I live “down under” in Australia but I have always had a fascination with Alabama.
I have only seen it in the movies…and I would like to know what its really like living there.
Also one of my favourite true crime stories was based in Aniston,Alabama regarding poisoner house wife Audrey Marie Hilley. Did anyone know her or her relations?
Really love to hear from y’all!
I have cousins who sold her a car that she paid for with a bad check. They eventually got about $600 from her- they’d sold her the car for $1000. At that, they were better off than many of the people who did business with her.
Have you seen the movie with Judith Light?
I grew up in rural Alabama at a crossroads about 40 miles above Montgomery. In the backroads, the civil rights movement essentially never happened; adult black people still call even much younger white people “Mister John” or “Miz Nancy”. In the larger towns and cities, race relations are more egalitarian.
A friend of mine who moved south a few years ago said the thing that most surprised him about the south was the black middle class. Most of what he “knew” was stuff picked up from TV series (HEAT OF THE NIGHT, CARTER COUNTRY) and movies (any movie set in Alabama has to have a burning cross- I think it’s a law), so whenever a character entered a black neighborhood the soundtrack immediately switched to a mournful gospel and the houses were all tarpaper tinroofed shacks. He was surprised to learn that there are black people who live in air conditioned brick homes and that black college professors, doctors, lawyers, etc., don’t raise eyebrows anywhere in the state that has a population of more than 1,000.
The negative stereotype that unfortunately is true, though, is religious fanaticism. The state is essentially owned by the religious right and the trial lawyers.
Forgot to mention: I have cousins in New Hampshire (about 1,300 miles north of AL) who were there when Audrey Marie was arrested up there, so we used to compare notes. Her boyfriend (husband?) was a major stoner, which may explain a bit more why he bought the “identical twin” story. He himself was murdered at the small motel where he stayed with Audrey before her escape.
An aside about the word y’all, incidentally: you really do hear it several times a day down here, BUT it is always and without exception a plural (contraction: you all). If you ever want to really get a rise from a Southerner, use it as a singular (e.g. “where did y’all buy that shirt y’all is wearin’ ?”). TV and movies do this sometime and it lets you know instantly that the screenwriter never came south.
I live in Alabama because I like it here. The State has a past, and it also has a future. There are forests, rivers and large lakes throughout, with mountains in the northern areas and beaches in the southern end of Alabama.
A couple of good books to read are by Rick Bragg. Ava’s Man and * All Over But The Shoutin’* are snapshots from the 1930’s, 40’s and 50’s. The movie Steel Magnolias also has a good bit of truth to it.
I can’t help you with the infamous Audrey Marie, as I didn’t pay much attention to the case.
Hope this helped a little. 
I live in northwest Alabama near the TN and MS state lines. I’d say most of the movies set in the state are gross oversimplification and trade on old stereotypes that were once true but are fading, slowly. Afraid I can’t help with the Audrey marie Hilley case either, I have only a passing awareness of it.
What was said about religion and trial lawyers earlier is true. Many people still let church affliations decide who they associate with. Political ads during election times usually feature scenes of candidates praying with or attending church with their families. Our continuing legal battles concerning a monument of the Ten Commandments and the controversial state Supreme Court Justice Roy Moore should give you an indication of the fervor of religious feeling among many in the state.
I would say that racism is not as bold or prevalent as it once was, but there are still touches of it that linger. I’ve never seen a real cross burning or a Klan rally, but I’ve known plenty of people who have claimed to be in the KKK. I don’t believe most of them, but their willingness to associate themselves with or sympathize with that group troubles me. There are still middle aged people (40s-60s) for whom “colored” is the most polite way they will refer to black people. There is also a growing resentment in my area because of a growing Hispanic poulation. So the bigotry is still there it’s just more subtle; hopefully younger generations can leave behind the close-minded hatreds of our state’s past.
College (American) football really is as popular and heartfelt in this state as you may have heard about. The annual Iron Bowl between state rivals the University of Alabama and Auburn University is consumes the state during the fall. The name of coach Paul “Bear” Bryant is almost considered sacred among the devoted, people will still name their children after him. My own uncle pointed out at his son’s wedding rehearsal dinner that the future daughter-in-law was perfect in every way except that she went to UA instead of Auburn (my uncle and his sons come from a long line of Auburn alumni), I wish I could say this was just his own personal quirk, but I can’t.
Just my own observations from being born and raised in Alabama.
widdershins HI ya I am in central North Alabama (Huntsville) You know Nocture (henceforth known as Noc-Noc) is talking about a bamadope around St Patties day. (that goes for you to JC of Mars
Now off to the OP>
tanyasimmone Mars and Widder covered it better than I could. I live in the most unAlabamian area of Alabama. Here in Huntsville we have a HUGE influx of out of state people mostly engineers working for directly or indirectly for NASA and other Goverment Agencies.
I enjoy Alabama for it’s diversity, Mountians to the north Beaches to the south. Any particular questions you have about the state?
Oh and for the record my favorite Movie dealing with Alabama is “My Cousin Vinnie” which is not very factual.
On a side note, your the third Aussie lass I have met to show an interest in the state of Alabama. Any ideas what draws your attention this direction?
I didn’t know her (nor have I ever lived in Alabama), but here’s a link to a Google search I just did on her, if you’re looking for more information:
http://www.google.ca/search?q=“Audrey+Marie+Hilley”&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&meta=]Google search for “Audrey Marie Hilley”
And here’s a link to a Google search I just did on Alabama:
Hope that helps!
F_X
Gah. :smack: Here’s that first link, again. preview is my friend, darn it!
Google search for “Audrey Marie Hilley”
F_X
Ditto the ALL OVER BUT THE SHOUTIN’ rec above, not just because the author’s from Alabama but because it’s a good book in general. Another one that’s absolutely hysterical is Fannie Flagg’s FRIED GREEN TOMATOES AT THE WHISTLE STOP CAFE- even if you’ve seen the movie 20 times, read the book because most of it didn’t make the final cut and it’s the most accurate depiction of tiny town life in Alabama I’ve ever read.
(One of the irritating things about the movie SWEET HOME ALABAMA was showing good ol’ boys and cracker families living on the lake in a small town; even in a small town in Alabama, you’ve gotta have money to live on the water.)
Alabama’s beaches are one of the best kept secrets in the south; they’re prettier (imho) than Florida’s and generally a lot less commercialized. There’s also tons of history due to the Indian mounds (just south of Tuscaloosa) and the fact that, unlike Georgia where I live now, most of the state survived the Civil War with very little harm.
Another well kept secret about Alabama: it’s the home of one of (if not) the largest Shakespeare theaters in the world
http://www.asf.net
as well as the largest steel statue of a god (Vulcan, B’ham).