Monday, September 25, 2017

Dawson's Creek (1998-2003)





There was a Hollywood youthquake in the late 90's thanks in part to Scream (1996) and I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997) mastermind Kevin Williamson, who also created this teen angst drama with hip, snappy dialogue.  Dawson's Creek was loosely based on his adolescent years with himself represented in the title character.  It became a flagship of The WB's creek ;-) even though it was never a ratings powerhouse and delayed Paula Cole's descent into obscurity for a bit.  I was a casual fan my senior year of college and the only thing that I can remember is Abby plummeting off the pier so this is not my most thorough post.  Dawson's Creek locations were on the bottom of my to-do list when I was in North Carolina too, so this is also one of my leanest.

Dawson's Creek was filmed in Wilmington, NC



Location: Capeside High School
Address: 601 South College Road, Wilmington, NC

Aldermann Hall, The University of North Carolina Wilmington











Location: The Ice House
Address: 1308 Airlie Road, Wilmington, NC

Interiors for the restaurant where Joey worked for her sister were filmed here...







Location: Jen & Grams' Boston House
Address: 111 Ann Street, Wilmington, NC








Locations Visited: April 2017 





Saturday, September 16, 2017

Revenge (2011-2015)




Amanda Clarke, posing as Emily Thorne, returns to The Hamptons hellbent on seeking revenge against The Grayson family and many others who were involved in framing her father for treason. Who doesn't love a good revenge story?  One that could be played out in an hour and forty-five minutes or maybe over a few episodes.  But an entire series?

I had my doubts when I heard the premise that this could interest me until reaching syndication, but I tuned in anyways.  I was hooked from the moment Emily whipped out that red sharpie and made her first cross out.  I thought maybe they would go the anthology route and have a new story each year but after the season finale, it was clear they were continuing the Emily Thorne saga.  Unfortunately the sharpie dried out pretty quickly after that.  The producers realized the series had gone off the rails and tried to recover with promises of resurrecting her crimson crosser outer, but the show never got back to the first season's energy.  I stayed with it until the bitter end but unfortunately by then it was mostly background noise.

Revenge filming locations include Southport, NC, Wilmington NC, East Hampton, NY and Marina Del Rey, CA 



Location: Amanda Clarke/Emily Thorne's House
Address: 6249 Pebble Shore Lane, Southport, NC






My first glimpse of the house was on the ferry ride back from Bald Head Island visiting the locations from Weekend At Bernie's (1989)





Location: Porter's Stowaway Tavern (Pilot)
Address: 106 Yacht Basin Drive, Southport, NC  Fishy Fish CafĂ©



















This was also Southport Muscle in I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997).  Barry Cox's house is just down the road from Emily/Amanda's house. Once the pilot went to series, production moved to LA and a location in Marina del Rey filled in for the tavern...

Location: The South Fork Inn
Address: 23 S 2nd Street, Wilmington, NC  The City Club of Wilmington


This location was pretty easy to track down thanks to the 23 address sign. It's here that Emily spikes Conrad's soup.  In reality it is The City Club of Wilmington at De Rosset, a beautifully restored home from the 1840's that is used today as a reception venue...














Locations Visited: April 2017


Saturday, September 9, 2017

Shag (1989)





It's summer 1963 and four girlfriends head to Myrtle Beach for one last outing together before they head their separate ways to college and marriage.  Boys, parties and South Carolina's state dance are on the agenda.  But before the weekend is over, they do some soul searching and self discovery.      

Down with the flu one Christmas break in the early 90s, I happened to catch Shag about twenty times on HBO.  Released two years after it was filmed, the coming-of-age movie received little fanfare when it hit theaters, which is why I had never heard of it.  It turned out to be a cute little film with some funny moments and wonderful performances from the cast.  Shag may very well have the most members of Hollywood royalty assembled in one film including Daryl Hannah's sister, Jane Fonda's niece, Carol Burnett's daughter and Tyrone Powers' son.  Contrary to belief, Annabeth Gish is not related to Lilian Gish.  

Shag was filmed in Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, Georgetown and Florence, SC

Location: Pudge's House
Address: 4807 Burchap Drive, Myrtle Beach, SC

  












Location: Carson's House
Address: 403 Dunes Drive, Myrtle Beach, SC

Thanks to Jim Brady and Jon Mathers for finding this location...




















The Clatterbuck's Spartanburg House was located around this area but has since been torn down.


Location: Mylaina's Parish House
Address: 4526 Baggot Lane, Myrtle Beach, SC

Socastee Methodist Church

Thanks to Jon Mathers for finding this location...































Location: Myrtle Beach Main Drag
Address: Ocean Boulevard, Myrtle Beach, SC


Some of the buildings on the main drag still look straight out of yesteryear...











Fun Plaza still stands at 902 N Ocean Boulevard...



The Family Kingdom Amusement Park at 300 S Ocean Boulevard made an appearance when Carson, Buzz, Pudge and Chip get better acquainted...




It looks like The Diplomat Motel at 608 N Main Street is seen in the background when the girls first meet Buzz and Carson.




The Myrtle Beach Pavilion was not used for filming. Instead, a building in the Cherry Grove section North Myrtle Beach stood in for it...  



The Atlantic Beach Pavilion in North Myrtle Beach was used for the Shag contest at the end of the movie, but burned down not long after filming.

Location: The Magnolia Court Motel
Address: 611 N Ocean Boulevard, Myrtle Beach, SC


Here's where Florence Janners got herself pregnant.  Unfortunately, the motel seems to have changed names and then torn down...






Although they may have undergone some remodeling, the motels that remain on Ocean Boulevard still have that old school vibe to them...









Location: The Clatterbuck Myrtle Beach House
Address: 100 Whitehall Avenue, Georgetown, SC
Mount Hope Plantation

The Mount Hope Plantation filled in for The Clatterbuck Myrtle Beach House.  The gate was closed when I pulled up but I found a path on the road parallel to the entrance.  From afar, it looks like to it might be a side entrance to the plantation that I was able to get a shot of...









And what did I spy on my way out to The Clatterbuck House?  A billboard for a shag contest!




Location: The Jimmy Valentine Sign
Address: 916 N Ocean Boulevard, Myrtle Beach, SC


A quick glimpse of the Gay Dolphin gift shop sign helped me figure out where the Jimmy Valentine billboard was...






Location: The Miss Sun Fun Contest
Address: Near Ocean Boulevard, North Myrtle Beach, SC


You can see The Cherry Grove Pier in the background at The Miss Sun Fun Contest so a makeshift stage was made somewhere on Ocean Boulevard in North Myrtle Beach...





Location: The Drive In
Address: 1815 W Palmetto Street, Florence, SC

The Drive-In was still in operation until 2007 when it burned down.  Fortunately, the sign is still there...








Locations Visited: April 2017, May 2022


Still Need to Locate:

Carson & Buzz's Dock