MovieChat Forums > All the Way Home (1965) Discussion > Knoxville locations

Knoxville locations

posted 12 years ago by hownowbrownpaul
2 replies | jump to latest

We look back about 50 years to when this film was released in 1963. The producers of the film at that time also looked back about 50 years to recreate the Knoxville of 1916.

This film (based on James Agee's novel, "A Death in the Family") is not only the first screen version of the play, "All the Way Home," but it is also the only one to be shot on location in Knoxville, in the same neighborhood where Agee's autobiographical novel is set. It is a wonderful film as well as a valuable preservation of a bygone era. The historic Fort Sanders neighborhood where home exteriors were filmed has shrunk over the years due to homes being razed in favor of apartment buildings for UT students, and it continues to disappear as the hospital expands and many of the remaining homes are allowed to fall into ruin. James Agee's childhood home (at 1505 Highland Ave) was torn down while the film was in production, though part of it (the back porch?) was shipped to New York where interior scenes were being filmed.

The house used for exterior shots of the Follet (Agee) home was located at 1412 Forest Avenue.

The house used for exterior shots where the funeral service took place was located at 1511 Laurel Avenue.

Here are some production photos from this film:
http://www.knoxnews.com/photos/galleries/2009/nov/19/all-way-home-movie-based-james-agees-death-family/

Here is a photo of James Agee's actual house (1505 Highland Ave) around the time it was to be demolished (it had been altered when it was made into apartments):
http://kiva.lib.utk.edu/spc/archive/files/de39d42e78948bc5fbdb86a4377f3c71.jpg

Here is a photo of the actual house (1505 Highland Ave) around the time Agee lived there:
http://cmdc.knoxlib.org/cdm/singleitem/collection/p15136coll1/id/60/rec/15

[–] 12 years ago

[deleted]

[–] hownowbrownpaul 12 years ago

Thanks for your reply, jaimemac. I was born at Fort Sanders Hospital, too, but did most of my growing up on the west coast. It wasn't until moving back here for work that I developed an interest in Knoxville history, and reading Agee's novel really deepened that interest. You'd enjoy reading an article by Charles Aiken, titled "The Transformation of James Agee's Knoxville," that tells about the reasons for change in Fort Sanders over decades and features old photos and street maps of the area. I bought a reprint from the website JSTOR.