by Chrissy Meyer
Communications Intern
Iowa State University Extension to Communities
Since 1995, Winterset has had an unexpected parking crunch downtown. During the summer you usually canŐt even find a spot.
"For those of us who go uptown for lunch everyday, it's pretty tight," said Chamber of Commerce Board Member John Reed.
Parking problems aren't the only lasting change to come to Winterset. Since the 1995 filming of "The Bridges of Madison County" the town just southwest of Des Moines has become a tourist attraction.
The success of recent movies shot in central Iowa has helped Iowa build momentum in the film industry according to Iowa Film Office Director Wendol Jarvis. He said that some movie scripts such as "Bridges" and "Twister," both shot in 1995, demand to be shot on location in Iowa and that producers are discovering that filming in Iowa can be less expensive than Hollywood.
Jarvis' office spends about $200,000 a year to attract films to Iowa, but Jarvis has said "that's small potatoes compared with the economic impact when movies such as 'Twister' and 'Bridges' shoot on location in the state."
The Des Moines Register reported filmmakers spent a record $14.3 million in Iowa in fiscal year 1995. The producers of "Bridges" spent $10.2 million.
But what happens to Iowa when Hollywood leaves? The short-term business boom and economic effects can have a profound effect on small Iowa towns, but are they lasting impressions?
"Whenever you have a film come that has touched people around the world like 'Bridges,' you're going to have new opportunities," said Jarvis.
According to Jarvis, one of those opportunities is new businesses. He said that since the filming of "Bridges" several businesses have sprung up in Winterset. The actual farm house in which the film was shot is now a tourist attraction called "Francesca's House." Jarvis said daily tours are given there during the summer from May to October.
Barb Bell, owner of Francesca's House said that in their first year, 14,000 people toured the house. She also said that last year they had 20,000 people come through from every part of the world.
"I think it's something about the story that draws them to see where it actually took place. Of course it is fictional--she didn't really exist, but some people actually think that Francesca was real," said Bell.
In addition, the old Conoco station, abandoned for a year, took on the look of a 1960s era Texaco station for the movie. Jarvis said it now has become a cafe and gift shop. Tourists also are attracted to Roseman Bridge, which played a key role in the movie. Jarvis also said that existing businesses such as The Northside Cafe are running a "booming" business.
Reed said that the greatest lasting effect on Winterset has been the continuation of the bus tours that started when the Robert Waller's book "The Bridges of Madison County" was first published. According to Reed, there were about 270 tours through Winterset last year. Each tour allows tourists to choose between several sites in Winterset including the birthplace of John Wayne, which also has gained a renewed interest since the filming of "Bridges."
In addition to the economic boom in Winterset, Reed said that there have been other effects as well. The movie company that filmed "Bridges" donated $10,000 to the school district for a sound and lighting system for the new high school auditorium.
Reed agrees that filming in Winterset had a profound effect on the economy there. He also said that during the filming he had a "great time and met some really great people." He said he still keeps in touch with the location director with E-mail two or three times a week.
The long-term effects of the "Twister" filming were not as great as "Bridges." Former Boone Chamber of Commerce Director Fenner Stevenson attributes that to the fact that although the movie was shot in Iowa, its movie setting was actually Oklahoma.
Around Eldora in central Iowa, Stevenson said some businesses have sprung up. The house that was originally supposed to be destroyed by a tornado in the movie was saved by local people and is being remodeled.
Chuck Welch, owner of the "Twister" house, said that they are working to remodel the interior of the house, but as the tourism in the area builds, it might become a bed and breakfast. There is a 14-unit recreational vehicle park and campground on the site, and plans for other improvements are in the works.
Welch said that people are coming from all over the world to see the house and that the tours so far have paid for the materials used in the remodeling.
Tours of the house include more than just a walk-through. Welch said that many of the people who visit come to envision the climax of the movie, which took place solely at the site. In addition, a gift shop sells unusual memorabilia including pieces of the barn destroyed in the twister and ears of corn from the field adjacent to the site.
Contacts:
Terry L. Besser, ISU
Extension Sociology, (515) 294-6508
Del Marks, ISU Extension
Communication Systems, (515) 294-9807
