This month’s Connecticut Magazine cover story highlights 20 movies filmed in our state.
Though a number — well-known and lesser — have been shot here, the story mentioned only 3: “The Stepford Wives,” “The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit,” and “The Last House on the Left.”
“06880” has looked back at both before. (For examples, click here and here.)
But indefatigable amateur historian Fred Cantor has unearthed another interesting connection.
Next week marks the 69th anniversary of a Westport Town Crier story about the filming of “Gray Flannel Suit,” and the excitement it generated.
The October 13, 1955 piece begins:
Untold loads of washing went un-done, and hundreds of breakfast dishes languished in the sink this week, as Westport women flocked to the railroad station to double as squealing movie fans and rabid autograph hunters.
The center of attraction was Gregory Peck who came to town Tuesday in a blue worsted suit to film location shots for 20th Century Fox’s “Man in the Grey [sic] Flannel Suit,” accompanied by a crew of 150 technicians and “background people,” imported from Hollywood and New York.
The star, and the extras.
Do you remember when Hollywood came to Westport — for “The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit,” or any other movie?
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I met Gregory Peck in Connecticut, but it was in the much more prosaic location of Ansonia (or was it Derby?) at a press conference where he and Danny DeVito and Penelope Ann Miller were filming Other People’s Money. They wanted a crumbling factory, and found one. It was 1991, and I was reporting for the Fairfield County Advocate. Peck was a delight to talk to. I’m sure DeVito was witty.
Jim: my wife and I saw Gregory Peck at a Q & A event roughly a quarter century ago during a visit with my in-laws in Florida. He was exceptionally articulate and a wonderful storyteller. It felt almost as if we were listening to Atticus Finch.
Other People’s Money was also filmed in Georgetown at the Gilbert & Bennet factory.
Yes, I remember it well! They were filming on Main Street, where the Ice Cream Parlor originally was (now Nomade). We were little girls. I got Gregory Pecks autograph on my shirt tail.
I remember watching that movie as a young adult and recognizing Jennifer Jones driving Gregory Peck from train station on to Bridge Street! It was an amazing footage as I spent many days of my youth on Bridge Street! The house on the hill as one exits the Cribari Bridge on to Bridge Street looks totally different now. There used to be a red rancher style home with white shutters sitting on top of the hill once upon a time.
I guess being only 7 years old at the time of filming, I was more interested in the Yankees than Peck. I did read the book which I found far more interesting than the movie. The author, Sloan Wilson, was born in Norwalk and suffered from alcoholism most of this life. The movie did well on a 2.7 million budget grossing 4.3 million bucks. Adlai Stevenson criticized it as typical of the “demise of western civilization.” i.e. a preoccupation with money rather than interaction with people. I wonder what he would say today about Westport?
My sister Connie Brandt and many of her friends were extras in “The Swimmer,” with Burt Lancaster. It was a summer-long chase from one location to another. The kids and their parents has a blast seeing the making of a movie in progress.
I was an extra in the “Swimmer” as well. Stood frolicking in the Weston Community Pool for near 7 hours for a lousy tuna fish sandwich and chips.
My father took me to the train station to watch Man in gray flannel suit being filmed and after watching about 20 takes of the train pulling in and Gregory Peck stepping off the train onto the platform, we were both bored and saw a much less glamorous side of acting.
My only (I met story) was going to Long Lots Rd in 1958 and “Trick or Treating ,” at age 11, and Elizabeth Taylor gave me candy! The other highlight was meeting Dan Woog two years ago.
I was too young to remember the movie. I once shared a limousine from JFK with Gerry Mulligan and pissed him off when I didn’t recognize who he was. He asked me what I did and I said I was a college student. I asked him what he did and he looked at me and said: “I’m Gerry Mulligan!” And I said: “What do you do?” And he said: “I’m Gerry Mulligan!!!” I wasn’t very sophisticated.
December 1971 my husband and I were visiting my in-laws on Heathwood Lane with our year old cats. They hadn’t been fix yet, and one of them didn’t come in one night. We walked all over the neighborhood looking for him. Some kids told us to go to Sandy, who took in stray cats, on Cranberry (or was it as far away as Sylvan?). Imagine our surprise when Sandy Dennis opened the door! And there was Gerry Mulligan sitting at the table! We were old and informed enough to know who they were….
The cat came home 4 days later, just as we were about to leave for the train back to NYC.
I ran into Raymond Burr (of “Perry Mason” fame) in the Nassau, Bahamas airport in 1976. Since my mother was a great fan, I went up and asked him for an autograph. “F*&# off punk,” was his reply. What did Truman Capote say about actors? “They are all morons.”
I’ll never look at Raymond Burr the same way! But it reminds me of a story I think happened in 1998. I took my 17 year old son to Seattle to see the Yankees play the Mariners and we stayed at the same hotel as the Yankees. I got an insight into some of the players. For example, Darryl Strawberry stood at the bottom of the escalator for a good 30 minutes signing autographs when a rookie walking through the lobby swatted a couple of kids away refusing to stop and sign autographs! My opinion of Strawberry skyrocketed! He was famous and at the end of his career and he stood for 30 minutes signing autographs while some rookie refused to sign two autograph!
“The Swimmer” – In the 60’s some scenes were filmed at a neighbor’s home on Dogwood Lane. Burt Lancaster starred.
Delivered flowers to Bette Davis on Crooked Mile Lane about 1966.
We were not living in Westport when the gray flannel suit was filmed, but sometime later, I read the book and I still recall this opening sentence:
“By the time they had lived seven years in the little house on Greentree Avenue, in Westport, Connecticut, they both detested it”
Re Eric Buchroeder’s ‘Gerry Mulligan’ comment- Very funny, typical of Gerry Mulligan’s personality :-)..Yes,he was a jazz music ‘giant’, for sure, but not the easiest guy ,in simple conversations!
I remember the day: my father got thrown off the lot for photobombing a shot.
My father, Joe Stroffolino, remembers watching them film the Man in the Gray Flannel Suit. In fact, they used my great aunt’s car- a ‘49 black Ford- in the movie. Gregory Peck drove it from the railroad station to Longshore. She was paid $50 bucks a day which was a ton then! Thanks, Dan, for the Friday Flashbacks!