Fools' Parade
Encyclopedia
Fools' Parade is a 1971
drama film directed by Andrew McLaglen
and starring James Stewart
, George Kennedy
, Kurt Russell
, and Strother Martin
. It was based on the novel of the same name by Davis Grubb
. The film is also known as Dynamite Man from Glory Jail.
, located in the fictional town of Glory, in 1935. ("Glory" is author Grubb's pseudonym for his hometown, Moundsville, West Virginia
, site of the real state prison.) Appleyard is issued a check for $25,452.32 for his 40 years of prison work, an enormous amount in the Great Depression
.
All three men are escorted by prison Captain "Doc" Council to the train out of town. However, Council has no intention of letting all that money get away. He and his accomplices, Steve Mystic and Junior Kilfong, hold up the train. Kilfong shoots an innocent passenger, mining supply salesman Roy K. Sizemore, while trying to stop the ex-convicts from getting away. Council kills the wounded Sizemore and places the blame on Appleyard.
Later, as Council is telling his partner, banker Homer Grindstaff, what happened, Appleyard walks in with sticks of dynamite
(from Sizemore's suitcase) strapped to him and a suitcase with "60 more pounds". Appleyard threatens to blow them all up "and half this city block" if the banker doesn't cash his check. Grindstaff reluctantly cashes Appleyard's check.
Appleyard and his friends split up to meet again later. While waiting at the rendezvous, Cottrill is talked into boarding a houseboat
owned by down-on-her-luck prostitute Cleo for a drink of whiskey. Also aboard is Chanty, a sixteen-year-old virgin whom Cleo has taken in and is hoping for the first customer willing to pay $100 for her virginity.
Appleyard and Johnny show up, only to be tracked down by Council and his bloodhound. The three friends get away in a skiff
, leaving what is thought to be a case of money with Cleo (but it is actually the dynamite). Johnny is worried about what Council will do to Chanty, so they turn around and row back.
By then, Council has left, but not before telling Cleo about Appleyard's money. Held at gunpoint, Appleyard gives her his suitcase (with the dynamite in it). Believing that she is now rich, Cleo gladly lets the men take Chanty with them. After they leave, Cleo tries to shoot the locked suitcase open and blows herself and the houseboat up.
The fugitives are later trapped on a boxcar by Council on a train which, as in a "fools' parade", has led them back to where they started. Luckily for them, guilt-ridden train conductor Willis Hubbard helps them escape, though he is too afraid of Council to tell the police what he knows.
Council and his partners Mystic and Kilfong track the others to an abandoned house. Council decides he doesn't want to share the loot, so he kills his two confederates. He then shoots a window out, wounding Appleyard. Johnny throws dynamite at Council, but it is fetched back to him by Council's bloodhound. Appleyard hastily throws it back out the window, killing Council.
As soon as Hubbard confesses the truth, Grindstaff is arrested and Appleyard and his friends are exonerated.
"Joey" the bloodhound was also used in The Beverly Hillbillies
television series.
(now CSX) throughout filming, mainly at the Moundsville station, which was demolished in 1980. The production crew used "stand-in" actors from Moundsville, such as George Metro, who portrayed the "Train Dispatcher", and at the time (1969-1970) was the trainmaster for the B&O Railroad, and Kitty Jefferson Doepken, who played Clara, Grindstaff's secretary.
1971 in film
The year 1971 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*February 8 - Bob Dylan's hour long documentary film, Eat the Document, premieres at New York's Academy of Music...
drama film directed by Andrew McLaglen
Andrew McLaglen
Andrew Victor McLaglen is a British-American film and television director and former actor.Andrew McLaglen was born in London, the son of British actor Victor McLaglen and Enid Lamont. He was from a film family that included eight uncles and an aunt, and he grew up on movie sets with his parents...
and starring James Stewart
James Stewart (actor)
James Maitland Stewart was an American film and stage actor, known for his distinctive voice and his everyman persona. Over the course of his career, he starred in many films widely considered classics and was nominated for five Academy Awards, winning one in competition and receiving one Lifetime...
, George Kennedy
George Kennedy
George Harris Kennedy, Jr. is an American actor who has appeared in over 200 film and television productions. He is perhaps most familiar as the convict Dragline in Cool Hand Luke , airline troubleshooter Joe Patroni in the Airport series of disaster movies from the 1970s and...
