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Bay St. Louis

Movies and “Magic” on the Mississippi Gulf Coast

By Angela Fox

Movie trivia fans know that the 1966 film This Property is Condemned, starring a youthful Robert Redford and radiant Natalie Wood, was filmed on location in the little town of Bay St. Louis on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. What they probably don’t know is that the rundown railway town depicted in the film is light years away from the picturesque seaside community that Bay St. Louis is today.

We first fell in love with Bay St. Louis almost ten years ago during one of our frequent visits to New Orleans (just 50 miles away). We now make it a practice to spend a few nights in Bay St. Louis every time we visit the Big Easy. This summer we sampled some of the town’s newest offerings – including Casino Magic Bay St. Louis, the only casino resort on the Mississippi Gulf Coast with all amenities right on site, including five restaurants, two hotels, two outdoor pools, a 100-site RV park and a full service spa and fitness center. With all that going for it, we naturally wanted to play and stay – which we did.

We were right at home in our comfortable room at the casino resort’s new Bay Tower Hotel, overlooking the Jourdan River and the bay. Special touches include complimentary valet parking, an outdoor pool with a whirlpool and expansive pool deck, fitness center, spa and salon. The food at Casino Magic’s restaurants is first-rate, as well. We thoroughly enjoyed Bienville's Bay Buffet, with its fresh seafood, hand-carved meats, Southern home cooked specialties, Asian dishes, homemade breads, pizzas, pastas, and salad and dessert bars. Each weeknight brings a different highlight as well: Monday, there’s filet mignon with loaded baked potato bar. Tuesday is barbecue night with ribs, brisket, pork and chicken. Wednesday it’s boiled, fried and barbecued shrimp and Thursday there’s all-you-can-eat fried, blackened, stuffed and baked catfish. The buffet is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and there’s a Seafood Brunch on Saturdays and a Champagne Brunch on Sundays. If you want a fine dining experience, try Tuscany Steaks and Seafood for certified Angus steaks and fresh Gulf seafood with an Italian flair or the Jourdan River Grille for contemporary American cuisine. Casino Magic Inn, the resort’s budget-style hotel, is just across the parking lot from the Tower so it’s easy to stay and play there as well. As for entertainment, the legendary clarinetist Pete Fountain entertains exclusively at Casino Magic Bay St. Louis every Tuesday and Wednesday evening and top stars like the Neville Brothers and Joan Rivers regularly appear in concert.

The 600-acre property also boasts offers The Bridges, a beautiful 18-hole, 72 par golf course that’s the state's only Arnold Palmer-designed course. Located on 160 acres, the course is named for the 21 wooden bridges that span 17 lakes and 14 acres of marsh, wetlands and luscious fairways. The Bridges was just ranked among the “Top 10 Golf Courses in Mississippi” by Golf Digest for 2005-2006 and hosts many prestigious tournaments including the Brett Favre Celebrity Golf Tournament (the NFL star is from nearby Kiln, MS).

Casino Magic is also only a few minutes from Bay St. Louis’ charming Old Town and Depot District, two areas of the original town that have been reborn in recent years with restaurants, antique stores, art galleries, quaint inns and unique shops. On our most recent visit we dropped by some old favorites, discovered a few new ones -- and finally got around to seeking out the key locations used in that famous 1966 film.

Our first stop, as always, was the Alice Moseley Museum, Home and Gallery. Though we were saddened to learn Miss Alice – as she is universally referred to – had passed away July 9, 2004 at age 94, we were warmed by our memories of meeting her and admiring her art on our previous visits. We also found Miss Alice’s spirit alive and well in the bright blue house near the beautifully restored train depot (which in its drab former life figured prominently in This Property is Condemned). Museum curator Lisa Bouis is on hand to tell you all about Miss Alice and her life and art – and Miss Alice’s beloved 8-year-old beagle Herman is usually curled up in the window seat, as well.

I can’t imagine anyone leaving without buying one of Miss Alice’s delightful prints – done in colorful folk art style (Miss Alice was entirely self-taught and didn’t begin painting until age 60). We were no exception and bought two. Scenes of rural Southern life like river baptisms, cotton fields and one-room schoolhouses are just too charming to resist and Miss Alice’s famous wit, conveyed in the titles and situations of each painting, will brighten anyone’s day. “The House Is Blue but the Old Lady Ain’t,” for example, captures the artist’s own upbeat philosophy on life as well as her vivid blue shotgun-style home that now serves as her memorial and museum. A video called “Hello, I’m Alice Moseley” plays continuously on a small television in the museum and is available for purchase. We bought our own copy and highly recommend it.

Just around the corner from Miss Alice’s is the rambling house that starred as the boarding house in This Property is Condemned. Looking very much as it did in the opening scenes of the film, the house seems as haunted as the characters in the film, which is based on a Tennessee Williams one-act play. We couldn’t get a peek inside but we wondered if the interior looked anything like it did in the film sequences that show it as a lively party spot filled with male boarders who are attracted to Natalie Wood’s flirtatious character, egged on by her floozy mother who runs the hotel. Maybe Robert Redford will come back and direct a remake and we’ll find out.

For a bite, try Benigno’s Grocery (which you’ll also spy in the film), where you can get tasty fried seafood and po-boys, or the Bay City Grill, a new and more upscale dining option. Across the street from these eateries is the historic L & N Train Depot (c. 1928), a two-story, Mission-style building surrounded by park-like grounds. It’s both a designated "Mississippi Landmark" and a scheduled Amtrack stop.

Next we headed for the beach and its new walking and bike path. The 3-mile concrete path winds past old homes, quaint shops, fishing piers and sandy beaches. If you need to rent a bike, no problem: Da Beach House is right on the path. The business offers kayak and bike rentals, tours, a cafe, and a gift and gear shop. The path will also take you past Old Town, filled with fun places to shop and great places to eat. Favorites include Trapani’s for New Orleans-style seafood in a casual setting and The Purple Snapper for wonderful, whimsical art by area artists. The tree-lined streets of Old Town are made for strolling and lead you to dozens of other specialty shops, art galleries, sidewalk cafes, ice cream parlors, coffee houses, historic sites and buildings adorned with colorful murals.

It’s really no wonder Hollywood came to town and found the perfect setting for a major motion picture here 40 years ago. The mystery is why Hollywood hasn’t been back since. Anyone can see this “property” isn’t condemned – in fact, it’s richly blessed.

Hancock County, where Bay St. Louis is located, markets itself with the catchy designation “Mississippi’s West Coast,” so for more information, go to www.mswestcoast.org or call 800-466-9048. For information on Casino Magic, go to www.casinomagic-baystlouis.com or call 1-800-5-MAGIC-5

Bay St. Louis photos by Virgil Fox

Casino Magic photos courtesy of Casino Magic

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