BY RYAN E. SMITH
BLADE STAFF WRITER
Toledo has long had Hollywood dreams.
And not just the personal dreams of its residents who went on to silver screen stardom, from Danny Thomas to Jamie Farr to Katie Holmes.
Toledo is a city that has moviemaking in its blood.
The 1954 movie Johnny Dark with Tony Curtis and Piper Laurie featured shots from the former Willys-Overland factory that made Jeeps in Toledo.
More recently, the Oscar-nominated documentary Twist of Faith (2004) chronicled a Toledo firefighter’s struggle with the Catholic Church after he said he was sexually abused by a priest as a youth.
Who knows what else might be possible? In 1998, Mayor Carty Finkbeiner pushed for the city to become a film director’s haven, the Hollywood of the Midwest. Tom Cruise hasn’t come calling yet about shooting Mission: Impossible IV here, but you never know.
In the meantime, there are plenty of Toledo movie moments to enjoy. They tend to be fleeting, but at least they’re ours. No mention is too small for our brief history of Toledo references in film:
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The Man Who Came to Dinner (1942): A son runs away to follow his dream but doesn’t get any farther than Toledo in a part of this movie about an acid-tongued radio celebrity who breaks his hip at an Ohio family’s home.
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The Lost Weekend (1945): Jane Wyman is from Toledo in this movie, which won Best Picture, about a few days in the life of a chronic alcoholic.
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Miracle on 34th Street (1947): A lot happens at Macy’s department store in this Natalie Wood movie. Most people remember that the store hires a Santa who claims to be the real thing. But don’t forget that at one point Mr. Macy declares a new policy that will be instituted in his other stores, including Toledo.
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Road to Bali (1952): In this comedy with Bob Hope and Bing Crosby, Toledo is referred to as "the garden spot of North America, the lush, picturesque Riviera of the Middle West."
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Niagara (1953): Max Showalter and Jean Peters are a couple from Toledo on their honeymoon when they run into Marilyn Monroe, who’s trying to have her husband killed, at Niagara Falls.
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Apocalypse Now (1979): Martin Sheen claims Toledo as his hometown when he runs into Marlon Brando, a renegade Green Beret who has set himself up as a god among a Cambodian tribe during the Vietnam War.
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Brewster’s Millions (1985): Richard Pryor is a minor league baseball pitcher who spent time with the Toledo Mud Hens in this comedy. He has to spend $30 million in 30 days in order to inherit $300 million.
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Good Morning Vietnam (1987): Robin Williams plays an irreverent DJ shaking things up at the U.S. Armed Services Radio station in Vietnam. When he tries to pick up a local woman, he asks if she’s from Toledo.
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The Secret of My Success (1987): When a company starts talking about making cuts in this Michael J. Fox movie, someone suggests, "Kill Toledo."
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Major League (1989): When a former showgirl takes over the Cleveland Indians, she chooses the manager of the Toledo Mud Hens to head up the team.
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Housesitter (1992): Goldie Hawn is a pathological liar in this Steve Martin comedy, where she moves into his house without telling him and pretends to be his wife. She also claims to have grown up in Toledo.
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Hurlyburly (1998): Hot-headed Chazz Palminteri mentions that he has three kids in Toledo in this movie about Hollywood movers and shakers.
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Kiss Toledo Goodbye (1999): This straight-to-video flick is supposed to take place in the Glass City, but actually it was filmed in L.A. Still, there are brief references to Toledo, The Blade, and Perrysburg.
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Breakin’ All the Rules (2004): Jennifer Esposito says she grew up in Toledo in this Jamie Foxx movie about a guy who wrote the book on breaking up.
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The Upside of Anger (2005): This movie features Detroit, with Kevin Costner as a former Detroit Tiger and radio host in Motown, but Toledo pops up a couple of times, including once on an I-275 highway sign. Costner also asks about a possible public appearance at a mall in T-Town.
Originally published in The Blade on Sunday, May 20, 2007
From homegrown stars to fleeting film references, Toledo lands a recurring role in show business
Toledo-native Katie Holmes
