Hollywood has done some odd things on historic sites, but the affect of the
association with Hollywood people seems to have even more interesting affect on
preservationists responsible for the sites.  I know of a barn that was
historically yellow, but Hollywood wanted it a different color, agreed to
repaint the barn after filming, but in the meantime the filming took on
significance...hmmm.

A contractor struggling to get by with the ususall low bidding and struggles to
keep skilled employees managed to be the only one around for Holleywood to
employ for a film on another historic site.  Paint these three houses
red....okay....we need it done by tomarrow morning....okay, but my guys will
have to work all night, it will cost a fortune....Holleywood...okay.  Next
morning....oh no, we've changed our minds, paint them green....now.  And that's
why his guys have really nice pick up trucks, and he drives a cadellac.  Its
probably why he didn't ever feel the need to hit me too hard for my little
change orders.

The closest I've come to direct Hollywood contact is my sister the
screenwriter.  I think she lives on a sound set of her own imagining...and she
thinks my life is quaint.  Maybe we are both right.

-jc

[log in to unmask] wrote:

> About the time I joined BP a couple of years ago, Ken had a string going
> about historic restoration and the movies. Perhaps this addition will not be
> seen as untimely.
>
> A unique source of funding for historic restoration has been demonstrated,
> recently, in Ventura, California. Warner Brothers Studios selected the
> Historic Bank of Italy Building as a location for filming of their new action
> film "Swordfish". The script calls for John Travolta's stunt driver /stand-in
> to crash a Hum-Vee through the front entrance, as the opening of a bank
> robbery scene. Actually, three of them are crashed through and spun out into
> the bank's lobby. The front entrance is not, itself, historic fabric, and it
> was apparently rebuilt and crashed into again several times for retakes.
>
> As part of WB's agreement with the owners, the non-historic materials will be
> removed after filming and repairs to the historic terra cotta facade will
> done at the studio's cost.
>
> A local radio station had been posting photos of the daily filming, which
> took place late last fall. They were accessible by clicking on the
> "Swordfish" link on their Home Page at kven.com.
>
> Mike E.