“The Fisherman’s Bride” was the first movie filmed on the Oregon coast. Shot in Astoria, the silent movie was released November 15, 1908. The Oregon Film Museum, located in Astoria, lists some best-known productions:
The General, a Buster Keaton classic from 1927 The Great Race, Blake Edwards’ 1965 spoof with Tony Curtis, Natalie Wood, and Jack Lemmon One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, winner of Best Picture at the 48th Academy Awards Paint Your Wagon, starring Lee Marvin and Clint Eastwood Animal House, the blowout comedy classic with Jim Belushi Kindergarten Cop, with Arnold Schwarzenegger trying to keep the kids in line at Astor Elementary
…and, of course, The Goonies. In fact we have movies listed on this website. Some refer to Oregon as “Hollywood North.”
So why is “The Goonies” the one to become the cult-classic with its own festival? Might be that it just hit a sweet cultural spot with the goofy ’80’s sensibility. It did have the good fortune of having actors like Sean Astin and Josh Brolin on board. Jeff Cohen, who steals plenty of scenes as Chunk, parlayed his associated with director Donner into a career as a Beverly Hills attorney.
Leave your “Goonies” thoughts here. And enjoy some highlights of the 2014 party in Astoria including a visit with some super fans all the way from Madrid and Barcelona. Nos vemos en Oregon!
…isn’t in the works. But that won’t stop the pilgrimage to 368 38th Street in Astoria, Oregon, where the Goonies house still draws traffic.
Christopher Columbus, Goonies screenwriter, is focused instead on 28 Seacliff Avenue in San Francisco. It’s where the adventure is set in his new novel, House of Secrets cowritten with Ned Vizzini. The just-published book echoes elements of Gooniedom including “a house that feels simultaneously creepy and too good to be true.”
Goonies Day is observed every June 7th in Astoria, the anniversary of the movie’s 1985 release date.
Columbus acknowledged the Goonies legacy in a April 27 interview with Scott Simon on NPR’s Weekend Edition Saturday.
“I think it’s a thematic sequel, in a weird way, to The Goonies. People have been asking me for years to write a sequel to The Goonies, and I could never find a way to write a sequel, so that’s what House of Secrets has become. So for all those people who love The Goonies, this is closest you’re probably going to get to it,” says Columbus.
After his success with The Goonies, Columbus directed Home Alone and the first two movies in the Harry Potter franchise.
“When I did [Harry] Potter, every production assistant on the set or younger person would come up to me and say “You know, you changed my life was that film Goonies.” I would say “What? Really?” They would say “No, really. It’s your best film and we’re obsessed with it. When are you going to make a sequel?” I said “It’s kind of impossible because the kids are 20 years older. Steve [Spielberg] and I have talked about it a few times, but there’s not really an idea that’s been working yet. Then when Ned and I were putting together House of Secrets, I felt that this is really a first cousin to Goonies thematically. That’s the spirit I wrote the book with. I felt I hadn’t written that kind of story since Goonies.” -The Hollywood Reporter”
Publisher notes
Brendan, Eleanor, and Cordelia Walker once had everything: two loving parents, a beautiful house in San Francisco, and all the portable electronic devices they could want. But everything changed when Dr. Walker lost his job in the wake of a mysterious incident. Now in dire straits, the family must relocate to an old Victorian house that used to be the home of occult novelist Denver Kristoff.
By the time the Walkers realize that one of their neighbors has sinister plans for them, they’re banished to a primeval forest way off the grid. Their parents? Gone. Their friends? A world away. And they aren’t alone. Bloodthirsty medieval warriors patrol the woods around them, supernatural pirates roam the neighboring seas, and a power-hungry queen rules the land. To survive, the siblings will have to be braver than they ever thought possible—and fight against their darkest impulses. The key may lie in their own connection to the secret Kristoff legacy. But as they unravel that legacy, they’ll discover it’s not just their family that’s in danger . . . it’s the entire world.Related articles
Guess we can add one more reason when Sunday Market returns on Mothers Day. Check out Matt’s photos and descriptions of some not-to-miss sites.
How about a visit to the Portway Tavern to see a trapdoor originally meant to shanghai the unsuspecting? Or a stop at the Clatsop County Historical Museum to learn more about the city’s colorful past.
What reasons would you add? Got a favorite spot to eat, hang out, or tell the world about? Leave a comment!
So why is “The Goonies” the one to become the cult-classic with its own festival? Might be that it just hit a sweet cultural spot with the goofy ’80’s sensibility. It did have the good fortune of having actors like Sean Astin and Josh Brolin on board. Jeff Cohen, who steals plenty of scenes as Chunk, parlayed his associated with director Donner into a career as a Beverly Hills attorney.
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