Moviemakers scout locations, people in Magnolia

June 3, 2021

Magnolia caught the attention of two filmmakers last week.

Director Michael G. Kehoe and producer Richard Joel spent the weekend in Pike County to scout locations and local stories for movie ideas.

By Friday afternoon, they already had two.

They had visited the Lynyrd Skynyrd monument that morning and met a few men who responded to the band’s plane crash.

That afternoon, they had lunch at La Mariposa with Guy Geller, who told them the story of how he evaded the Nazi Gestapo in World War II France. He brought with him the book he wrote on his experience, “Journeys to Freedom.”

“As soon as he started telling me the story, I saw a movie right away,” said Kehoe. “Heartfelt stories like this book, like these guys going out to a plane that could ignite at any moment...I try to find a more human story than something that’s a lot of fluff.”

Kehoe has been on film crews since the 1980s, and his writing and directing credits include 1995 adventure-drama “Dominion” and 2017 horror film “The Hatred.” He owns his own production business, AdventureScope Entertainment.

Joel’s previous work includes creating a game show that aired on CW and producing hidden camera prank show “You’ve Been Had! Celebrity Edition.”

Joel, whose father fought in World War II, was drawn in by Geller’s story, as well as by Magnolia.

“It’s really an interesting town, lots of interesting architecture,” Joel said. “It’s a very charming town, very charming people. I think we both see a lot of potential here for movies and TV.”

Kehoe grew up in Trumansburg, N.Y., which he compared to Magnolia in size and said was known for its music festivals. The entertainment industry fed the town and could be beneficial to Magnolia too, he said.

Kehoe and Joel found their way to Magnolia through a mutual friend of resident David Wills.

He had an idea that Magnolia would be a great setting for a home renovation show that delves into the history of the houses and the town. He told a friend who’d worked in the film industry in New Orleans, who mentioned Magnolia to Kehoe.

“I think we can get a lot more positive things for the city,” Wills said.

Kehoe was more interested in ideas for film, especially since timing the production for home renovation shows can be tricky. A production team has to be on-site for the six to nine months it takes to finish renovations, a more involved production schedule than a movie, Kehoe said.

Wills met with Kehoe and Joel Thursday night after they flew in and accompanied their scouting through the weekend.

“I’m sort of letting them guide me. I thought I’d have to be their guide,” Wills said.

Kehoe is used to people pitching ideas, but Wills got his attention.

“David was real because he said, ‘I can’t really describe it. You want to be here,’” Kehoe said. “I was a little reluctant at first, but the minute we landed here and started seeing people from the town, I knew there was something here for us to find.”

The filmmakers stayed through Sunday before heading back to L.A. with their new ideas.

However, Magnolia residents shouldn’t expect to see film crews rolling in town right away. Joel said it’s important to schedule things just right and to not jump into production immediately.

Kehoe felt that their time in Magnolia had been worthwhile and that he and Joel had been taken in by residents.

“Not one person I’ve met has given me that ‘Go home, Yankee’ look,” he said.