- [Miranda] This time on "Retro Tennessee Crossroads," Janet Tyson introduces us to a tailor to the stars who has become famous in his own right, Jerry Thompson searches out the perfect pumpkin, Jana Stanfield explores one of the '90s most memorable fitness crazes, and Joe Elmore takes flight all without a motor.

- And we know how strange that is for Joe.

Hi everybody, I'm Laura Faber.

- And I'm Miranda Cohen.

Welcome to a brand new season of "Retro Tennessee Crossroads."

(warm cozy music) - Hi folks, and welcome back.

This season on "Retro Tennessee Crossroads," my friend and fellow producer Miranda Cohen and I will be taking you all the way back into the "Crossroads" vault with some of our favorite segments from the early years of the show.

- And we've got some great ones lined up for you.

- Okay, let's stop talking about it and let's get right to it into the first story.

- Gladly.

They're great ones.

Our first feature is a name who is synonymous with the fashion of country music stars in Nashville and around the world.

When Janet Tyson brought us the story way back in 1989, Manuel was just starting to make a name for himself.

♪ We got company comin' ♪ ♪ Company comin' ♪ ♪ We got company comin' up the road ♪ - [Janet] When the Grand Ole Opry curtain goes up on Porter Wagoner, he gives fans plenty to listen to and look at.

This country music pioneer's penchant for eye-popping fashion started years ago when he began working with a young Hollywood tailor named Manuel Cuevas.

- I met Manuel in 1953 the first time, and we were both kids, I guess, at that time.

I needed some changes in my stage outfits.

I was just wearing a suit like this here on stage.

And he said, "You need to have me make something for you."

- [Janet] Manuel created the rhinestone cowboy look that became Porter's trademark and later became standard stage fair for entertainers whose music is a far cry from country, such as Elton John, Keith Richards, and John Lennon.

Manuel's most recent project for Porter was a long rider look for Porter's music video complete with a hat.

But Porter still remembers how he felt when he put on that first flashy suit.

♪ Well Willie change your apron ♪ ♪ Willie shine your shoes ♪ - [Porter] Well, I felt so good, I almost wore it out putting it on, taking it off.

I think my sister counted 11 times that I put the suit on.

In the house, just putting it on, I'd go look at it in the mirror.

Wow, is this beautiful.

It was a peach colored suit with rhinestones and covered wagons and wagon wheels on it.

And it was just breathtaking to me because nobody had ever seen anything like that before.

We're talking 1953.

There was not rhinestone suits around then at all.

And they had made clothing for Western stars like Gene Autry and Roy Rogers and those people, but never a rhinestone outfit until they made mine.

- [Janet] Manuel is more than a designer of unique clothing.

He's an image creator, the king of Hollywood couture, whose client list includes Linda Ronstadt, John Travolta, Linda Evans, and Burt Reynolds.

Well, you don't have to be a celebrity and live in Hollywood to dress like a star.

The man whose clothes have become classics now has a shop in Nashville on Broadway.

And when you come in to browse, you're probably gonna find yourself in some very good company.

Along with loyal customers like Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings, there's a new generation singing Manuel's praises, among them MCA recording artist Marty Stuart.

♪ Everybody knows where you go ♪ ♪ When the sun goes down ♪ ♪ I think you only live ♪ - [Marty] The thing about Manuel's work, it's timeless.

And some people collect Remington, some people collect Picasso and those kind of works of art.

I collect these things.

When I got signed to CBS Records in '85, I thought in ways country music was really out of touch with its image in a lot of ways.

They had forgot about Porters and Webb Pierces and Carl Smiths, Carl Butlers, and all those guys that used to wear this stuff.

And I got on the phone and started buying up out of all the closets in Nashville, everybody that'd sell me Manuel's old work, and along with the new stuff that I had of his.

And I made band uniforms out of actually Porter Wagoner band, the old Wagon Master band uniforms.

One of the guys sold me his stuff and it kind of kicked it off.

And right after that, I think Dwight Yoakum got into it and Manuel started making stuff for him.

And it kind of started a whole new revival.

