This post originally started as favorite book to movie post, regarding the book and movie by the same name: Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil. Then I went to Savannah on a short getaway and since I did promise to mention cities I loved visiting I just figured I’ll mix it all up, since my interest in the city itself was sparked by the book and later the movie.
I read the book when it first came out, so in Croatian, then shortly afterwards movie came out and I remember thinking: it keeps being mentioned that this is a real story! In mine then world, Savannah, Georgia, did not seam like an eccentric place with such a colorful characters. It was reserved for NY and LA in the US. After visiting the city I went on to reread the book, this time in English. It was so gratifying reading as it was written and actually knowing what part of town, what particular place they are referring to. Then I rewatched the movie after all this time and my main question is now: what happened to John Cusack? Where did he go? Bless his heart!
If you’re planning on visiting Savannah, you might as well read the book. The whole first half of the book is about the characters that are later mentioned regarding the murder and the trials and the history of the city. Since I was just there and took two tours ( the trolley one and the Bonaventure cemetery one), it was fresh in my memory and indeed John Berendt did write factually about the city. The book was a huge hit and it spent record breaking 216! weeks on the New York Times bestseller list! Some of the characters mentioned in the book also appeared in the movie, as themselves :The Lady Chablis, Emma Kelly ( known as the ‘Lady of 6 000 songs’) and Geza Avon Habsburg are some of the characters who were both in the book and the movie.
There’s another character who was mentioned very often in the book, movie and on the the tours: Johnny Mercer. The name might sound familiar but maybe you can’t quite place it, so let me save you a google search: he was an American lyricist, songwriter and singer and his songs are playing to this very day. If you end up visiting Bonaventure cemetery, you’ll see his grave and many lyrics from his songs are written all over the grave and memorial bench. Moon River, Fools Rush In, Come Rain Or Come Sine and If It Can’t Be You just to name a few. When I was merging it all in I went to look into Johnny, because everywhere you turn you can hear the name and I came across a fun fact: his mother was a daughter of a Croatian immigrant! The house mentioned both in the book and the movie as well as one of the stops on the tour is The Mercer House. It was originally built for his great-grandfather, Confederate General Hugh Mercer but as faith would have it, nobody of the Mercer name ever lived in the house. However, in 1969 Jim Williams, one of Savannah’s earliest and most dedicated private restorationist , bought the house for $55 000 and fully restored it over the next two years. If you read the book or saw the movie , then you are familiar with Jim. In fact he is the main character and the person who’s crime and trials were the main events in the movie in particular. He died in 1990 at his home, that was sold later in the decade for a whooping $7 000 000!
If you choose to visit this lovely place I would suggest to take at least one trolley tour to get a general idea of the place. Then, depending on where your interest land, visit individual points of interest. I took the cemetery tour,as I mentioned. I took them in Boston and New Orleans as well, but this was the most beautiful and serene of any cemetery I have ever visited ever before. It was a two hour walking tour and it was worth it. Bonaventure cemetery is as beautiful as it is interesting. From laying on a plot that was originally a plantation ( the main house on it was burned to the ground in a fire, but not before the owner had his guests and servants take all the food, drinks and the furniture out so they wouldn’t stop the party that was happening at the time), to rich and famous residents who reside there ( or do they?) to a beautifully kept walking paths overlooked by oak trees and Spanish moss that gives them elegant and sad appearance.
Other places of interest ( also mentioned in the book and the movie) to see if you visit Savannah: Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, River street, the squares ( Franklin sq, Johnsonson sq, Telfair sq. and Chippewa sq. just to mention few), Pirate’s House, Mercer House ( Mercer-Williams House Museum if you’re planning on getting tickets for the tour of it), City Market and First African Baptist Church just to mention some. There really is something for everyone.
If this peaked your literal, cinematic or explorer curiosity I do hope you enjoy the book, movie or the city itself. If there’s one thing I got from all of the above is: Savannah is known for many things over time, but southern hospitality and the fact that party never stops might be it’s biggest and the longest standing facts from the beginning to this day.
*** ‘And The Angels Sing’ performed by Bing Crosby ( lyrics obviously by: Johnny Mercer)