I love movies. Comedies, westerns, mysteries, thrillers, science fiction, love stories. I love them all. One of the things we love to do on our RV trips is visit film locations. It’s fun to visit a place and imagine the actors playing their parts while the cameramen capture the action.
Here are a few of the most memorable film locations we have explored.
Mt. Rushmore, South Dakota – This cold war spy thriller had Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint being chased around the Black Hills in “North by Northwest” (1959).
Devil’s Tower, Wyoming – Who can forget Richard Dreyfuss making a sculpture of the Devil’s Tower and then climbing the actual tower in “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” (1977)?
Moab, Utah – In “Thelma and Louise” (1991) starring Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis, Thelma and Louise drive off a ledge into the canyon at Dead Horse Point State Park near Moab.
Between Santa Fe and Taos, New Mexico – When taking a day trip in New Mexico we turned off the road to stop at an overlook and stumbled upon a filming location for “Wild Hogs”(2007) starring John Travolta.
Dyersville, Iowa – The baseball field and house from “Field of Dreams” (1989) starring Kevin Costner and Amy Madigan are surrounded by corn fields.
Winterset, Iowa – In “Bridges of Madison County” (1995) photographer Clint Eastwood and housewife Meryl Streep fall in love.
Pembroke, Virginia – Patrick Swayzee and Jennifer Grey fell in love in “Dirty Dancing” (1987) filmed at the Mountain Lake Lodge.
Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada – “Niagara” (1959) While honeymooning at Niagara Falls, Marilyn Monroe plots to kill her husband.
Monument Valley, Utah and Arizona – although many westerns were filmed in Monument Valley, the most famous is probably director John Ford’s “Stagecoach” (1939) starring John Wayne.
Goulding’s Lodge near Monument Valley, Utah – John Wayne’s cabin from “She Wore a Yellow Ribbon” (1949) is next to Goulding’s Lodge.
Savannah Georgia – “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil” (1997) starring Kevin Spacey and “Forrest Gump” (1994) starring Tom Hanks are two of the many movies that have been filmed in and around Savannah.
We’ve also explored a few places where the stars lived.
Winterset, Iowa – John Wayne’s birthplace
Harlem, Georgia – Oliver Hardy’s birthplace
Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee – Elvis Presley’s home
If the idea of visiting film locations sounds appealing to you, the IMDb website includes film locations for many movies.
A great resource for finding film locations in the southwest is the book “Cinema Southwest” by John A. Murray
Wandering Dawgs 