And now it just thrills me to see everybody back into that, because that was one of the greatest parts about country music to me, was the image that Manuel helped create in the '60s, that rhinestone look and just the piping and everything.

- [Janet] Manuel began sewing pants and shirts at eight years old in his native Mexico.

Later he discovered a reason to make sewing his profession.

- Actually, when I was a little older and I decided to make prom dresses for the girls, then I decided this was my career.

- [Janet] Now why is that?

Because the girls loved them so much?

- Maybe because I loved the girls so much, maybe because of that.

And something else, it's like the clothes actually somehow change the personality.

- [Janet] Manuel's genius is designing clothes that define an individual's personality.

So powerful was the look he created for Clint Eastwood's early Spaghetti Westerns, Eastwood adopted it in real life.

That happened with another star.

- [Manuel] Elvis Presley was frightened by the fact that I was gonna make him a jumpsuit.

And he says, "What is that?

Is that like overalls or something like that?"

I said, "Well, what you don't know is what is coming to you.

So wait a couple of days," which he did.

And I made him the first jumpsuit in his life.

And he went to the mirror and he says, "Wow, this is what I like."

And that was the Elvis Presley look forever.

- [Janet] An entertainer's job is to attract attention.

And Marty Stuart says Manuel's clothes do everything but send up a flare.

But Manuel also designs for those who want to try a little understated showmanship.

- [Marty] Everybody might be under the conception that, that he only has this kind of stuff and rhinestones, but there's straight clothes for conservative people too.

And he has something for everybody.

You have to be bold to walk in these doors, and it hits you a little harder in the pocketbook maybe, but you really have something.

And he's a part of a growing city, and I think it's a plus to us as a city to have somebody like Manuel here.

- I know this is like asking a singer to define his music, but can you define your style?

- I always insist in calling my line of clothes American clothes.

It's not... We were labeled as, they were labeled as Western clothes by the European, because we obviously are in the West.

But the fringes and half moon pockets and things like that are truly American.

And people in America confuse the expression of Western clothes as a special line of clothes.

It's totally American.

It's our own heritage here.

- So why have you waited so long to come to Nashville?

- Well, I think of my career as wine.

I thought I should let it age a little bit.

And I think it's the right time now.

I think I'm young enough to start right here.

(twangy upbeat music) - Manuel, Laura, is amazing.

He did all of Porter Wagoner's suits.

He has done so many amazing things.

He is 92 years old, still alive, still designing.

- I'm not sure that I realized he was the one who designed Elvis's jumpsuits and really defined his style for his whole career.

Fascinating really.

- Yes, the first person to put Elvis in a jumpsuit.

How about that?

Well, I don't know about you, but I am definitely in the mood for fall.

We are starting to feel that little chill in the air, and it's almost time for my very favorite season.

- Pumpkin spice season.

You do know what that means, pumpkins.

And who better to take us on a quest for that perfect pumpkin than our friend Jerry Thompson.

He searched high and low, and I think he may have had a little fun along the way.

- [Jerry] It just wouldn't be Halloween without just the right pumpkin.

And like the characters of the "Peanuts" comic strip, every year about this time I go out in search of the great pumpkin.

Among all these around here, I haven't found any that look too great.

But if you want a real great pumpkin, there's only one place to go.

That's Mr.

Earl's Pumpkinland in Franklin, Tennessee.

I'm not the only one who goes off in search of the great pumpkin.

Earl Tywater, owner of Mr.

Earl's Pumpkinland in Franklin, has traveled far and wide in search of the great pumpkin, and he usually finds it.

It's just that he won't tell anyone where he finds it.

He's been doing it for years, and this year was no exception.

- [Earl] I've looked for the big pumpkin in many, many fields, in as far away as Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Tried it in a bunch of 'em, trying to find the biggest one each year.

- [Jerry] What's the biggest one you've ever had here?

- The biggest one we had two years ago weighed 618 pounds.

- [Jerry] What's an average number of seeds in a pumpkin that's there?

- [Earl] Various years and various pumpkins, whether males or females, you just can never tell them.

