North Carolina Now; North Carolina Now Episode from 05/19/1994

Tonight Hollywood legend Ava Gardner hasn't been forgotten in her hometown. We'll take you to Smithville fourth visit to the museum that honors her. And Bob Bonner tries out the barbecue in Madison. This is North Carolina now. Oh. Good evening everyone I'm back. Thanks so much for joining us. Joining us later in the show will be a legend in the coaching world the true basketball fans are familiar with what other folks may not realize that Clarence Big House Gaines at Winston-Salem State won more games than anybody. Then except for rock you know he's not as well-known as the Smiths but he certainly won a lot of games when he's not coaching now so what is he doing. Well he's still working for Winston-Salem State he's doing a fundraiser this weekend for the athletic department and we're here to help him and promote that well look forward to hearing about that.

Now later in the program we'll give you another opportunity to get your own barbecue brochure so get your pens pencils the computers whatever handy and we'll have the address for you now. Our first feature is about Ava Gardner and being from Smithville I bet she ate a lot of barbecue. I think almost certainly. Well glamour and excitement seem to surround movie stars wherever they go and the lives of these celebrities have fascinated people throughout the country for years. As Maria Lundberg tells us North Carolina has a strong link to that mystique. You lucky me. David am I right. Over the past few years movie making has become a booming business in our state. But North Carolina's connection with Hollywood goes back more than 50 years as a young girl. Ava Gardner walked down the sidewalks in her hometown of Smithfield never dreaming that she'd grow up to become one of the world's most famous movie stars. Ava Gardner was born and raised in a rural community about seven miles from Smithfield where

her family owned a tobacco farm. A fun loving tomboy she quickly blossomed into a beautiful teenager in 1941. A photograph taken by her brother in law was seen by an MGM talent scout who arranged for a screen test and it wasn't long before the 18 year old beauty from the country was headed to Hollywood with a seven year movie contract. A year later she married Mickey Rooney. A marriage which would only last six months. Her exotic looks and strong sensuality led to sultry roles in movies like The Killers with Burt Lancaster and the hucksters with Clark Gable after a brief marriage to bandleader Artie Shaw. Eva married Frank Sinatra in 1951 the same year her captivating beauty became world famous with the popular musical showboat. I love it because ally not a very good actor on stage.

You know he's got a very good actor offstage but he saw my two years and five movies later her marriage to Sinatra was over but her career was thriving. Her portrayal of the fiercely independent heroine in Mogambo earned an Academy Award nomination. I mean you got to make an honest woman out of me. It suits me if you let them vote for you when you put change. I'm going to hang on because you feel the cold weather coming on now. Thank you. I'll go back when I can be honest without getting kicked around for. Davis fame and fortune were a world away from this simple house where she grew up. Throughout her 44 year film career and more than 60 movies hometown fan Tom banks collected memorabilia about her in 1080 he opened the Ava Gardner Museum in his old home after his death. The collection was donated to the town of Smithfield where it's housed temporarily in a downtown store front doors can and was a key player and getting the collection

located in Eva's hometown. It's estimated she was running around three files on covers. During the peak of her career certainly comparable to Marilyn Monroe or any of the other major stars of that era. Was she like the Sharon Stone or the Kim Basinger per day. Well I think so even more so I. People and India probably don't think they would know who but Kim Basinger is. But they certainly knew who Eva was and still not. You can travel almost any part of the world and mention I have a gardener and there will be people there who know who she is. The museum collection brings back fond memories for him when Sheffield and her son Dewey who were neighbors when Eva was a teenager and remained friends for life. She was certainly not a vain person she was not a self-indulgent person and she was sable you know she was just like a member of the family.

Priscilla balance was one of those high school classmates all the fellows locked a real well in school. The strange thing about that. From the moment she endured herself to herself that was her family we just got along. We're going to be Eva's nephew Billy Grimes says the family was proud of her success. The family just as a member of the family who had a great job came home to visit her family in Smithfield whenever she could. It was the one place where she could truly be herself where she felt safe and secure. Family and Friends say she stayed the same unaffected by stardom and when she died in 1990 she made one final journey home to be buried next to her parents. But her popularity continues. Each year thousands of visitors come from all over the United States and many foreign countries to this museum which honors the vibrant woman who lived life with passion and was adored by fans all over the world. When I'm a gardener returned to Smithfield for a visit in 1978 she stopped by the

museum but it was closed. She said It's OK I know what's in there. I lived it. And that legacy lives on. As Maria mentioned in her story the museum is currently located in downtown Smith fail in what was to be temporary headquarters. However the Johnston County arts council hopes to purchase the building so the museum can remain in that location. If you're interested in visiting the Ava Gardner Museum it's located at 2 0 5 south 3rd Street it's open seven days a week from 1 to 5 each afternoon Admission is free but donations are gladly accepted. For more information call 9 1 9 9 3

