That’s good. Let me ask you a couple questions about your role. Of course you and Newt have a moment. [Laughter.]  It seemed to me that must have been a very delicate scene.

It was very delicate, and I was very nervous about doing it, because that was shot on the back lot at Warner Brothers.

Okay, so that was after the Fort Scott shoot or before?

Yeah, that was after. That’s right. Because you know a lot of things are not shot in sequence.

Right, so you shot on location first and then shot at the studio?

Right, so they did interiors at Warner Brothers. And I remember that day, it was a rainy day, and my husband was down with the flu and very sick, and I was hoping that I wasn’t coming down, and it just weighed on me. Then I knew we had to do this shoot where there again I was going to be in water and hosed down and wet and what have you, and I had to reveal at least to here. And I was very nervous about it, and I told Gordon. You know, and everybody had gathered around, and I took him aside and said, “You know what, I’m really uptight about this. You know, to be honest.” He says, “Okay, I understand.” He said, “Why don’t I clear the set, and have nothing but a skeleton crew?” I said, “That’ll work.” And when he did that, well, it went very well, with Kyle.

And he must’ve been nervous too.

We laughed and we teased and we would crack up about it, you know? Because I had known his mother, Nichelle [Nichols] for years so we were like a family and I would tease him and oh, he was just delightful. But that was so kind of Gordon, to understand my reticence, you know? And, immediately he said, [claps] “Clear this set.”

That’s great. What was he like with the children? How was he with the child actors?

Wonderful. They all seemed to, yeah, uh – Kyle, with the boys – oh yeah. Gordon is so low key, Katy. You know, I doubt if he’s ever had a cross word with anybody when I think about it. So low key. So accommodating. But yet, you don’t walk on him too, you know? You didn’t walk over him. And I know that every scene, every – I know that he was reliving all of this. Just reliving the entire thing.

It must’ve been strange for him, being in his home town.

Yeah, when you really think about that, you know.

Did he betray any of that, like, nostalgia?

No, not to any of us. Isn’t that something? He told his daughter, Toni, and Gordon, the oldest, about how it was really just almost surreal seeing this [project] given life, and totally reenacting this entire thing. You know, so many – we lost so many of the cast it just breaks my heart. Like Kevin Hagen, Dana Elcar, these were wonderful actors. Oh the old gentleman that owned the farm, oh, wonderful character actor [George Mitchell]. My dear love and dear, dear friend, Joel [Fluellen], who played uncle Rob. Blind man. Joel was like a second father to me. And so many, Felix [Nelson] – the father, he’s gone, and Estelle [Evans, who played Newt’s mother, Sarah], and so many people. I found out from Jill [Warford] that the young man who played the delinquent kind, the troubled kid, Marcus, [Alex Clarke], he died about a year and a half ago.

Really? Because he must have been young. He’s a teenager [in the movie].

That’s right. These people were considerable younger than me, you know? And it just – there’s a certain ache there that they’re gone, you know? But it was a wonderful thing, and um, when Gordon called me in 2006 and said, “They’re thinking of commemorating me in my hometown, Fort Scott.” He said, “Would you be up to going?” I said, “Well, why not?” He says, “You’re going to hear from a woman named Jill Warford, and she’ll give you all the specs.” And that’s how that started.

Oh really?

Me, Kyle, let me see who else made it. Prissy, Saundra Sharp; couldn’t find Myra [Waters] that played Arcella. I understand now that she suffered a stroke in her life and is sort of iffy.  But let’s see, I think there were at least four of us that came down in 2006, the initial Gordon Parks Festival. Yeah, it was wonderful. It was wonderful.

Let me ask you about the tornado scene.

Yes.

And that was on location, correct?

That was on location. Absolutely.

And we have pictures that we have in this archive of huge fans being set up.

Right, right.

So how was that staged?

Let’s see it was out on a – and I know Gordon was looking for a certain type of sunset too, with all that rain.

So you had to wait?

