A Flim-Flam Works
Story of North Ciiroliiui to he filmed
in less progressive Kentucky.
«»/
RUSSELL BRANTLEY
-Journal-Sentinel"
Guy Owen, who looks like a po¬
tential victim of the flim-flam man he
wrote about, discussed the checkered
career of his novel during the North
Carolina Writers Conference here last
weekend.
Owen teaches creative writing at
what the uninformed still call State
College. His second novel. The Ballad
of the Flim-Flam Man, is being
filmed by 20th Century Fox. The story
is laid in North Carolina and pre¬
dictably enough the movie people arc
shooting the location footage in Ken¬
tucky.
Owen is a medium-sized man with
short graying hair and glasses. He
might well pass for the owner of a
small-town grocery store. He also
might well make a nice hunk of cash
before the adventures of his second
novel arc over. His first novel was
titled Season of Fear.
For a book gelling some rapt atten¬
tion lately. The Ballad of the Flim-
Flam Man was turned down by at
least half a dozen publishers and Owen
says he wrote three different endings
in an attempt to satisfy different edi¬
tors.
Macmillan finally published the
book in 1965. Sales in hardback were
mediocre despite generally good re¬
views. Owen believes the few review¬
ers who disliked the book were
"intellectually inclined" and paused be¬
fore its unsophisticated humor. But
that, said Owen, is what he was striv¬
ing for. a "Southern frontier humor
without sophistication."
Owen has great admiration for
Mark Twain and he likes to think of
The Ballad of the Flim-Flam Man as
being a "spin-off from Muck Finn.”
Owen also hopes the book captured
the "flavor of Southern backwoods
talk that is fast disappearing."
For a while it seemed that this wild
story of the larcenous rogue and his
AVVOL buddy was headed for that
semi-oblivion of three or four thou¬
sand sales and no more. But a New
York agent liked the book's movie po¬
tential and last April I she called Owen
to say 20th Century Fox wanted it.
"Obviously." Owen said, "1 thought
it was an April Fool joke and it look
a bit of talking to convince me."
The movie people moved rapidly.
The man who did the script. William
Rose, came to North Carolina for three
days to talk to Owen and “soak up
atmosphere." An Englishman, Rose
also wrote the screen play for "The
Russians Are Coming." Later Direc¬
tor Irvin Kcrshncr and a crew visited
the state but Owen said they finally
concluded that North Carolina was
"too progressive" and "its architecture
too commonplace" and found, instead,
a spot in Kentucky that is "charm¬
ing."
Despite the switch in location. Owen
said the moviemakers "have made an
honest effort up to this point to be
faithful to the book." Dialogue and a
reasonable amount of the plot remain
intact, he said.
The movie has opened other ave¬
nues. Already published in one paper¬
back edition, the book will appear in
another to coincide with the movie's
opening. The possibilities of a Broad¬
way musical and a television serial
have been raised and Owen has been
hard at work this summer on a sequel.
He said he had much unused material
and that he is deepening his charac¬
ters in the second book.
All in all, it seems that The Ballad
of the Flim-Flam Man is making an
increasingly happy tunc for its author.
FOR THE REAL MOUNTAIN FAN
These 5 Books by T. W. Reynolds
Since he retired nine years ago. T. W. Reynolds has roamed the Sapphire
Country as few men have — exploring, talking to people, tracking down legends,
taking a fresh look at folk lore and old stories, contributing many which arc
hitherto unpublished.
Nostalgic, humorous, Informative, fascinating, Mr. Reynolds' little paper¬
back books arc excellent reading. Said The Stale: "The guidebook for anyone
visiting the Sapphire country" ... "a valuable and unique addition to the
library of any mountain fan."
TO OROHR the Reynolds books, mark those desired on the list below
(or write requirements) and mail with your check to: Tar Heel Prod¬
ucts, Box 2169, Raleigh, N. C. 27602. No c.o.d.’s or credits, please.
Books shipped postpaid. Add
З'г
for N. C. sales tax.
ORDER FROM THIS LIST
C The Southern Appalachian Region. \ol. I, 143 pps.. paperback. S3. 25
□ Tlie Southern Appalachian Region, Vol. II. 138 pps., paperback, $3.25
□ C herokee and C reek. 87 pps., paperback. S3. 25
П
Born of The Mountains. 179 pps.. paperback. S3. 50
□ High I-ands, 178 pps.. paperback. $3.50
SEND ORDER TO:
Tar Heel Products, P. O. Box 2169. Raleigh. N. C. 27602
io
THE STATE. NOVEMBER 15. 1966