"You Are Now Entering Gatlin - Nicest Little Town in Nebraska..."
If Stephen King is the first name in horror, then Frizzell has got to be the first name in country music. While King was finding stardom with titles such as Carrie, The Shining and Christine, Frizzell titles like "I'm Gonna Hire a Wino to Decorate Our Home", "You're Out Doing What I'm Here Doing Without" and "You're The Reason God Made Oklahoma" were equally as popular on the music charts. Then in 1983, a movie was made from one of King's short story collectives that would somewhat bring the two names together. "Stephen King's Children of the Corn", a low-budget production for it's time, was set to be filmed in the state of Iowa, after an extensive location search in the nearby states of Illinois, Kansas and Nebraska looking for two qualities that would make this film believable - small towns and cornfields!Expanding on the original idea by King, characters and scenes were added, as well as changed, to bring this "Adult Nightmare" to the screen. Arguments have abounded over the years about these modifications, from fans of the original story and even King himself, to most recently prompting the producer on the original to remake or "re-harvest" the story if you will, restoring the elements and storyline of King's original work. But the 1984 theatrical "Outlanders" will not budge. The original will always be the ultimate fan favorite and with good reason. Enter John Franklin and Courtney Gains in their first feature film roles as religious ring leader Isaac and evil law inforcer Malachai. Also in her first feature film as Vicky was Linda Hamilton, who had previously worked on the short-lived prime-time soap opera "Secrets of Midland Heights". Rounding out the leading cast was also Peter Horton as the male lead Burt who just came from the tv show "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers". Supporting the leads were Robby Kiger as Job, AnneMarie McEvoy as his sister Sarah and the one with the "Gift of Sight", Jonas Marlowe as Joseph, John Philbin as Amos, Julie Maddalena as Rachel and veteran actor R.G. Armstrong as gas station attendant Chester Diehl whom the children allow to remain living for his oil and fuel in exchange for his silence to anyone on what has taken place in the small town of Gatlin. Many extras were also needed to make up the Gatlin townsfolk, most heavily in the form of children. As filming locations were established in the small towns of Hornick, Whiting, and Salix Iowa, the nearby community of Sioux City was chosen as headquarters for the production team. Not only would Siouxland be the "Heart of the Cornfield", but key scenes crucial to the storyline would be filmed there as well. It was within this part of rural america that Hollywood would find a hit. And also, a Frizzell.
"Three Job's For The Role..."
At the time, young Corey Frizzell was living and attending school in Sioux City Iowa, just east of the South Dakota border. When the production assistants arrived, a casting call was announced to the public with the hopes of finding enough area youths to play the "Children" of the Corn. They didn't have a problem. Parents and children alike beseiged the Howard Johnsons hotel where auditions were being held, hoping to get a chance to appear in the movie, and a Stephen King movie at that. As for auditioning himself, Corey explains, "I believe my mom knew or met some people with the movie at the time and was asked if she would be interested in having her children be in it. Also my dad was a country artist at the time and had a hit song out and that probably added to the appeal." Kids throughout the area were brought in to play similar roles to bring the fictional Nebraska town a feeling of small-town authenticity and isolation in a sea of corn. But Corey also had another role in the movie to fill. Young Robby Kiger, who had been hired to play Job the narrarator and only survivor of the opening cafe scene, because of scheduling couldn't be in two different locations at once. Resembling Robby's look, Corey was given the part of Robby's stand-in in a particular scene that only required his back-side profile to be shown on camera, not his face. It worked. The effect of Corey peering over the counter instead of Kiger was achieved and the switch was oblivious to moviegoers. But Corey wasn't the only Frizzell to become one of the Gatlin natives. Mike Frizzell, Corey's brother, was also hired as one of the "children" and would also stand-in for the character of Job, but as a stunt double. As the ending required Job to run with a bottle fashioned into a molatav cocktail, someone else was needed to replace the young Kiger for the scene. Again, without a clue, you would never know that in actuality, there were three Job's instead of one.
"That's a Wrap..."
