• Thursday-What'sUP July 8 - 05:13 am

The time is 1980, the place is Mackinac Island, the activity is the filming of the movie... Somewhere in Time, starring the late Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour. This stone plaque marks the spot, located here in the U.P., where Richard Collier finds Elise McKenna, in the movie. The second shot shows the double-trunk tree, where Elise (Jane Seymour) has placed her gloved, left hand. You can even make out the knots on the tree behind her, twenty-five years later! For all the fans of this romantic, somewhat fantasy movie, I've included this link, which lists some trivia about the movie and Mackinac Island. If you're planning a visit to the Island this summer, let me suggest you make the circle tour on M-185, either on foot, by horse power or pedal power. As you can see by the third photo, the scenery is outstanding and there are interesting sights to see as you make your journey around, giving you ample opportunity to take rest stops along the way!

I remember that movie like it was yesterday.

Good morning from St. Johns.

Good morning everyone. I really liked that movie. It
doesn 't seem like it was that long ago. Scary how fast
time goes unless of course your waiting to get up to the
UP.

My favorite island and a wonderful picture.

One of my favorite movies on my favorite island! Thanks for the trivia link.

COOL! Loved that movie.
Beautiful pictures, as usual!!

Esther Williams did a movie at the Island just after WWII, I don't remember the name. My last memory of Mackinaw was about 30 yrs ago celebrating the surrviving of a Port Huron to Mackinaw race at the small Hotel above the Marina. We were toasting each other with that little known Finnish wine made in Mexico? I think it was called Tikkalaa, the salt and lime juice you take with it warded off any side effects!

During the last week of May 1979 my wife and I were staying at the Grand Hotel for our honeymoon. The filming of the movie was in progress then. When I made our reservations, there was no mention of a movie being made during that time. It was a very BIG inconvenience. We were not allowed to use any of the Hotel fascilities during the day while the filming was taking place. We had to use the back exits and freight elevator. It was not cheap to stay at the Grand Hotel and being young, naive and just married we did not complain to the management. While on vacation several years later we made a day trip to the island. For old times sake we wanted to take a walk through the Grand Hotel. When we got there they wanted to charge admission for us to walk through. We did not go in and have not been back since. We have been happily married for 26 years now. Last year for our 25th anniversary the thought crossed my mind about taking a trip to the Grand Hotel but decided against it. Went on a cruise instead.

It's 7:30 a.m. here in Silver Spring, Maryland. And I just sat down to check out the pictures for today.

Now I'm wondering how I'm supposed to concentrate on my work when all I want to do is either cycle around Mac or watch "Somewhere in Time"?

Four years ago today we were staying at the Grand, celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary.

Thanks for the memories.

Ahhhhhh...yes...Somewhere In Time...what a wonderful movie! I have a copy of it and once in a while go back and watch it. The only wrong thing about it is the fact that there were cars on the island...there never has been any, but for that movie! When Chris Reeves became paralyzed, it was very sad as he sure was a wonderful leading man!! (and Superman) It has been my all time favorite movie along with "The Princess Bride" and a few others from long ago.

Yes but the real question is "Is Mackinac Island part of the UP or LP?"
I feel that it is part of the LP. The UP has too many wonderful things, and should give Mackinac Island to the LP. Want Mackinac part of the original treaty with Toledo?

Loved the movie, mostly because of where it was set. As for the route around the island, back when we were younger, my husband & I rode our bikes around the island one year, then rode up through the center of the island the next. Both excursions were fun (though up through the center was a lot of work.). It was so peaceful & quiet. Wish I were able to do it again. Love the island.

I also recommend pedaling around the island. Did that this past Saturday. Gorgeous weather for it. Beautiful views, nice quiet stretches. And happy to find the snack stand/ rest stop along the way.
Missed the "Is it You" plaque. Guess I wasn't looking hard enough. Loved the movie, though.

ahhh, the peace, serenity and beauty of a world removed from reality...to be on the shores of such a quiet place, riding a bike or looking for stones and shells. It's time to move back to god's country.......with no CNN

That's one place I've never been....one of these days..

For all you sunset fans, Kent Lange just sent me another Unique sunset shot from Michigan City.

