Detroit References in Movies and Television

**mtburb** · July-15-14, 03:26 PM

Sorry if there's already a thread on this...but if there isn't, then I'll begin with this one:

In one episode of Adam-12 titled "Log 74-Light Duty" [[originally aired 3/21/1970), the officers are visited by a man and a woman, both originally from Detroit, but later moved to the show's setting, Los Angeles. About 18 minutes in, the man says that he went back during a vacation the year before-he said that it was a mistake and that everything had changed-he says that his street didn't even exist any more [["Sycamore on the west side"-but as of 2014, there is still a Sycamore Street in the city-which, coincidentally, is on the west side-specifically, branching off Grand River one block south of MLK and near the Motor City Casino). The woman then said she knew it well from the big trees that lined it and he replied that these trees were also gone.

**DetroitPlanner** · July-15-14, 08:16 PM

Dan Akroyd played a pimp named Dr Detroit. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-x1_4hEhxGU

**ABetterDetroit** · July-15-14, 08:44 PM

In the movie Bird on a Wire, we had mountains in the background and could hop on a ferry to Racine Wisconsin. Tough to live up to what Hollywood had for us.

**313WX** · July-15-14, 08:57 PM

*Cheers: In an episode from 1988 titled "Jumping Jerks" [[Season 7, Episode 8), Sam told the guys a story about one of his last games he played at Tiger Stadium.

*Bewitched: In an episode from 1967 titled "Super Car" [[Season 3, episode 18), Endora gives Darrin a prototype car being engineered in Detroit as a gift. One of his clients see the car and want to use it in a commercial for his Sausage company. However, since Endora stole the car, the authorities were after them for Grand Theft.

Full House: Dave Coulier's [[who is from Detroit) character, Joey Gladstone, would often be spotted with a Detroit Red Wings jersey on.

Good Times: Florida Evan's brother, Uncle Wilbert [[played by Louis Gossett, Jr.), is from Detroit. He guest starred in a couple episodes. He would come to look in on the family while James Evan's was away.

The Lucy Show: In an episode from 1970 titled "Lucy The Crusader" [[Season 3, Episode 5), when Lucille Ball's character returns a broken record player to the store she purchases and demands to speak with the owner, the clerk assisting her [[played by Charles Nelson Reilly) explains to her that he fly out to Detroit for the guarantee on his car as one of his wheels fell off.

**compn** · July-15-14, 11:22 PM

"take him to DETROIT"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g09GtnWdBjc

**Carolyn.F** · January-23-15, 07:53 PM

True Romance, one of my favorite movies of all time, starts out in Detroit. Beginning narrative: I had to come all the way from the highway and byways of Tallahassee, Florida to MotorCity, Detroit to find my true love. If you gave me a million years to ponder, I would never have guessed that true romance and Detroit would ever go together.

**Honky Tonk** · January-23-15, 10:46 PM

Originally Posted by Carolyn.F

True Romance, one of my favorite movies of all time, starts out in Detroit. Beginning narrative: I had to come all the way from the highway and byways of Tallahassee, Florida to MotorCity, Detroit to find my true love. If you gave me a million years to ponder, I would never have guessed that true romance and Detroit would ever go together.

I've found romance many a night in Detroit.

**JBMcB** · January-23-15, 11:33 PM

The last new episode of Person of Interest, "Control-Alt-Delete" aired Jan. 13 2015.

The computer system that monitors everyone and everything finds a cell of "terrorists" operating out of a house in Woodbridge [[that looks more like Highland Park by way of Flatbush Brooklyn) They are, of course, of Arabic descent, originally from Dearborn and attending U of M Dearborn [[so they live in Woodbridge?). Their plot is to blow up landmarks around Detroit, including the Spirit of Detroit and the Livingstone Lighthouse[[??) Turns out they were framed for the whole thing, all get killed but one of them makes a break for Canada on a train[[???) I don't think a single scene was shot in Detroit, but most of the episode took place here.

It seemed *oddly* specific to Detroit - the gruff police detective even made a snide comment about the Wings. I wondered if they custom-shot certain scenes in the episode for each market - seems like something that show would experiment with.

