ARTS & CULTURE
The Capital Region has been featured in countless productions over the decades . Here we highlight 10 movies and television shows filmed locally .
“ Cool Hand Luke .” This 1967 Paul Newman classic includes footage shot in Lodi , Stockton and elsewhere in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta region .
“ Indiana Jones and Raiders of the Lost Ark .” This Steven Spielberg classic from 1981 used the exterior of the Conservatory of Music building at University of the Pacific in Stockton as a stand-in for the Connecticut university where archeologist Indiana Jones ( Harrison Ford ) taught .
“ River ’ s Edge .” Scenes from this seminal 1986 crime drama about a shocking death and its aftermath were shot along the American River . It stars Crispin Glover , Keanu Reeves and Ione Skye .
“ Wisdom .” Brat Packers Emilio Esteves and Demi Moore were spotted around downtown Sacramento during filming for this 1986 film , which included scenes shot at American River College .
“ American Beauty .” The 1996 Kevin Spacey and Annette Benning drama includes aerial shots of East Sacramento near Mercy General Hospital .
“ City of Angels .” Nicolas Cage and Meg Ryan starred in this 1998 movie , scenes from which spotlighted South Lake Tahoe ’ s Emerald Bay and Fallen Leaf Lake . litzy reality TV stars , a rebellious high school senior , adventurous archeologists and home improvement gurus galore . These are just a few of the familiar faces and figures filmed on screen in the Capital Region . “ Lady Bird ,” the coming-of-age story about a stubborn teen aching to flee Sacramento for New York City , may be the most well-known feature film shot here in recent years , but it ’ s not the area ’ s only show business success story .
The local industry , which stretches from the peaks of Lake Tahoe in El Dorado County to the stately charms of East Sacramento ’ s Fab 40s neighborhood and onto Northern California ’ s rich agricultural fields , provides a boost to the economy , and its supporters say , can draw tourism and build civic pride . Supported by the Film Liaisons in California Statewide , a professional network of local film commission offices throughout the state , the industry encompasses feature films , TV series , commercials , music videos and more .
When the coronavirus pandemic shut down most businesses in March 2020 , many worried the halt in film production would inflict lasting economic damage — not just on production companies , but on local jobs , hotels and tourism .
Kathleen Dodge , film commissioner for the El Dorado Lake Tahoe Film & Media Office , based in Placerville , remembers the uncertainty caused by the state ’ s stay-at-home orders , which were issued just a week before her annual film industry mixer , a large event staged in association with the El Dorado County Chamber of Commerce . The event is open to the public and designed to allow the public to network with filmmakers and producers , or even sign up for the chance to appear as an actor or extra in a production .
With the state thrown into lockdown the mixer was canceled , and all production forced into hiatus . “ Everything just stopped ,” Dodge recalls . “ Nobody knew what was going to happen .” However , Dodge , an industry veteran , knows entertainment folks are a resilient bunch . “ There ’ s an old saying , ‘ The show must go on ,’” she says with a laugh . “ And it did , brilliantly .”
‘ We are all Hollywood ’
Dodge has been busy lately with the El Dorado Lake Tahoe Film & Media Office . Its domain , which includes scenic mountains , forests and meadows with
“ Almost Famous .” Remember that iconic moment on the bus when everyone ’ s singing Elton John ’ s “ Tiny Dancer ?” That scene of this 2000 movie was filmed in Sacramento .
“ Big Love .” The cast and crew from the popular HBO series , which aired from 2006 to 2011 and starred Bill Paxton , Jeanne Tripplehorn and Chloë Sevigny as polygamists , were regulars around Yolo County as they filmed scenes in Woodland .
“ The Mentalist .” This television drama , from 2008 to 2015 , about a psychic investigator ( Simon Baker ) was set in Sacramento and included scenes outside the State Capitol building .
“ Frances Ha .” Greta Gerwig ’ s 2017 directorial debut “ Lady Bird ” may be the better-known movie , but this 2012 indie directed by her partner Noah Baumbach and in which she stars is its creative companion . The story of an adrift college graduate ( Gerwig ), the film includes a particularly poignant moment filmed at the Sacramento International Airport .
- Rachel Leibrock
rustic Old West charms and elegant vineyards , is popular with out-oftown production companies .
The television shows “ Modern Family ,” “ Keeping Up With the Kardashians ” and “ The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills ” have all shot episodes in Lake Tahoe . The movie “ Top Gun : Maverick ,” which will be released this November , also filmed
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