4 5 8 3 0. Now Bob Garner's quest for the best and barbecue across North Carolina takes him tonight to Rockingham County in the town of Madison north of Greensburg where Fuzzy's is nothing less than a local legend. Fuzzy's has a 60s kind of look now but the important things haven't changed much since the business started and a tiny building on the same location hickory wood is still what cooks the meat. Pork shoulders are used for chopped BBQ while the sliced barbecue comes from hams and now owner Don Warren tells me that the sauce is the real secret here in the process of all this is a very moist barbeque because of the amount of sauce it's mixed in with the barbecue as it's being prepared at Fuzzy's barbecue was actually sold in Manhattan for a while. New York radio talk show personality Barry Farber was so fond of the barbecue from his home state that he opened a restaurant with fuzzy shipping the cooked barbecue by air daily. The New York restaurant didn't make it but the home folks remained loyal.

How long have you been eating their broccoli cornhole you when you're here. He really was like that it's not like eastern monkeys. It's trash. It's done here daily. It's just very good. Puppies have chopped onion in them and that's the primary taste that comes through along with the corn meal. There's no sugar whereas a lot of places have very sweet tasting ice batteries. These are not you know are delicious very unusual by the way did you notice the unconventional shape of the hushpuppies. These are hand squeezed from a pastry bag. And I guess they figure it's easier to make one long Hushpuppy than a bunch of short ones. Now we happen to show up on a Wednesday which is the one day of the week that one of the house specialties is prepared. That's pinto beans and they tell me they just can't cook enough of them. Perfect fuzzy serves a very Tang a version of the traditional red cole slaw common in the Piedmont and

western portions of the state. A lot of money or a lot of bite to it. They do have Brunswick stew here but it's different from what you normally get in the eastern part of North Carolina. For one thing there are more things in this stew. Another thing is that it's not nearly as sweet. However it is very very good. Now as in so many barbecue places banana pudding is the house specialty dessert here and this is to die for look at that The Rich Moran on top of that you can order everything including banana pudding without getting out of your car if you want to. Inside there's a good balance between working clothes and suits with owner Don Warren making sure everyone is happy. The move could be a little more roomy and we're not sure about those little white lights outside a barbecue place. But there's no getting around the fact that fuzziness is an important part of the ebb and flow of life in Madison.

Have you had a guy who had this last request. Drug up above the bar you go along with it. I want to bring him in here. OK that does it. Fuzzy's gets next to perfect four and a half little pigs. Madison is north of Greensboro on highway 220 and you'll find Fuzzy's by following 220 business through town. Once again Fuzzy's addresses for seven North highway straight on to 20 business in Madison North Carolina. Phone number there is 9 1 0 4 2 7 4 1 3 0. And if you'll send us a self-addressed stamped envelope to Post Office Box 1 4 9 0 0 Aarti PNC Wealth and you a copy of BBQ North Carolina style brochure with all the information on North Carolina barbecue you never want or need. Right right. OK. Now Michel Louis is next with today's news. A little later in the program I'll talk with Clarence Big House Gaines. Don't go away. Good

evening I'm Michel Louis. Here's a review of today's statewide news. Convicted killer David Lawson could be the first person executed by cyanide gas in North Carolina since the death penalty was reinstated in 1977. Lawson has chosen not to die by lethal injection saying he doesn't want to look like somebody who's just going to sleep when he's executed on June 15th. State law allows a convict to opt for lethal injection instead of the gas chamber. By all accounts a death in the gas chamber is far more gruesome than lethal injection. Witnesses have reported that criminals executed with cyanide gas and other states appear to suffer lengthy and painful deaths. Lawson says he won't choose death by lethal injection because he

