When it comes to movies, Molly Kreuzman always knows the Ohio connection.
“After Hollywood, I believe Ohio has more to do with the film industry than any other place on the planet,” Kreuzman said.
Kreuzman helps lead “Ohio Goes to the Movies” – a statewide initiative offering free movie screenings in every Ohio county.
Since February, it has celebrated the state’s ties to famous movie stars, from silent film actress Lillian Gish to screen legend Paul Newman.
Many communities screened box office hits that feature Ohio in one way or another: “The Shawshank Redemption” in the Ohio State Reformatory; “Superman” soaring through Cleveland skyscrapers; “Air Force One” using Columbus’ Rickenbacker International Airport for aerial stunts.
But Kreuzman said the initiative, launched in celebration of the nation’s 250th anniversary, has also put a spotlight on lesser-known film contributors: from costumers to film preservationists and stunt performers.
‘We have so much to be proud of’
Ohio is more than just a backdrop for major blockbusters: Kreuzman said people from the state helped build the industry itself.
Thomas Edison, an Ohio native, helped create the motion picture technology that made movies possible, later launching a studio that housed over a thousand early films and shorts.
Some decades later, the four Warner Brothers got their start near Youngstown, dedicating an ornate theater there in the memory of Sam Warner, who died one day before the pioneering premiere of “The Jazz Singer.”
Kreuzman said it was actually a rural Ohioan, Daeida Beveridge of Hicksville, who created the nexus of showbusiness itself. Beveridge and her first husband moved to California in the late 19th century.
“They bought 120 acres of land in southern California and moved out there and started creating a little town that they named Hollywood,” she said.
Since Hollywood’s founding, Kreuzman said Ohio has provided a wealth of talent in all aspects of film. Director Steven Spielberg was born in Cincinnati. Dayton animator Mark Henn brought to life many of the Disney princesses we know and love. Cleveland composer Henry Mancini made the iconic soundtrack for the tiptoeing Pink Panther.
“These are extraordinary human beings and they're Ohioans,” Kreuzman said. “We just have so much to be proud of.”
Screenings across the state
These Ohioans’ contributions have been honored through screenings at historic theaters, drive-ins, libraries and even a couple of swimming pools during the summertime.
Communities got to pick from a long list of films with Ohio connections. “Ohio Goes to the Movies” compiled a large database and has put on more than 300 screenings since February.
Some opted for the animated “Despicable Me” – since Steve Carrell was a Denison University graduate. Others went for the classic “Gone with the Wind” – since the King of Hollywood Clark Gable was born in eastern Ohio.
Whatever the genre, more than 24,000 Ohioans have attended a screening so far, which Kreuzman said is a major accomplishment in the age of streaming.
“It's brought a lot of people to the theaters that have never been before,” she said.
Connecting Ohioans
This wave of moviegoing has done more than just boost Ohio theaters, Kreuzman said. It’s brought connections.
Superfan Kelley Hubbard has attended around 50 “Ohio Goes to the Movies” screenings, including a recent one at Yellow Springs Little Art Theater, where she says she ran into Gov. Mike DeWine.
“It’s not a big theater,” she said. “I could have reached out and got some of this popcorn.”
The central Ohio resident started attending the events as a way to grieve the death of her husband and former movie companion, Rodney.
Now, she said it’s become a way to connect with her state and with her neighbors.
“Even when you're alone in a movie, you're with people,” Hubbard said. “Even if they came by themselves or with others, you're in a room with like-minded people. I think that helps me.”
The future of Ohio film
Ohioans in the film industry hope all this attention to the state’s contributions might lead to a continued investment in making movies in Ohio.
The state offers an Ohio Motion Picture Tax Credit of 30% on production cast and crew wages, which is comparable to surrounding states, like Kentucky, Indiana and Pennsylvania.
Columbus area director and producer John Osbeck said more filmmakers have been looking to shoot outside of Los Angeles or New York since the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Atlanta has had an incredible run at being a major production hub,” he said. “And I see Columbus as being kind of that next place and Ohio being that next state where we really start to do that.”
Grand Finale
“Ohio Goes to the Movies” will host its grand finale on Oct. 14 at the Strand Theater in Delaware.
The theater is screening “42,” which tells the story of Ohioan and sports agent Branch Rickey, who recruited Jackie Robinson, breaking major league baseball’s color barrier. It will feature a panel discussion with Rickey’s descendants.
Even after the credits roll on the project’s final screenings, its organizers hope Ohioans continue to travel to small theaters across the state.
Superfan Kelley Hubbard, for one, said she has no plans on staying at home.
“See you at the movies!” Hubbard said.
