Join us for the Finale @ the Historic Hoosier Theatre, December 3rd @ 4pm.
Please text Brack a picture all your keys and bring them on the 3rd.
Notable #11 - The film industry loves the Beauty of Switzerland County, Fresh Horses with Molly Ringwald did too.
... what about Andrew, Ben and Viggo?
What connection does a famous 1980's actress have to Switzerland County?
Actress Molly Ringwald may have stepped foot (though very briefly) in this county for the filming of Fresh Horses!
1988 Fresh Horses Promotional Graphic
Molly Ringwald was born in 1968 to a chef and a blind jazz pianist. Molly got into performing arts from a young age, acting in theater productions and performing songs with her father's dixieland jazz group. Her performance in Annie at age 10 led to an opportunity for her to record two Disney albums and eventually her first role in a major film; her acting career took off from there.
At the age of 20 Miss Ringwald, starred in the film Fresh Horses (1988), a coming-of-age drama which "focuses on Matt, a popular senior college student (Andrew McCarthy) who breaks off his engagement when he falls for a simple girl from Kentucky (Molly Ringwald), only to learn that she is 16 and married to an abusive husband. The two navigate their complicated relationship and circumstances, resulting in a bittersweet ending that sees them both parting ways."
1988 Nappanee Advance Article
Despite taking place in Ohio and Kentucky, the movie has multiple connections to Indiana. The director for the film, David Anspaugh, also worked on locally-beloved and nationally popular films "Rudy" and "Hoosiers," which both showcase underdog stories of sports teams in our state. Anspaugh is a native of Decatur, Indiana.
About twelve hours of the movie was filmed at a cabin on Bryant's Creek. The area of Switzerland County was chosen for shooting those scenes because of its proximity to Cincinnati and the area's resemblance to the rolling hills of Eastern Kentucky. Even though scenes were filmed there, we can't find hard evidence that Molly, or Andrew ever spent time in Switzerland County. The closest thing we could find to a cabin in which she appeared can be found in this trailer. So maybe she and Andrew did visit our spot.
Another clip from Fresh Horses.
The movie was a box office flop as it failed to recoup its $14 million budget. It received mixed reviews from critics, garnering a 0% rating on popular movie review website Rotten Tomatoes. In his review for the Los Angeles Times, Michael Wilmington said,
"[t]here's a lot to admire in the film adaptation of Larry Ketron's play 'Fresh Horses'"and called the dialogue
"fresh, sad and funny."He also praised the work of director Anspaugh and cinematographer Fred Murphy, saying they give the movie
"a very distinctive look: moody and poetic, grainy and wistful, drenched with a sad, faraway, forget-me-not drizzle of passion and regrets."However, he concluded that the
"movie refuses to jell."
Although the movie can be considered a market flop, we are still proud to say they chose the beauty of Switzerland County. The rolling hills, the valleys, the creeks, the trees, the animals ... the same reasons why we love it here, they loved it here.
The Clue
"Ben kicked off" was a reference to Ben Stiller. He played Matt's best friend Tipton (seen in the first trailer above). Although Ben Stiller had a few other earlier film roles, this role was considered a supporting role. "Beauty red" was obviously Molly. The background image was a aerial screenshot of the Plum Creek area, where it intersects with State Road 156. It was clue to helping you find Key #24.
The Location
The location of the key, was on the sign at Bryant's Creek Landing.