The Deer Hunter

After finally viewing the critically acclaimed The Deer Hunter for the first time (yes, I apparently have had some sort of prejudice against films from the 60s and 70s. .. . my current obsession with Dick Cavett and the feigned despair exhibited by a certain Englishman every time I admitted not having seen a seminal film like Easy Rider or Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid have inspired me to remedy this oversight), I was naturally interested in the importance that my home state played in the making of this Midwestern mentality film. The Deer Hunter may be set in Pennsylvania and Vietnam but Ohio plays a significant role in the filming and creation of this emotional powerhouse. Some of the most important (memorable) scenes were filmed in different Ohio locales.

Production Notes:

Christopher Walken: "What appeals to me most about this film, is we've made it real, made it happen now. For instance, we created an entire wedding reception party with real ethnic types who sing and dance as they do at any of the giant family weddings they have in Cleveland. We've filmed The Deer Hunter right where it would have happened if the story wasn't fictional. We worked in steel mills, community halls, the most beautiful Russian Orthodox church I've seen (St. Theodosius Russian Orthodox Cathedral in Cleveland), and in a tavern which we built as a composite of scores we visited while researching the film."

A Run-down of Ohio locations:

• Some mill and neighborhood shots were of Steubenville, Ohio.
• External house and long-range road shots were taken in Struthers, Ohio.
• The opening steel factory scenes, where the actors were allowed on the floor, were shot in US Steel's Blast Furnace, Cleveland, after nervous studio execs insured the stars at $5 million. The plant is ominously referred to as the Widowmaker.
• The wedding of Steven and Angela was filmed in St. Theodosius Russian Orthodox Cathedral, Cleveland, which is claimed to be an exact replica of the Czar's cathedral inside the Kremlin, Moscow.
• The reception was held in Lemko Hall at Literary Avenue in the same Cleveland district as the cathedral. The hall has been since developed into shops and restaurants.
• The Eagle Supermarket, in which Linda (Meryl Streep) worked, is now Brown's Market and is just down the street from the aforementioned cathedral.
• Welsh's Bar was specially constructed in an empty storefront in Mingo Junction, Ohio for $25,000. It later became an actual saloon for local steel mill workers.
• The bowling alley in the film is actually the Bowladrome Lanes located at 56 State Street, Struthers, Ohio.
• The emotional scene in which Michael visits an embittered and physically injured Steven took place in Louis Stokes Cleveland Veteran's Administration Medical Center, 10701 East Boulevard.

• Fun Trivia on The Deer Hunter
• The Worldwide Guide to Movie Locations: The Deer Hunter

Hmmm, now I need to start watching some more important films from this era, after the big film moguls released their grip on the industry, and see if there are any more important Ohio connections to be found.