LOCAL ROOTS 11 MOVIES all STOCKTONIANS SHOULD WATCH

 BY NORA HESTON TARTE

Just call it Hollywood North Jeff Bridges, Harrison Ford, and Robin Williams have all starred in movies with scenes filmed in Stockton. And that’s just the start for Brick City’s move culture.

Stockton breeds superstars, turning out notable names like Justin Roiland (the creator of Rick & Morty) and Janet Leigh (of Psycho fame). Even Jaime Lee Curtis attended University of the Pacific. But it isn’t just the talent stemming from Stockton that gives it a Hollywood presence. The city itself has been home to many scenes filmed in well-known movies.

UOP is one of the most notable Hollywood backdrops from the Central Valley. Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones taught at fictional Marshall College, which appeared as UOP in three installments of the series; Robin Williams was at fictional Medfield College in Flubber, which was really UOP, as well; and Dead Man on Campus featured exterior shots of the campus for its film. The exterior of Knoles Hall appeared in Dennis Quaid’s 1980s sci-fi/horror flick dubbed Dreamscape. While Inventing the Abbots supposedly took place in Pennsylvania, the Stockton college was once again the pictured institution.

UOP aside, some of the biggest actors in Hollywood have stepped foot in Stockton. Paul Newman filmed parts of Cool Hand Luke here, using several landmarks near the Delta for its locations. Charlie Sheen also filmed on the Delta for his 1990s war spoof film Hot Shots Part Deux. Lesser-known films Coast to Coast (1980) and The

Great Race (1965) also feature Stockton. The most Stockton movie ever to be filmed here was Fat City. The screenplay was adapted from a novel written by local Leonard Gardner and this time Stockton was used as the filming location because it was also named the setting in the book. Jeff Bridges was notably a part of the 1972 film, which used backdrops including the Stockton Civic Auditorium and Zuckerman Farms, in addition to downtown. Some of the film’s other locations have since closed including the old macaroni factory and El Dorado Hotel.

All the King’s Men was perhaps the most decorated film ever to come out of Stockton. The 1949 winner of three academy awards featured Hotel Stockton, the old courthouse and jail, Atherton Island, the Stockton waterfront, City Hall, and more.