When John Cross went to work at the Downtown Bank on April 15, he never expected the popular museum and working CS Bank branch to be robbed.
He had previously been contacted by someone looking for a Victorian bank background in which to “shoot a scene.” Being justly proud of what he calls “a Victorian bank in a Victorian town,” Cross graciously agreed to make the space available since the bank happened to be closed on the 15th.
But no one knew whether “shoot a scene” meant photography, video, movie film or actual firearms. That answer came at the arranged time when Bill Ott arrived at the bank dressed to the nines as a classy Victorian gent, and explained he was acting the part of a mayor in an upcoming musical parody video.
Ah, a clue. Soon to follow were an assortment of locals dressed in Victorian attire provided by Michelle McDonald, who had apparently saved the best costumes when her vast collection was sold.
Last to arrive were a dastardly bad guy and his two bandana-ed henchmen armed with dynamite.
Turns out the bad guy was former Ghost Tour host and video producer/director Wyatt Beck with the two final cast members and camera crew.
Turns out Beck and videographers Carlos Montes and Tori Clayton were there to shoot a Snidely Whiplash-type music video parody of Billie Eilish’s “Bad Guys” by the steampunk band The Cog is Dead.
After giving the assembled cast of townfolk a set of directions, Beck and the crew worked quickly, and in short order the bank was robbed, the sheriff stepped in and caught all three ne’er-do-wells, the sheriff got the girl and the people rejoiced. (While the bad guys escaped.)
As the scene wrapped and the party broke up one of the bad guys, Cal Rolen, was heard to whisper to fellow thief, Dody Keener, “I love robbing banks.”
This was only one of the scenes being enacted around town that day, just in case someone wonders what that girl was doing tied to the railroad tracks at the train station.