Monday, April 12, 2004
Anchorage Daily News | Film crew, stars fill Skagway to raftersPLEASED: Residents love Hollywood cash infusion, humble actors.
By DAN JOLING
The Associated Press
A Canadian movie production company has invaded Skagway.
Filmmakers working on the production of "The Big White" have rented all 100 Skagway rooms available in winter, said Buckwheat Donohue, Skagway's tourism director, and the town is acting as a staging area.
The movie stars Robin Williams, Holly Hunter, James Woods, Giovanni Ribisi and other actors have been causing a stir when they drop into restaurants and bars.
"The town's kind of an exciting place right now," Donohue said Friday.
He is hazy on the plot of the movie, but the dark comedy involves an Alaska travel agent who needs money to help his wife. The travel agent uses a frozen body found in a trash bin in an attempt to dupe an insurance company and cash in a policy on a long-lost brother.
Filming is taking place just across the border in Canada, 14 miles away. The production company conducted a casting call for extras in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory.
Due to union rules, Skagway residents are limited to assisting by providing services. That should be substantial.
Visitors to the community of 845, about 90 miles north of Juneau, usually arrive during the summer cruise ship season. Donohue expects an estimated $350,000 economic shot in the arm from the movie company.
The town is so full that some extras hired from Whitehorse are camping at the filming site.
Williams and Hunter are staying in homes.
"Even in a town like this, the stars are being hounded," Donohue said.
The two actors are inaccessible but have dropped in to Skagway businesses.
"Her first night here she walked into the only two bars that are open and apparently had a good time," Donohue said of Hunter.
Williams has been charming.
"It's just like he was on the David Letterman show," Donohue said. "He finds out who your favorite star is and he mimics them."
Williams walked into the Sweet Tooth Cafe for breakfast and spotted a photo of owner Colette Hisman with Kirk Douglas, who stopped off on a cruise ship trip a couple of summers ago. Williams launched into a Douglas impersonation.
"It had the whole place roaring," Donohue said.
Reached by phone Friday, Hisman said one of her waitresses, Joanne Worley, had spotted Williams a few days earlier in a video store and asked him to return to autograph her copy of "Flubber." They thought he'd forget, but he didn't.
"He came in to sign," Hisman said. "He's a really, really super nice person," she said.
"You'd think the guy would be sick to death of it," Donohue said. "Maybe he is. But he's not letting on."
Hunter, he said, was equally down to earth. The Academy Award-winning actress is daintier than he expected, he said.
"She's such a nice lady, kind, sweet, respectful," he said.
"They're even nicer than the Martha Stewart group, and I thought they were the nicest on the planet," Donohue said of the production company.
The crew, if not the stars, plans to stay through April 19.
Skagway has drawn other media. Mercedes-Benz and BMW film SUV commercials there. "Never Cry Wolf" was filmed in 1980, as was a TV movie and History Channel shows.
By DAN JOLING
The Associated Press
A Canadian movie production company has invaded Skagway.
Filmmakers working on the production of "The Big White" have rented all 100 Skagway rooms available in winter, said Buckwheat Donohue, Skagway's tourism director, and the town is acting as a staging area.
The movie stars Robin Williams, Holly Hunter, James Woods, Giovanni Ribisi and other actors have been causing a stir when they drop into restaurants and bars.
"The town's kind of an exciting place right now," Donohue said Friday.
He is hazy on the plot of the movie, but the dark comedy involves an Alaska travel agent who needs money to help his wife. The travel agent uses a frozen body found in a trash bin in an attempt to dupe an insurance company and cash in a policy on a long-lost brother.
Filming is taking place just across the border in Canada, 14 miles away. The production company conducted a casting call for extras in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory.
Due to union rules, Skagway residents are limited to assisting by providing services. That should be substantial.
Visitors to the community of 845, about 90 miles north of Juneau, usually arrive during the summer cruise ship season. Donohue expects an estimated $350,000 economic shot in the arm from the movie company.
The town is so full that some extras hired from Whitehorse are camping at the filming site.
Williams and Hunter are staying in homes.
"Even in a town like this, the stars are being hounded," Donohue said.
The two actors are inaccessible but have dropped in to Skagway businesses.
"Her first night here she walked into the only two bars that are open and apparently had a good time," Donohue said of Hunter.
Williams has been charming.
"It's just like he was on the David Letterman show," Donohue said. "He finds out who your favorite star is and he mimics them."
Williams walked into the Sweet Tooth Cafe for breakfast and spotted a photo of owner Colette Hisman with Kirk Douglas, who stopped off on a cruise ship trip a couple of summers ago. Williams launched into a Douglas impersonation.
"It had the whole place roaring," Donohue said.
Reached by phone Friday, Hisman said one of her waitresses, Joanne Worley, had spotted Williams a few days earlier in a video store and asked him to return to autograph her copy of "Flubber." They thought he'd forget, but he didn't.
"He came in to sign," Hisman said. "He's a really, really super nice person," she said.
"You'd think the guy would be sick to death of it," Donohue said. "Maybe he is. But he's not letting on."
Hunter, he said, was equally down to earth. The Academy Award-winning actress is daintier than he expected, he said.
"She's such a nice lady, kind, sweet, respectful," he said.
"They're even nicer than the Martha Stewart group, and I thought they were the nicest on the planet," Donohue said of the production company.
The crew, if not the stars, plans to stay through April 19.
Skagway has drawn other media. Mercedes-Benz and BMW film SUV commercials there. "Never Cry Wolf" was filmed in 1980, as was a TV movie and History Channel shows.
