usually when I write the best. I will try to do another post on Buck Taylor, who was in Gunsmoke and Tombstone. He was great too.
Yay Buck Taylor! I know the ladies are DYING to hear what he had to say (except for the dollar joke).
I agree with them about your writing. Sounds PROFESSIONAL. Like you could make money as a writer. If only there were an opening somewhere... ;)
The documentary snowball's rolling faster. Let me know when this celebrity high wears off, because we'll be moving on to the next round pretty soon (before you can say, "Jack Robinson" in your best British dialect).
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