Ponder, Texas - So Begins the Legend of Bonnie and Clyde
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PHOTO GALLERY
Ponder, Texas
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In the 1967 film production of BONNIE AND CLYDE, several real-life ( as well as several that weren't)
locations doubled as filming locations in Texas. After the release of the film a whole new sub-culture of myths and legend surrounding the outlaw couple began to spread like wildfire. Almost everyone's grandfather claimed to have pumped gas for them, served them a meal, given directions to them or had witnessed a robbery. After nearly ninety years after the fact, real facts become difficult to discern from the truth. Early in the film Clyde Barrow is shown attempting to rob a bank but the teller informs him the bank went bankrupt the week before; they had no money to give him. Clyde indignantly marches the teller outside at gunpoint to where Bonnie is sitting waiting in the getaway car and orders the hapless teller to: “Tell her what you just told me” Bonnie erupts in laughter as Clyde shoots out the windows to the bank in frustration, he climbs into the car and they speed off. The scene was based on fact and filmed where it happened at the bank in Ponder, Texas, a VERY small town about an hours drive north of Fort Worth and just a few miles west of Denton. It didn't take us long to locate the building; it's one of the few non-residential buildings in Ponder and still perfectly recognizable fifty years after the filming took place. Apparently it never again took off as a bank again and has served as home to other equally unsuccessful businesses over the years but the inside has been preserved and looks pretty much as it did when Warren Beatty walked in the front door with his gun drawn. Located on the corner of Bailey and FM 156, it WAS a choice spot for a quick getaway. You can park right in front of the bank on Bailey St. and walk over and take photos. The only other business that looked capable of creating a parking problem was the Ranchman Steak House just west of the bank building; other than that there wasn't much life to be seen in the area. In all fairness, we visited early on a Sunday morning and the steakhouse wasn't open yet. If you're a fan of the movie, it's really worth checking out. 
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