As filming ended, it was clear that for the citizens of Iowa, this had been a major event. And the media made that very apparent. Television and newspaper reporters had found their story of the year and wanted to interview the locals involved. Corey and his brother were among the few that were approached because of their time on the set and young Corey was even asked to speak at his school about the experience. The powers-that-be in Hollywood even set up a movie premiere exclusively for the Iowa community, supplying each individual involved in the production an invitation to the screening along with members of the media. Held at the Orpheum Theater in Sioux City, everyone anxiously awaited to see their friends, family, hometowns, and themselves, on the theater screen. Siouxland was now, bigger than life.
"That's When Frizzell Started Drawing These Pictures..."
A few years after the success of Children of the Corn, Corey's focus turned onto different things such as art and the sport of boxing. But he has always remembered his time in Gatlin. "I am proud to have been a part of the movie." Corey says, "It looks a little funny in parts when you look back at it compared to the movies of today but one thing you cannot deny is that there is a huge fan base for this movie, even after all these years." When the 25th anniversary of the movie was approaching in 2009, Corey had an idea for something different. Now working as a portrait artist in Tennessee, Corey has captured and created some of the most moving and lasting images with his talent. It was with this that an anniversary tribute came to light. Corey recalls, "I was thinking, how interesting would it be to create portraits of some of the memorable scenes and characters from the original movie by someone who was in the movie? You know, Children of the Corn art by a real child of the corn. And what better a time than 2009, which happens to be the 25th anniversary of the release of the original movie!" After his intial conception, Corey decided to callaborate his idea with a website he found that was dedicated to the original 1984 film, ChildrenoftheCornMovie.com. Through posting on each other's sites, it was the idea to reach not only fans of Corey's work that may not know he had played a part in the movie, but to extend the exposure of the series to Children of the Corn fans worldwide. Soon after, an online store was created to showcase the anniversary series and other pieces of Corey's outstanding work. Located at www.coreyfrizzell.com, the site now carries different size prints from posters to originals which are available for purchase in signed and unsigned editions.
You Are Now Leaving Gatlin....."
As the years passed, Linda Hamilton gained cult-classic status with her portrayal as Sarah Conner in the Terminator film series, Peter Horton became a household name as Prof. Gary Shepherd in "Thirtysomething", Courtney Gains went on to appear in films like "Memphis Belle" and "The Burb's" and John Franklin, now a teacher, had roles such as Cousin It in "The Adams Family" and even returned to reprise his role of cult-leader Isaac (and co-write the screenplay) in the sixth Children of the Corn installment, "Isaac's Return". Robby Kiger gained attention in the "The Monster Squad", AnneMarie McEvoy acted up to the 90's in television roles and John Philbin, who has been credited along with big name actors in the films "Point Break" and "Tombstone", now teaches surfing in addition to continuing his acting profession. Julie Maddalena has enjoyed a successful voice-over career, Jonas Marlowe has become a very creative and talented photographer and the late R.G. Armstrong will always be known for his hundreds of memorable film and tv roles throughout the years. Many of the extras that were cast as the kids from Gatlin now live all over the United States. And as for Corey? Well, let's just say he shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. "It seems like I have more going on than ever now." Corey says, "I am always open to portrait commissions. I have launched a project called Fallen Heroes to honor our soldiers who have lost their lives in a time of war. Through this project I am honoring their memory and giving back to the familys for their sacrifice. I have a book deal with the great Henry Paul from the groups Blackhawk, The Outlaws and The Henry Paul Band. He wrote a childrens book and I am illustrating it. Its definitely one of the most challenging things I have been a part of. We are working real hard to have it out soon. I play guitar and write music when I can and I am currently writing a movie screenplay." Corey has also tried his hand at graphic and web design and successfully possesses a nack for that as well. As for the acting bug, Corey has had a few small roles in videos and commercials since then but what about returning to the big screen? "If the opportunity came to be in another major film, I would definitely be interested." Corey states, "As long as I felt confident I could do it. But the challenge would be awesome." With 2009 marking the silver anniversary of the original "Corn Classic", that means the 30th is just around the corner. And it's a pretty safe bet that Corey Frizzell, an original child of the corn, will have something planned!
