The movie business has had a love affair with Sonoma County for 70 years. Movie stars liked to film in laid-back Sonoma County—an easy distance from Los Angeles but a world away. Movie stars also appreciated the friendliness of the area, the fact that they were treated as regular folks, the hot springs, and great wine. Sonoma has served as a location for many major films, including:
- The Happy Land (1943) Shot in Santa Rosa and Healdsburg. Natalie Wood‘s first movie, at age four. Natalie Wood was a Sonoma native.
- Shadow of a Doubt (1943) Alfred Hitchcock‘s personal favorite, filmed at Santa Rosa Railroad Depot, NWP Engine #140, Old Courthouse Square, Public Library, and McDonald Avenue. The 1991 telefilm involved eight weeks’ filming on McDonald Avenue.
- The Sullivans (1944) Shot on Morgan Street.
- All My Sons (1948) Shot on McDonald Avenue.
- The Wonderful World of Disney The “Inky the Crow” episodes (beginning in the late 1960s) filmed in the Fountain Grove area.
- Storm Center (1956) Bette Davis spent six weeks on location at the Santa Rosa Main Library, which keeps a collection of clippings. It also includes scenes from downtown and a house on Walnut Ct.
- Pollyanna (1960) Featured the Mableton Mansion (also known as the McDonald Mansion), on McDonald Avenue.
- Little Dog Lost (1963) Filmed in Santa Rosa and Cloverdale.
- The Birds – Alfred Hitchcock’s tour de force filmed entirely in Bodega Bay and the town of Bodega.
- It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963) The sequence involving the plane flying full bore, at about 150 knots, through an airplane hangar in less than a second, was shot at the Sonoma County Airport (in unincorporated Sonoma County between Santa Rosa and Windsor).
- The Candidate (1972) directed by Michael Ritchie was shot in Howarth Park and Schlumberger Gallery.
- Slither (1972) Highway 101 south of Santa Rosa, and Cloverdale.
- Steelyard Blues (1973) Shot in downtown Santa Rosa and at the Sonoma County Airport.
- Smile (1975) Shot at the Veterans Memorial Auditorium and many other nearby locations. Made into a 1986 Broadway musical of the same name with music by Marvin Hamlisch.
- Little Miss Marker (1980) Shot at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds.
- Shoot the Moon (1982) Used a real Carl’s Jr. on Industrial Drive at Cleveland Avenue. Also filmed at Wolf House at Jack London State Park.
- Cujo (1983) Locations include Santa Rosa and Petaluma.
- Smooth Talk (1985) Locations include Santa Rosa shopping malls and Sebastopol.
- The Blue Yonder (1985, TV) “Lower” 4th Street (west of Highway 101) in Railroad Square.
- Peggy Sue Got Married (1986) Locations include Santa Rosa High School, the Railroad Square neighborhood, and Petaluma.
- Wildfire (1988) Wood Pontiac & Cadillac on Corby Avenue.
- Wired (1989) Filmed in Santa Rosa.
- Die Hard 2 (1990) Scenes shot at Santa Rosa Air Center.
- Shadow of a Doubt (1991, TV) McDonald Avenue and the Train Depot.
- Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot! (1992) Shot over a four-week period at Santa Rosa Air Center.
- Phenomenon (1996) Used Santa Rosa Junior College as an establishing shot for UC Berkeley. Also used “The Wagon Wheel” bar off of Highway 101 for bar scenes.
- Scream (1996) A house on McDonald Avenue, a local grocery store and the Bradley Video Store on Piner Rd.
- Inventing the Abbotts (1997) Shot at Santa Rosa High School and in Petaluma.
- Mumford (1999) Shot at Santa Rosa Junior College, other Santa Rosa locations, and in Guerneville and Healdsburg.
- Bandits (2001) Locations included the Flamingo Hotel
- The Man Who Wasn’t There (2001) Set in Santa Rosa.
- Cheaper by the Dozen (2003) Filmed in Railroad Square.
- Paranormal Activity 3 (2011) Set in Santa Rosa during the 1980s
Stars have rented homes and have stayed at the retro-hotel where Marilyn Monroe stayed, the Flamingo Resort. (One star from Mumford even asked them if he could buy their bedding!) Unbelievable with a list this long, but there are two more lists this long from shots in Sonoma County. It is a visual artist’s dream.
Writer: Meredith Blevins, featured writer for www.authenticwinecountry.com. Join her at www.blevinswordworx.com for wine-country mysteries, classes, and the untamed west.
