Talk:List of ballparks used in film and television

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List of locations[edit]

I can help get this moving... IMDB.com is a reliable source for filming locations. All you would have to do link to a stadium and it will show all films that used that location. For instance, all movies that used Yankee Stadium is listed here.Neonblak (talk) 07:38, 31 July 2008 (UTC)[reply]

It is? I know it's generally not reliable because anyone can add info, just like here. But perhaps the filming locations are an exception? Black ngold29 17:25, 31 July 2008 (UTC)[reply]

That's the question I was going to ask. But I'm thinking there could be good sources for many of these. Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} 17:26, 31 July 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Can we just cite the movies themselves? Although it would definately be best to have actually seen the movie before doing so. Black ngold29 17:31, 31 July 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Candlestick Park?[edit]

It's just a vague impression, but hasn't Candlestick Park, former home of the San Francisco Giants, been used in some films or televised dramas? —— Shakescene (talk) 07:25, 21 April 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Possibly. The most famous San Francisco stadium scene that comes to mind is from Dirty Harry, where they had a scene set in Kezar Stadium, which of course was football. I always wondered what would happen if they sent Harry to find that guy that escaped from Alcatraz. And when I've seen the film, I keep expecting John Vernon to say something to Harry about putting his foot down. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 08:00, 21 April 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Well, adapting that handy search IMDb search function from the thread above to an altogether more suitable, humane and socially-beneficial purpose, I can find eleven shows with a location shot in Candlestick (excluding football games and an All-Star game). One is from The Amazing Race and two are episodes of Falcon Crest (I'm surprised that nothing from Nash Bridges or Streets of San Francisco shows up here), leaving eight more-substantial films, including one not with Dirty Harry but with Bullitt. —— Shakescene (talk) 09:25, 21 April 2011 (UTC)[reply]

That many? Wow. Well, the article really just hits a few highlights, anecdotally. It would be nice to have a reference, and also to expand the information about "appearances" to (1) consistently clarify the usage and the extent of usage (cameo, one major scene, multiple major scenes, primary setting, etc.) and (2) to keep it mostly to article links that make mention of that usage. In short, to be reasonably verifiable; to not necessarily take IMDB at its word. Many of the items on the list are films and shows that I've actually seen, or have seen what appears to be a solid reference. Clearly, we have more work to do on the list. :) Part of the motivation for the list is to illustrate multiple uses of a given ballpark in a given era. L.A.'s Wrigley Field, which is now little-known except to us older types, was very recognizable and showed up in a number of movies. That stands to reason, as it was convenient to Hollywood and was around longer than Gilmore Field was. Once Dodger Stadium was built, it took Wrigley's place in the cinema, to a lesser extent. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 14:59, 21 April 2011 (UTC)[reply]

As noted, the list excludes actual games, for fairly obvious reasons. If we were to create a football stadium list, Dirty Harry would be there for Kezar, and obviously the Orange Bowl would be there for Black Sunday. That one is unique in that they did the filming during an actual Super Bowl, so it would be an exception to the exclusion. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 15:02, 21 April 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, you definitely need, at the very least, to go through each individual movie/show/episode listing at IMDb and look at the "film locations" page (which I haven't done, at least yet). For example, Bullitt, while promising, only uses the Candlestick Park exit on the freeway. There are no doubt contexts (maybe in the article about that highway) where this could be noted, but even in a semi-trivia article like this one, such a connection is probably so distant as to be supremely unnotable. (I don't recall ever seeing Bullitt; maybe there's an important plot element or a massive sweep of the park's exterior that would make it notable.) ¶ And scene-setting panoramas that include Fenway Park (this is Boston), Yankee Stadium (dis de Bronx) or Shea Stadium (dis's Queens, lady) probably shouldn't count either. Otherwise, one might expect that the articles about the Empire State Building, the Eiffel Tower, the White House and the United States Capitol would mention every film and TV show that uses them to set scenes. —— Shakescene (talk) 19:24, 21 April 2011 (UTC)[reply]

What I found interesting about the West Side Story thing is that it was straight overhead, and gives a good glimpse of the old Stadium at a time when the Yankees were winning almost every year, it seemed. (There's also a straight overhead view of the Empire State Building, FYI.) However, it might be too trivial, and as you say, it's not a plot point. Driving by the Candlestick exit seems like more of an establishing shot than anything. You need to see Bullitt sometime, if nothing else than to see the remarkable chase scene up and down the hills. They had to go through a lot of hoops to cordon off all those streets so they could show off McQueen and his Mustang. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 19:37, 21 April 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Notability of a particular appearance certainly counts. The original Angels in the Outfield made a point, in the opening credits, of thanking the Pirates for use of Forbes Field during the production, even as they slowly panned across the entire field with its ivy-covered walls and the Cathedral of Learning in the background. And there are many location scenes at the old ballpark, of course. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 19:40, 21 April 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Now that I remember that shot of Yankee Stadium in West Side Story (film), I'd probably keep that, at some small cost to consistency. It's been years (probably a decade or more) since I've seen the movie, and somehow that shot doesn't occur in Arthur Laurents' libretto or the live musical theatre productions I've seen as often as the film (now if Andrew Lloyd Webber, James Cameron or Julie Taymor had directed, produced or stage-managed those live shows..... .....George Bernard Shaw the theatre critic would have rolled in his grave at a distinctly unFabian speed.) —— Shakescene (talk) 20:10, 21 April 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Where's Rickwood Field, Birmingham, Alabama? The oldest park extant that ever hosted pro baseball - yes, older'n Wrigley and Fenway - it served as sets for Cobb, 1994; Soul of the Game, 1996; and 42, 2013. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.188.56.42 (talk) 03:21, 23 February 2016 (UTC)[reply]