doesn't want to soften the reality that the state is killing a human being. At the same time Lawson's appellate defender is asking the state Supreme Court to rule that the gas chamber is cruel and unusual punishment and to commute Lawson sentence to life in prison. Are the gun buyback programs taking place across the state legal. That's what a Raleigh firearms dealer wants to know. Francis Hale has written a letter of complaint to the Federal Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms questioning the legality of a gun buyback program in Chapel Hill. The program is designed to take guns off the streets. Hale contends the group organizing the buyback is violating state law by not securing permits to purchase the guns. The Winston-Salem police department isn't letting the Chapel Hill controversy stop them from holding their second gun buyback program this year. People who turn in a gun to the Dixie classic Fair Grounds tomorrow will get as much as $50. The first Winston-Salem gun buyback brought in 88 guns. The General Assembly should not

go on a spending spree when it convenes for its short session next week. That's the advice of speaker Dan Blue who is suggesting that legislators take a cautious approach when dealing with budget matters. North Carolina is now in better financial condition than it has been in years. But Blue doesn't want lawmakers to get carried away. We owe it to maintain a very cautious approach that we've taken. Staying with a conservative estimate a conservative approach not only until we are sure that this uptick in the economy is somewhat permanent but because it just makes good sense Blue says legislators need to make fiscal responsibility their top priority as they prepare the new budget. Duke University researchers are about to begin human trials on an AIDS vaccine. Their work will begin with people infected with the virus that causes AIDS but who haven't developed the disease. Dr. Barton Hayes a Duke University's Medical Center says this

vaccine combines parts of four different HIV strains. This vaccine has already been tried on animals and human tests are expected to begin this fall. Anyone with questions about the AIDS vaccine program can contact Duke Medical Center's infectious disease clinic at 6 8 1 8 1 1 1. Today was another cool cloudy day across North Carolina. Temperatures only reached into the upper 50s and low 60s and I cool temperatures will continue with a low statewide falling into the 40s. It will be cloudy in the mountains and rain is likely everywhere else in the state. Tomorrow the cool weather will continue to hang around. Highs will not get above the mid 60s anywhere in the state. It will be partly cloudy in the mountains and cloudy around the Charlotte area from the triad East. There will be a good chance of rain. A California computer company is reportedly planning to open a major new research and development

operation and Research Triangle Park. Cisco Systems Incorporated makes products for one of the computer industry's fastest growing segments. Computer networking systems this portion of the computer industry has had astronomical sales growth in the past decade. Networking equipment links computers so people in different locations can work on the same material together. Cisco already has a small operation in the triangle. The head of American Airlines parent company has some discouraging words about the hub at Raleigh Durham International Airport chairman Robert Crandall says Americans RTU hub is losing money although he won't say how much. He says there needs to be some belt tightening in order for the Hub to be successful. Crandall is calling for increased employee productivity through better labor union contracts as a way to hold down costs. The stock market rallied strongly today. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained a little more than 26 points to close at thirty seven fifty eight point ninety eight gainers lead decliners by three to two. Volume was heavy as

304 million shares were traded on the New York Stock Exchange. The Standard Poor's 500 index was up nearly three points and the Nasdaq composite index was up five and a half points. This was the fourth straight gain for the Dow industrials And now for some stocks of North Carolina interest. Us Us With eight hundred twenty eight wins only one coach and in CW history surpasses his record.

Clarence Big House Gaines is retired now but he's still involved with sports at Winston-Salem State University where he coached basketball for 47 years. He joins us now to talk about his career and the fifth annual games Golf and Tennis Classic. Coach thank you so much for coming. Pleasure being here. I want to ask you quickly how did you get your nickname. I came out of a car I hitchhiked to screw with a model car. What provokes waking a fella came out looked at me and said God I've never seen anything bigger than you boy but a house and everything in the name stuck. So a lot of people think my last name is House that's coming up and I missed the house and all that sort of thing. It definitely has stuck with it. We're pretty big boy. Yes it makes sense I just don't know where along the way you had acquired it. You your teams won over 800 games but a lot of fans who think they know basketball maybe wouldn't know to include your name with a offer up in John Wooden and the other great coaches What do you think that is.

