Remembering Patricia Neal, screen legend dies at Massachusetts home

The city of Piggott lost one of its biggest fans Sunday, with the death of Academy Award winning actress Patricia Neal. She was 84.

A veteran of stage and screen, Neal was remembered locally for her role in the 1957 film A Face in the Crowd, parts of which were filmed in Piggott and Paragould the previous year.

Neal also returned to the city she grew to love in the 1950's in September 2007, as she appeared at a banquet marking the 50th anniversary of the film's release. "Oh I love Piggott. Of course, I didn't get to see it all, but I loved it then and I just love it now," she remarked during her visit. "It was sad to see the old jail torn down, and they tore down the old courthouse --- but I loved it."

Charged with caring for Neal during her stay in Piggott were Rhonda Harlan and Wanda Morris, who thought they were only supposed to take care of her hair and makeup. "The first night she was here there were a bunch of folks wanting to go to dinner with her, but she was tired," Morris remembered. "She said she was going to go to bed and wanted to know who was going to help her. Everyone sort of looked at each other, so I spoke up and said, I will." Throughout the remainder of her time in Piggott either Morris or Harlan, or both, were by her side the majority of her waking hours. Also serving as her local escorts were Pam and Alan Morris.

Wanda Morris remembered Neal for her down-to-earth attitude, graciousness toward her fans and general friendliness, a sentiment shared by Harlan. "I was so surprised at how open she was about her life, and how much she shared with us. You never think that you're going to ever share childhood memories with someone that famous, and it was really special. Now when I see her on the TV in think, I really knew her," Harlan observed.

"She talked about her life and shared things with us, and we did the same thing with her -- she liked being one of the gals when it was just the three of us together" Morris noted. "But what I remember the most is how gracious she was, even when she was tired. And she always wanted to look her best, always asking us if her jewelry looked good with what she had on and such -- she always wanted to look her best."

"I also have a lot of great memories of when we visited New York," Harlan remembered of a trip made by several local residents to a screening that featured Neal. "Going and spending a little more time with her was special. I was sad to hear that she was gone, but she had been in bad health."

"I know she would have liked to come back to Piggott, she really enjoyed her time here and I regret that we didn't try to get her to come back again," Morris added.

Following her visit to Piggott, Harlan sent Neal a card with some of the photos she had taken, and later visited with her by phone. "She sent me a thank you letter, and was so nice -- she really took the time to make you feel special," she added.

Neal will long be remembered for the rich characters she brought to stage and screen, including her Academy Award winning performance as Alma in the movie Hud. She'll also be remembered for her courage and strength of character, battling back after suffering three back-to-back strokes to perform again. But for the people of Piggott that had the chance to meet her in 1956, or 2007, she'll long be remembered for her grace and charm.