A half-century of change, and staying the same

Sometimes there are connections in life that surprisingly tie us to people and events. Sometimes such links are simple and obvious. Sometimes they aren't.

One thing that happens, if you grow old enough, is that the changes you witnessed half a century ago have rarely stayed unchanged. Some might call this evolution.

Here's what got me started on this line of thinking. There has been considerable publicity recently about the 50th anniversary of the movie "Bonnie and Clyde." Remember? Especially that final death scene and all the bullet holes?

Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway made a good-looking couple in their movie portrayals of the two criminals. Both were from Dallas. And both are buried in Dallas, although in separate cemeteries.

In 1967, my wife and I moved to Dallas just in time for the "Bonnie and Clyde" movie premiere. We had already lived or worked near other locations related to the pair, including Platte City, Missouri, which is where the couple hid for a while -- pretty much in plain sight. Platte City was the county seat of Platte County, which was one of my primary coverage areas as a reporter for the Kansas City Star.

Platte City, in 1967, was a quiet country town. Its future was about to be changed forever as Interstate 35 was near completion, and the construction of a new international airport was announced, a modern facility that would replace the old Municipal Airport across the Missouri River from downtown Kansas City where jetliners skimmed the top of Waterworks Park and braked to a stop on the runway that ended next to a river levee.

Platte City also was smack dab in the middle of the suburban sprawl that pushed north from the city, resulting in the demand for creative solutions to provide adequate infrastructure (utilities, sewers, streets, schools, law enforcement and on and on).

Now, as movie houses in Dallas and elsewhere are planning 50th anniversary celebrations of the "Bonnie and Clyde" movie, Kansas City officials are announcing the construction of replacement facilities at the "new" airport near Platte City.

If I had a say, I'd insist that the "new" terminal facilities at least have a Bonnie and Clyde lounge somewhere.

Another link to the criminal duo for my wife and me was moving to an apartment complex less than a block from the cemetery where Bonnie Parker is buried. As visitors came to town they all wanted to make the pilgrimage to her gravesite, thanks in large part to the just-released movie.

Clyde Barrow's gravesite was in a cemetery across town, far enough away that hardly anyone asked to go there.

As I recall, there is a scene in the movie where Bonnie and Clyde are watching a movie at a theater in downtown Dallas. Was it the Majestic? In any event, whichever theater it was is where the movie opened in 1967 in Dallas. So when my wife and I saw the film, we were in the theater being shown on the screen. Spooky.

There was an airport connection, as well, to where we lived in Dallas. Our complex was relatively new at the time, and it was located at the north end of Love Field, which was the airport serving Dallas and Fort Worth at the time. The landing planes came in about level with our second-floor balcony. It surprised both of us how quickly we accepted the roar, and eventually we didn't even notice.

When we moved to Dallas, the assassination of President Kennedy was still a raw wound in the city. Dealey Plaza and the Texas School Book Depository were right there as you went into and out of the downtown area.

Based on a bit of information I've been able to find online, the Majestic Theatre in Dallas has been restored, much like the Fox in St. Louis. It closed as a movie house a few years after we left Dallas in 1969. But now the Majestic is participating in an anniversary showing of "Bonnie and Clyde."

It has been more than 30 years since I was in Dallas. The changes then were enough to overwhelm me. For one thing, my favorite barbecue joint had changed hands, and the menu was all different -- and, therefore, all wrong. Fortunately, our favorite El Phoenix restaurant was still in operation then. Again, a Google search shows the Mexican oasis still operates in several Texas locations. It's nice to know some things remain reliably the same.

Fifty years is a long time -- plenty of time for change, and an awfully long time for things to stay the same.

Joe Sullivan is the retired editor of the Southeast Missourian.