Comments on: Counterfeit campuses?

By: Indyanna

Indyanna — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:21:25 +0000

A place I know lays claim to “Groundhog Day,” but then I learn much of it was filmed somewhere near Chicago. Who else besides me thinks that every dean, provost, and chief academic officer should be required to spend every February 2 writing on the board (even if it’s a whiteboard!) a thousand times “Keep the Talent Happy,” “Keep the Talent Happy,” “Keep the Talent Happy?”

By: Fratguy

Fratguy — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 19:52:59 +0000

Rad Readr,

Impressive list (mostly), especially Clueless.
Unfortunately my alma mater can boast only “The Winter Carnival Movie” (yes, I believe that was the title, made too early to go even straight to video) and “Carnal Knowlege” starring Jack Nicholson and Art Garfunkle (ok, everyone, all together now …. EWWWWWWWWW)”Animal House” was based on the screenwriter’s experiences in Alpha Delta but not filmed in the upper valley.

By: Ellie

Ellie — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:46:45 +0000

The Corp doesn’t quite ban all filming on Harvard soil. When I was in Cambridge, parts of that horrendous Brendan Fraser movie about the guy who drops his thesis through a sewer grate onto Robin Williams, who’s been living in the basement of Widener, were filmed in Radcliffe Yard. They had to get the Michigan library to stand in for Widener itself, though. My understanding was always that the reason for the ban was precisely what anon @ 6:32 and Penny suggest –they’d either end up with campus totally overrun with film crews or have to have a full-time office devoted to deciding which HBO punks to approve.

By: Penny

Penny — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:04:25 +0000

Yes, Southern California schools at all levels are in film and TV all the time. Whenever a tv character is supposed to be at an Ivy League school, we watch closely to see whether it’s really UCLA. The high school in the next town actually had to set a limit of 40 days of filming per year, because it’s so tempting to take the money, but more than that is really too much. Or, to be precise, it’s too much if you still want to function as a school.

By: perpetua

perpetua — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:07:19 +0000

As for academics being boring, I was just reminded about how scintillating we can be, while watching “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf” on netflix last weekend. Talk about drama.

By: Mamie

Mamie — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 04:55:04 +0000

Quite a coup for Occidental to claim both “Second Chorus” and “That Hagen Girl,” which often appears on lists of the worst movies ever made. Plot summary: Ronald Reagan spends most of the movie as Shirley Temple’s putative father, then they run off together, apparently to marry. Ick.

By: Rad Readr

Rad Readr — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 04:14:37 +0000

Having spent a bit of time as a student and faculty person in Southern California, I have seen my junior high, high school, college, and current employer featured on shows, movies, and commercials. My alma mater shows itself to be sooooo LA by bragging about it (although the Marx Brothers movie is a cool entry). Thank you, Hollywood, for helping fund my scholarship!!!

Occidental’s beautiful campus and proximity to Hollywood have made it a natural movie location beginning with MGM’s The Cup of Fury in 1920. Our film credits include:

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Made of Honor (2008) with Patrick Dempsey
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The Holiday (2006) with Kate Winslet and Jack Black
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Orange County (2002) with Colin Hanks and Jack Black
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Jurassic Park III (2001) with Sam Neill
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Don’t Be A Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood (1996) with the Wayan Brothers
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Clueless (1995) with Alicia Silverstone
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Real Genius (1985) with Val Kilmer
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Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984)
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The One and Only (1978) with Henry Winkler
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The Impossible Years (1968) with David Niven
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Take Her, She’s Mine (1963) with Jimmy Stewart
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Tall Story (1960) with Jane Fonda (her screen debut) and Anthony Perkins
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Pat and Mike (1952) with Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy
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Goodbye, My Fancy (1951) with Joan Crawford and Robert Young
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That Hagen Girl (1947) with Shirley Temple and Ronald Reagan
*
Second Chorus (1941) with Fred Astaire (“the worst movie I ever made”)
*
Pigskin Parade (1936) with Judy Garland (her screen debut) and Betty Grable
*
Horse Feathers (1932) with the Marx Brothers

TV credits include “Eli Stone” (2008), “The Riches” and “Criminal Minds” (2007), “Monk,” “The L Word,” and “InJustice” (2006), “The West Wing” (2002), “Beverly Hills 90210″ (1993-94), and a host of other shows, made-for-TV movies, and commercials, including “Lou Grant,” “Remington Steele,” and “Cannon.”

By: wini

wini — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 03:21:02 +0000

The 2001 comedy How High was filmed at the campus of my graduate school in Los Angeles. The film is about weed that makes you so smart you get into Harvard, and there was a set piece on campus for months and month that said “Harvard” on it. I don’t think anyone complained, though.

By: anon

anon — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:32:21 +0000

The Corporation doesn’t mind its alums running or funding Hollywood, but it holds firm on prohibiting any productions on Harvard soil.

If you’d let one HBO punk film there, *all* of them would do it.

By: Clio Bluestocking

Clio Bluestocking — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 21:34:56 +0000

Well, there is a whole t.v. show about a community college. My colleagues and I want to become consultants for it.