**p69rrh51** · January-24-15, 01:55 AM

The only episode worth watching from one of the worst tv shows ever produced! The Seinfeld episode when Kramer tries to drive all the returnable bottles to Michigan.

**G-DDT** · January-24-15, 06:25 AM

Beat me to this one, but I was going to make it about humorous references to Detroit.
Alright:

Sanford & Sons "Party Crasher": when Lamont & Rollo invite some gals from Detroit over to party and the girls see the pitiful lay-out [["You gots to be jivin' me."), one of them says "Honey, if this is California livin', I can't wait to get back to Detroit."

The Munster's "The Fregosi Emerald": Herman comes across a cursed emerald ring he can't remove, and Grandpa tracks it down to the last surviving relative, Detroit auto manufacturer, Henry J. Fregosi. Soooo, they head off to Detroit and get the "reputable" auto manufacturer to admit he dabbles in the black arts [[puts hexes on the cars so they get "bad mileage" and jams their radios with his ads-all falls under the heading of "creative management". Grandpa: "Ever put a curse on the whole automobile?" Fregosi: "Only once. I assume you've heard of the Edsel?").

Can you think of another whimsical family series that had the family go to Detroit to visit someone who was head of an auto manufacturing company? I was going to mention it, but to even mention the gag that occurs once they hit Detroit city limits falls too close on the heels of a recent tragedy.

The Saturday Night Live with Charles Grodin [[he was on last night in a Chevy/Goldi Neil Simon flick): Dan Ackroyd does his classic Irwin Mainway character who defends his unsafe Halloween costumes for kids. When they get to Johnny Combat Action Costume, he mentions that it is "very popular in Texas and Detroit".

Scary Movie: with the "Before & After" the alien attack on Detroit gives me the chortles.

Of course there is Detroit 9000, Beverly Hills Cop, Robocop, Beverly Hills Robocop 4: Enter the Death Race 9000 [[still in the works)----then there's that horrible film that only goth d*uchebags liked which we will not name but rhymes with the equally d*uchebaggy word "Bro".

**G-DDT** · January-24-15, 06:45 AM

Oh, by the way, Dearborn does get mentioned twice on the previously hinted unnamed popular family series. "Do you guys know where we can find some awesome kids to show it to?" Milhouse: "Dearborn, Michigan?"
Paul Feig, who created & wrote "Freaks & Geeks" was from Royal Oak, has it set in the fictitious Detroit suburb of Chippewa, and references to Detroit are constantly made [[Alice Cooper, Diet Faygo Ginger Ale, etc.). In fact, I respect any one from Detroit who smuggles it in somewhere [[keep in mind "Beverly Hills Cop" was produced by Jerry "C.S.I." Bruckheimer from Detroit-had Murphy wear that Mumford High T-shirt).
Another riddle: what retro-nostalgic film from the '90s had "freaks" going to Detroit to see a concert? Too obvious?

**Dbest** · January-24-15, 06:58 AM

The movie Casino has some references to Detroit, in one scene with Joe Pesci narrating, he refers to one of the members of their operation as "this old antique from Detroit".. It's pretty funny... 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.

**Ursula** · January-24-15, 07:47 AM

Detroit is mentioned in the film Charade with Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn.
It's near the film's conclusion: cute banter between the main characters.

**pancakelover** · January-24-15, 08:58 AM

Detroit is mentioned in two old "film noirs" I've seen recently. One is the 1950 The Damned Don't Cry with Joan Crawford, David Brian and Steve Cochran. Brian and Cochran are gangland crooks and Cochran calls a meeting of crooks from around the country to plan a revolt against Brian. Crawford overhears a phone conversation placed "to Detroit" during the planning of the revolt. The other movie is the 1952 The Turning Point [[William Holden, Alexis Smith). This one is also about gangland crime and a killer is summoned "from Detroit" to murder the Holden character towards the end. Sorry that both movies are about crime!

