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I can hear her infectious laughter spiraling up from her grave in Ebenezer United Methodist Church cemetery, less than a mile from her home west of Great Falls. A home that is preserved forever -- on film.

Two months ago Carl Goldman from a Charlotte-based film company, contacted Norma's daughter, Roberta Benton, requesting permission to use the old family home for a few scenes in filming the movie. She asked me what I thought about it. It took only a second for me to say, "Norma would love it!" Norma's house will now be known as "Lou Anne's House." Filming began on May 16 and continued through May 20. I traveled to the location on May 17 and met Adam Paroo, who became our guide for the day. He must have been a man of importance as every two minutes someone spoke into his ear for one thing after another. A delightful individual, Adam took great pains to show and explain everything to us. We also met Carl Goldman and the director, Matt Williams.

They stripped the cedar siding down to the original wooden frame home. White paint intermittently appeared on the exterior walls, leaving the home with a rundown appearance. In the massive yard, we observed an old car on cinderblocks, a drivable red pickup and an old timey push-mower leaned against the front of the house.

After entering the home, suddenly the ambience took us back to the 1950s. New wallpaper replaced the painted living room walls -- aged for the '50s. Even the top of the ceiling showed mildew from roof leakage. A stack of albums lay on a table with "The Drifter's Greatest Hits" resting on top. LIFE magazine, a Raggedy Anne doll and miscellaneous clothing covered the period sofa. A mirrored knickknack shelf hung over the sofa.

The kitchen appeared much larger than I remembered. Dishes remained on the table and stacked in the sink -- food left on the top dish and one on the side arranged for a particular scene.

The new wallpaper in the front bedroom looked worn and typical for the '50s. Two beds with much loved stuffed toys suggested that two small children slept there. Overhead, a huge round bag covered a light used to fade from light to darkness. An Electrolux vacuum cleaner sat next to the chest of drawers with a basket of clothes waiting to be washed. A little girl's plaid blouse with a white Peter Pan collar draped on a hanger, hooked over the edge of a drawer.

It was amazing how much detail filled these four rooms including cigarette butts, spools of thread, knitting baskets -- whatever it took to place you back into this almost forgotten period.

Every inch of space under the carport in the back of the house overflowed with equipment, color filters, reflectors, lights and other items necessary for production. The front yard had folding canvas chairs with "important" names on the back rests. Two gigantic cranes held huge white overhangs for filtering the proper outdoor lighting.

Across the road, fields were void of vehicles because of filming from the front of Norma's. It was a different story regarding the fields behind the Jacobs' house. The area resembled massive carnival grounds minus the rides. Tents, trailers, trucks and parked vehicles covered numerous acres. Ken & Art's Catering service provided a fantastic spread of food fit for a king. Salads, fruits, and hot meals such as salmon, grouper, roast beef, chicken, spaghetti -- anything your taste buds desired. The food tent overflowed with people. On Thursday, Jason Patric, who plays Walker, ate with everyone else, something rare for most stars, we understand.

My niece Bobbie returned from a business trip to New Orleans by Thursday, and when we arrived at the movie set of Lou Anne's house, the crew hauled the red pickup on the back of a larger truck. This truck drove around the countryside filming a scene inside the red truck -- hence the background scenery. Amazing! Even the back roads had specific scene requirements such as more old houses and bumpy roads.

The "bossmen" all knew Bobbie and she introduced us to some we had not met previously. At times, she needed to be by herself as nostalgia took over.

Was she sad she decided to allow the filming of "Walker" in Norma's house, but now hers? Absolutely not. We both knew Norma loved every minute of it. In fact, when Bobbie cleaned the house before meeting with Carl Goldman, she opened a closet door and noticed a mouse clinging to a hanger. She slammed the door and said, "That's Momma watching every move." The house stood vacant for years.

Well, Norma, this is a fitting legacy to you and your "What's New, Rossville?" column. Whether you were a mouse peeking through the cracks or looking down from heaven, we knew you would be enjoying every minute of this filming process.

"Walker's" expected release is in 2006. Jason Patric plays a man in a small town, down on his luck, forced to make a heartbreaking decision about his two daughters.