It's at the end of this album. Looks like they just added some new light fixtures to the marina! ;-)

https://pasty.com/pcam/albup57

To Don again in Mqt: Try Internet Movie Database. Can you recognize the Esther Williams movie from this list?

http://imdb.com/name/nm0930565/

I bet if she swam in Lake Superior, she never forgot that.

It's "This Time for Keeps" (1947):

http://imdb.com/title/tt0039898/

I remember when I was there in the 70's, that the kidney-shaped swimming pool at the Grand Hotel, was referred to as an Ester Williams pool.

Had some Texan friends make the trip to the island several weeks ago and they LOVED it. They took in all of the sights and became Fudgies.

Yeah -- I have a 1948 photo of me diving into that pool (My parents were attending a convention & I had gone along). The water was not much warmer than Superior's. It was the time of the Chicago-Mackinac sail race and there had been a big storm. CANVAS sails (remember, it was 1948)were stretched to dry all over the grassy slope from the Fort down to the marina. Photos of that too.

More cars on Mackinac Island:
Although rare there have been other cars on the Island on occaision.
GM brought some Buicks out to the island in the 1950s for sales
photos. The evidence can be viewed in the GM photo archive,
even purchased if you like. I particularly like the view with the ship.
Check them out at:

number=53216938
number=53217010

*I can't get the links to post so sorry but you'll have to go to the GM
home page photo archive then enter the numbers, also found at
pages 2 & 3 of the Buick section.

Somewhere In Time, Great Movie! My brother worked on the island as a carriage tour driver at that time. They needed some extras for filming scenes at the Grand Hotel. He called my dad to let him know and they both ended up in some of the ballroom scenes where Christopher & Jane were dancing together. I'm told many of those involved with the movie still get together for a reunion on the island every year.

Mel in MI: Mackinac Island is in the UP. It is actually part of Mackinac County. If I'm not mistaken, is M-185 the only state highway in the US to not allow motorized vehicles?????

Soldier in Colorado - click on the M-185 link above.

Somewhere In Time is my favorite, favorite movie. I own 2 DVD's and three VHS tapes of the movie. The music from the movie is also my favorite. I own two CD's of the music. I love anything related to that movie. We try to go every year to Mackinac Island and spend the night. I have stayed at almost every hotel on the island. Only once did I stay at the Grand Hotel and it was an experience I will never forget. I believe it was 1980 or 1981. Loved it but it is now too expensive. The only place that I love more than Mackinac Island is Eagle Harbor, MI.

In the 60's a movie was made in Mellon, Wisconsin.
Any one know how I might get a video copy of it? Was Hemmingways adventure of a young man. My Mom was an extra in it and she has since passed on. Was looking thru a photo album and saw her in costume. Brought back that time many yrs. ago, when life was good in Hurley. Cooler than Arizona!!!
Thanks in advance for any info.

typed "mellon wisconsin" hemingway movie in google.com and came up with only one reference, to a clip from wtmj news archives about the movie ..the "film" description is mostly of the news clip not the movie itself..I think..
Month/Day/Year: October 11, 1961
Segment Description: Special Assignment. A movie is being filmed in Mellon, Wisconsin based of the life of Nick Adams, a character from several Ernest Hemingway stories. Actor Richard Beemer is shown filming a scene with actress Diane Baker.
Notes: The film is black and white and does not have sound; there is a script.

while sitting here at my computer waiting to see what,if anything,Dennis has in store for us I thought I would add my comment on the movie "Somewhere In Time" I absolutely loved it---I thought Jane Seymour was so perfect in her part---so was Christopher Reeve. The photography was excellent and the island was a great setting. I do like islands!

Has anyone seen Children of the Night ..filmed partly in Calumet.. Wasn't there some other film made by the same guys on the Gay sands about 10 year sgo?

In '59 when I sailed the lakes aboard the SS NORTH AMERICAN, we stopped at Mackinaw Island twice a week. I rode around the island on a rented bike a few times. Later, in the 70s, we rode our own bikes with the kids on theirs. The pool at the Grand was called The Paul Bunyan foot-print then. Swam in it many times then. The crew members of the NORTH and SOUTH put on a song and dance show on the last trip in the •••••• Room at the Grand. We did songs from "South Pacific", "Oklahoma", etc. Was really a nice summer. Can't believe what it costs to stay at the Grand Hotel now-a-days!

