The Electric City

All I have to say is OMG. I've mentioned before that I'm originally from Scranton, see, e.g., see He's Home from the Office, which is definitely one of those towns that has more clout -- political and otherwise -- than it's size would suggest.

Politicians on the state and national level always pay homage to the old coal town -- in fact, Rick Santorum's replacement, Bob Casey, is from Scranton and his father was Governor of PA. Scranton was home to a major mafia Don, Russell Bufalino, who was linked to the FBI plot to assassinate Fidel Castro Mafia Spies in Cuba:, and the disappearance of former Teamster President Jimmy Hoffa, The American "MAFIA". The show The Office is set in Scranton, see 'Office' Actors Party in Scranton, Pa.

One of the LLWL* mentioned that Sunday's NYTimes had a piece on Scranton as "Tinseltown east." Discussing the dreams of actor Paul Sorvino to make his adopted home a film location, the Times notes, in Hollywood on the Lackawanna?:

The film, “The Trouble With Cali,” the story of a beautiful and talented young woman trying to survive her dysfunctional family, is Mr. Sorvino’s debut as a feature film director. It also represents an initial small step in his grand — and, at first glance, quixotic — dream to turn Scranton, a former coal mining town 125 miles west of Manhattan, into a filmmaking center.

If all goes as planned, Scranton would not only be home base to Mr. Sorvino’s own Miranda Films but also offer other filmmakers a full-service production house with soundstages, editing and looping rooms and a recording studio. All with costs a fraction of those in Los Angeles or New York.

* * * *

Until recently, it would have been hard to picture Scranton as being ready for its close-up. When Mr. Miller filmed there in the early 1980s, his exterior scenes were full of decaying landmarks and empty storefronts. But Scranton, with a population of 74,000, appears to be at some kind of turning point. Lately economic development has picked up. The city has gained a certain notoriety as the setting of the fictional paper company Dunder Mifflin in the NBC comedy “The Office.” Scranton has opened a film office, though beyond a few cable channel productions, the most high-profile filming has consisted of aerial shots of fall foliage that appeared briefly in “Stuart Little.” This spring the Scranton Yankees took the field as the top minor league franchise of the New York Yankees.

“We hit a home run by getting the Yankees to come here,” Mr. Cordaro said with a laugh. “Maybe now we’re getting a little bit cocky.”

Since making the announcement of his wish to open a production house that would make up to five movies a year, Mr. Sorvino has looked at several possible sites. After he toured a 125-acre former colliery in the nearby borough of Taylor, The Times-Tribune of Scranton ran an article that began: “Picture it: A former coal town reborn as Tinseltown east.” This spring Mr. Sorvino began negotiations with Philadelphia-area developers who own an empty 336,500-square-foot factory on 223 acres 15 miles north of Scranton.

* * * *

“I love Scranton,” Mr. Sorvino said. “It’s a wonderful place. And then I found out how easy it is to do a picture there. Maybe that’s because they understand I love them and they love me.”

I love Scranton too. The article (read the whole piece) just so captures the essence of the city. In the end, it is a wonderful place and no matter what happens to the town, the people keep the spirit of the town alive.

* LLWL = Lady Lawyers Who Lunch (aka, my officemates).

Tags: Pennsylvania, Scranton