Detroit References in Movies and Television

**jackie5275** · January-25-15, 12:13 AM

Originally Posted by loveDetroit

Out of Sight, based on the book by Elmore Leonard, is set mostly in Detroit. I don't recall if any part of Up in the Air, another George Clooney movie, was actually set in Detroit, but there's at least one scene by the fountain at the McNamera terminal at metro airport.

Elmore Leonard's Freaky Deaky was set & filmed in Detroit a couple of years ago too.

**JBMcB** · January-25-15, 09:51 PM

In Pulp Fiction, Quentin Tarantino was wearing an Orbit T-shirt. I think he got one after being interviewed by the paper, and liked the look of it.

**mtburb** · February-03-15, 10:27 PM

Episode eight of the old Batman TV series has a scene at the conclusion where Grayson mentions a team called the "Motor City Wheels"-"Motor City" is presumably the Batman universe's equivalent of Detroit, similar to how London, UK is replaced by "Londinium".

In the same episode, he also mentioned a "Windy City", also presumably a Batman-ized Chicago.

**compn** · February-04-15, 12:27 AM

not sure this fits in this thread but its interesting.

the music video for skrillex + damien marley's song make it bun dem was filmed in lincoln park

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGpzGu9Yp6Y

The video was produced by Made In Michigan Entertainment and was worked on by several Oakland University current and former students, including Katy O'Lynnger, who worked as Production Coordinator for the project. The video was shot in Lincoln Park and was actually delayed for a day after having to scramble in pre-production because of losing Ecorse as a location at the last minute. The production features a 15-year old lead who whirls through a hypnotic rain dance, as well as three dogs, a hawk and an actual wolf. Katy O'Lynnger: "They say you should try to avoid working with kids and animals on set - and we had both." When it came to working with a wolf on set, she said "We had to clear the set and just let it roam around our set. . .it ended up looking really good." Other Oakland University grads and students who worked on the production include Angela Worrel, Geneva Brunetti, Jen Whalen, Erin Orlowski, Miles Felt, Salma Siddiqui and Alex Nardelli.

**G-DDT** · February-04-15, 02:31 PM

Not too happy that one of the cannibal villains in "Walking Dead" was sporting a Tigers cap.

**Ltdave** · February-04-15, 05:19 PM

the music video for "Band on the Run" by McCartney and Wings was filmed all along i-94 in macomb and wayne counties and had the Uniroyal Tire and Metro in it...

ive only ever seen it twice and once was on a VHS tape i had but have since lost...

**Detroitnerd** · February-04-15, 05:29 PM

In the Rockford Files' first few seasons, there are all these references to people from Detroit, none too complimentary, such as this one:

Joseph 'Rocky' Rockford: Did you know that there's only three Rockfords in the phonebook? There's you and there's me, and there's that guy from Detroit who got beat up because they thought he was you.
Jim Rockford: The little guy with the broken glasses?
Joseph 'Rocky' Rockford: Uh-huh.

Gives me the sense that lots of people were leaving Detroit for L.A. around 1970. Sort of like the "black tags" in Texas in the 1980s.

**G-DDT** · March-07-15, 04:01 PM

Found some garish humor in Townsend's "Hollywood Shuffle" with the fictitious "There's a Bat in My House" "....can a black bat from Detroit find happiness with a white suburban family?"

**G-DDT** · March-07-15, 04:11 PM

Also, there's a character from The Venture Bros. [[Gawd! where do I dig this stuff up?) named Baron Underbheit who rules Underland [[a region smaller than Delaware that borders Michigan) with an iron fist with his minions Catclops, Girl Hitler, and Manic 8-ball. Among his minions is a pair of eunuchs, and one of them claims to be from Detroit.

**LeannaM** · March-07-15, 07:58 PM

Morgan Spurlock recently did a documentary about zoos, and the majority of what he shot was at the Detroit Zoo.

I also recently saw a commercial for some show called "Preachers of Detroit." I don't know anything about it, though.

**FlyingJ** · March-08-15, 02:40 PM

Originally Posted by Dbest

The movie Casino has some references to Detroit, I think "ACE" has his car blown up at a Detroit restaurant in the movie...Anyone know the back-story on that incident? It actually happened.

Nope. Tony Roma's right off The Strip on East Sahara in Vegas. But Detroit had a terrible mob problem well into the 70's, i can't recall many carbombs but leaving guys shot dead in trunks round Detroit like that Joshua Doore CEO)-maybe it's a boomtown rat scenario but not so much anymore...
https://vegasconfidential.wordpress....ys-mafia-days/

**factoryrat** · March-08-15, 06:05 PM

Magnum PI's/ Tom Selleck often wore a Tigers cap, Martin played by Martin Lawrence was set in Detroit, as was Home Improvement.

