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Another film company comes to New Bedford
PBS transforms downtown New Bedford into Walt Whitman's
America
 By
Philip Devitt
Standard-Times correspondent
NEW BEDFORD — The men appeared dapper, the women,
poised, as they strolled down Acushnet Avenue, dressed
in Victorian clothing.
Several men walked hurriedly down the cobblestone
street, perhaps late for a business appointment.
A woman in a hoop skirt seemed to glide along the
sidewalk, cooling off her face with a folding fan.
An older man in less of a hurry smoked a cigar and pored
over a book outside a store on the corner of Dover
Street.
Throughout the historic district Saturday, people
greeted each other with a smile, a curtsy or a tip of
the hat.
This was Walt Whitman's America.
PBS — not Doc Brown and his DeLorean — sent New Bedford
back in time. The network was in town this weekend to
shoot scenes for a documentary about Whitman, widely
regarded as America's most influential poet.
"Everything we're shooting takes place in 1840s New
York, so we did the research for what New York would
look like at that time, cities that still have those
qualities, and New Bedford was the perfect place,"
script supervisor Sierra Pettengill said.
Acushnet Avenue on Saturday doubled as New York's
Broadway, where Mr. Whitman spent a lot of time, Ms.
Pettengill said.
"When Walt Whitman wandered the streets of Broadway, he
would identify with others. He saw himself in other
people. He sort of loved that hustle and bustle of the
city."
About 15 extras, most of them local, worked on the
outdoor scenes, dressed in period costumes.
For Alyn Carlson of Westport, Saturday was a chance to
explore a new side of acting, and an old style of
clothing, specifically the hoopskirt.
"It looks like it would be heavy, but it's pretty breezy
underneath," she said.
Ms. Carlson works frequently with local theater
companies and taught drama for eight years at Westport
High School, but had not done much work in front of the
camera before Saturday.
"It would be great to see more things filmed in the
area," she said. "Where else do you get cobblestone
streets like this and gas lights?"
Amelia Ellert drove to the city from Reading to play a
distillery maid. Carrying a basket, she braved the
afternoon heat in several layers of clothing as she
walked back and forth down the street.
"This is too fun to be a job. Work is supposed to be
difficult, but this is fun. Two years of working in fast
food shaped my opinion on that."
Ann Marie Lopes, the city's tourism director, watched
the scenes play out Saturday, excitedly snapping photos
of the action. She said the PBS crew purchased most of
the props needed for the shoot from city antique stores.
"Its been a great experience, and the crew has been very
nice to work with."
Whitman is perhaps best known for "Leaves of Grass," a
collection of poems about nature and the human body and
mind. He died in 1892.
Filming was scheduled to wrap up Monday and Tuesday. Ms.
Lopes said the documentary is scheduled to air in
January 2008.
Social worker Jane Flynn's office at the Benjamin Rodman
house on North Second Street was transformed into
Whitman's bedroom.
Socks dangled from the mantel above a fireplace in the
office Saturday. A carefully placed curtain covered an
air conditioner in the wall. And a modest twin bed, its
sheets bunched up, gave the impression the poet had left
in a hurry.
Ms. Lopes said she would like to see more film crews
come to New Bedford and take advantage of the city's
resources.
"New Bedford is so unique, and it's filled with all
different kinds of people."
August 27, 2007 |
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