Filming Locations
The
French Family’s House
The Hermosa Vista house and its adjacent cottage that sit atop the Hanover
Hill were used in the film as the French family home. One shot of Frank
Sinatra on the back porch includes a glimpse of the I.K.E.C. power plant
and river.
The
Jewelry Store
The building at 110 E. Main St. was where crew members constructed the
Hirsh family jewelry store. In the movie, set in 1948, Sinatra’s
character, Dave Hirsh, returns home from World War II and visits his
brother at the jewelry store. Their conflicting personalities and lifestyles
add to the movie’s dramatic tension.
Smitty’s
Bar
Much of the action in the movie, including a poorly staged fight scene,
takes place at Smitty’s Bar, created and filmed at the corner of
Second and Jefferson streets.
The
Hirsh Family Home
The J.F.D. Lanier Mansion on Second Street was used for filming scenes
of the Frank Hirsh home. Hirsh, played by actor Arthur Kennedy, was
the town jeweler and Dave Hirsh’s insincere brother who embodied
the hypocritical and somewhat pretentious “good life” of high
society, 1940s-style.
The
Bus Station
During a gambling trip to Fort Wayne with his buddy Bama Dillert (Dean
Martin), Dave Hirsh (Sinatra) runs into his niece, whom he promptly
ships back to Parkman by bus. Her departure was filmed at the former
White Star Bus Station on Second Street. It is now the Thomas Family
Winery and a barber shop.
Moffett
Cemetery
The final scene, the burial of Shirley MacLaine’s slain character,
Ginny Moorhead, was shot at Moffett Cemetery on the Milton, Ky., hilltop.
In the background, this angel statue can be seen, along with a view
of the Ohio River valley. Today the view is obscured by trees.