Venus Town Square, Bonnie and Clyde - Venus, TX
N 32° 25.984 W 097° 06.242
14S E 678251 N 3590022
The northeast corner of the Venus town square at West Second and South Walnut Streets served as a backdrop for one of the early scenes in "Bonnie and Clyde" where Bonnie (Faye Dunaway) and Clyde (Warren Beatty) get acquainted.
Waymark Code: WM12REK
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 07/07/2020
Views: 7
After Bonnie has peered out of her open window and caught Clyde thinking about stealing her mother's car, she races downstairs, intrigued. They go for a little walk, and that's where Venus comes in.
Just a little after 5:30, the couple strolls past the buildings near the west end of the block, as Clyde asks Bonnie what they do for a good time around there, and she scoffs and suggests he had a better time in the state prison. Clyde offers to show her his foot, where he'd intentionally chopped off several of his toes to avoid work detail, and Bonnie wants no part of it. Note that the fire plug where Clyde parks his foot, beginning to untie his shoe, is no longer extant.
The camera cuts to them across the street, enjoying a Coca Cola in front of a service station that no longer stands, replaced by a small park inside the square. Where they had just been walking peeks out in the background, the dry goods store now the home to Venus Discount. The listed coordinates are taken from the general area of where Bonnie and Clyde were standing as they got to know each other, before Bonnie suggested that she didn't really think Clyde had had it in him to commit an armed robbery.
Clyde crosses the street with a curious Bonnie behind him, his target the grocery store, "Ritts Groceries", that is practically unrecognizable today: The brickwork and awning are recognizable, but the fenestration has changed considerably. It and its sister building are now used as an annex by the First Baptist Church. Note the pedestrian behind them, entering the westernmost building facing Second Street, where the getaway car is parked: It is a vacant lot today.
Bonnie stands watching in the middle of Walnut St, and Clyde does exactly what he said he'd do. He comes out the door and waves the loot at Bonnie, scaring off the store clerk with a shot from his pistol. Bonnie and Clyde tell each other their names, "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" kicks in, and the story begins.
Thanks go to Frank R. Ballinger's wonderful website, "Bonnie & Clyde's
Hideout", for the inspiration for this waymark. All photos were taken by yours truly, all screen captures made using VLC from my own copy of the movie, and all rights belong to their respective owners. Any similarities are due to our having the same eye for things. A reference shot in the gallery identifies the three primary locations in this scene.