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FEATUREWhat came first, Hoosiers in Hollywood? Or Hollywood in Indiana?
You can’t fake a cornfield on a crisp autumn day on any soundstage. You can’t create the feeling of basketball's Hoosier Hysteria with extras who just came from the beach. Perhaps that's why when Hollywood producers have a truly Midwestern story to tell, they come to Indiana. And why, because in Indiana you can find a galaxy of movie sites and movie memories.
Fortunately for movie fans, the 1986 classic, “Hoosiers” –– ranked by both Sports Illustrated and USA Today as one of the greatest sports movies of all time - rings true. And why not? The movie's story, told by Hoosier filmmakers, Angelo Pizzo and David Anspaugh, is inspired by events that happened in Indiana. The old high school gymnasium in Knightstown served as the gym for fictional Hickory High. Today, it's fully restored as a community center, and it's open for tours (800-668-1895). You can sit in the stands and remind yourself, yet again, that people from Indiana are the greatest basketball fans in the world. In 1969, Paul Newman combined his love for acting and his passion for motor sports in the film “Winning,” the story of a driver striving to win the Indianapolis 500. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway, appropriately, served as the location for the film, and when you visit the Speedway's Hall of Fame Museum (317-492-6784), you can take a trip around the same track that movie stars and racing stars have covered. The museum also showcases important race memorabilia, including many vintage race cars. A stroll through the campus of the University of Notre Dame (574-631-5000) makes it easy to understand why a young man named Rudy Ruettiger dreamed of being a student athlete there. At the Notre Dame Stadium, seven Heisman Trophy winners perfected their game. In 1993, another dream came true when the movie “Rudy” brought this inspirational story to theatres. Sites featured in “Rudy” include the Hesburgh Library, which features a famous Notre Dame icon, the mosaic of Christ overlooking the north end of the football stadium, and the Main Building capped by the famous and striking Golden Dome. The beautiful campus of Indiana University (IU) served as the backdrop for another inspirational sports story told in 1979. In “Breaking Away,” the underdog wins the Little 500 bicycle race, almost single-handedly. And even though the main character is not a student, film fans are treated to several shots of locations on campus, as well as throughout Bloomington (812-855-4848). With its clubs, galleries and restaurants, the nationally recognized IU art museum and top shows at the IU Auditorium, Bloomington and IU continue to draw people to their picturesque locales. The Hoosier State has served Hollywood baseball stories well, too. Huntingburg’s League Stadium (812-683-2211), which has been around since 1894, was renovated in 1991 for “A League of Their Own,” a story based on the World War II era women's baseball league. HBO utilized the stadium a second time for the 1995 movie “Soul of the Game.” The vintage-looking stadium is home to baseball games throughout the playing season. (Additionally, Huntingburg’s Fourth Street was ‘flooded’ as a location for “Hard Rain,” starring Christian Slater.) Few stars have possessed the talent, charm and charisma of Ol’ Blue Eyes himself, Frank Sinatra. That star shone on the streets of Madison when Sinatra, Dean Martin and Shirley MacLaine arrived to film the 1958 release “Some Came Running.” Today, the town of Madison (800-559-2956) provides plenty of charm. Madison features 133 blocks of beautiful 19th century architecture. In fact, every one of those blocks is on the National Register of Historic Places. Shops, galleries, antique stores, wineries, and bed and breakfasts provide a full weekend's worth of entertainment.
The 1997 drama “In the Company of Men” tells the story of two businessmen deliberately toying with the emotions of one woman. Filmmakers utilized several Fort Wayne locations, including the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo (260-427-6800). While the film’s story is unhappy, the Zoo itself is lots of fun. It features an African Veldt, an Indonesian Rain Forest, an Australian Adventure and an Indiana Family Farm. Fans of older films can make a pilgrimage to the Carole Lombard House Bed and Breakfast (888-426-9896). Plenty of other films, including “Blue Chips,” “Going All the Way” and “Rain Man,” feature Indiana locations. To discover more Indiana movie credits, visit www.filmindiana.com , and to find travel information about the locations, visit www.enjoyindiana.com |
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Though a number of Indiana natives have found success in Hollywood, it’s
Fairmount’s James Dean whose life has become legendary. He
received star billing in only three films before he was killed in an
automobile accident at age 24. Dean’s fans can find solace at the
Fairmount Historical Museum and gift shop (765-948-4555) and the
James Dean Memorial Gallery (765-948-3326). The Gallery showcases
the world's largest collection of Dean memorabilia. Dean also is buried
in Fairmount, and on any given day, his gravestone may be covered in
lipstick prints left by adoring fans.
In
his music, John Mellencamp makes no secret of his affection for
his Hoosier home. So it's no surprise that several southern Indiana
locations appear in Mellencamp's feature film, the 1992 release
“Falling From Grace.” Among them: the Southern Indiana Center
for the Arts in Seymour (812-522-2278). Currently, the Center,
originally an 1851 brick home, displays works by such artists as
Nancy Noel, Maureen O’Hara Pesta and Richard Kingsley.
It also hosts the only permanent exhibit of Mellencamp’s paintings.