O Brother Where Art Thou?
Written and produced by Ethan and Joel
Coen (Fargo, Raising Arizona, The
Big Lebowski + +) and directed by Joel Coen. The story is set
in 1937 Mississippi and stars George Clooney, Holly Hunter, John
Goodman. John Turturro, Tim Blake Miller, Lee Weaver, Wayne Duvall,
Charles Durning and others. It was released in the Fall of 2000
to rave reviews.
The cast & crew screening was held at the Writer'
Guild Theatre on the evening of Friday, June 23, 2000. We all
enjoyed a screening of the film followed by a party to celebrate
its uproarious success. Everyone deserves kudos for a job well
done. It's a real priveledge to work on a film like this.
Stan Garner of The Train Source, Inc. was the Train Coordinator.
The train is featured in the opening sequence. It was shot on
the Columbus & Greenville Railway near Leland, MS and consists
of Dardanelle & Russellville Railroad Locomotive #4 from
North Dardanelle, Arkansas (Baldwin 2-6-2 built in 1913, W.T.
Carter & Brother #4, Reader RR #4). The stock car (CB&Q),
tank car (Superior Oil) and outside braced box car (NP) came
from the Texas State Railroad at Rusk Texas. The hopper car,
steel box car and flat car are from the C&G Railway and the
wood caboose is from the Reader Railroad at Reader, Arkansas.
Everything, except the C&G equipment, was brought to the
C&G at Greenville, MS by truck.
The locomotive, hero box car and caboose are lettered for the
historic Yazoo & Mississippi Valley Railroad, also known
as "The Yellow Dog" (Yellow Dog Blues, W.C.Handy). The last line of
the song goes "... he's gone where the Southern cross the
Yellow Dog." That's at Morehead, MS about 20 miles east
of the film location on the C&G (Southern). The diamond is
still there.
The hand car sequence shown was filmed on
the Kansas City Southerns' Shreveport, LA to Jackson, MS main
at Edwards, MS. The hand car is now owned by The Train Source,
Inc.
Photos by: STAN GARNER |