Why did it block out the word •••••• up there?

Charlie the webmaster answers:

For those of you who thought Ken was swearing here, he happened to use a word which is 'blacklisted' for another reason. There are some insidious automated web-crawlers which search for discussion pages like ours to embed their URL advertisements in the forums. We prohibit certain words, which thwarts these automated monsters. The word Ken used is C a s i n o.

Mary, it looks like you were there at almost the same time my husband and I were because I recognize the little boy playing on the beach in the back ground. I tried to keep him out of my pic. Sorry no scanner to show mine. We were standing there on June 22 in the mid afternoon. Up at Mack Is. for our 35th (whew!) anniversary.

The Ester Williams movie was "Grand Hotel"..

http://www.grandhotel.com/history.html

Not according to The Grand Hotel web site ..They say 1949 "This Time For Keeps"..

Cars on Mackinac Island
My memory is a little weak on this but I think the fire department has a truck and the police have a SUV.
Of course in the winter construction season trucks, bull dozers, etc. get barged over.

I absolutely love "Somewhere in Time". It's my favorite movie! The
year after I saw it, I sketched pictures of where Elise and Richard
met, and searched until I found that spot, as well as a few other
places in the movie. A few summers later, I worked on the island in
the store where he bought his antique coins (really a souvenir shop
down town that I lived right above). Later they put up that plaque
and I now have a photo of my husband and I in that very same
spot. I've been back every year, but not yet this year. Can hardly
wait to get UP north.

http://www.imdb.com/LocationTree?Michigan,+USA

This is the IMDb list of all location shoots in Michigan. You can search by place all over the world.

"Somewhere In Time" may have the most devoted fans of all the cult films that nobody knows about. Last summer my wife & I waited at the marker as 2 other couples adopted the pose shown in the picture above and took snapshots. When our turn came, my daughter's boyfriend operated the camera. Then we insisted that they needed a similar photo. They had never heard of the movie, much less seen it, but finally cooperated. A couple weeks later, at home in St Louis, they watched it with us and figured out what the fuss was all about.

They were married 3 weeks ago and included the theme music (actually a classical piece by Rachmaninoff) on the DJ's play-list for their reception. When I asked the DJ if he knew where the piece came from, he immediately told me about the film, the island, the marker - and how he and his wife had selected Mackinac Island for their honeymoon after seeing the film. Another guest overheard our conversation, mentioned that she had both videotape and DVD copies of the movie, and Mackinac Island would be a future vacation destination. Like I said, for a film that nobody knows about - a LOT of people are captivated by it.

The film's fan club is called "INSITE" (International Network of Somewhere In Time Enthusiasts). They publish a newsletter/magazine 3 or 4 times a year, and membership dues are $19.12 - since the screenplay was set in 1912. Their link is: http://somewhereintime.tv/insite.htm

They have an annual convention on Mackinac Island, usually the last weekend of the island's tourist season (late October). Various actors from the film have been featured guests over the years.

I was wrong on Grand Hotel..it is "This Time for Keeps" with Esther Williams, Jimmy Durante, Laritz Melchior, Dame May Whitty, Xavier Cugat..

See also...

http://www.somewhereintime.tv/article_didyouknow.htm

Camwatchers may recall back in April when Edie and I spent the weekend on Mackinac Island, I mentioned that we watched Somewhere in Time while we were there. In our room, over the Grand Hotel's wireless Internet connection, were ordered and downloaded the music CD from the movie, by composer John Barry, who did Dances With Wolves, Out of Africa, a bunch of James Bond movies, Born Free, and much more in his prolific career. We think the music is one of the major aspects of the movie's appeal.

By the way, JAD in Oskar, email me that 1948 photo, and we'll share it on Sunday Shoebox Memories.

Just a sidenote about Pasty Central. Ten years ago this month we published our first Internet page: the Snow Thermometer on US 41. Our longest sponsor, The Chippewa Motel, is still listed on that page. If you're in Chassell this weekend for the Strawberry Festival, stop in at the Chippewa and thank Al Kotila for a decade of support for this website. Then go across the street to the Einerlei and give our regards to the Leonards and staff for their long-time support of the Pasty Cam, too! We appreciate all of the sponsors who make it possible for our staff to keep doing what we love to do, bringing you a 'glimpse of life in the U.P.'