I don't know I think a lot of it is it's just a sociological set of here in America because they robbed some of the nation's winningest football coaches. USA Today made a mistake last week. Call somebody else and I think that that's about the only reason that we don't get the same type of press coverage that the division one schools do. What we've enjoyed lots of success at Winston-Salem State we want a lot of bowl games and we've been able to have and attract an awful lot of very good athletes. Well now you've been out of coaching for a bad of about a year do you miss coaching more or less than you thought you would. I don't know OK I want to save because you have a number one volunteer and went to Salem to present. Right. Prostate heart lungs you name it. The author write us and I see a lot of ballgame still in contact with the university. We're trying to make it a bigger and better place. Well speaking of that the fifth annual gains Golf and Tennis Classic takes place this Saturday in

Winston-Salem at the Winston like golf course and Hanes park. This is a fundraiser for the universe. That's it. And actually the people in the area can make me all happy that's my seventy first birthday. Is that right. So in other words if I can get them to participate have we celebrate the birthday and raise funds from the athletic department. That would be a very very happy birthday AG We can say happy birthday I'll say happy birthday to myself. We could do that. Now you were talking earlier. You've got of course people paying introduced to come and compete. But you're also trying to attract some corporate sponsors for the centroid I think probably mostly total Is that really make money and we'll put it that way. You have to attract corporate sponsors too. Get the big money coming in. I think we are getting a lot of people interested. Well the corporate people actually play at it and you have to really just publicize publicize and keep selling

and I think we have shown growth each and every year and this is the fifth anyone you know will keep going and I think we got a phone number where people can call for information to be read that number out here I think will get on the screen as well. Area code 9 1 0 7 5 0 0 2000. That's it and then doing another number doing today is 21 50 and 1 9 7 5 0 2 1 5 0. OK well people can get more information. That's true and you were saying that you don't display your golf prowess in this tournament that year. You're there traveling back and forth between the two sites but you're not going to swing a club this weekend. Yes I plan to. You will have to go. I'm going to start the deal. OK and they have real prizes like the longest closures to the pier. I want to try to lock all of that up right of house. All right. Yeah well now I understand that of course you would when you were with Winston-Salem State for decades. But there's another school and Winston-Salem that has recently honored you understand

you've got a doctorate this week from Wake Forest yesterday what I was a there was a big thrill to have been born now. You called me Big House you can call me Dr. Big House I mean you know if you want to but I think we want to remember right now is that's come up with an entry fee. You know call these numbers and let's be out there Saturday morning 8:50 or before the 8:15 teel time is a good nice buffet breakfast for them. It's going to be a good event to have a bit of it and to get through this barbecue in west of north carolina Piedmont down the snake that you have. I don't why BQ. Well we'll have some awfully good barbecue there also. That debate goes on and on that sounds like a good place to test at western North Carolina barbecue. You spent years and years and years at Winston-Salem State did you know when you went there that you were going to be a coach that long did you go there planning to have a career coaching. No I didn't finish Morgan college in 1945 had a major in chemistry had been admitted to dental school and didn't have any money have forgot

you had to pay to go to school. So I came down to help a friend of mine for one year and I think really. Just about what the Lord called me for. I've enjoyed working with people the people have been very nice a witch in Salem we've won championships in everything we have been able to fund properly you Navy golf tennis football. I think we've had also the best training program for coaches because they become very very successful that with the sale of a good elsewhere all of them keep going keep moving. Well Coach thank you so much for coming it's a great pleasure to have you here and I hope folks will turn out in droves for the event on Saturday and help raise some money for Winston-Salem State. Really appreciate your asking me to come down. Thank you. Now we'd like to get your reactions to North Carolina now and your suggestions. Simply call our viewer comment line at 9 1 9 5 4 9 7 8 0 8. Or write us at P.O. Box 1 4 9 0 0 arche

PNC 2 7 7 0 9. You can fax a message to 9 1 9 5 4 9 7 0 4 3. Or try our Internet address TV at AOL period com whichever you choose please give us a daytime phone number in case we need to follow one. In case you couldn't tell it was a great pleasure to interview such a nice man. It was very funny. I wish we could have had some more time with him. Lucky you. He's a treat. Earl My role was one of his players all Monroes on his team in 67 win 31 and won. Oh wow I bet you did enjoy that. Now we he talked about barbecue and we've been talking about barbecue once again we want to remind you that you can write us at our address we even have a couple of times and you can get your own copy of North Carolina style BBQ but I remember you can always let us know where you think the best barbecue places are located in case it's not mentioned in the brochure.

And we have another barbecue feature tomorrow. Garner in Johnston County and another our other feature Tamar's about Mecklenburg Independence Day May 20th 1775 14 months before the rest of the country Mecklenburg declared its independence. We also want to remind you to send in your D-Day remembrance as we've heard from a few folks already but if you have one we'd love to hear from you. So until then that's all for now. Happy Birthday Lynn McConnell. Thank you.