New Documentary Features "Molly the Mule"

A new documentary celebrates a vanishing way of farming – and one special mule.

“Molly the Mule” offers a firsthand look at the farm of Liberty residents Roy and Olivia Fowler.

Olivia Fowler spoke with Patch about the project at the Birchwood Center for Arts and Folk Life's Book and Author Fair Sunday. Half of the sales of the film will go to the Birchwood Center.

“I wanted to do something for Christmas to give our children to give our grandchildren,” Fowler said. “I wanted them to know their grandfather, my husband. He is a unique person. He loves animals and he loves history.”

Roy Fowler's family has been farming in the area for generations. The couple has operated Fowler Farm since 1971.

“He just loves the land and he has a gift for growing,” Fowler said. “What I wanted to do is capture – if you've ever seen 'Moonshiners' on TV, I wanted something like that, that showed it as it really is, nothing all prettied up.”

The film focuses on the Fowler's mule Molly and how Roy using her to farm – the same way farmers used mules before tractors arrived on the scene.

“He cultivates, plants, cleans, does everything with her and all the implements that's been in use for a couple hundred years,” Fowler said. “He's collected them over time. He just loves it.”

The couple's friend Jim Dunlap of Six Mile spent one entire season “following Roy and Molly as they did everything they did” and filming it, Fowler said.

“Roy, he demonstrates how to put the harness on the mule, what each piece is called, the purpose of it, how to take it off, how to tell how old a horse or a mule is,” Fowler said. “He gives the background about you get a mule. He demonstrates how to hook up each implement for laying off, how to lay off, how to line it up, how to train it a mule. Molly, of course, is a pro.

“First, he'd lay it off,” Olivia continued. “Then he'd hook up to the distributor and put the fertilizer in and explain how that's done, how it's regulated, what controls the flow and they would go back and forth.”

The film also covers planting and cultivation.

“The different seeds that you plant, how you adjust the plate on the planter to control the size, so the small plant plants okra, the large plate plants pea and corn, etc.,” Fowler said. “Then towards the end, we show the whole garden and it's all done under mule power.”

Roy provides the narration, but Olivia said that Molly was “really the star of the movie.”

“Incredible acting ability,” she said. “I think she may win like an Oscar posthumously. She certainly deserves it.”

Mark Cochran, owner of Success Video Productions in Greenville, tightened up the film, with Olivia's help.

Local musician Jackson Sparks wrote the film's soundtrack.

“There's one melody for plowing, then he switched to another melody for other phases,” Fowler said.

She showed the film to the Birchwood Center, who suggested more narration. Cochran then put the final cut together.

“We had the finished product and we decided to sell it,” Fowler said.

Olivia and Roy would like to donate copies of the film to any school that would like one.

“We also wanted to give a copy to the library for anyone that would like to check it out,” Fowler said.

“Molly the Mule” chronicles a way of life that has disappeared, she said.

“Back before tractors entered agriculture, you were dependent on your stock,” Fowler said.

The film chronicles the last garden that Molly worked on before she passed away.

“We think she was close to 30 when we were working on the film,” Fowler said. “She was the best mule we ever had, and we've had some doozies. We've had some very interesting experiences with mules and she was the best experience we ever had. We called her the 'Miracle Mule.'

The premiere showing will be held on Sunday. August 25, from 2-4 p.m., at the Hampton Memorial Library, Easley, SC. The film is 50 minutes long.

Copies of the movie are $15 each and will available at the book fair on August 11. Copies may be ordered by mail (with an additional $2.25 to coverage postage) from Olivia Fowler, 827 Rices Creek Rd., Liberty, SC 29657.  Call Olivia at 864-414-2465 for more information.