History of Iowa in the Movies Discussed in North English

NORTH ENGLISH – The English Valleys History Center held a presentation on March 24 titled “Iowa in the Movies.” The presentation was hosted by Scott and Bonnie ​​Romine of the center and was inspired by the book “The Book of Iowa Films by Marty Knepper and John Lawrence.” The Romines told the history of films that either take place in or are about Iowa and showed film clips. Films discussed include

• “State Fair,” a 1933 movie about a family visiting the Iowa State Fair. The film’s opening scene, where the main character feeds his show pig, was shown. 

• “The Fighting Sullivans,” a 1944 war film based on the true story of the Sullivan brothers, five brothers from Waterloo who died during the Pacific Theater of WWII. The scene where the brothers’ family is told about their deaths was shown.

• “They Were Expendable,” a 1945 war film about the crew of an American PT Boat during the Battle of the Philippines. A scene where John Wayne’s character has dinner with a nurse from Iowa he has feelings for was shown.

• “The Music Man,” a 1962 musical about a con man scamming a small Iowa town by creating a fake marching band. The musical number “Iowa Stubborn,” where the main character arrives and is given the cold shoulder by townsfolk, was shown.

• “The Buddy Holly Story,” a 1978 biopic about the life of Buddy Holly. The film’s final scene, where Holly plays the songs “That’ll Be the Day” and “Not Fade Away” at his final show in Clear Lake, hours before his death, was shown.

• “Field of Dreams,” a 1989 movie about a farmer building a baseball field that attracts the ghosts of famous baseball players. The scene where the main character meets the spirit of Shoeless Joe Jackson was shown.

• “Sleeping with the Enemy,” a 1991 thriller about an abused woman who fakes her death and moves to Cedar Falls. The scene of the main character arriving in Iowa was shown. 

• “The Bridges of Madison County,” a 1995 movie about an affair between an Iowa woman and a photojournalist. A romantic scene where the female lead takes a phone call as her lover caresses her neck was shown.

• “The Final Season,” a 2007 baseball movie about a champion baseball team trying to win their 20th state championship before the school is closed down. A tense school board scene where the community learns the school will be merged with another, larger school, was shown.