Dave Paulson
Nashville Tennessean
Published 3:47 PM EDT Jul 23, 2019
“Wait. Did he just mention Gatlinburg?”
“Whoa, that title card said, ‘Lebanon, Tennessee!”
If you’ve lived in Tennessee for any stretch of time, you’ll likely have a unique experience when you go see a new Quentin Tarantino film.
Almost every movie he has made — from “Pulp Fiction” to “The Hateful Eight” — contains a surprising reference to a Tennessee town.
Why? You may not have guessed it, but the acclaimed writer and director is a native of Knoxville. He moved to California with his mother at age 4, but returned to the area briefly in 1973, in the fifth grade.
While Tarantino hasn’t spent any substantial time in Tennessee since then, the state has been a constant in his celebrated scripts.
Odds are very good that his latest, “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” will continue the trend. Perhaps Brad Pitt’s stunt double character hails from, say, Johnson City?
We’ll know soon enough. “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” hits theaters nationwide on Thursday — including 35mm screenings (on actual film!) at Nashville’s Belcourt Theatre. For more information and tickets, visit www.belcourt.org
“Pulp Fiction” (1994)
Bruce Willis’ character, Butch, has to retrieve a precious family heirloom: a gold watch originally owned by his great-grandfather. In a flashback, Christopher Walken tells a young Butch that it was purchased from a general store in Knoxville.
Later in the film, Butch needs to leave town fast, and he plans to head to Knoxville.
“Jackie Brown” (1997)
Like all Tarantino films, “Jackie Brown” has a stellar soundtrack – one that includes Johnny Cash’s “Tennessee Stud.”
“Kill Bill, Volume 2” (2004)
After he shoots down our hero, “The Bride” (Uma Thurman), bad guy Budd (Michael Madsen) kicks back and uses a coffee can as a spittoon. The label on the can reads “Oak Ridge Coffee,” named for the East Tennessee town.
“Death Proof” (2007)
How’s this for a “nod?” Most of this high-speed thrill ride – Tarantino’s half of the “Grindhouse” double feature with Robert Rodriguez – is set in Lebanon, Tenn.
In reality, the entire film was shot in Texas and California. Not a huge loss, though: Tarantino considers it his worst film, and he’s not alone in that opinion.
“Inglourious Basterds” (2009)
Brad Pitt’s character, Lt. Aldo Raine, hails from Maynardville. Pitt and Tarantino reportedly worked at nailing his East Tennessee accent – to debatable results.
In one tense scene, Raine tells Nazi Colonel Hans Landa about his hometown.
“Up there, if you engage in what the federal government calls illegal activity, but what we call just a man trying to make a living for his family selling moonshine liquor, it behooves oneself to keep his wits.”
“Django Unchained” (2012)
Bounty hunter Dr. King Schultz (Waltz, again) offers slave Django Freeman (Jamie Foxx) his freedom if he helps him track down his targets: The Brittle Brothers.
“I hear at least two of them are overseeing up in Gatlinburg, but I don’t know where,” Schultz tells him. “That means we visit every plantation in Gatlinburg until we find them.”
“The Hateful Eight” (2015)
After a standoff in the snow, Major Marquis Warren (Samuel L. Jackson) and John “The Hangman” Ruth (Kurt Russell) realize they’re not strangers. As Warren recalls, they’ve met once before.
“We shared a steak dinner once upon a time in Chattanooga.”
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