**G-DDT** · January-24-15, 09:01 AM

Originally Posted by pancakelover

Detroit is mentioned in two old "film noirs" I've seen recently. One is the 1950 The Damned Don't Cry with Joan Crawford, David Brian and Steve Cochran. Brian and Cochran are gangland crooks and Cochran calls a meeting of crooks from around the country to plan a revolt against Brian. Crawford overhears a phone conversation placed "to Detroit" during the planning of the revolt. The other movie is the 1952 The Turning Point [[William Holden, Alexis Smith). This one is also about gangland crime and a killer is summoned "from Detroit" to murder the Holden character towards the end. Sorry that both movies are about crime!

dang, no, that's okay. Good Aged Film Noir....yeah, good call.

**G-DDT** · January-24-15, 09:58 AM

oo! oo! Cheyenne Cinnamon-starts in Detroit [[got an ED-209 with a morning star coming out of it's arm) and gets abysmal from there... Which also puts the corrective on the the Non-Detroit thread asking who would make the perfect icon depicting our sick America. Besides Cheyenne is more authentic than the originally proposed candidate.

**knwb** · January-24-15, 02:32 PM

While geographically not quite precise [[driving from Ohio to Detroit does not involve crossing the Belle Isle bridge, "Detroit Rock City" was filmed in and around Cobo.

http://m.imdb.com/title/tt0165710/

"Let's Kill All the Lawyers" was filmed in Detroit, Bloomfield Hills, Ann Arbor, and the Fisher Mansion in Palmer Woods.

http://m.imdb.com/title/tt0104713/

Lastly, the entire city was pretty much the star of "Tiger Town".

http://m.imdb.com/title/tt0086439/

**Nicodeme** · January-24-15, 03:08 PM

There's another Detroit reference in Seinfeld. George has to attend a funeral in Detroit. While at the funeral, he double dips his chip and argues with someone who says double dipping is like "putting your whole mouth right in the dip."

Also an episode of South Park featured the Red Wings beating up the boys' hockey team.

**JBMcB** · January-24-15, 04:57 PM

Hoffa was set in Detroit, though only a few scenes were shot here. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoffa A few years ago the house in Indian Village where they shot a few scenes was on the house tour.

**313WX** · January-24-15, 05:01 PM

*Family Matters:

"Flying Bird" [[Season 6, Episode 10) - Carl and Steve were flying to Detroit on a chartered plane [[I think Carl for some type of Police Convention, and Steve for some type of Inventors get together). However, the pilot of the plane was someone Carl arrested in the past, and when recognizing Carl, the pilot jumped out of the flying plane. Carl and STeve had to land the plane themselves or risk crashing.

"Jailhouse Blues" [[Season 3, Episode 15) - Harriette's cousin, Clarence, came to visit the Winslows. When he first arrived, Laura asked him "How's the weather back in Detroit?" and Clarence responded "Ill!" Ultimately, Harriette immediately sent him packing when realizing he was a troubled youth beyond repair, as he got himself, Steve and Eddie arrested for Grand Theft Auto.

**48202** · January-24-15, 05:22 PM

The movie "Need for Speed" has some scenes that take place in Detroit. Was filmed in 2013, and released in 2014. Campus Martuis is called "Woodward Circle".

**loveDetroit** · January-24-15, 06:09 PM

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.

**loveDetroit** · January-24-15, 06:11 PM

Oh yeah, and there's an episode of Criminal Minds set around an arsonist on devil's night where the team comes to Detroit.

**Ltdave** · January-24-15, 09:53 PM

FX's Justified [[based on Elmore Leonard's book Fire In the Hole) has some protagonists who go down to Harlan County Kentucky but are based in Detroit...

i THINK one of the Dirty Harry films make mention of some bad guy coming in from Detroit...

Gran Torino was based on Detroit...

**jackie5275** · January-25-15, 12:11 AM

There was an episode of the Andy Griffith show where Barney & Floyd get taken captive in O'Malley's cabin by some escaped women prisoners. O'Malley happened to be in Dee-troit at the time, so the cabin was empty. Several references were made to O'Malley being in Dee-troit. He shows up near the end of the episode saying to Andy "Didn't you know I was in Dee-troit?".