I forgot to tell you the Bonnie and Clyde connection to Pilot Point, Texas. I showed you a picture of the Farmer’s and Merchants Bank (which is now an art gallery), but I didn’t tell you its historical highlight. You didn’t see the bank? Check out the post about “bare nekkid ladies.” It’s not pornographic! It’s about murals painted on the walls of a bank — it’s art, no matter what the folks in Pilot Point say. They said plenty, believe me.
Looks just like it did back in the day.
I’m told that Bonnie and Clyde (the notorious outlaws who ravaged this part of Texas during The Depression) never robbed this particular bank, which is not to say they didn’t think about it. The bank closed during The Depression, so they didn’t get a chance to rob it until 1967, when the movie Bonnie and Clyde was filmed.
This bank was used as a set. It had the “look” the director was seeking, and the town had not changed much through the years. During the filming, the whole town was closed down, and every available house was rented to the film crew. The locals talk about the excitement of that filming to this very day down at the local cafe.
Small towns roll up the street on Sunday, so don't expect breakfast.
I’ve always wondered why, as a culture, we seem to romanticize “outlaws” … do you have any thoughts on that? Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow were ruthless, violent murderers … but the movie made them seem glamorous. Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway were definitely better looking than Bonnie and Clyde.
The tagline for the movie was, “They’re young. They’re in love. They rob banks.” Some folks claim that the movie of Bonnie and Clyde was “the movie that made it okay to sympathize with murderers.” In fact, that 1967 movie was groundbreaking in that it was one of the first to depict graphic violence. Another legacy of Bonnie and Clyde?
Other posts you might enjoy:
- Bare Nekkid Ladies in Pilot Point, Texas
- Calaboose
- The Shell of A Roadside Attraction in Decatur
- A Gas-tronomical Adventure at Chef Point Cafe
- Child’s Play
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A bit of B&C trivia: The premiere of the movie was held right here in our home town of Denton, TX at the Campus Theater on Hickory Street.
Interesting too (to me, anyway) is that the “chase music” used in the movie brought the 5-string-banjo artistry (no, not an oxymoron) of Earl Scruggs to nationwide attention.
You told me that, and I forgot to pull out a picture! I didn’t realize that Earl Scruggs played that music (but then, here in Texas we already knew who Earl was).
Did I ever tell you that I love your trivia? I think I did.
Jay’s Cafe is a fabulous place to eat! Pilot Point is only a hop skip and jump from my place. Great blog. I am enjoying this!
I like Jay’s Cafe, and just LOVE to talk to the locals there! Thank you for stopping by. I like YOUR blog, too. Maybe we should meet in Pilot Point for lunch & take some pictures of the area?
When I was young, my siblings and I always spent our summers with our grandparents and the whole Fischer family and we wouldn’t trade those times and memories for the world. I remember we would always walk “up town” to the square and the Farmers and Merchants Bank always sent a chill down my spine when we saw it. I saw the Bonnie and Clyde movie just recently and recognized it immediately.
Pilot Point was the highlight of my youth.
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