In the summer of 1959, the people of Guntersville received a pleasant surprise. Nearby Cathedral Caverns had been selected as the location for Cornel Wilde’s new movie Caves of Night. Based on John Christopher’s novel of the same name, the Columbia Pictures production was set to star Wilde, his wife Jean Wallace, Cliff Robertson, Diane Foster, and Glenn Corbett. Wilde, as producer and lead, made it his mission to ensure an ideal spot for filming.
Sometime that June, Wilde and his wife visited Guntersville and received a tour of Cathedral Caverns from its manager Jay Gurley. Awed by its spacious chambers and enormous stalagmites, Wilde knew he had found the right place. When word spread, the Advertiser-Gleam printed that Wilde had gone from The Greatest Show on Earth (1952) to “The Greatest Show in Earth.” This referenced one of Wilde’s more famous roles as an acrobatic wonder, The Great Sebastian—rather odd, given that he admitted to having acrophobia. Most of the shooting for Caves of Night was to be done in Hollywood, with background scenery in Austria and a mere two weeks slated for Guntersville.
The couple stayed in the guest room at the home of Aredell McGowin, whose son Clifford and daughter-in-law Virginia ran the Lake Shore Motel on Guntersville Lake. While Wilde spent a great deal of time touring the area, Wallace spent most of her time with the McGowins and the Gurleys. When Wallace asked to wash one of Wilde’s shirts in the sink, Virginia agreed and, seeking bragging rights, asked if she might have the privilege of ringing out a star’s garment. Glamorous yet down-to-earth, Wallace fascinated Virginia’s children, Betty, Mary, and Judy. She even paid Judy a dollar to brush her hair, and the little girl relished the experience. Wallace also turned heads when she took Clifford up on his offer to teach her to ski. The McGowins had become quite fond of the actors by the time the couple had to return to California.
On December 8, 1959, Wilde, boasting an impressive goatee, and Wallace flew from New York City to Huntsville and then traveled to Guntersville. Local professional photographer Leon Kennamer, aided by Jake Long, showed them around the caverns and did preliminary shots. Wilde and his wife stayed with the McGowins again. Using Harris Laundry, having her nails done at LaVerne’s Beauty Shop, and visiting with a Girl Scout troop in Claysville, Wallace became acquainted with more area residents. She and Wilde even dined on quail at the home of Bob and Giselle Hembree, owners of a Buick dealership. Though Wilde, fearful that too few townsfolk would volunteer to be extras, nixed a Lake Guntersville scene, enthusiasm over the project soared.
The couple stayed in the guest room at the home of Aredell McGowin, whose son Clifford and daughter-in-law Virginia ran the Lake Shore Motel on Guntersville Lake. While Wilde spent a great deal of time touring the area, Wallace spent most of her time with the McGowins and the Gurleys. When Wallace asked to wash one of Wilde’s shirts in the sink, Virginia agreed and, seeking bragging rights, asked if she might have the privilege of ringing out a star’s garment. Glamorous yet down-to-earth, Wallace fascinated Virginia’s children, Betty, Mary, and Judy. She even paid Judy a dollar to brush her hair, and the little girl relished the experience. Wallace also turned heads when she took Clifford up on his offer to teach her to ski. The McGowins had become quite fond of the actors by the time the couple had to return to California.
On December 8, 1959, Wilde, boasting an impressive goatee, and Wallace flew from New York City to Huntsville and then traveled to Guntersville. Local professional photographer Leon Kennamer, aided by Jake Long, showed them around the caverns and did preliminary shots. Wilde and his wife stayed with the McGowins again. Using Harris Laundry, having her nails done at LaVerne’s Beauty Shop, and visiting with a Girl Scout troop in Claysville, Wallace became acquainted with more area residents. She and Wilde even dined on quail at the home of Bob and Giselle Hembree, owners of a Buick dealership. Though Wilde, fearful that too few townsfolk would volunteer to be extras, nixed a Lake Guntersville scene, enthusiasm over the project soared.
A screenwriters’ strike put filming on a permanent hiatus. With the script incomplete, Wilde had no choice but to delay the movie.
The film had been plugged by gossip columnists Louella Parsons and Hedda Hopper in addition to mentions in newspapers nationwide and on television shows like Masquerade Party. Excited at the prospect of his city being in the spotlight, Lake Theatre owner Bill Harris asked Wilde if Guntersville could host the film’s premiere. In response Wilde prevaricated, stating, “I’d like to see it held here but that’s up to the booking department. They always try to hold the premiere of a picture where they figure they can get the biggest splash of publicity.” Harris never got a definite answer, because, much to everyone’s surprise, the movie was never made.
A screenwriters’ strike put filming on a permanent hiatus. With the script incomplete, Wilde had no choice but to delay the movie. He soon signed to star in Constantine and the Cross (1961) and traveled to Italy and Yugoslavia for filming. He expressed his regret to Gurley in a letter: “I am very sorry, of course, about the delay on ‘Caves of Night’ and all the work and effort spent by all of us on it so far to get things ready and then to be stalled. I honestly don’t know what the delay will mean but as regards to any production plans in the future, that will depend to a large extent on the nature of the market and what sort of cast will be available when we return.” But they never did return. By the time the strike ended, interest in the project had vanished, and Caves of Night remained an unrealized dream for both Wilde and Guntersville.
This article was originally published in Alabama Heritage Issue #116, Spring 2015.
A screenwriters’ strike put filming on a permanent hiatus. With the script incomplete, Wilde had no choice but to delay the movie. He soon signed to star in Constantine and the Cross (1961) and traveled to Italy and Yugoslavia for filming. He expressed his regret to Gurley in a letter: “I am very sorry, of course, about the delay on ‘Caves of Night’ and all the work and effort spent by all of us on it so far to get things ready and then to be stalled. I honestly don’t know what the delay will mean but as regards to any production plans in the future, that will depend to a large extent on the nature of the market and what sort of cast will be available when we return.” But they never did return. By the time the strike ended, interest in the project had vanished, and Caves of Night remained an unrealized dream for both Wilde and Guntersville.
This article was originally published in Alabama Heritage Issue #116, Spring 2015.
Author
A native of Guntersville, Whitney Snow is an assistant professor of history at Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas.
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