A Danville woman began her 11-year career in the movies in the mid-1950s when "Raintree County" was filmed in Danville and surrounding areas.

Vi Wilmot, Lexington Road, was secretary to the producer-director and unit production manager for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studio Inc. during the filming. This led to her behind-the-scenes career for other films on location in Kentucky, Virginia and Louisiana.

"I started out working for MGM when the filmmakers first came here scouting for a location," said Wilmot. "It was quite by accident that I started to work for them."

She attended a reception hosted by the late Eben Henson of Pioneer Playhouse for MGM. After talking with some of the people there, she was asked what her occupation was and when she said executive secretary, they asked her to work during the filming.

Wilmot did not immediately agree to take the job, she returned to her work in Cincinnati, but kept in touch. Shortly thereafter, she returned to Danville with her 3-year-old daughter, Thea, and bought a house on East Drive.

She took the job doing script revisions at Henson's home. Later, her office was in a room in the old Danville Terrace Motel on Main Street. Another office was at Pioneer Playhouse where the film crew checked in daily.

Wilmot's job was not a daily one. Any time they wanted to make revisions in the script, she and the director would get together and she would type while he talked.

The film went back to the studio at the end of each day to allow the producer and director to see how things were done that day.

"If they wanted to cut a scene out, they did. Sometimes the same scene would be shot over and over," she said.

"It was an exciting time for me. Some days were hectic and most days were exciting," said Wilmot. "Everyone was very accommodating and treated me with a lot of respect."

Property in many sections of Central Kentucky, including the Nelson Rodes house on Third and Lexington Avenue, was rented for the film that featured Montgomery Clift, Elizabeth Taylor, Eva Marie Saint, Nigel Patrick, Lee Marvin, Rod Taylor, Walter Abel and Agnes Moorehead.

Edward Dmytryk directed the movie of a small-town teacher and poet who falls in love with a Southern belle, whose emotional instability led to the destruction of their marriage.

Taylor and Clift lived in houses on Windsor Court and Dmytryk lived in a Lexington Road residence during the filming that took about six months, Wilmot said.

Wilmot moved in with her mother, and rented her house to Eva Marie Saint, who brought her young son to live with her during the filming. She rented the house and furniture, including a crib for the child.

Before the movie stars arrived, lots of work had to be completed. Scouting for the film began in the fall of 1955. The crew returned in the spring of 1956 to pick sites for filming before the cast arrived.

"They were here long enough to get their names in the phone book," said Wilmot.

A few keepsakes and a lot of memories

Wilmot has few keepsakes from the Danville movie, but she has a lot of memories. She and her daughter were allowed on the movie set to watch production.

She also recalls reading an article in a trade magazine that quoted Taylor as saying she was coming to the "mosquito belt" to do "Raintree County."

Wilmot credits Henson for getting "Raintree County" filmed in Danville. "He was their contact man. He had worked with some of the movie crew in Florida where he did a bit part in an Esther Williams movie. "He knew they were looking for a location to do the movie, and talked them into coming to Danville to look around. Once they came, they were satisfied with the location."

Wilmot met with people from across the state who came seeking a part in the movie. People were not the only thing needed for the film. "They hired hundreds of extras and horses," she said.

"There was no shortage of extras," said Wilmot. They came by the hundreds to sign up. Jennie Rogers School was the location for the extras to sign up, and get measured for the period costumes, she said.

They were paid $9 a day and got paid at the end of each day they worked.

At the end of the day when the film crew got a break, many of the actors and others would gather at the old Town House restaurant on Main street. "George Perros (owner) was very accommodating for us," she said. "He would keep the restaurant open later for the cast to have dinner."

Wilmot, widow of former Lincoln County attorney Ben Wilmot, also worked with the filming of two Pat Boone movies, "April Love" in Lexington, and another one in Lexington, Va., "Long Hot Summer" in Baton Rouge, La.; and "Misty of Chincoteague" in eastern Virginia; and "Home From The Hill" in Oxford, Miss.

"Misty" was a movie about a pony and the Beebe family. Wilmot recalls during Hurricane Carla the family would not leave the island. They took the pony in their house for protection.

"I went back to Chinoteague Island a few years ago, but things have changed. I was amazed to see Misty stuffed and in a museum," she said.

While on location in Oxford, Wilmot and actor George Hamilton judged the Old Miss beauty contest. They picked the winner - Linda Lee Mead, who went on to become Miss America in 1960.

Wilmot ended her movie career when she married Ben Wilmot in 1967. The final production she assisted with was a commercial by Clark Oil Co. in Danville.

She and her husband moved to Lincoln County where she helped him in his Stanford law office and was a court reporter while raising two daughters, Jean Denny and Suzanne Portwood, both of Danville, and a son, Steven Kapp, of Louisville.

After her husband's death, she returned to Danville in 1989 and worked as a purchasing agent for Ephraim McDowell Regional Medical Center and as registrar and in personnel at the old Kentucky State Hospital.

She is working with a committee on a celebration for the 50th anniversary of "Raintree County" next year.