**Vitalis** · March-10-15, 08:47 PM

Okay, before my time, but I think it was Miss Mary Morgan hosting Channel 9's Million Dollar Movie program at 3:30 on Sunday afternoons, who presented: "The Hardy's Ride High" [[1939) - Sixth of the Judge Hardy and family series. Judge James K. Hardy is brought the fabulous news from an attorney, that he could be the heir to 2 million dollars. In order to claim the inheritance, he and his family must leave for Detroit. Complications follow. There is a scene where young Andy Hardy [[Mickey Rooney) goes shopping in Hudson's. Of course no one on the picture left the Culver City studio. I don't recall any establishing shots of Detroit - there might have been to identify the location.

**drjeff** · March-11-15, 02:44 AM

There's a multiple episode storyline in Mad Men that involves some of the characters traveling to Detroit to work with GM. And apparently the GM guys really like to party.

**G-DDT** · March-13-15, 12:42 PM

There are at least two X-Files that take place in Michigan. One called "Unruhe", which takes place in Traverse City, has a serial killer who abducts women and lobotomizes them but not before accidentally leaving mental images imprinted on undeveloped film. There were some references to Detroit in that one.

**yaktown** · March-21-15, 09:50 AM

How about the 1989 film "Collision Course" starring Jay Leno and Pat Morita? I've never seen it but it was shot in Detroit [[Eastern Market for one) and the storyline is very Detroit-centric. Almost want to put it on my Netflix queue.

**T.Low** · March-21-15, 01:12 PM

Scrubs: Dr. Cox is occasionally seen wearing a Detroit Red Wings jersey. Actor John McGinley is a Red Wings fan and a close friend of former Detroit defenseman Chris Chelios, from their Malibu connection, whose name can be seen on the back of Cox's jersey. He has also been seen wearing a T-shirt for Cheli's Chili Bar, a small chain of restaurants owned by Chelios.

**T.Low** · March-21-15, 01:23 PM

Originally Posted by Detroitnerd

In the Rockford Files' first few seasons, there are all these references to people from Detroit, none too complimentary, such as this one:

Joseph 'Rocky' Rockford: Did you know that there's only three Rockfords in the phonebook? There's you and there's me, and there's that guy from Detroit who got beat up because they thought he was you.
Jim Rockford: The little guy with the broken glasses?
Joseph 'Rocky' Rockford: Uh-huh.

Gives me the sense that lots of people were leaving Detroit for L.A. around 1970. Sort of like the "black tags" in Texas in the 1980s.

James Garner was born in Detroit.

**rb336** · March-21-15, 01:51 PM

Originally Posted by Ltdave

the music video for "Band on the Run" by McCartney and Wings was filmed all along i-94 in macomb and wayne counties and had the Uniroyal Tire and Metro in it...

ive only ever seen it twice and once was on a VHS tape i had but have since lost...

Early on, I think they are going through the Tunnel, about 1 minute in is the tire

https://youtu.be/d5RGns2Ffdo

**Lowell** · March-21-15, 01:59 PM

Last week I watch "Houdini" with Adrien Brody playing him. Detroit gets a couple of mention and, well, he dies here too.

**G-DDT** · March-21-15, 03:02 PM

Originally Posted by Lowell

Last week I watch "Houdini" with Adrien Brody playing him. Detroit gets a couple of mention and, well, he dies here too.

Supposedly, the Majestic Theater was one of the last stops he made on his last trek. Penn Jillette had to visit the place in some sort of pilgrimage over twelve years ago.

**Pam** · March-21-15, 04:15 PM

Originally Posted by T.Low

James Garner was born in Detroit.

Nope. Born in Oklahoma.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001258/b..._=nm_ov_bio_sm

**Lowell** · March-21-15, 04:29 PM

Originally Posted by G-DDT

Supposedly, the Majestic Theater was one of the last stops he made on his last trek. Penn Jillette had to visit the place in some sort of pilgrimage over twelve years ago.

I'm pretty sure the myth of Houdini at the Majestic was dispelled in the old forum.

http://www.atdetroit.net/forum/messa...tml?1176205285

What was revealed in those discussions was that his last act in Detroit, and ever, was at the long gone Garrick Theater that was somewhere around Capitol Park.