# Has the place where you grew up ever been in a movie? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 19, 2003, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-place-where-you-grew-up-ever-been-in-a-movie/208274 "2003-10-19T00:23:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2003, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-place-where-you-grew-up-ever-been-in-a-movie/208274/1 "2003-10-19T00:23:29Z")
Gwyneth Paltrow’s new movie about Sylvia Plath is out now in the US, and I just [watched the trailer](http://www.apple.com/trailers/focus_features/sylvia.html). All the beach scenes were filmed in an obscure, tiny fishing village north of Dunedin, New Zealand - the very same place that I grew up! I haven’t been back there in many years, so it’s quite nostalgic to see it, especially portrayed so beautifully. Have your obscure childhood neighbourhoods ever been in the movies? ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2003, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-place-where-you-grew-up-ever-been-in-a-movie/208274/2 "2003-10-19T00:30:49Z")
I grew up in Accrington, Lancashire. There was a film made there called ‘Nature of the Beast’ about a wild animal loose in the local hillside ‘copice’. ---
**Author:** ![Garfield226](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Garfield226](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Garfield226)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2003, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-place-where-you-grew-up-ever-been-in-a-movie/208274/3 "2003-10-19T00:37:12Z")
A small old-ish baseball stadium only a mile or three from my house was a setting for the movie [The Babe](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103747/), made in 1992, staring John Goodman. It was right outside my Middle School, though they shot in the summer. It was a pretty cool thing at the time, although the movie didn’t go anywhere. ---
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2003, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-place-where-you-grew-up-ever-been-in-a-movie/208274/4 "2003-10-19T00:42:54Z")
The movie version of E.L. Doctorow’s _Ragtime_ featured a big old Victorian house - two blocks from the house I grew up in, in bustling Mt. Kisco, NY. ---
**Author:** ![LVBoPeep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/858c86/32.png) [@LVBoPeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LVBoPeep)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2003, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-place-where-you-grew-up-ever-been-in-a-movie/208274/5 "2003-10-19T00:45:42Z")
Very obscure but… Lots of movies are filmed in Vegas, where I live now, but I grew up about 25 miles away in Boulder City. In the first few minutes of “Con Air”, you see Nicolas Cage’s character receiving an award in a park with a government building in the background. That goverment building is the Bureau of Reclamation building in Boulder City- where my dad, grandma, aunt, mother and two sisters have worked off and on over the years. The park is where I had my first Easter Egg hunt and went to countless community events. ---
**Author:** ![beegirl13](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/848f3c/32.png) [@beegirl13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beegirl13)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2003, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-place-where-you-grew-up-ever-been-in-a-movie/208274/6 "2003-10-19T01:07:20Z")
I hear that the move _December_ was filmed at my college, though I haven’t seen it. Nothing in my hometown, that I know of. ---
**Author:** ![moriah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b2d939/32.png) [@moriah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moriah)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2003, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-place-where-you-grew-up-ever-been-in-a-movie/208274/7 "2003-10-19T01:41:25Z")
I was born and spent the first few years of my life in Manhattan. Now, let’s see… what movies take place in Manhattan… ---
**Author:** ![Rico](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rico/32/3582_2.png) [@Rico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rico)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2003, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-place-where-you-grew-up-ever-been-in-a-movie/208274/8 "2003-10-19T02:24:13Z")
Well, I grew up in [Pacific Palisaes, California](http://www.pacific-palisades.com/), home of many movie stars and the Governor-Elect of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger. I grew up about three blocks from [Walter Matthau](http://www.matthau.com/sys-tmpl/door/), [Mel Blanc](http://www.tvtome.com/tvtome/servlet/PersonDetail/personid-7995), and [Bert Convey](http://www.bertconvy.net/). I see my hometown in movies all the time, in fact, our house was used for several “B” movies and TV commercials in the 70s. Apparently that was a good source of income for local residents, my dad claimed he was paid very well for the few days the crew was there. There was even a TV series for a while called [Pacific Palisades](http://tvmegasite.net/prime/shows/pacific/index.shtml), sort of a cheap _Knots’ Landing_ knockoff. ---
**Author:** ![Zhen\_ka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ecccb3/32.png) [@Zhen\_ka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zhen_ka)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2003, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-place-where-you-grew-up-ever-been-in-a-movie/208274/9 "2003-10-19T02:43:17Z")
I grew up in [Needles](http://www.wemweb.com/traveler/towns/01needle/01_toc.html), [CA.](http://www.city-data.com/city/Needles-California.html) The movie [Convoy](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077369/) was filmed in my hometown. They blew up the old Needles Bridge to Arizona for one of the final scenes. ---
