Last week a few movie-enthusiasts came through Plainview, agreeing to an interview after stopping in front of the Plainview News to take a few pictures of the “Hawthorne Republican” window sticker that was a left over remnant prop from the “Nebraska” movie filmed here a number of years ago.
After a few introductions, it became apparent that this couple were more than your average movie-goers, as Plainview has greeted in the past — their accent as a main tip-off.
Plainview had received, and continues to trickle in, with film enthusiasts coming to visit the community where the “Nebraska” film camped out for a few months those years ago.
The promotional insert that was produced by the News, the display at the Plainview Historical Society, and talking with local legends that helped with and even performed in the film are more than enough to intrigue visitors.
This time, a husband and wife team from South Hampton, England, said that they were visiting Plainview as part of an annual holiday that they take to tour and see film locations from their favorite films. In a great “behind the scenes” moment – they related South Hampton, England to “the place where the Titanic sailed from before it sank,” just for some relatable perspective.
All that sounded well and good, but upon further questioning about why the couple would travel all the way over the “pond” to visit Plainview – and they reported that this visit to Plainview was among an estimated 3,500 visits to on-site film locations that they’ve toured around the globe – and that, became a story worth telling.
Stephen Garner, and analyst, and his wife, Clare, an elementary teacher, have made it their (admittedly, mainly Stephen’s) hobby to travel the world, visiting sites of film production each year during their annual vacation.
Since 2008, the couple estimates, and has photo record, of visiting around 3,500 locations – at least 42 of the United States, as well as many other countries and continents.
Garner said that in 2008, he had realized that he had not taken his annual vacation, and needed to use it up before the end of the year. So his wife, Clare, went to a travel agent, and said that they could visit either Sardinia or Sicily, off the coast of Italy in the time they had allotted.
Garner said he chose Sicily, because one of his favorite films, “The Godfather,” had locations in the country, and he thought it would be fun to see where they were filmed.
Garner said they had found a bar in the hills of Sicily where a portion of the film was made, and that it looked just like the film – and their hobby for visiting film sites was born.
Perhaps more extensive than the couple’s photo gallery of their travels – is their new-found knowledge about movies and locations. Garner said he typically spends from January to July researching and finding sites to visit in locations they wish to travel. Then, he takes screengrabs of the film to find the exact backdrop locations, and spends a lot of time on Google Maps searching them out.
To read more about the Garner's visit, check out this week's edition of The Plainview News! https://www.theplainviewnews.com/o/the-plainview-news/page/subscriptions