The Firm Fan's Guide to Understanding Memphis, Tenn.

As a native of Memphis who's attending Harvard, I sometimes divide my life into pre-Firm and after-Firm. Pre-Firm, whenever I mentioned my roots, I'd usually get in response, "Oh, that's where Elvis lived, right?" After-Firm, I am told instead, "Oh, the Mitch McDeere town!" Often, people are eager to hear a few more details about the city on which their favorite legal thriller was based.

As the movie is shot "entirely on location" in Memphis, certain aspects of the city well-known to locals but somewhat unfamiliar to viewers may cause some problems. Never fear. For here, you have a list of background of Memphis sites and specialties designed especially for the non-Southerner. Enjoy.

Mud Island--A theme park right off the banks of the Mississippi which has been plagued with financial problems since its inception more than a decade ago. Mud Island includes the museum Mitch runs through near the end of the movie, as well as the "Riverwalk," a concrete scale model of the Mississippi River that kids love to wade through on hot summer days. Mud Island is also the site of several outdoor concerts each year. The monorail which Mitch rides on is well-known in the Bluff City--in a town without subways, cars hanging from the air are a special thrill.

The Peabody--A.k.a "The South's Grand Hotel." The Peabody is famous in its own right for its legendary ducks, who come down from their penthouse every weekday at 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. to walk across red carpet into a large fountain in the midst of the grand lobby. Those mallards are some of the most photographed paddlers in existence. The Peabody is also well known for its plethora of restaurants, gorgeous rooms and Skyway dance parties. It's just the place to convince a poor young law student and his wife that Memphis is the place to be.

Beale Street--This is where Cruise and his wife walk with the Quins near the beginning of the movie. Beale is widely known as the "birthplace of the blues;" in the era before integration, it was the place where Black musicians went to play incredible music in smoky dives. After falling into disrepair, it was refurbished by the city in the early '80s, and after a slow start, managed to catch on. Today it's filled with funky restaurants, offbeat stores and music joints (such as B.B. King's). On spring and summer nights, Beale becomes packed with people of all types strolling around. It's one of the few places in Memphis where both Blacks and whites mix in numbers about proportional to their representation in the town (54 to 46, more or less), but everyone there too concerned with the music or with the open bars to pontificate much on race relations. That's what Memphis politicians are for.

Lausanne--Where Abby teaches in the movie. This is a K-12 school that provides another option for parents who don't want to put their kids in the public school system (a constant problem in Memphis) but don't want single-sex or fundamentalist schools. (It's my brother's school, too.) Ah, the Bible Belt. It lives on.

Chickasaw Gardens--Where Lamar and Kay Quin live. In real life, the house belongs to the Dobbs', who own several car dealerships. Chickasaw Gardens has quiet, tree-lined streets, ever-present trees, lots of children, large and usually beautiful houses and a lake, complete with ducks. It also has an annoying entrance gate, a moderate but persistent crime problem and a wildly skewed racial balance (until a few years ago, all the 200 plus families in the Gardens were white). Yes, this is my neighborhood. It's got its ups and downs.

East Memphis--Where Mitch and Abby live. Take the Chickasaw Gardens definition, enlarge the area in question, add several more gates and more money and you've got the picture. But it's better than Germantown, where speeding, shabbiness and poor exterior decorating are reported to be punishable by death.

Ribs--The quintessential Memphis dish. The ribs at Corky's, a well-known Memphis restaurant, are arguably the best in the world. (Memphis is the site of an annual world barbecue festival, remember.) The ribs the lawyers eat in the movie are "wet ribs," slathered with barbecue sauce. When a place refers to "Memphis-style ribs," they're talking about "dry ribs," which are cooked with spices and served sans sauce. Both are terrific.

The Hernando de Soto Bridge--That M-shaped bridge in the background. It leads over to Arkansas, birthplace of the president (as a sign on the bridge lets you know). At night, the bridge is fully lighted and can be seen from the air. Quite a sight for weary airplane travelers circling down--usually on Northwest. Memphis is a hub, after all. The airline of choice for the Mafia in the film is the airline of choice for just about every Memphian.

Oh, and in case you were wondering--the accents are pretty accurate. As is Abby's tendency to fall into one after a while. Memphis has a way of getting to you.