EDITOR:
I enjoyed the article about the history of the courthouse (front page of the Aug. 20 Landmark).
One thing left out was the making of the movie, “Bucktown.” When they tore down the old jail and renovated the courthouse in the early 70s they filmed much of the movie in Platte City, including many scenes from inside the courthouse.
As a child I remember my dad taking me up to the courthouse one evening to watch part of the filming. It was a fight scene that started at the top of the steps inside the entryway. The part I remember was being inside the entryway and watching the stuntman come rolling down the cement stairs down to where the metal detector is now.
The filmed starred Fred “The Hammer” Williamson, Pam Grier, Carl Weathers, and Thalmus Rasulala. It is a terrible movie! I recently found it on a streaming station and watched it again. It didn’t get better. However the scenes inside the courthouse do show how it used to look. If you look closely the scenes in the “sheriff’s office” in the movie have Tom Thomas’s commission for his election on the wall.
They also ran an armored military vehicle through the old jail in a jailbreak scene. Since they were tearing the jail down anyway it didn’t matter. There were also a number of scenes filmed in the Pool Hall. As the armored vehicle drives down main street you see the Wells Bank and the other businesses on Main Street.
--Judge Gary Witt
Platte County resident
Missouri Court of Appeals,
Western District
