Philly: The Rodney Dangerfield Of Cities
By Wyatt Earp | June 14, 2011
My town gets absolutely no respect, and for good reason; we’re possibly the must business-unfriendly city in America, if not the world. How bad is it? We can’t even entice Brad Pitt to film his zombie epic here. A film that is supposed to be set in Philadelphia!
But hey Mayor Nutter, keep pushing that plan to tax soda, raise parking fees, and increase property taxes. Moron.
Brad Pitt is filming a $120 million movie about zombies invading Philadelphia, but one thing is missing: any location shooting in our area. Instead, “World War Z” will use Glasgow, Scotland as a fill-in for Philadelphia. On Monday, crews started changing store fronts and other landmarks in Glasgow to make it look like Philadelphia.
The is the second high-profile snub for Philadelphia, after ABC decided to shoot “Body Of Proof,” its Philadelphia-located drama, in Providence.
In recent months, Pittsburgh has become the movie capital of Pennsylvania, and not Philadelphia. “The Dark Knight Rises” and two other major films will be shot in Pittsburgh. Right now, Philadelphia has one independent film and a few TV shows in the works.
Oh, well, that independent film should generate as much buzz as the Batman sequel, right? This is why Philadelphia will never become a first-class city.
Topics: Philly | 17 Comments »
June 14th, 2011 at 1:03 pm
Philadelphia is becoming the Pittsburgh of Pennsylvania.
June 14th, 2011 at 1:10 pm
And Pittsburgh has some decent sports teams.
(Pirates, I’m not looking at you.)
June 14th, 2011 at 1:33 pm
“On Monday, crews started changing store fronts and other landmarks in Glasgow to make it look like Philadelphia.”
So there will be a fake “Tony Luke’s” storefront in Glasgow?
Toronto is where films set in Chicago are shot. The movie of the musical “Chicago” was shot in Toronto. The second (and hopefully last) Blues Brothers film was shot in Toronto.
Philadelphia must put some kind of crippling taxes on film crews if they shoot there.
Maybe Harrison Ford will reprise his role in “Witness” for “Witness 2″ and that will be shot in Philadelphia..
June 14th, 2011 at 1:43 pm
Oh fer cryin’ out loud…… Every time you post about Philly, you make Waterloo look good.
June 14th, 2011 at 1:47 pm
don’t insult Rodney Dangerfield like this.
June 14th, 2011 at 1:51 pm
Howdy Wyatt! For a long time Toronto substitued for NYC for movie and TV crews because it was a) safer and b) didn’t have the unions and taxes and what not that NYC had.
Then Rudy became Mayor, created a special Film Advisory Board which actually HELPED film and TV crews, got VERY quick service from city agencies and voila……………..Rudy left and now they are STILL filming movies and TV shows supposedly based in NYC in Toronto.
I think a LOT of Philadelphians are great folks, just wish y’all would elect a Mayor who’s meme would be “YAY Philadephia, lets take care of our budget deficits by cutting taxes, reducing regulations, making the city safer and friendlier to business.”
Uh, could y’all give me a call when that happens?
And btw, Randal Graves has the best line out here so far!!
June 14th, 2011 at 2:13 pm
My Dad is going back east next month. I have been back east. I would call it “quiet desperation”. It’s your fault. You phukking people need to get your chytt together. Seriously. Freedom is not something you are given — it is something you take. Something you demand and fight for. You don’t take it so someone else has — you weren’t using is anyway. Stand the phukk up and be proud again.
June 14th, 2011 at 2:18 pm
Damn..even Cleveland gets movies filmed here every now and then. Of course we get stuck with Robert Patrick
as the leading man though. About 10 or so years ago they were filming a movie where they used the old Victorian house at the end of my street. The stage truck was parked across from my house and the filming was about 100 ft away. The director would climb in his jeep and drive the 100 ft to the truck and then drive back.
He did it this one time and pulled out in front of an F150
which swerved to avoid him and it plowed into the back of the stage truck. I guess thats why I never got free tickets
since I told the police responding it was the directors fault.
June 14th, 2011 at 2:23 pm
They did most of the fliming for ‘Unstoppable’ in Pennsylvania, along the Nittany & Bald Eagle RR in Tyrone, the Wheeling & Lake Erie in Pittsburgh (as well as poart of Ohio and the Southern Tier of NY.
As for Boston, unless Ben Affleck is starring or directing, hardly any of the movies set in Boston are actually filmed in Massachusetts. IIRC, most of The Departed was filmed in Brooklyn…because Boston apparently didn’t look enough like Boston.
June 14th, 2011 at 2:57 pm
You just need a good PR firm…like the guy who made the Cleveland Tourism videos:
June 14th, 2011 at 3:33 pm
most of “The Lovely Bones” was filmed at my good friend’s house. She got a new kitchen and landscaping out of it!
And of course “Marley and Me” was filmed down the street from me.
Shame about Philly. I was there when it was a pretty hot location. I remember “Twelve Monkeys” especially, filming outside my office, meeting Bruce Willis and Terry Gilliam. and the star of that one detective show, with the funny head – he was really nice. I forget his name! it was a pretty good show. I think he was also in House? not sure.
Philly should be A) a first class city and B) a GREAT filming location. What are WE DOING?!?!
June 14th, 2011 at 3:49 pm
Glasgow? This sounds like a big mistake to me. I’d have thought Philly would be the best place to film this movie. Based on Wyatt’s True Detective Stories, the city has armies of people who can play zombies without makeup, and who’d require minimal direction.
June 14th, 2011 at 4:12 pm
You lost me after “Brad Pitt” and “Zombie Movie.” Is there something going on?
June 14th, 2011 at 11:09 pm
Randal – Yeah, Johnstown passed us a long time ago.
GroovyVic – The Phillies and Flyers are good. Not much else.
Ferrell – Parts of The Dark Knight were shot in Chicago . . . and Toronto, I think.
Akornzombie – Sadly, most of these stories are easily verifiable. Besides, I’m not talented enough to make these stories up.
Orchid – May he rest in peace.
Real – Code Monkey was in Philly today. As I was showing her around she kept shaking her head. Probably because I kept saying, “See that history? It’ll be gone from disrepair soon.”
Mark – But I like being a squish . . .
Jon – Way to stick it to the man!
Fenway – Wow, that’s retarded. Please tell me The Boondock Saints was filmed in Boston . . .
Ranba – Awesome!
Orchid – We keep electing idiot liberals who are beholden to the unions.
John D. – And with so many neighborhoods in disrepair, we’re the perfect shooting location.
Kim – Never mind. Nothing after Brad was important.
June 15th, 2011 at 11:54 am
There was a second Blues Brothers movie?
June 15th, 2011 at 1:43 pm
It was good to see it before it all goes away, whether to rust or a state that can appreciate it…
June 16th, 2011 at 7:38 pm
Dude, we have better sandwiches.
We also have George Romero and Tom Savini. So, zombies in Phili? That was never gonna happen.