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The Tennessee Archive of Moving Image and Sound celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Dogwood Arts Festival with a First Friday retro double feature. First up is rare documentary footage of Dogwood Arts Festival activities past, followed by a screening of "Fool Killer" starring Anthony Perkins and filmed in Knoxville, which premiered at the Tennessee Theater during the 1965 Dogwood Arts Festival.

More info after the jump...

The Tennessee Archive of Moving Image and Sound, McClung Historical Collection, and the East Tennessee Historical Society join in the 2010 Dogwood Arts Festival 50th anniversary celebration with a special First Friday double feature film screening!

Downtown Knoxville & the Dogwood Arts Festival

Date: First Friday, April 2, 2010
Time: 6:30 pm
Location: East Tennessee History Center, 601 S. Gay St., Knoxville, TN 37902
Cost: Free to the public

In his 1947 travel book Inside USA, author John Gunther described Knoxville, Tennessee as "the ugliest city I ever saw in America." The response from Knoxville's civic leaders and citizens partially led to the creation of the Dogwood Trails and the Dogwood Arts Festival as a rebuttal against Gunther's statements, and as a showcase for the natural beauty of East Tennessee. Gunther's remarks and the success of the Dogwood Arts Festival also inspired downtown Knoxville to literally clean up its act.

For the past 50 years, the histories of downtown Knoxville and the Dogwood Arts Festival have been intertwined. Take a trip back into Knoxville's past as we revisit the early years of the Dogwood Arts Festival, depicted through historic and rarely-seen film footage selected from the McClung Historical Collection's WBIR-TV Newsfilm archive. Classic beauty pageants, visiting celebrities and parades down 1960s' Gay Street make for a wonderfully nostalgic viewing experience. Along the way you’ll catch glimpses of historic moments in downtown Knoxville history such as the 1963 civil rights movement, the destruction of the Market House, 1960s counter-culture, Gay Street’s Promenade and Gay Way additions, and much more.

The Fool Killer
(Allied Artists, 1965) Starring Anthony Perkins, and some local Knoxvillians!

Time: 7:15 - 9 pm

In 1963, Knoxville was named an All-American City by Look Magazine, partly as a result of its successful Dogwood Arts festival. One of the visiting celebrities in attendance for the celebration was actor Anthony "Psycho" Perkins, in town for the filming of The Fool Killer. Shot on-location in and around Knoxville, The Fool Killer employed many local Knoxvillians in its production, both as extras and behind the scenes.

Set during the late 1800s, the film features Perkins as Milo, a disturbed, shell-shocked Civil War veteran who suffers from amnesia and may well be the murderous ax-wielding "Fool Killer" of local legend. Edward Albert plays a run-away youth befriended by a cantankerous old hermit. Eventually Perkins and Albert cross paths, and that’s when the adventure begins. Part Psycho, part southern gothic melodrama, The Fool Killer can't seem to make up its mind which direction to take... so it takes them all.

The Fool Killer had its world premier at the Tennessee Theatre during the 1965 Dogwood Arts Festival. Rarely screened today, the film has held up much better than reviews at the time would suggest. Not a typical Hollywood film, The Fool Killer features stylish black and white photography, a cast of quirky characters, and effectively moody atmosphere. But is the film a good one? You be the judge!

Contacts: Bradley Reeves and Louisa Trott
Tennessee Archive of Moving Image and Sound
865-215-8856 / tamis33@gmail.com

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