Tupelo, sweet Tupelo!

I knew I was in a special town as soon as I arrived and the wonderful head of the Tupelo Film Commission, Pat Rasberry, took me to the home of Tom Evans, a lovely man with the house to match.  I can't do it justice in words - so I had to take some pictures.

This is Tom's foyer. Beautiful!

A room of many instruments - that's a grand piano hiding a baby grand behind it!  And an organ on the right.

Another organ in the same room!  Tom has been collecting these beautiful pieces for years. And boy can he play.  I'm trying to recruit him for the World Championship Old-Time Piano Playing Contest in our film.

Everyone I met was so kind and gracious - I'm from New Jersey, so I'm not used to that kind of thing. (Ha)  There was a lovely reception at Tom's, where I got to meet a lot of nice folks: Melanie, Sonia, Steve, Doris, and Roy, among others.  What a great group of people.

The next day Pat took me on a tour of the city -- which, as you may know, is the birthplace of Elvis.  I saw quite a few spots of historical significance:

Look too deeply into Young Elvis's eyes, and your lip starts to curl...

Elvis's front porch.  Can you see my fear that the swing will break and I will have to be run out of town?

The Elvis Booth at Johnnie's Drive-In.  Home of the delicious Dough Burger.  Which I can confirm is delicious.  In fact, I confirmed it twice.

We had the screening at the Black Box theater at the Link Centre, which is in a converted church and houses not only the Tupelo Symphony, but lots of different non-profit organizations.  It was a nice space for a screening and I really appreciated the thoughtful questions and comments of the audience.

Melanie Deas, of the Link Centre, and Pat Rasberry, of the Tupelo Film Commission.

I was sad to leave town after such a wonderful experience.  But I know I will keep in touch with my new friends - and as an aside to my fellow filmmakers, Pat and her team are doing a whole lot to attract productions to the city, and I think it would be an incredible place to film. 

That's all for now - thanks again to everyone who came out to see THE ENTERTAINERS!  Please stay in touch at our website: www.theentertainersmovie.com and on Facebook here.  And thanks again to the Southern Circuit Tour... it has been a blast.