, Kurt Russell
Kurt Russell
Kurt Vogel Russell is an American television and film actor. His first acting roles were as a child in television series, including a lead role in the Western series The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters...
, and Strother Martin
Strother Martin
Strother Martin was an American actor in numerous films and television programs. Martin is perhaps best known as the prison "captain" in the 1967 film Cool Hand Luke, where he uttered the line, "What we've got here is...failure to communicate."-Early life:Strother Martin Jr. was born in Kokomo,...
. It was based on the novel of the same name by Davis Grubb
Davis Grubb
Davis Grubb was an American novelist and short story writer.-Biography:Born in Moundsville, West Virginia, Grubb wanted to combine his creative skills as a painter with writing and as such attended the Carnegie Institute of Technology in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
. The film is also known as Dynamite Man from Glory Jail.
Plot
Murderer Mattie Appleyard, bank robber Lee Cottrill and young Johnny Jesus are released from the West Virginia State PenitentiaryWest Virginia State Penitentiary
The West Virginia State Penitentiary is a retired, gothic style prison located in Moundsville, West Virginia. It operated from 1876 to 1995. Currently, the site is maintained as a tourist attraction and training facility.-Design:...
, located in the fictional town of Glory, in 1935. ("Glory" is author Grubb's pseudonym for his hometown, Moundsville, West Virginia
Moundsville, West Virginia
Moundsville is a city in Marshall County, West Virginia, along the Ohio River. It is part of the Wheeling Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 9,998 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Marshall County. The city was named for the Grave Creek Mound. Moundsville was settled in...
, site of the real state prison.) Appleyard is issued a check for $25,452.32 for his 40 years of prison work, an enormous amount in the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
.
All three men are escorted by prison Captain "Doc" Council to the train out of town. However, Council has no intention of letting all that money get away. He and his accomplices, Steve Mystic and Junior Kilfong, hold up the train. Kilfong shoots an innocent passenger, mining supply salesman Roy K. Sizemore, while trying to stop the ex-convicts from getting away. Council kills the wounded Sizemore and places the blame on Appleyard.
Later, as Council is telling his partner, banker Homer Grindstaff, what happened, Appleyard walks in with sticks of dynamite
Dynamite
Dynamite is an explosive material based on nitroglycerin, initially using diatomaceous earth , or another absorbent substance such as powdered shells, clay, sawdust, or wood pulp. Dynamites using organic materials such as sawdust are less stable and such use has been generally discontinued...
(from Sizemore's suitcase) strapped to him and a suitcase with "60 more pounds". Appleyard threatens to blow them all up "and half this city block" if the banker doesn't cash his check. Grindstaff reluctantly cashes Appleyard's check.
Appleyard and his friends split up to meet again later. While waiting at the rendezvous, Cottrill is talked into boarding a houseboat
Houseboat
A houseboat is a boat that has been designed or modified to be used primarily as a human dwelling. Some houseboats are not motorized, because they are usually moored, kept stationary at a fixed point and often tethered to land to provide utilities...
owned by down-on-her-luck prostitute Cleo for a drink of whiskey. Also aboard is Chanty, a sixteen-year-old virgin whom Cleo has taken in and is hoping for the first customer willing to pay $100 for her virginity.
Appleyard and Johnny show up, only to be tracked down by Council and his bloodhound. The three friends get away in a skiff
Skiff
The term skiff is used for a number of essentially unrelated styles of small boat. The word is related to ship and has a complicated etymology: "skiff" comes from the Middle English skif, which derives from the Old French esquif, which in turn derives from the Old Italian schifo, which is itself of...
, leaving what is thought to be a case of money with Cleo (but it is actually the dynamite). Johnny is worried about what Council will do to Chanty, so they turn around and row back.
By then, Council has left, but not before telling Cleo about Appleyard's money. Held at gunpoint, Appleyard gives her his suitcase (with the dynamite in it). Believing that she is now rich, Cleo gladly lets the men take Chanty with them. After they leave, Cleo tries to shoot the locked suitcase open and blows herself and the houseboat up.
The fugitives are later trapped on a boxcar by Council on a train which, as in a "fools' parade", has led them back to where they started. Luckily for them, guilt-ridden train conductor Willis Hubbard helps them escape, though he is too afraid of Council to tell the police what he knows.
