Fans Of The 1980s Movie Stand By Me Will Recognize These Locations In Brownsville, Oregon
By Catherine Armstrong|Published November 22, 2020
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Catherine Armstrong
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Writer, editor and researcher with a passion for exploring new places. Catherine loves local bookstores, independent films, and spending time with her family, including Gus the golden retriever, who is a very good boy.
Did you know that the town of Castle Rock is actually located right here in Oregon? Well…not exactly, but the little Oregon town of Brownsville was one of the filming locations for the film Stand By Me, which took place in the fictional town of Castle Rock. The town still fondly remembers the summer it hosted the film crew, and even celebrates with an annual festival.
The pretty little town of Brownsville is home to fewer than 2,000 residents. It's a quiet town with more than a dozen buildings on the National Register of Historic Places.
During the summer of 1985, Brownsville hosted a film crew, along with director Rob Reiner and young actors Wil Wheaton, RIver Phoenix, Corey Feldman, and Jerry O'Connell.
The movie Stand By Me, based on the story The Body, written by Stephen King, was the story of four friends who set off on an overnight adventure to see the dead body of one of their classmates who had been hit and killed by a train. Gordie was played by Wil Weaton, Chris was played by River Phoenix, Teddy was played by Corey Feldman, and Vern was played by Jerry O'Connell.
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The story takes place in the fictional town of Castle Rock, and the town of Brownsville was the shooting location for the town scenes.
As Gordie walks through Castle Rock on his way to meet up with his friends, viewers catch a glimpse of the old Masonic Lodge at the end of the street...
Every year on July 23rd, the town celebrates Stand By Me Day, with all kinds of events at different film locations all over town. You'll find a blueberry eating contest (like the one in the movie), lots of props and re-created film sets, and plenty of PEZ candy, which makes its own appearance in the movie.
Stephen King's story, Rob Reiner's direction, and the acting talents of the four young actors were brought to life right here in Oregon!
Did you know that Brownsville was the filming location for this movie? What are your favorite scenes from Stand By Me?
There’s another Oregon town that became famous for a movie that was filmed there in the 1980s. The charming town of Astoria was the filming location for the movie The Goonies.
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