is there anybody here from Texarkana and by any chance know the real story? because I always though this was very interesting. I'm not from Texarkana, thats why I don't know the real story behind it. I'm sure at Libraies in Texarkana they've got some info about the real story.
sharei'm from texarkana and i actually researched this topic in high school for an oral report. from what i found the movie is very similar to what actually happened. even the trumpet murder scene really happened. some of the murders they portrayed as happening at Spring Lake Park actually happened on the campus of Texarkana College. there are websites about it based out of Texarkana i'll see if i can find my list of resources i made for my report in high school and post some links.
sharedont lie angel all the murders were commited with a 32 or a 22 caliber.
sharehttp://www.crimelibrary.com/serial4/texarkana/
According to this article (which looks very well-researched), Angel is wrong, very wrong. It was a saxophone and it was all shootings, no stabbings.
I'm also from Texarkana. I'm 19 and lived there all my life, but now go to college in Denton, TX. All my life i knew of these murders and watched the movie dozens of times. This is a really interesting subject in T-Town and is still under investigation today. I remember not too long ago they found some evidence that could be tied to the murderer. Oh, by the way, Angel, who are you? I might know ya.
shareI lived in texarkana(on both side of the border) but never really heard much about it. I moved about 3 years ago and had forgoten all about it until I was watching Scream on HBO on demand and they mentioned it.
shareYeah i live in Texarkana, and i lived near where this was filmed, ....like 2 streets away from spring lake park, i haven't seen the whole movie yet.
shareIf the area is anything like most areas, the murder locations are more urban looking today than they once were.
i.e. the Zodiac murders in the SF Bay in the 1960's were really afar from most neighborhoods... but today,,,, the once isolated park is your usual park with thousands of people all around it except in maybe the hours between midnight and dawn. Even then, its just a park..
I was born and raised in Texarkana [TX] (moved to SA at 13), and I'm 19 as well, what's your name TexasHigh2005?
sharehttp://www.crimelibrary.com/serial4/texarkana
Whither goest thou, America, In thy shiny car in the night? ~ Jack Kerouac
I was raised in Texarkana and the film is very close to the true events! It is true that some of the murders happened near or on the college campus instead of the park. My aunt was friends with Charlie Pierce and his longtime girlfriend Cindy Butler, who played Peggy Loomis. I remember riding our bikes over to watch them film the movie - we were sooo excited to get to meet "Mary Ann" from Gilligan's Island!!! - Her house in the movie was later the home of my high school Trig. tutor.
My Grandparents told me that the whole town was completely frozen with fear - that after dark they would put ropes with bells on them around all the doors and windows(remember there were no alarm systems back then.)
Still scary to know that they NEVER caught this guy!!!
I think Charles did a great job with this film - I wish we could have a present day film to remind everyone of this chilling tale that REALLY never had an ending!!!
Yeah, I am from Texarkana, and my grandmother and me was just talking about this the other day, the murders happened at both Spring Lake Park and the Texarkana College Campus, the murders were mostly shootings, anyway, don't know if anyone has ever heard this, but the story goes that the police actually knew who did it, but his father was a wealthy and important business man in the city, supposely he paid off alot of people not to convict and send his son to prison and "ruin" the family name, in exchange his son would privately go to a mental hospital and never be released again, this isnt fact but mostly rumored, so I dont know if it's true or not, however I think the idea of it adds alot more mystery to the story, and I never heard the name of the wealthy family it was supposed to be, so dont ask me
Jay
what about the events portrayed in Smokey and the Bandit? ...
sharePerot?
shareI'm from texarkanna, New boston acctually
shareI am from Texarkana and don't know much about it. Did anyone know that they had a showing of it in the park last year? I wasn't here but wondering how it went.
shareim from TXK but i know nothing about what happened its alittle before my time...i haven't even seen the movie but i want to..
shareYeah, they found a bunch of bloody clothes in an abandoned hotel (the grim hotel, for those of you that know of it), that they say belonged to the killer. But even if they were to run the dna tests on the blood, they wouldn't be able to match it up to anything. (back then, no one kept records of DNA)
share5 people were killed, two were attacked but lived and another was shot in the face but survived. This occurred during four separate attacks that spanned a couple of months in 1946. Three of the attacks were of the lover's lane variety and probably related. The lady that was shot in the face may or may not have been attacked by the same person. Lots of folklore associated with case. Stories of blood stained clothes, mutilated bodies, prominent citizens and police coverups are all just that, folklore. At least four of the murders were done at the hands of a garden variety crook that robbed for gas money. He spent most of his life in prison for other offenses and died in the early 90s. The movie had was based on the events but not the facts associated with the case. The producers tried to get access to the investigative files but when denied, they simply wrote a screenplay and shot it.
shareI can set the record straight for all of you on a couple of points: First, I am originally from Texarkana (born Wadley Hostpital in Bowie). Second, the trombone (it's not a trumpet) scene did not happen, as I believe my father dreamed that scene up for the movie for Charles B. Pierce (the writer/director). "Yes," there was a murder on the loose in T-town in 1946, and "yes," the town went crazy. Keep being fans! This is a terrific film - just hope a nice print makes it to DVD someday, as it looks much much better in its original aspect ratio (I screen a nice print in my collection every October for Halloween). Hope that helps.
shareThanks for the great info! Cool movie!
shareI'm from Texarkana (grew up in Redwater). I moved to Oklahoma a few years ago. I don't know all the details about this. I haven't taken the time to research the details or anything yet.
The rumor my mom keeps telling me is that they suspected a doctor's son. I don't know where she got that from. She wasn't even born yet when all this was going on.
I would love to see a remake of the movie and (no offense) not low budget one either. I think there should be one based on the facts of the case that does the story justice.