Wilmington, North Carolina or "Hollywood East”

I was tumbling down the YouTube rabbit hole and I found myself enjoying some clips from the first motion picture shot in and around Wilmington, North Carolina, Firestarter. The film was produced by Dino De Laurentiis who built his studio there and essentially launched Wilmington’s film and television industry.

I lived in the Wilmington area for much of my life and I had a number of encounters with the industry and the people that were part of the industry. I once guarded a movie set in Wilmington for the Billy Bathgate film when I worked as a security officer. I almost drove into a scene for a movie being filmed at Carolina Beach when I navigated around a barricade (it wasn’t obvious that the road was closed and the police officer that intercepted me was friendly and understanding). I witnessed a number of scenes being shot including a scene for the film, The Bedroom Window. I partied on occasion with people working in the industry, including someone that was on the set when Brandon Lee, Bruce Lee’s son, was shot and ultimately killed by a squib fired during filming of The Crow. A friend’s father’s tractor-trailer was filmed for Stephen King’s Maximum Overdrive. I once traveled with a roommate at East Carolina University to the impressive coastal home of someone in the film industry and laughed when the gentleman asked if I was also looking to be in the movies. Another ECU roommate has actually been in the movies.

Anyway, I am thinking that I will rewatch Firestarter today and maybe watch some other movies filmed in and around Wilmington in the days to come. There are a number of such movies that I haven’t seen or that I haven’t seen in their entirety.

Below is a link to a playlist of some of the Firestarter clips that I enjoyed watching during my brief trip down Nostalgia Lane. I also included a link to a Wikipedia article devoted to Wilmington’s film and television industry and its history. Enjoy! 🎬🎥🎞️👏🤩

Rotten Tomatoes MOVIECLIPS “Firestarter (1984) - Movie” playlist

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZbXA4lyCtqokOTfgrkC-4SxS7RxD3eYI&si=I9lIqiiTwKMQnEjO

“Films and television shows produced in Wilmington, North Carolina” Wikipedia article

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Films_and_television_shows_produced_in_Wilmington,_North_Carolina