TexasEscapes.com HOME Welcome to Texas Escapes
A magazine written by Texas
 
New   |   Texas Towns   |   Ghost Towns   |   Counties   |   Trips   |   Features   |   Columns   |   Architecture   |   Images   |   Archives   |   Site Map


Books by
Michael Barr
Order Here:


Texas | Columns

"Hindsights" by Michael Barr

Looking back at:
Hoodwinked by Hollywood

Michael Barr
The people of Fredericksburg and Gillespie County were thrilled when they heard that Hollywood was coming to make a movie in the spring of 1970. Their hill country home was among the most picturesque places on earth. It was high time the rest of the world found out about it.

Producer/Director Larry Buchanan chose Gillespie County for his film, Strawberries Need Rain, because the German Hill Country looked like Sweden. Buchanan was a fan of iconic Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman.

Director Buchanan milked the Bergman connection for all it was worth. Texas Monthly Magazine called Buchanan's film a "sensitive Bergmanesque drama." Buchanan allegedly talked some Dallas theater owners into advertising the movie as a Bergman film in hopes that more people would see it.

Of course most Texans, myself included, didn't share Hollywood's fascination with Ingmar Bergman. If John Wayne's not in it, I'm not interested.

Larry Buchanan was known for writing, producing and directing low budget blockbusters such as It's Alive (under the name Larry Cohen) and Creatures of Destruction. He made many films for less than $30,000 - far less than the cost of a modern day 30 second TV commercial.

The cast and crew of Strawberries Need Rain arrived in Fredericksburg on April 4, 1970. The biggest star of the movie was Les Tremayne - a well-respected English radio and movie actor who previously had roles in The Fortune Cookie, Girl Happy with Elvis Presley and Alfred Hitchcock's North by Northwest.

By the next afternoon the crew had transformed the area behind the Gillespie County Courthouse into a movie set. As cameras rolled, Felix Pehl's Old Time Band played music on the gazebo. Extras included members of the community theater group and 14 Mormon missionaries who were passing through town. Even people walking down the street got caught up in the hoopla.

The crew filmed other scenes at the Pioneer Museum, Vereins Kirche, Cross Mountain, City Cemetery, Doss and Lange's Mill. Doss students and teachers appeared as extras.

Les Tremayne played the grim reaper. Actress Monica Gayle played a young girl with one day to live.

Trailers described the movie as "a sensitive, sensual film." As for the plot, let's just say the word "sensual" should have been a red flag and leave it at that.
Strawberries Need Rain Movie Poster
Strawberries Need Rain Movie Poster

Strawberries Need Rain opened at the Palace Theater in Fredericksburg on February 4, 1973. Opening night was a sellout.

The crowd cheered when the movie began, but the excitement faded fast.

Just about everyone agreed it was an awful picture. The script was sophomoric. The acting was terrible. Once critic said Les Tremayne looked "tired and embarrassing."

The Fredericksburg Standard pulled no punches. "Strawberries Need Rain Not Worth Seeing," read the headline. The only good thing about the movie was the scenery. The actors looked and acted like they "had been picked up on a street corner."

But it was nude scenes that shocked viewers. Fredericksburg felt betrayed - hoodwinked by Hollywood.

The Fredericksburg Standard described the "pornographic scenes" in the R-rated film as some of the "rankest sever seen by many locals." Opinions from moviegoers ranged from "anger to outrage."

Fredericksburg learned a tough lesson. The town would ask a lot more questions next time.

"We have an idea," said an article in the Standard, "that the next group of movie making folks that come to Fredericksburg will not receive the same type of cooperation extended the group that filmed this one."

The film did spark an interesting debate. Many citizens expressed a belief that nude scenes in movies lead to promiscuous behavior while others noted that the same folks who complained about nudity had no objections to horrific depictions of violence and bloodshed on the big screen.

One young man from Fredericksburg wrote "I believe it is a sad reflection on the values in our society when an occasional 'R' rated movie is frowned upon and scandalized while a host of bloody epics go unannounced at the Saturday matinee."

Something to think about it light of recent events.

© Michael Barr
"Hindsights"
March 1, 2018 Column

Sources:
"Filming of Full Length Movie Underway in City," Fredericksburg Standard, April 8. 1970.
"Les Tremayne Admirers Recall Radio Programs," Fredericksburg Standard, April 15, 1970.
"Doss News," Mason County News, April 30, 1970.
"Strawberries Need Rain Not Worth seeing," Fredericksburg Standard, February 7, 1973.
"Letters to the Editor," Fredericksburg Standard, February 14, 1973.

"Hindsights" by Michael Barr

  • Marking Time at the Palace Theatre 2-15-18
  • Louis Jordan - American Hero 2-1-18
  • HEB - A Lesson in the Grocery Business 1-15-18
  • Professor Badu of Llano County 1-1-18
  • Willow City 12-15-17

    See More »

  • See Fredericksburg

    Related Topics:
    Texas Theatres
    Columns | Texas History | Texas Towns
    "Hindsights" by Michael Barr

  • Marking Time at the Palace Theatre 2-15-18
  • Louis Jordan - American Hero 2-1-18
  • HEB - A Lesson in the Grocery Business 1-15-18
  • Professor Badu of Llano County 1-1-18
  • Willow City 12-15-17

    See More »


  • Texas Escapes Online Magazine »   Archive Issues » Go to Home Page »
    TEXAS TOWNS & COUNTIES TEXAS LANDMARKS & IMAGES TEXAS HISTORY & CULTURE TEXAS OUTDOORS MORE
    Texas Counties
    Texas Towns A-Z
    Texas Ghost Towns

    TEXAS REGIONS:
    Central Texas North
    Central Texas South
    Texas Gulf Coast
    Texas Panhandle
    Texas Hill Country
    East Texas
    South Texas
    West Texas

    Courthouses
    Jails
    Churches
    Schoolhouses
    Bridges
    Theaters
    Depots
    Rooms with a Past
    Monuments
    Statues

    Gas Stations
    Post Offices
    Museums
    Water Towers
    Grain Elevators
    Lodges
    Stores
    Banks

    Vintage Photos
    Historic Trees
    Cemeteries
    Old Neon
    Ghost Signs
    Signs
    Murals
    Gargoyles
    Pitted Dates
    Cornerstones
    Then & Now

    Columns: History/Opinion
    Texas History
    Small Town Sagas
    Black History
    WWII
    Texas Centennial
    Ghosts
    People
    Animals
    Food
    Music
    Art

    Books
    Texas Railroads

    Texas Trips
    Texas Drives
    Texas State Parks
    Texas Rivers
    Texas Lakes
    Texas Forts
    Texas Trails
    Texas Maps
    USA
    MEXICO
    HOTELS

    Site Map
    About Us
    Privacy Statement
    Disclaimer
    Contributors
    Staff
    Contact Us

     
    Website Content Copyright Texas Escapes LLC. All Rights Reserved