Published: August 17, 2009 11:44 pm      

Film could be shot in region, official says

Decades later, people still talk about the time Paul Newman came to town to shoot “Slap Shot.’’

And Tom Cruise filmed in Greater Johnstown to show he had “All the Right Moves.’’

Now, according to state Rep. Frank Burns, D-East Taylor, the region could be on the cusp of filming another feature-length movie.

Burns said he met with an unnamed director and showed him sites that intermix coal towns and trains. Through the day Friday, they visited Windber, Central City, Nanty Glo and Ebensburg.

“They said we have a lot of charming towns with a lot of uniqueness to it, for this movie in particular,’’ Burns said Monday. “Oddly enough, they are also looking at some of the Rust Belt stuff we have, the old coal mine shafts, the old mills, scrap yards. Stuff that’s hard to re-create. They were pretty intrigued by these types of structures.’’

Burns – a member of the House Tourism and Recreational Development Committee

– wouldn’t say much more about the movie, including its name. “I wish I could divulge more, but I could lose their trust,’’ he said.

“They know what they are looking for. They got out and were taking photos. They are going to send location scouts to the area to look for specific settings in the movie.’’

Burns said the film honchos already have a script and are ready to shoot this fall.

Despite similarities with the new Denzel Washington runaway train film “Unstoppable’’ – the reference to locomotives, the fall shooting – Burns said flat out that the people he met with weren’t connected with that production.

“Unstoppable’’ is being shot in Pittsburgh and other western Pennsylvania locations, which might include Tyrone. The thriller revolves around an unmanned, half-mile freight train laden with toxic gas and flammable liquids, and the frantic effort to stop it.

Perhaps Greater Johnstown could get a piece of that pie.

“It’s all up to what (director) Tony Scott wants,’’ said Dawn Keezer, director of the Pittsburgh Film Office. “We did our job: We brought him to the region.’’

Either way, Burns said, the state needs to foster filmmaking through Pennsylvania’s Film Tax Credit. He even wants to create a regional film office in the Johnstown area.

“I’m optimistic we can get films here” or else he wouldn’t be wasting his time, he said.

He said the reason Pittsburgh and Philadelphia get all the action is that they market themselves.

“The Greater Johnstown area has a lot to offer filmmakers, and I think we should pursue these opportunities for economic development,’’ Burns said. He said landing a movie – even a few scenes from one – can create jobs, boost business and create tourism buzz for years to come.