- [Jerry] Earl mentioned male and female pumpkins, and I wanna know how to tell the difference.

He says you just look at the blossom end.

Now this is a male and this is a female.

However, I found an easier way.

Now this is a female and this is a male.

Earl's daughter Tammy does the pumpkin painting and puts together Pumpkinland each year.

She also personally guides groups of children through the various pumpkin creatures.

Last year, more than 5,000 kids took her tour, and as many as 6,000 are expected this year.

It's obvious that Tammy is expecting another little trick or treater real soon.

She hopes the baby will arrive in time for some trick or treating this year.

- It's due on the 29th, so we're hoping maybe for slide in right before Halloween.

- Oh, that'd be great.

Maybe just time to go trick or treating.

- Right, just pop on a little costume and take it on out.

- [Jerry] When it's time to go to the pumpkin patch, it's almost a stampede.

Every kid knows there's a special pumpkin there waiting just for them.

Sometimes though, it takes a close comparison and then it's still hard to choose.

Picking just the right pumpkin is not an exact science.

Everyone looks for and apparently sees some subtle differences in pumpkins.

This is evident from the children who tour Earl's Pumpkinland each year.

Each child gets to select a pumpkin to take home.

And they're pretty selective too.

Hey, this looks like a neat one.

Nope, here's a better one.

Apparently Carrie Smith is some sort of an expert since the boys seem to be seeking her advice or approval.

Or maybe it's just an excuse to get close to a beautiful redhead.

I can certainly understand that.

She's a living doll.

But she knows just what she's looking for when it comes to pumpkins, and this is it.

It's almost as if she's saying it looks all right from a distance.

Yeah, I believe I'll keep it.

Daniela knows she picked just the right one too.

It seems all the kids found their own version of the great pumpkin.

Whether they did or not, it was obvious they certainly enjoyed the search.

Young David Simon seemed to spot his pumpkin right away.

Despite being surrounded by larger ones and an almost irresistible plea from a beautiful young lady, he held on.

It was obvious this pumpkin and David were meant for each other.

After the kids find their pumpkins, Mr.

Earl wants to make sure they find their way home.

This snaggle tooth witch offers a reminder.

You know, pumpkins grow a lot bigger today than they did when I was a kid.

But I've changed too.

When I was a kid, for instance, I would look at this pumpkin and say, "Gee, what a neat jack-O-lantern it would make."

Now I look at it and wonder how many pumpkin pies it would make.

I went out in search of the great pumpkin and I found it.

It was huge.

But David Simon found his great pumpkin too.

It was tiny.

Only David knows what makes this small pumpkin so special, and that's just the way the great pumpkin would want it.

- Miranda, I remember Earl's fruit stand and took my girls to it and Pumpkinland.

And there used to be a cafe next door named Dotson's and we would go to breakfast.

But what a flashback for me personally.

- You're a Franklin girl.

- It's missed.

- You're a Franklin girl.

- I know, I know.

- So I absolutely knew you were there.

- Okay, I have been looking forward to watching this next story.

- (laughs) Absolutely.

Because if there's anything missing in the world today, we need more neon.

Even though you look beautiful and have on your neon, don't worry, there's plenty of neon to go around in this next segment.

Jana Stanfield gives us an inside view of one of the '90s biggest fitness crazes.

We're talking inline skating.

♪ Let's get physical, physical ♪ - [Jana] In the '80s, when fitness came into fashion, it seemed like just about everyone tried jogging.

For many of us it was a bone-crushing, joint-jarring experience.

But wait.

(funky upbeat music) We're in the '90s now.

We don't have to jog anymore.

(tires screeching) We can try the fitness trend of the new decade, roller skates with all their wheels in a line.

Inline skates.

Anything would be better than jogging.

But how do I know if inline skating is for me?

- Have you ever ridden a wild bull or anything like that?

- No.

- Have you ever done any jumping out of a plane?

- No.

- Have you ever kayaked before?

- Yes.

- Have you ever ridden horseback before?

- Yes.

- Have you ever roller skated?

