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Filmmakers have discovered that Beaufort locations make convincing movie settings, whether they’re looking to portray the Old South or the jungles and beaches of Vietnam. Some 20 movies have had scenes shot in the area, but Beaufort’s fondest memories are of Tom Hanks and the film Forrest Gump.
As the movie was being made, no one in Beaufort suspected how successful it would be. Tom Hanks was a star, but not the mega star he is now, and the story of a slow-but-sweet overachiever did not sound like the makings of a box office smash. One Saturday he was driving by the Carteret Street Methodist Church as a bride and her attendants were having their pictures taken. He had his driver stop and he ran up and hugged Mary Dunning (soon to be Mary Chapman). The photographer was so surprised he didn’t get the picture, and Hanks agreed to do a second take.
On another occasion Hanks was on the beach with two of his children at Fripp Island. A young girl with Down’s Syndrome ran up and threw her arms around him and said, “I love you.” His response was immediate. “I love you, too.”
Scenes from Forrest Gump are easy to recognize. The Woods Memorial Bridge between Beaufort and Lady’s Island and the Chowan Creek Bridge between Lady’s Island and St. Helena were both used in Forrest’s great run. The Chowan Creek Bridge had the sign, “Welcome to Mississippi.” Hunting Island became Vietnam during the war scenes, and Bubba died on the sands of the lagoon there. The hurricane was filmed on the docks in Port Royal. The University of South Carolina’s Performing Arts Center on Carteret Street was the medical center that Forrest endowed.
Forrest’s mother’s house was built on U.S. 17 going toward Charleston, just a facade that was torn down when filming was finished. Bubba’s mother’s house was a private residence on Alston Road, out at the end of Lady’s Island.
Barbra Streisand was not considering Beaufort as a location for Prince of Tides, of which she was producer, director and star. She was persuaded to at least look at South Carolina, because Pat Conroy, author of the book from which the movie came, lives here.
Plans were quickly made to entice Streisand and her staff to Beaufort. An emergency call went to Steve Harrison at Beaufort’s antebellum Rhett House Inn. Although he wasn’t told who the special guest was, he got five rooms ready and prepared dinner. Before the evening was over, Streisand had succumbed to Beaufort’s charms (and her cinematographer to the quality of light) and decided to stay another night. The rest is history.
Barbra loved the ice cream at Plums. Co-star Blythe Danner and daughter Gwyneth Paltrow also treated themselves to Plums ice cream. Nick Nolte bought a bicycle to lose the weight he had gained making 48 Hours. He achieved his lowcountry accent with the help of some coaching by an English instructor from the Technical College.
Prince of Tides used some key outdoor scenes from the area – the Wingo home on Coosaw Island, the beach house on Fripp Island, the McTeer Bridge over the Beaufort River, the playing field at the old Beaufort High School. Interior sets were built at the Technical College of the Lowcountry and in a warehouse on Depot Street. The Naval Hospital filled in for New York’s Bellevue Hospital.
Another movie that Beaufort will not forget is The Big Chill, which has developed something of a cult following. The “Big Chill House” which was also used in The Great Santini, is the historic Tidalholm in Beaufort’s Old Point section between Laurens and Hancock Streets. Tom Berenger got married during the film on the Tidalholm lawn. He has lived in the Beaufort area ever since.
A beloved scene from The Big Chill has several of the friends jogging along Bay Street’s graceful curve in the morning mist. The stores looked older then, but the buildings are easily recognizable.
For the most part, local residents take film making in stride. They’ve seen a lot of excitement as films such as Forces of Nature, Rules of Engagement, Jungle Book, White Squall, Something to Talk About, The Legend of Bagger Vance, GI Jane, The Last Dance and the TV series Gullah, Gullah Island were filmed on location in Beaufort. It seems as if almost everyone has at least one, really good, first-hand film making story to share.
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