MOVIES MADE IN BASTROP COUNTY

Because of our proximity to Austin, Texas, the self-dubbed "third coast" of entertainment (or at least that's what Austin called itself back in the 80's), we get a lot of movie action out here in Bastrop County. The closeness to Austin means the equipment and infrastructure companies and personnel are there in Austin ready to work on productions. A fair amount of movies and shows get made in Texas every year, and the Governor's office has long had a film liason office to encourage and assist film makers and producers in picking our state over other locales.

Of course, you can't visit Smithville without being made aware several times that, indeed, the movie Hope Floats was filmed there. Ages ago it was filmed there. I have yet to be able to muster the interest to sit through an entire showing of this movie, but the Missus tells me it's a really good movie. So be it. I'm kinda hoping that when Tree of Life comes out, the Hope Floats billboard will get replaced. Since Tree of Life stars Brad Pitt and Sean Penn, chances are it'll be a good movie.

Tree of Life was mostly filmed in Smithville. Local Bastropian Robert Leffingwell provided the ancient oak tree that was transplanted in front of the home in Smithville used for some of the filming. Robert was also in charge of taking care of that tree to make sure it not only thrived in production, but survived long afterwards.

So I'm hoping that in the near future the billboard I pass when I'm headed into Smithville on 71 from Bastrop gets replaced with a smiling picture of Brad Pitt (can't stand the politics of Mr. Penn, thank you) which says: "SMITHVILLE: HOME OF TREE OF LIFE-Such a cool place that Brad Pitt once hung out here for a few weeks."

Here's what Wiki has to report about the film industry in Bastrop County:

Several movies were at least partially filmed in Bastrop, including Lovin' Molly (1974), the original The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974), Home Fries (1998), Courage Under Fire (1996), and the 2004 remake of The Alamo. Projects not yet released include All The Boys Love Mandy Lane and Fireflies in the Garden, which was filmed in Bastrop in April 2007 starring Willem Dafoe and Julia Roberts. The as-of-yet-unreleased Brad Pitt/Sean Penn film "Tree of Life" was also filmed largely in Bastrop. Recently, the remake of Friday the 13th was also partially filmed in Bastrop.

Funny thing is, the Friday the 13th remake, which was mostly filmed in 2008 after Tree of Life and Fireflies in the Garden had already been filmed, has already been released. Months ago. Still lingering in post-production are the Fireflies in the Garden and Tree of Life movies.

I like a good drama as much as anyone else, but like most of my men friends, I like a little gunplay in my cinema. There have been good movies made in the past without gunplay, but really, before I launch into a discussion of "dude" movies and why I like them, I'm just saying. How about a Bastrop movie with a little gun play in it? Certainly, the Alamo had gunplay in it, but I'm guessing the romantic drama Fireflies in the Garden had nary an AK-47 or Walther "Bond, James Bond" PPK in it.

The movie could have been Firefights in the Garden. Wilhelm Dafoe has got gunslinging skills going back at least to To Live And Die In L.A. in the 80's. I would have done a rewrite on the cheap for these folks, but alas, always the blogger and never the bride.

All that gunplay aside, I'm pretty sure there were other movies made or partially filmed in Bastrop. If I'm not mistaken, a few episodes of Friday Night Lights might have been filmed in Bastrop.

Help me out here, fellow Bastropians. What other movies or TV shows or cable shows have been filmed in our fair county?

EDIT: One poster responded that The Great Waldo Pepper and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas were filmed here. See the comments below.

More importantly, I know we have all kinds, and I mean just all kinds, of reality tv fodder right here in river city. How come we don't have a reality tv show? I can see it now...

THE REAL BAD HAIR OF BASTROP COUNTY.