For one brief shining moment in 1970, I thought I was actress Tuesday Weld, although I was only 15-years-old and starring in the fictional drama I Walk the Line. 

Never mind that I wasn’t old enough to drive a car or buy a beer.  An adolescent’s active imagination is priceless.  I wanted to be called “Wednesday Judkins!”  No joke!

In an overgrown, hilly, mountainous section of DeKalb County, Tennessee, the Hollywood movie, I Walk the Line, was filmed and co-starred actor Gregory Peck, who also played Atticus Finch in the award-winning movie “To Kill a Mockingbird,” along with newcomers Tuesday Weld and Estelle Parsons of “Bonnie and Clyde” fame.

Schools were dismissed and buses transported DeKalb County students to the areas where the filming was occurring.  “The movie was filmed on location in Gainesboro, Tennessee and on Center Hill Lake and Dam,” quoted www.wikipedia.com.  Some scenes were filmed in California.  Also, in the movie, “The dam shown is Center Hill Dam while the waters are of Center Hill Lake and the Caney Fork River.  Some of the rural scenes were filmed in the Dry Creek area of DeKalb County,” wrote m.imdb.com.

The crux of the movie tells the story of Sheriff Henry Tawes (Peck), who develops a relationship with a girl in town (Gainesboro).  Her name was Alma McCain (Weld).  The “I Walk the Line” movie soundtrack was by Johnny Cash; it featured his 1956 hit song of the same name.  While filming the movie, Peck was 54 years, while Weld was age 27, thus being a 27-year age differentiation.  “He could have very well been her father,” said a Weld fan.  Written as a descriptive definition, Amazon.com surmised the movie, “A married backwards Tennessee sheriff (Peck) falls in love with a teenager (Weld) whose father is a moonshiner (Ralph Meeker).”  The theme of the movie centers upon moonshines, steals, and the lower-class of dysfunctional persons.  The large age-difference between the two top protagonists was also a topic of visual conversation.

The movie’ synopsis from www.wikipedia.com continues, “I Walk the Line is a 1970 American neo noir drama film based on Madison Jones’ novel, “An Exile.”  The film was rated PG-13 for some violence and sexual content.  A “neo noir drama” film uses more graphic depictions of violence and sexuality.  It is a genre/movement and seems to include any film with a detective or crime feature (Hence:  I Walk the Line).

According to Shirley Taylor of DeKalb County, “The movie shows the Dry Creek Road and the Swinging Bridge.   One day, the school bus stopped as they were filming a scene.  All the kids got off the bus and watched the dog (who was in the movie) do tricks (for the bystanders-ibid).”  According to a 1970 review in Time magazine, the dog in the film is named Dodo Denney.

Another memory from John W. Smith was, “The love scene was shot upstairs in my front bedroom!”  And Wayne Cubbins said, “My uncle, Chester Parsley, worked for the Corp. of Engineers at the time, and he saw the movie crew filming by Center Hill Lake.”

In the “Smithville Review” newspaper during this time was a black and white complacent photograph of actor Gregory Peck at Dry Creek and drinking a cup of coffee while relaxing between movie scenes.   (All-inclusive photos of Peck were from Bud Judkins.)

And commenting further, Jerry Parker, released the following statement: “The movie was filmed in October, 1969 on property at Dry Creek owned by my grandfather (who lived in Smithville.)  The movie was released in 1970.  I have a copy of the “Smithville Review” about the filming (of the movie) and photos taken by my mother, which are stamped with the date of October, 1969.”

According to my life-long friend, Judkins, the “An Exile” title was later changed to “I Walk the Line.”  It is not to be confused with “Walk the Line,” the drama about the life and times of country music icon, Johnny Cash.

Other definitions features on the Film Poster, in part, are the release date, which was on October 12, 1970; the length of the movie was 95 minutes; it was distributed by Columbia Pictures; and, it was directed by John Frankenheimer.

A literary climax sums the film’s authenticity, “Peck does a nice job playing a middle-age crazy sheriff who meets and goes over the edge for a rawboned hillbilly girl (Weld).  He has a decent, loving wife at home (Estelle Parsons, now age 96) but his discontent with his wife leads to his making one stupid mistake after another, in not only his private life, but his professional as well.  Well-played-out film with top notch performances by the entire cast and a soundtrack by Johnny Cash which intertwines nicely with the picture,” wrote IMB.b.com.

The movie centers upon small town boredom, mid-life crisis, and emotional unrest.  Peck, the protagonist, seemingly deals with the direct and surrounding small hillbilly town’s influx of moonshine steels.

“Actor Charles Durning almost drowned while filming the movie’s scene in which his character is thrown into the Caney Fork River.  The movie crew forgot about him and left (the area).  Gregory Peck jumped into the water and swam to save him,” said TV Guide.

“Many people consider this as Peck’s worst film (ibid).”  According to Peck, “What audiences saw was not the picture we set out to do…The studio people eliminated the prologue and the epilogue, which gave some sense to the story…”

In memoriam, Gregory Peck was born on April 5, 1916 and died of bronchopneumonia (inflamed lung sacs) on June 12, 2003 at age 87 years.  Married twice, he had five children and several grandchildren.  He was nominated for an Academy Award five times, and won one for playing Atticus Finch in “To Kill a Mockingbird (1963).”  He was one of the best and most popular movie actors of our lifetime.  And, he was only friends with actress Audrey Hepburn – no romantic liaison.

Actress Tuesday Weld was born on August 27, 1943 and is now 80-years-old.  She failed a suicide attempt at age 12.  Since 1980, she has curtailed her acting, quitting in 2001.  She has two children and has been divorced three times.  She lives in New York – alone.

Regardless of all the hullabaloo, Gregory Peck always will be Atticus Finch to me.  And, I’ll always be Wednesday Judkins to him.

(Note:  There are two different movies.  “I Walk the Line” stars Gregory Peck, circa 1970.  “Walk the Line” stars Reese Witherspoon, circa 2005, is the life story of Johnny Cash).  The difference in the two movies is the usage of the I.