**Author:** ![brianjedi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@brianjedi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brianjedi)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2003, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-place-where-you-grew-up-ever-been-in-a-movie/208274/10 "2003-10-19T03:14:49Z")
Mayfield, KY has appeared in one movie that I’m aware of: The Bruce Willis classic [In Country](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097570/) was filmed here. The movie was based on the novel by Mayfield native Bobbie Ann Mason, so it seemed natural to shoot it here. I’m not in it, but people I know are, and my dad’s old truck is in the parking lot of the Dairy Queen. ---
**Author:** ![7\_up\_yours](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/7/919ad9/32.png) [@7\_up\_yours](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/7_up_yours)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2003, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-place-where-you-grew-up-ever-been-in-a-movie/208274/11 "2003-10-19T03:49:49Z")
Heh, I still live where I grew up. But, yeah, the greater Vancouver area is a popular place for films to be made. But to be exact, I live in a suburb and I’ve only recognized parts of my tiny suburb city once… in Scary Movie. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2003, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-place-where-you-grew-up-ever-been-in-a-movie/208274/12 "2003-10-19T03:54:21Z")
The horrible [River’s Edge](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091860/) was shot in my hometown of Rancho Cordova, CA. ---
**Author:** ![Blonde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Blonde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blonde)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2003, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-place-where-you-grew-up-ever-been-in-a-movie/208274/13 "2003-10-19T04:08:21Z")
Los Colinas, Texas (near Dallas) has a major studio where all the Chuck Norris series were filmed - my husband was a stuntman and appeared (briefly!) in the final takes of the last season. Also, he was the stand-in for all of Robert Urich’s scenes in his made-for-TV movie (the airing was delayed due to 9/11). Sadly, Robert died soon after, at the young age of 55. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2003, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-place-where-you-grew-up-ever-been-in-a-movie/208274/14 "2003-10-19T04:08:35Z")
I grew up in Miami, so that obviously doesn’t count. Gainesville, Florida, though, where I currently reside, has been in all sorts of things. The first part of the Devil’s Advocate was filmed here, and I believe one of the Jason movies was filmed at Camp Crystal Lake, which is run by the Alachua County schoolboard. A few other odds and ends of movies have been filmed at UF. ---
**Author:** ![Garfield226](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Garfield226](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Garfield226)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2003, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-place-where-you-grew-up-ever-been-in-a-movie/208274/15 "2003-10-19T05:11:19Z")
Oh, yeah. Where I am now, Indiana University, was the setting of “Breaking Away.” ---
**Author:** ![Lisa-go-Blind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Lisa-go-Blind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lisa-go-Blind)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2003, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-place-where-you-grew-up-ever-been-in-a-movie/208274/16 "2003-10-19T05:51:13Z")
An old gas station/auto repair joint a block from my house was evidentally in a scene from Britney Spears’s “Crossroads.” I have not seen this fine film, but my mother watched it only to see the gas station. I do remember streets being shut off when the movie was filming, though. This is Baton Rouge, by the way. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2003, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-place-where-you-grew-up-ever-been-in-a-movie/208274/17 "2003-10-19T06:02:34Z")
Gilley’s in Pasadena Texas. Spent teenage years near it. Saw location shots being done for _Urban Cowboy_\* Guthrie, Oklahoma. Up here a lot due to favorite cousin. Scene in _Rain Man_ Monkey Planet. Imprisoned until my death in 1897. the original (1968) _Planet of the Apes_ filmed entirely on location. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2003, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-place-where-you-grew-up-ever-been-in-a-movie/208274/18 "2003-10-19T06:54:06Z")
The cafeteria of my elementary school was in an Oreos commercial. ---
**Author:** ![Electronic\_Chaos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Electronic\_Chaos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Electronic_Chaos)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2003, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-place-where-you-grew-up-ever-been-in-a-movie/208274/19 "2003-10-19T07:01:20Z")
I was born in Dearborn, Michigan. Home to Evil Dead I & II, Army of Darkness, and all the subsequent video games…also, the town where Evil Dead was filmed is only about 4 hours away from me (Morristown, TN)…in fact, I wasn’t that far from it this Thursday. ---
**Author:** ![Rabid\_Squirrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Rabid\_Squirrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rabid_Squirrel)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2003, 9:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-place-where-you-grew-up-ever-been-in-a-movie/208274/20 "2003-10-19T09:16:09Z")
I lived in the shadow of [Mount Doom](http://www.mtruapehu.com/). Seriously, I could look up and see it from my house. Only took 45 minutes to drive up - good skiing too. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-place-where-you-grew-up-ever-been-in-a-movie/208274.md?page=2)