Council and his partners Mystic and Kilfong track the others to an abandoned house. Council decides he doesn't want to share the loot, so he kills his two confederates. He then shoots a window out, wounding Appleyard. Johnny throws dynamite at Council, but it is fetched back to him by Council's bloodhound. Appleyard hastily throws it back out the window, killing Council.
As soon as Hubbard confesses the truth, Grindstaff is arrested and Appleyard and his friends are exonerated.
Cast
- James StewartJames Stewart (actor)James Maitland Stewart was an American film and stage actor, known for his distinctive voice and his everyman persona. Over the course of his career, he starred in many films widely considered classics and was nominated for five Academy Awards, winning one in competition and receiving one Lifetime...
as Mattie Appleyard - George KennedyGeorge KennedyGeorge Harris Kennedy, Jr. is an American actor who has appeared in over 200 film and television productions. He is perhaps most familiar as the convict Dragline in Cool Hand Luke , airline troubleshooter Joe Patroni in the Airport series of disaster movies from the 1970s and...
as Dallas "Doc" Council - Kurt RussellKurt RussellKurt Vogel Russell is an American television and film actor. His first acting roles were as a child in television series, including a lead role in the Western series The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters...
as Johnny Jesus - Strother MartinStrother MartinStrother Martin was an American actor in numerous films and television programs. Martin is perhaps best known as the prison "captain" in the 1967 film Cool Hand Luke, where he uttered the line, "What we've got here is...failure to communicate."-Early life:Strother Martin Jr. was born in Kokomo,...
as Lee Cottrill - Anne BaxterAnne BaxterAnne Baxter was an American actress known for her performances in films such as The Magnificent Ambersons , The Razor's Edge , All About Eve and The Ten Commandments .-Early life:...
as Cleo - William WindomWilliam Windom (actor)William Windom is an American actor. He is perhaps best known for his work on television, including several episodes of The Twilight Zone; playing the character of Glen Morley, a congressman from Minnesota like his own great-grandfather and namesake in The Farmer's Daughter; the character of John...
as Roy K. Sizemore - Mike KellinMike Kellin-Early life:Kellin was born Myron Kellin in Hartford, Connecticut, the son of Sophia and Samuel Kellin, Russian Jewish immigrants. He was educated at Boston University and Trinity College...
as Steve Mystic - Katherine CannonKatherine CannonKatherine Cannon is an American actress.She is best known for playing Donna Martin's stuck-up, racist, and cheating mother, Felice Martin, on the long-running teen series, Beverly Hills, 90210....
as Chanty - Morgan PaullMorgan PaullMorgan Paull is an American actor probably most notable for playing Holden in the Ridley Scott film Blade Runner. He made his acting debut in the 1970 film Patton playing Captain Richard N. Jenson...
as Junior Kilfong - Robert DonnerRobert DonnerRobert Donner was an American actor who made many appearances in television series and films in a career spanning more than 40 years.-Early life and career:...
as Willis Hubbard - David HuddlestonDavid HuddlestonDavid William Huddleston is an American actor, best known for his roles in Blazing Saddles, Santa Claus: The Movie and The Big Lebowski.-Early life:...
as Homer Grindstaff - Dort Clark as Enoch Purdy
- James Lee Barrett as Sonny Boy
- Kitty Jefferson Doepken as Clara
"Joey" the bloodhound was also used in The Beverly Hillbillies
The Beverly Hillbillies
The Beverly Hillbillies is an American situation comedy originally broadcast for nine seasons on CBS from 1962 to 1971, starring Buddy Ebsen, Irene Ryan, Donna Douglas, and Max Baer, Jr....
television series.
Production
"Fools' Parade" was filmed entirely in Marshall County, West Virginia. Davis Grubb, author of Fools' Parade, was born and raised in Moundsville, where most of the filming took place. The production crew used the Baltimore and Ohio RailroadBaltimore and Ohio Railroad
The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was one of the oldest railroads in the United States and the first common carrier railroad. It came into being mostly because the city of Baltimore wanted to compete with the newly constructed Erie Canal and another canal being proposed by Pennsylvania, which...
(now CSX) throughout filming, mainly at the Moundsville station, which was demolished in 1980. The production crew used "stand-in" actors from Moundsville, such as George Metro, who portrayed the "Train Dispatcher", and at the time (1969-1970) was the trainmaster for the B&O Railroad, and Kitty Jefferson Doepken, who played Clara, Grindstaff's secretary.