Franklin, Virginia: Outdoor Movie Screening Celebrates 17th Anniversary of the film 'Deuce Coupe'

. The movie Deuce Coupe, which originally aired on May 1, 1992, celebrated its 17th anniversary on a big inflatable movie screen in Franklin on Friday, May 1. The outdoor movie event was presented by the Downtown Franklin Association, and it was preceded by both a classic car show and sock hop at Barrett's Landing. The film's producer, Bob Sloat, and director, Mark Deimel, flew in to Franklin on Thursday for three days of festivities surrounding the outdoor film. On Thursday evening, DFA board members and invited guests had an opportunity to meet and greet Sloat and Deimel at Fred's Restaurant. Both men had many fond memories of the time they spent in Franklin filming the movie back in 1989-1990 and were very interested in all that the city has been through since that time, including two 500-year floods. Prior to the screening, DJ Wayne Cooke played music from the '50s, '60s and '70s. He also did the giant inflatable screen for the outdoor cinema event. A car show featuring cars of the period were lined down the south end of Main Street. Moviegoers were given the opportunity to vote for the People's Choice award and the winner was a blue 1966 Ford Mustang owned by James Williams from the Carrsville area. He received a trophy for his victory. Two young children, Jordan and Gabrielle Johnson, came dressed for the occasion. Gabrielle wore a white blouse and poodle skirt which her grandmother had made; her brother wore the requisite jeans and T-shirt. While the weather that evening was beautiful, there was a brisk wind which delayed the setup of the big inflatable screen. Once the screen was inflated, participants had the opportunity to view a PowerPoint presentation featuring 440 photos of various events in Franklin over the past year including the Fall Festival, We Be Jammin', Christmas Parade, Day in the Park, Relay for Life and more. Once the outdoor movie began, silence swept over the crowd. People were especially interested in the scenes showing Franklin's Main Street and the Pace's Court area. DFA Main Street Manager Dan Howe estimates there were about 600 people at Barrett's Landing for the outdoor cinema event. Many of those attending had seen the original movie and commented that this movie which had been edited since the original version was released was an improvement over the film they saw. Story conceived the event idea and was the driving force to bring Deuce Coupe back to Franklin. At least 600 guests can say a hearty thank you as they harkened back to a simpler time. Source: "Old-fashioned fun" by Kathy Worrell -Tidewater News. Read full article at: http://www.tidewaternews.com/news/2009/may/09/old-fashioned-fun/.