West Tennessee Treasures – Whiteville – Home Used As Movie Set
WHITEVILLE, Tenn.- Whiteville resident Patricia Randolph said her home is just like any other, except that it was exactly what Hollywood location manager Michael Dellheim was looking for to shoot the 2007 movie, “In The Valley Of Elah.” “They were looking for a particular style house: a two story older white house on a little rise on a divided highway; and we just fit the bill,” said Randolph. Randolph said the day Dellheim showed up at her door, her home was a little messy; she had no idea he’d be back. “We gave him a cookie and a Coke and said, ‘Nice to meet you,’ and thought we would never see him again,” said Randolph. A few days later, he was back at her door. “They used the full house as the interior of the home of Tommy Lee Jones and Susan Sarandon,” said Randolph. Crews converted her den into a kitchen with a perfect view outside. They also made several other adjustments over the course of a few weeks. “The house had recently been painted,” said Randolph. “They faux painted the posts on the porch to make them look as if they were peeling.” Filming took just a few days, but in that time, Randolph said she and her family made about 150 new friends in the cast and crew. “They did love Whiteville and said they wished they could come back again,” said Randolph. “So I keep hoping one day, they’ll show up and pick somebody else’s house or business and make another one here.” Randolph said after the filming, the crew spent several weeks removing all the changes they made to her home, except for a stained glass window they left as a gift.
