Some of the oldest wooden seats are seen at Engel Stadium, filming location for "42."FILMS SHOT IN CHATTANOOGA AREA"42." Chattanooga. (2013)"Water for Elephants." Near Chickamauga, Ga., and Chattanooga. (2012)."Leatherheads." Chattanooga. (2008)"Heaven's Fall." Chattanooga. (2004)"Sweet Home Alabama." Rome, Ga. (2002)"The Adventures of Ociee Nash." Chattanooga. (2002)"Remember the Titans." Rome, Ga. (2000)"All Over Again." Chattanooga. (1999)"Fled." Chattanooga. (1996)"Mighty Morphin Power Rangers." Fall Creek Falls. (1995)"Cobb." Chattanooga. (1994)"The Jungle Book." Fall Creek Falls. (1994)"Dutch." Chattanooga & Rome, Ga. (1990)"Love Potion #9." Chattanooga. (1990)"The Mosquito Coast." Rome & Cartersville, Ga. (1986)"King Kong Lives." Fall Creek Falls. (1986)"The Bear." Chattanooga. (1984)"Starman." Chattanooga. (1984)"The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia." Chattanooga & Trenton, Ga. (1980)Source: Tennessee & Georgia film commissions
The face of Chattanooga and its surrounding communities have been getting some big-screen time lately.
When "42" opens Friday, it will mark the fourth time in the last two years that the area has played a role in a major film, whether with scenes actually shot in or around the city or just the use of its name.
Chattanooga's Engel Stadium plays a major role in "42," standing in for several big-city ballparks from the 1940s through the magic of computer-generated images. Actor Harrison Ford came to town to film his scenes as Brooklyn Dodger general manager Branch Rickey.
In the 2011 film "Water for Elephants," Oscar winner Reese Witherspoon and "Twilight" heartthrob Robert Pattinson spent several days filming near Chickamauga, Ga., and the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum. Pattinson was also seen at a couple of downtown Chattanooga restaurants and clubs.
In the recently released comedy "Identity Theft," with Melissa McCarthy and Jason Bateman, the riverfront skyline of Chattanooga is used as a stand-in for St. Louis. A panning shot taken from around the Market Street Bridge shows the Tennessee Aquarium and other buildings before morphing into St. Louis and its Gateway Arch.
And in the upcoming "Iron Man 3," to be released in early May, Chattanooga is one of the central cities in the film's plot. However, filmmakers decided to build a fake Chattanooga near Wilmington, N.C., because that state's tax incentives for filmmakers - which can knock millions off production costs - were better than Tennessee's.
Georgia also beats Tennessee when it comes to landing more film and TV productions - the super-popular series "The Walking Dead" is filmed there, among others - because its incentives are highly alluring to production companies.