Movie Monday: From Denton, Ohio to the galaxy of Transylvania

The sad news of Meat Loaf's death last week, reminded me that while in Scotland I flipped through my friend John's Xmas gift of Atlas of Imagined Places and was surprised to learn that The Rocky Horror Picture Show was partially set in Ohio.  

The story begins in Denton, Ohio as Brad Majors (Barry Bostwick) and Janet Weiss (Susan Sarandon), after getting engaged, travel to see the man who began it, but wind up at the castle of Dr. Frank-N-Furter (Tim Curry), a transvestite alien from the planet Transsexual in the galaxy of Transylvania.  In The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Janet is reading The Plain Dealer, a Cleveland, Ohio newspaper, and the map seen in The Denton Affair (I) is that of southeastern Ohio.

Meat Loaf should have had two parts in RHPS

It also turns out that Meat Loaf's musical career was born in Cleveland!

Ohio Mums Against Nuts

Rewatching the third series of After Life to glean more philosophical gems and comfort in coping with my grief.  It was strangley reassuring that a close friend mentioned that Anne speaking with Tony reminds her of me...as in 'Anne is speaking to you', which has prompted me to watch again.  

There isn't a direct reference to Ohio other than a mention of George Clooney in episode 1 and humanity in general.   

While speaking of humanity, Gervais' comedy special Humanity contains a snippet about a Twitter argument referencing a previous joke about how other people's nut allergies shouldn't affect his life.  He coins the group of mothers upset about his seemingly callousness about their children's nut allergies as 'Ohio Moms Against Nuts'.  Now there is only a parody account on Twitter with that name so I don't know if these mothers were actually from Ohio or if as usual, it was used as a moniker for middle America.

From @OhioMumsAGAINST on Twitter

Fashion & Ohio

Walking through Westfield Shopping Centre after work, I decided to take a detour into Urban Outfitters to see if they had any rollerskates in store.  Unfortunately, I didn't find what I was looking for but did surprisingly spot a mannequin wearing an Ohio State sweatshirt.  It always tickles me when Ohio is associated to fashion in one of the most fashionable cities in the world.  I wonder what most people would think if they knew Abercrombie & Fitch and Victoria's Secret, which can also be found in Westfield, were headquartered in Ohio?!?

Movie Monday: The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017)

While watching The Killing of a Sacred Deer with friends in Scotland, the city and suburban imagery seemed familiar and at the very least midwestern.  After a little research, it became apparent that much of the film was set and photographed in Cincinnati.  The story is based on the ancient Greek tragedy Iphigenia at Aulis by Euripides.   While we and others may not have enjoyed the film, it's nice to know that the Queen City was depicted favourably.  Filmed in Greater Cincinnati in fall 2016, The Killing of a Sacred Deer features many high profile landmarks throughout the city. The Christ Hospital, John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge and Fountain Square make appearances in the trailer. 

Movie Monday: The Oh in Ohio

Promotional poster

The Oh in Ohio unfortunately received lackluster reviews, despite possessing an excellent cast.

Set in Cleveland, much of the film was shot on location at well-known Cleveland area landmarks such as Coventry Village and Case Western Reserve University.

Movie Monday: Mr Mom

The film Mr. Mom (1983) has three main actors with connections to Ohio.

Michael Keaton was born in Ohio Valley Hospital in Kennedy Township, Pennsylvania.  He studied speech for two years at Kent State University before dropping out and moving to Pittsburgh.

Teri Garr was born in Lakewood, Ohio in 1944(7).

Martin Mull was born in Chicago, Illinois, and raised in North Ridgeville, Ohio, from age 2 to 15 years old, when his family moved to New Canaan, Connecticut, where he attended and graduated from public high school.  Martin Mull:  Live from North Ridgeville, Ohio

My favorite scene from Mr. Mom