in other words
november16
2017
9
Inside Our Films: Our Town is a Film Destination
directed by Ray Etheridge. This film follows a
similar story arc of big city criminals happen-
ing upon a small town and not being prepared
for rural living, for rural people, or for rural jus-
tice. Although Ring of Fire could be seen as a
romantic adventure film The Vernonia Incident is
squarely a rolicking action film. In this story two
out-of-town criminals attempt to rob the local
grocery store and murder the local policeman in
the process. They attempt to flee but are stopped
by a vigilante group of gun-toting locals. This
accounts for the alternate title of the film, Lynch
Mob Vigilantes. It also pretty much sums up the
whole story.
With both of these movies the real reason to
watch them is if you live in or are familiar with
By Jim Bryson
You may not realize this
from looking around but Ver-
nonia is kind of a big deal for
filmmakers. I’ve never lived anywhere before
that has been the home of so many film projects.
The movies that immedietly come to mind are
Ring of Fire (1961) and The Vernonia Incident
(1989). But these two are far from the only cin-
ematic visits that we have had. Most recently, in
2016, Green Day filmed the music video for their
song Still Breathing in Vernonia and most scenes
from the video are very recognizable as our town.
A more trained eye might even recognize Verno-
nia in Thumbsucker (2005), Tillamook Treasure
(2005), Bucksville (2011), and of course, the first
Twilight (2008) movie filmed several scenes here.
I’m pretty sure this isn’t even a complete list.
To tell you the truth I’m not too suprised that
we are a destination for such a myriad of film projects.
We are located quite close to Portland, a large city with
a large airport. It is also the location of Lyca Studios so
film people make their way up here. I’m very excited
that we have had so many interesting films shot here in
Vernonia and I’d love to see many more.
Ring of Fire (1961) was quickly aparent to me
as “the film” of Vernonia on my first visit to town that
involved a stop by the Black Iron Grill. The colorful
old film posters on the walls immedietly piqued my cu-
riosity and when I first moved to town I made a point
of getting this film from the library.
This movie stars David Janssen, Joyce Tay-
lor, and Frank Gorshin and was written and directed
by Andrew L. Stone. The story follows the local town
sheriff (David Janssen) who attempts to apprehend a
young group of criminals (Frank Gorshin, Joyce Tay-
lor) passing through his town. The criminals turn the
tables and take the sheriff hostage. But their attempted
escape is dramatically prevented by a raging forest fire.
Vernonia’s
Voice is
published
twice each
month on the
1st and 3rd
Thursday.
Look for
our next
issue out
December 7.
It is a pretty simple story and on its own it
doesn’t bear much remembering. However,
its setting in 1961 Vernonia with quite a few
street scenes of the town early in the film is
a very exciting glimpse into our city’s his-
tory. At the conclusion of Ring of Fire the
forest fire burns the local mill to the ground
as the townsfolk flee. The filmmakers were
allowed to burn the old Oregon-American
Lumber Company mill for these scenes and
that seems to have marked a major change
in the history of the town.
It wasn’t until 1989 that another
feature length film was made in Vernonia.
Whereas Ring of Fire had a full Hollywood
budget The Vernonia Incident (1989) is a perfect ex-
ample of an independant film. It was shot on a very
short three week schedule at a cost of only $67,000! As
such it doesn’t have the slick feel of a large production
but its story is just as strong and its setting is also very
recognizable for a Vernonian.
The Vernonia Incident stars David Jackson,
Shawn Stevens, and Ed Justice and was written and
Vernonia. Seeing the town in all its former glory on
the big screen helps remind one of the beauty of our
setting and our town’s relevance to modern cinema. I
dream of seeing another film production come to Ver-
nonia. Both films, as well as Thumbsucker (2005) and
Twilight (2008), can be found at your local Vernonia
library.
Where Do You Read the Voice?
Cutter, Chuck,
and Denetta
Barklow, and
Jake Handegard
took a time
out and read
the Voice at
Century Link
Field during the
Seattle Seahawks
17-14 loss to the
Washington
Redskins on
November 5.
Mariolino’s
Pizza & Grill
Do you believe that people and
communities have a basic right to healthy
environments and economies?
Then come check out Clean Columbia
County! We hold meetings the second
Thursday of every month.
Columbia Soil and Water Conservation District
(Old Warren Grange)
35285 Millard Road St. Helens, OR 97051
(503)-799-6968
info@cleancolumbiacounty.info
and check us out on Facebook!
Serving
breakfast, lunch & dinner
Ice cream - cones, shakes & sundaes
Daily Specials
Family owned and operated for over 40 years.
721 Madison Avenue, Vernonia
(503) 429-5018