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Looking Back: Box of photos shows man's Raintree connection

May 01, 2006|BRENDA S. EDWARDS

Roy Compton's movie career didn't get past "Raintree County" in 1957 but he kept slides to prove his part as a Union soldier during the Civil War.

His widow, Barbara, was going through some photographs in a bag when she ran across the slides, apparently taken in 1957 by professionals on the movie set during the filming in Danville and surrounding area.

Compton was about 16 years old when the photographs were taken. He was a student and went on to graduate from Danville High School.

Barbara does not remember much about the movie that will have observe its 50th anniversary next year.

"He never talked a lot about the movie," she said. "I found the slides stuck in a bag of photographs. I don't know how they survived in there. I don't know who took the photos, it could have been a photographer on the set."

She doesn't know where the pictures were taken either. The movie was filmed on farmland in rural sections of Boyle and other surrounding counties.

She also found a clipping from The Advocate-Messenger that showed pictures of Compton and a friend, Charlie Cox, and actresses Elizabeth Taylor and Eva Marie Saint, who played leading rolls in the movie. The pictures were taken on Constitution Square while the stars were in costumes.

The movie was set just prior to and during the Civil War and also featured Montgomery Clift, Nigel Patrick, Lee Marvin and Agnes Moorehead. It was directed by Edward Dmytryh and based on a book written by Ross Lockridge Jr.

Mrs. Compton had copies of the slides of her late husband made for their sons, Roy Jr. of Danville and Joe Mark of Independence.

Compton retired from Kroger Co. in 2003 after a 35-year career with the company. He died in February 2006.

Compton's twin brother, Coy, lives in Junction City, where he is a former police officer. Their father, Elzia, was an engineer for Southern Railway, and their mother, Evelyn, worked at Genesco. They moved from Somerset to Danville many years ago.

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