C O M M E N TA R Y
BIG STONE GAP,
THE MOVIE
NOW ThaT I haVe MOVeD
on and out of the anchor
chair at Fox13, WTVT in
Tampa, I have begun looking back
on the things, people and places
that shaped my career and opened
incredible doors for me over the
past fifty years.
Many of those memories began in
my hometown of Big Stone Gap,
Virginia that is deep in the mountains,
where Kentucky, Tennessee and
Virginia come together. It plays a critical
role in my personal story, as it is where that
small town’s basic family values helped
to shape every part of my life and led me
to be able to understand my diverse career
as a TV news anchorman in four different
states and a foreign country.
I am excited that soon the world will
get to see what Big Stone Gap was like in
a movie that's recently been released. It
stars my son, Patrick Wilson, ashley
Judd, Jenna elfman and my oldest
son, Paul Wilson, along with Whoopi
Goldberg, John Benjamin hickey, Tony
Lapaglia and most of the people who live
in this town, with a current population of
5,000.
adriana Trigiani wrote the book, on
which the movie is based, from her own
experience of being raised there. She then
moved to New York to write for Bill
Cosby, other popular TV shows and TV
nomic development or tourism. The
movie evolves around hometown
values, and I am particularly proud
of that, since it is where I came from
and what helped to make me what
I am today, being a husband, father
of three fine boys, a singer, a TV
news anchor and, at one time, even
a soldier.
Growing up, we tend not to
understand how important our past
will become to our future; yet, in
looking back, it is easy to appreciate that
we are today a product of our early life.
I never fully appreciated how fortunate
I was to grow up in such a healthy environment
as part of a loving and caring
family in what others may consider the
back waters of the country. I’m a smalltown
boy, who still gets a thrill when I go
home. Thomas Wolfe was wrong. You can
go home again, and I’m glad each time I
do.
9
EDITOR’S NOTE: John Wilson ended 50
plus years of radio and television news broadcasting
with his final goodbye on WTVT
FOX 13 on November 26, 2014, the day before
Thanksgiving.
By John Wilson
John Wilson
specials, all of which contributed to her
success as an award-wining author. In
addition to the screen play, she also directed
the film, as she was guided by Oscarwinning
producer Donna Giglotti.
It's a small town love story about belonging
and hope that is set in the ‘70s, when
coal was king in this area of the country. It
involves a popular outdoor drama that
is produced there each summer called The
Trail of the Lonesome Pine. I know it because,
as a college student, I was part of it.
The story focuses on the outdoor drama
that includes, among other things, the
Wilson family, including my anchor son,
Mark Wilson. Since coal is no longer king;
the town is currently struggling, like
so many others that relied on the coal
fields for their living. In addition to
entertaining viewers, the town’s people
are hoping that it may stimulate interest
in the town that could lead to some eco-
152 TaMPa BaY MaGaZINe MaRCh/aPRIL 2015