Two unidentified men stormed a Franklin movie theater late Thursday night claiming to be descendants of the real Rooster Cogburn (a character originated by John Wayne and now played by Jeff Bridges). The duo demanded to be seated at a private screening of Joel and Ethan Coen's True Grit, holding theater manager Graeme Nole at gunpoint. Nole quickly recognized that the two men were carrying plastic toys rifles, and he assumed that this was a gag set up by the local radio station, who had given out a number of tickets to listeners earlier in the day.
The men, one of them dressed as Rooster Cogburn complete with an eye patch over his left eye, were given access to the small screening room, where they proceeded to sit in seats clearly marked for the local press. When one of the radio station employees noticed that these strangely dressed men were not on his list, she quickly called it to the theater manager's attention.
The two men in question refused to leave the screening room. When no press members showed up, Nole decided to let the two scary Cogburn enthusiasts keep their seats. Nole later said that he decided to let them stay in the spirit of the holidays, as they didn't seem threatening. They just looked like they wanted to have a good time.
In a statement given to the paper, Nole said that he was a little worried by their appearance and the fact that he could smell whiskey on their breath. But the pair sat quietly through the film, and the one man dressed as Rooster even offered his opinion to Nole, "After the movie was over, the big guy came over to me, and he says, 'The movie was good, Jeff Bridges was awesome. But I still like the original John Wayne version better due to the story telling.' And then he nodded politely and the pair wandered back into the snow."
The paper ran this photo of the two men, which was taken by one of the radio station employees:
True Grit was released December 22nd, 2010 and stars Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, Josh Brolin, Barry Pepper, Hailee Steinfeld, Paul Rae, Ed Corbin. The film is directed by Ethan Coen, Joel Coen.
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CelluloidDreams
ROFL!!! LOL!! WOW ...what a crazy world!!!
3 years agoby @2movieguysFlag
mosorwvlad
What would somebody have to do to see Ghost Rider 2 in theaters for free ? Fireeeeee :))))))
3 years agoby @mosorwvladFlag
Ensigndesign
Thats tight.
3 years agoby @ensigndesignFlag
thedude-abides
@Supes: Lol.
3 years agoby @thedude-abidesFlag
Dan
@babyH Oh, I'm sure neither of us got anything on the poor bastards that live in Memphis, I wouldn't wish that city on almost anyone. 'Almost anyone'.
3 years agoby @dan1Flag
thedude-abides
@ZanyZap: Lol. And that's putting it nicely, I'm sure. I know exactly what u mean.
@Sly: Sounds like that dude from Raising Arizona.
@Supes: Lol. Well, I guess it could be worse. And by that, of course, I mean Memphis. LOL! John Lennon once said in an interview what the best part about coming to America was, and his response, "Escaping from Memphis."
3 years agoby @thedude-abidesFlag
Dan
@babyH Sh*t man, I'm in Chattanooga, 2 hours away. We got some crazies here, as well, but probably not on the same scale. Nothing compared to when I did my time in Chicago.
3 years agoby @dan1Flag
slysnide
@babyH: I figured that. Always heard great things about Nashville, but the closest thing we got in Auburn, CA to that is this old guy with a decked out bike who's in his early sixties, wears a coonskin hat with bells and reflectors and festive things of all sorts on the bike and rides round town. People have to look out for him, and he's been hit a couple times. They call him "the Auburn Greeter" since he's been riding his bike from Newcastle to Auburn every day since anyone can remember. Graduated in '57 to paint a better picture. Would be a mountain man if he weren't so skinny. :P
3 years agoby @slysnideFlag
Lethal2damax
WTF? Thats a dude on the right? It looks like one really fugly she-man beast thing.......
3 years agoby @lethal2damaxFlag
Julian Left
rofl this is hilarious...
3 years agoby @julianleftFlag
Seawolf63
The manager should have shot them in the face.....
3 years agoby @seawolf63Flag
Messenger
Awesome nonetheless.
3 years agoby @messengerFlag
Matthew Lausmann
Send That To Jail!!!
3 years agoby @matthew-lausmannFlag
joekerr2e
@John2347 ... agreed! Total BS story. Those guns are toys. Plastic stocks aren't hard to spot.
3 years agoby @joekerr2eFlag
ZanyZap
HA!
@babyH: When I was a senior in high school, I went on a "college visit" to a university in Nashville. My cousin's friend took me on a tour of the greater Nashville area... and wow, it was an experience.... We almost died. :P
3 years agoby @zanyzapFlag
thedude-abides
@Sly: Lol. Most the people here are great. But as with every city, it's got more than its share of dumbasses- as the picture and the article point out.
Agree @John2347: They're lucky their fat asses didn't get decorated with a couple rounds of buckshot to go along with that holiday spirit everyone was talking about. Lol.
3 years agoby @thedude-abidesFlag
slysnide
@babyH: I'm so sorry.
Hey, they kinda look like John Goodman and a slim Mark David Chapman. :P
3 years agoby @slysnideFlag
John2347
If an adult pointed a toy gun at me I would kick his ass I don't have time for BS games like that.
3 years agoby @john2347Flag
thedude-abides
I live in Nashville. This is just another sad example of what I have to put up with on a daily basis.
3 years agoby @thedude-abidesFlag
Brian
Ha!
3 years agoby @brianFlag
slysnide
This sounds like something Joel & Ethan would stage for free publicity. ;)
3 years agoby @slysnideFlag
Dan
Lol....
3 years agoby @dan1Flag