Hooray for Hollywood! and Skagway.

Skagway in Hollywood!

With the Oscars right around the corner, I thought it would be fun to take a wild romp through the golden age of cinema and see where Skagway has played a part in your favorite films and TV shows. What a great idea! The criteria that I fabricated entirely in my own mind means that this list will only include movies and shows where Skagway and the nearby vicinity were mentioned, or if Skagway was used during filming. Grab a giant tub of buttered popcorn and a 32-ounce soda as we discover…

Skagway in Hollywood!

You would think a town as well known as Skagway would have been in countless movies and television programs but you would be mistaken. Even though Skagway is everyone’s favorite Alaskan cruise ship destination, its rich history, and incredible beauty have barely been covered by those fancy Hollywood elitists. Alright, here we go… Lights… Camera… ACTION! (see what I did there?)

Skagway in The Three Stooges!

In 1941, only 41 years after the peak of the Klondike Gold Rush, Skagway was featured prominently in a movie short created by the comic geniuses The Three Stooges. The short was titled In The Sweet Pie and Pie and climaxed with a massive food fight where many pies were thrown into people’s faces because that’s funny.

You can view the famous episode by following this link. If you skip ahead to the 4:30 mark in the video, you will get to see for yourself how Skagway was still considered one of the most incredible places in the world. I like to watch that part over and over again, but I also like the pie throwing at the end. One time I bought a lemon meringue pie and waited for my wife to come home from work. When she came through the door, I slapped that pie right smack-dab into her kisser. Let me just tell you now that this whole pie in the face thing is a lot funnier on TV where it doesn’t result in a domestic violence charge and a messy divorce.

Skagway in The Far Country!

In 1954, Skagway would go to Hollywood yet again in a movie starring James Stewart called The Far Country. While the film was not shot in Alaska, it didn’t really matter because Skagway was a big part of the movie. When the protagonist of the movie lands in Skagway on his way to Dawson City, he witnesses a hanging and then he leaves Skagway with his herd of cows for some reason that is entirely unclear. I didn’t watch the rest of the movie so I don’t know what happens. Presumably, everyone ends up in Dawson City and gets in a massive pie-in-the-face fight next to some corral.

The Big White is filmed near Skagway!

The Big White was filmed in 2005 near Skagway. The movie featured a star-studded cast including Robin Williams, Holly Hunter, and Woody Harrelson. This is pretty amazing when you consider nobody actually saw the movie. It’s hard to say why other than the fact it was pretty awful. There are some scenes in the movie with familiar backdrops like the White Pass Summit, but it’s nowhere near as good as that Three Stooges short.

Wow! Skagway has really made its mark in the world of entertainment. Maybe someday those Hollywood types will film a Star Wars movie in Skagway. Who knows? If they do, I sure hope it ends with a giant pie fight instead of those stupid laser swords.

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