by Lauren Kent
Ever heard of the film “The Killer Shrews”? Perhaps the classic “Mars Needs Women,” or a handful of episodes of “Route 66”? Ok, maybe not, but these films and television shows—among many other “B” rated, grindhouse cult classics—were all filmed in Dallas decades ago, using local talent and crew, sound stages and outdoor terrain. On October 15th, The Studio Movie Grill rolled such “Oscar-challenged” footage during the fifth installment of the annual It Came From Dallas film festival, dubbed “Taking the Fifth,” created by the Dallas Producers Association to promote the local production scene and help bring business from out of state to Texas.
“Right now, we are losing a lot of film and commercial business to Louisiana and New Mexico,” explains Bob Dauber, board member of the DPA and host for the evening. The glory days of Texas film production ended somewhere in the 1980s, when legislation and tax incentives led producers to look elsewhere for on-location shoots. Now it’s a matter of getting that business back, which would not only be beneficial for local production crews but also hotels, restaurants, and other local businesses that would cater to out of state talent.
Attendees enjoyed clips from landmark hits like the 1967 version of “Bonnie and Clyde” and a version of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “State Fair” musical, to not-so memorable footage of kitschy pseudo-horror films like “Don’t Go in the Basement!” Audience members also caught a glimpse of Dennis Quaid in his first leading role in “The Seniors,” filmed at the SMU campus, as well as a scene from an episode of “Mr. Peppermint,” aka Jerry Haynes, a Dallas native who was meant to be a guest of honor that night but could not attend.
“Thanks to the internet and websites like Youtube, people are seeing these films all over the world now,” says archivist and co-host Gordon K. Smith. “They may not have gotten awards, but there were Dallas talent and technicians who worked on them, and we want to give them a shot in the spotlight.”