Right, I think we had to wait a few days with – we worked on part of it, the storm, with the fans and all and me running across a field and what have you. That was not a problem, but there was the sunset that he wanted that took time. The tornado scene was – you know I was – well what can I say? This is the first time I had done anything that physical, you know? And I had to do all this running, but yeah, I was young then so I didn’t mind. [Laughter.] What can I say? I was young. No problem. And um, and then as I say the main thing is that we did that interior of the seduction and I’ll say seduction. I’ll never forget – I’m in Los Angeles, it had to be about fifteen years ago, I’m at a Chevron station, getting some gas, and this young black man comes up to me and says, “I saw you in that movie, The Learning Tree.” He says, “That’s where you raped that –” [Laughter.] I raped him? I couldn’t believe it. And at a gas station, you know? But that – apparently, I don’t know, apparently that scene was quite provocative. It was for its day and time.

Yeah, for the day it really was.

It was provocative, but I think that it was done tastefully. I’m not ashamed of it, you know?

And you know in the novel, Big Mabel ends up a little differently. She gets killed.

That’s right, she gets killed.

And I though it was an interesting change. Because, you know, here’s an unusual case of an author adapting his own work for the film. That’s unusual. And that was one of the biggest changes, was Big Mabel lives in the movie.

That’s true. The last thing I think you see me, I’m in a whorehouse or the funeral, or something, right. That’s so true. On a note of levity we used to tease Gordon about the credits. We said, “Now here’s the credits, they’re going to be big and bold: Directed by Gordon Parks, Produced by Gordon Parks, Music by Gordon Parks, Sets by Gordon Parks.” And I said, “All of us will have tiny little –” [Laughter.]  He used to die laughing. I said, “I’m telling the truth now, aren’t I, Gordon?’

It seems like there was a lot of camaraderie.

Oh, there was a lot of camaraderie and a lot of fun. Yeah, a lot. Um, like I said, working on his set was a walk in the park. We had a great crew. We had [cinematographer] Burnett Guffey who was an Academy Award winner, and he was just a love. Everybody was – and they were all solidly behind Gordon, too. Which was so good.

Some of these were like old hands, right? And working with their first African-American director.

That’s right, first African-American director.

But you didn’t feel any sense of disrespect towards him?

Not in the slightest. I can honestly say that. Not in the slightest. And I never heard Gordon complain to Gordon Jr. or to his daughter about there being anything [bad].

How about the studio? Do you know what his relationship was with them?

The relationship with the studio was generally – oh, I remember he talked about, I’ve forgotten his first name, but his last name was Hyman. Oh shoot. I used to know, because it was Seven Arts, then, that owned the studio. Kenny, Kenny Hyman. And Kenny Hyman was so solidly behind Gordon, and what happened is that John Cassavetes had introduced Gordon to Kenny Hyman, and that’s how the project got launched.

Really? I had no idea.

Isn’t that something?  John Cassavetes.

So they were friends?

They were friends. And Hyman was solid behind him. There was, oh, what was that young – he had been a child star. The names, I can see these faces but not the names.

Jackie Cooper?

Not him. Oh, no, no, no, no, I’d know him.

But somebody else who became an executive?

Yes, yes. And he was on – he was with the crew, and I’m trying to remember – was he an executive? He might’ve been an executive producer. [Producer Jimmy Lydon.]  And then there was also – oh I could see him too. He had done a series called “Jake and the Fat Man.”

I remember that.

Big guy.

Conrad.

Yeah, Conrad.

William Conrad.

William Conrad had not wanted me.

Oh really?

No. Isn’t that interesting?

Was he a producer on the show?

I guess he was a producer – executive producer on it. And, um, Jimmy Lydon. James Lydon, that’s the name. See, I associate the two. And they were sort of cohorts, and, uh, I found out later through Gordon Jr. – he says, “You know, they didn’t want you.” I said, “Really? Your Dad did.” He said, “Yeah, I know, but they didn’t want you.” And I remember Conrad was the only person at Warner Brothers that had been somewhat a thorn in Gordon’s side. But he was uh –

But Gordon Parks got his way?

Oh yeah. Oh yeah, because Gordon Jr. told me – he says, “You know, Conrad’s a problem.” I said, “oh really?” He didn’t want me either. Whatever.