- Yes.

- Very good.

All you had to do to pass this simple test was answer yes to one of those questions.

- What does that tell you?

- [Terry] That tells me that you have a spirit of adventure.

So that means that you're an ideal candidate for inline skating.

- [Jana] Great.

- [Terry] Alright, Jana, let's try on a pair.

- [Jana] Let's.

- [Terry] Okay.

Okay, move this up like that.

Okay, great.

- Okay.

- Okay, now this is, this is real similar to roller skating.

Real similar to ice skating except easier.

- [Jana] Well, what makes it easier?

- Well, as you can see with the skate, all of the wheels are in a line.

And what that does as opposed to a roller skate where you have two wheels here, two wheels here, it makes for a smoother surface even though there's less wheels.

It's smoother because you don't have as much wheel contact.

As far as ice skating goes, because of the design of the wheels, you have a lot more balance than you would if you were on ice.

- Okay.

- Now, the benefits of rollerblading are really tremendous.

Not only do you get a good physical workout, a good aerobic workout, but you also have a lot of fun.

Okay, how does that feel?

- [Jana] Good.

- [Terry] All right.

Well, we're ready to do it.

- All right.

- Okay.

All right, why don't you stand up.

Just gonna grab a hold of me.

That's it.

(Jana laughs) That's normal, that's okay.

Okay, it's a little awkward having wheels on the bottom of your feet, isn't it?

- It is very awkward.

- It isn't something you'd normally do.

Just kinda move back and forth a little bit.

Get the feel.

That's it.

See what that's like.

Now you gotta remember, the most important thing is, is that you control the wheels and the wheels don't control you, okay?

- Well, that's easy for you to say.

- Ready?

- Yeah, I'm ready.

- Alright, let's skate.

- Ah!

You know, Terry, these inline skates look so hip, and my duds don't.

Got any cool threads?

- Cool threads?

No problem.

(funky upbeat music) Bend your knees, keep your head up.

Just use your arms for balance there.

Okay, bend your knees just a little bit more.

Okay, now, once again, push.

Okay, push.

That's it, that's it, good.

Very good.

You got it.

♪ Ah ♪ ♪ Huh ♪ - Okay, so relax your body.

Remember to relax, okay?

Okay, now skate.

♪ Ah ♪ - Time out, I gotta tie my shoe.

Oh.

(Jana laughs) - [Group] Right, left, right, left, right, left!

- [Terry] In no time at all, one quick lesson, she goes from roller nothing to roller warrior, from blade princess to blade queen.

- Inline skating is fun.

It's way more fun than jogging.

At least 47 times more fun than jogging.

I got this good, this good in just one hour, and I only fell once.

(object clatters) Okay, twice.

- Okay, did you ever inline skate?

- Never, but I had neon and roller skated.

See, roller skating was my jam.

- Yes, I was the queen of skate land.

I could shoot the deer.

No, I'm not trying to brag.

No brag.

- Okay, nice.

- Wouldn't do it now.

Unless I had a lot of pain reliever.

Okay, Laura, take us home.

What's our final segment?

- My pleasure.

And it's by one of our good friends and longtime host Joe Elmore.

Now, Joe was always known as a car guy among many other things, and the man loved his motors.

So I'm sure it was a bit of a shock when he arrived in Eagleville to find that he'd be taking flight without one.

- [Joe] If you travel close to the Tennessee crossroads of 41A and 99, you'll wind up here in the little town of Eagleville.

I could just imagine years ago, folks watching the eagles soar in and out of this area and dreaming of flying like a bird themselves.

Well, today the eagles are gone, but about five miles south of here, the dream of soaring like an eagle has indeed come true.

(warm cozy music) - [Bill] It's pure freedom.

It's a real challenge and it's pure freedom when you're flying a glider.

It's just a wonderful way to get away from things.

You're above the world and it's like you're in a separate domain up there.

- [Joe] Kathy and Bill McFarlane are the proprietors of Eagleville's very own glider airport, a landmark you might miss by just passing by.

It's a place where anyone can experience the silent adventure known as soaring.

