It probably still gets curiosity seekers, such as myself, who spend money while visiting. If you were to go to Smithville, you'd see clear signs of the movie having been filmed there. On the sides of several of the old brick buildings are faux "ghost signs." I can imagine real ghost sign hunters, like myself, who don't know they are bogus, becoming extremely excited when stumbling upon them.
Here is some interesting information on how to tell the real ones from the fake (via the excellent Texas Escapes):
Lettering on movie signs isn't as meticulous as legitimate signs since they only appear on camera for a few seconds, if at all. The artists could certainly match the sign painter's skill if they had time. We're sure some of the older set painters are former wall dogs. Some set artists for the movie Hope Floats (filmed in Smithville) have even painted faux ghost signs - creating false layers of faded paint bleeding through the "real" ghost sign which may be for a product that did or didn't exist. Confused? Just watch the movie until the sign appears (if you can manage to stay awake).
Another way of telling a false ghost is the peeling and flaking of the paint. The current "safe" paints used by Hollywood degrade and flake off in a few years. Smithville's once outstanding Bright and Early Coffee ad has in 3 short years become almost invisible.
The building made over as "Honey's Diner," although currently being used to store lumber, once housed an epicenter of the Smithville economy.
I'm not sure about the authenticity of this business. Cool font, anyway. It's a little bit too perfect, so I'd suspect it's faux:
The Masonic Lodge was built in the 1870s. My dad, who drove through Smithville many times in the early '60s when making the drive between Austin (where he was attending U.T.) and Eagle Lake (where his parents lived), thinks he remembers seeing the ads on its side, which are now "ghosts." I'm skeptical.
This was done before the movie was made, probably very recently (the late '80s or early '90s):
2 comments:
I love "Hope Floats" - and I've always wanted to do the tour in Smithville - I just never have! Maybe one of these days I will...
You should, Leslie! It's fairly close to you, and it is definitely worth a visit. I'd recommend parking and strolling!
Post a Comment