MOORE —
“If these walls could talk” is a phrase that conjures memories married to location, making it an apt title for the new documentary about Moore’s Old School.
The school became more than a collection of mortar and brick as it took on the character of all the students and staff that paraded through its halls. That’s what award-winning Trifecta filmmakers have tried to capture in their nostalgic chronicle of the 84-year-old building that served as a school until 1958.
“For the people who went to school here for 12 years, their entire school career, there’s a tremendous amount of affection for the physical structure itself,” producer Brent Wheelbarger said. “They want to see that preserved and kept.”
The 37-minute documentary features interviews conducted with 38 Moore alumni and staff, delving into traditions that made it a unique place.
The film was commissioned by the 1921-1958 Moore Alumni Association and underwritten by Lloyd A. and Christine L. Thompson.
As proprietors of the 77 Drive-In, the favored cruisin’ destination for Moore high schoolers in the ’50s, the Thompsons felt a special connection to the school and wanted to fund the project to give back for years’ of student patronage.
Their son, 1957 Moore graduate Charles Thompson, served as executive producer on the project.
“It was exciting and a lot of good fun to make this DVD. I can just hear my mom laughing and remembering all those kids that used to congregate in the 77 Drive-In all those years ago. The school is what made that café,” he said.
To capture the essence of a school, the film rightly highlights school pranks too — such as the time a dairy cow made its way to the school’s second floor.
“It’s an interesting snapshot of what life was like,” Wheelbarger said.
This is not the first documentary for Trifecta. The Moore-based agency released “Moore’s Stop: A Historical View of an Oklahoma Community” in 2007, which was narrated by Moore native Toby Keith. Produced in association with the Oklahoma Centennial Commission, the video garnered a Telly Award for Trifecta.
Their latest installment has been submitted for award consideration, but that’s not what’s important, Wheelbarger said.
“It was a honor to tell the story of this landmark in the Moore community,” he said.
The film will serve as the centerpiece for the school’s big reunion this summer, when hundreds of Old School alumni are expected to reunite.
