"Alleged" In Production at Crossroads Village
Cast and crew on the set of "Alleged" at Crossroads Village.
Photo: Courtesy of Crossroads Village
Flint, Michigan// For the second time this year, the Genesee County Parks and Recreation Commission is hosting a film production at Crossroads Village and Huckleberry Railroad. When Kevin Reidy ("Georgia Rule"), a line producer for Dean River Productions scouted Crossroads Village for location shooting, his initial response was positive. "This is way better than a studio back lot. Crossroads Village is actual historic buildings, not replicas or sets. And the best part is having a real steam engine railroad. I think when the film industry finds out about this place, it will be booked all the time," said Reidy.
Shooting for the feature film, "Alleged", began in September at Crossroads Village. The film is about a talented young reporter who is stuck in a rural Tennessee town in 1925. When a few town fathers hatch a plan to host "The Trial of the Century", the cub reporter sees the case as his opportunity to finally break into the journalistic big leagues. The background for "Alleged" is the Scopes Monkey Trial. The original 'Trial of the Century' involved high school teacher John Scopes and his violation of a Tennessee statute prohibiting public schools from teaching that humans evolved from monkeys.
The film stars Brian Dennehy and former U.S. Senator and presidential candidate, Fred Thompson. Thompson portrays William Jennings Bryan, the famed pontificator who faced off against and lost to Clarence Darrow in a tribunal over Darwin's, Theory Of Evolution. The film is directed by Tom Hines ("Chronic Town"). Over 150 cast and crew members are involved in the production taking place entirely in Genesse County. Financial estimates are that at least $5,000,000 will be spent by the cast and crew over the months of production throughout Flint and Genesse County.
Editors Note: Crossroads Village and Huckleberry Railroad served as the set for a short film in late spring, 2009. Over a period of two days, crews worked on a film about the 1862 Civil War Battle of Shiloh.
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