Buford Pusser

Well I’ll be!

I just got back from Illinois/Tennessee. What a trip!

I’ll tell you more about it later, but I just found something interesting…

Ever seen the movie “Walking Tall”? Ever see the original 1974 version? I haven’t seen either, but last night I was talking to a guy in a Memphis ribs joint and he mentioned driving through a town in southern TN, where they had an advertisement for their annual “Walking Tall” festival. It turns out, the movie (at least the 1974 version) took place in that town. I thought it was interesting, but didn’t think anything of it.

Later that night, I happened to pass through Adamsville, TN (right next to Crump, TN in McNair County) on my way to the hotel I would be staying at near the Shilo Civil War battlefield (which is why I was down there). So, driving through Adamsville, I saw a banner flying over the main street advertising their annual “Walking Tall” festival! That night I had forgotten about the Rock movie by that title, and the idea I had from the guy who told me about it was that it was a movie about a creepy, corrupt sheriff. So, I was driving at night through a creepy, semi-abandoned, southern town in the middle of knowhere, where they’re proud they’re featured in a creepy cop movie. Yay!

Why I’m so excited about this is because I just looked up the movie and it sounds interesting - the 1974 version is about a former pro wrestler, Buford Pusser, who comes home to his hometown to find it hopelessly corrupt. He becomes sherrif and starts whooping up on the local mafia. I got one picture of the banner advertising the festival, but I missed the Buford Pusser museum. Dangit! Oh well, I’ll probably just have to head out to Tennessee again some time.