The eagle flies here just about every weekend, attracting a legion of unique flying buffs in natural pursuit of the friendly skies.

- Raise your wing up about a inch.

That'd be good.

- [Joe] People like Gary Davis who owns his own glider and comes here to escape the everyday pressures of life on the ground.

People like Lisa Gladden, a high school student who's learning to solo.

In addition to lessons, the McFarlanes offer trial flights that they say always evoke the same response.

- [Kathy] Why did I wait so long to try this?

Why?

And most people are amazed at how it changes their perspective of the world from this, this dimension to being able to look down.

Most people are surprised at how beautiful Tennessee is from the air because it's like a patchwork quilt.

That and the quiet.

You can have a conversation at this level, and it's not like a small power plane where you're constantly yelling at each other and fighting the turbulence and everything.

You can be up there and just quietly enjoy the peace.

- [Joe] Gliding was invented in Europe.

It landed in the USA back in the '50s.

By the way, the words gliding and soaring are pretty much synonymous.

This man, the late Ted Beckwith, helped get the sport off the ground in Middle Tennessee.

- Okay, Joe, just come up here, and to climb in, I'll hold the nose of the glider down, just put your foot, you can step anywhere you want in there.

- [Joe] This man, the present day glider guru, will help me get off the ground.

Oops.

- [Bill] We fly the glider just like we would fly any airplane.

We fly it with the control stick.

Except the airplanes that you've flown in, they had a little wheel on the end of the stick.

Well, this one doesn't have a wheel.

So just hold that stick for me.

Hold it with your right hand.

Good, now that's what we're gonna be flying it with.

That control is the speed control, as well as the direction control.

When we wanna fly faster, we move that control forward.

Just go ahead and move it forward.

That will lower the nose of the glider and we'll fly faster just like we're coming down a steeper hill.

You want to fly slower, you bring the stick back.

That brings the nose of the glider up and now we'll fly slower.

- Okay.

- Now in order to change direction, in order to turn the glider, we're gonna bank the wing.

So if we wanted to turn to the right, here's the glider, you'd move the stick to the right.

Go ahead and move it to the right.

The wing will start to bank.

When we get the angle of bank that we're comfortable with, you let the stick go back to neutral.

Just let it go back to neutral.

There it is.

And the wing will stay banked and then the glider will turn in that direction.

The yellow knob by your left knee is the release knob.

When we're ready to release from the tow plane, you'll just pull that knob all the way back.

Just pull it back.

There you go.

And that will release us.

So we'll let you do that.

We can trust you with that much of the... (laughs) (warm cozy music) - [Joe] The idea is to catch as many thermals as possible.

These rising hot air masses can keep you aloft for hours.

But the biggest thrill, the one that had me holding on for dear life, was swooping down for a low pass and then shooting back up like an eagle diving for prey.

There's no doubt about it.

For the view and for the pure pleasure of flight, the glider soars way above its motorized cousins.

- Yeah, you just got to do something very few people in this world get to do.

- Fly like a bird.

- Fly like a bird.

- I tell you what, if you took the view of a hot air balloon, the thrill of a rollercoaster and combined them, you might get half of what that was.

That was indescribable.

- Well, you asked why do people do it and now you've got some idea of why we do it.

- Well, I guess soaring has come a long way since this first glider took off here from Eagleville.

This is a TG-3 glider used to train pilots during World War II.

Now you have to go up for about 24 flights before you can solo in a glider.

But for as little as $20, the McFarlanes and their friends will give you a tantalizing sample of what soaring is all about.

(engine purring) - You know, Laura, if you're brave, the Eagleville Soaring Club is still around.

70 years they've been doing that.

- Wow, that's amazing.

And Joe actually revisited that soaring club back in 2014.

And of course, you can find that story and many others on our website tennesseecrossroads.org.

- Thank you all for joining us on our trip back through time and through the "Crossroads" vault.

I know I had a good time.

- So did I. Thanks everybody.

And be sure to join us next time on "Retro Tennessee Crossroads."

(warm cozy music) (soft happy music)