It is commonly accepted that Memphis is famous for its music, soul, as well as BBQ. However, did you know that Memphis is famous for being a prime location for filming movies?
Known in the movie business for its diverse scenery options – the Mississippi River, the soul of Beale Street, the hustle and bustle of the inner city, the forestry of Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park – Memphis has been chosen time after time for the perfect place to film.
The Memphis & Shelby County Film and Television Commission is charged with making sure that filming crews continue to be drawn to Memphis and find success when they do.
How many of these movies did you know were filmed in Memphis?
Cast Away
While most of the 2000 movie Cast Away, featuring Tom Hanks, was filmed on one of the Fiji Islands, pieces of it were filmed at the FedEx facilities in Memphis. With oversight from the FedEx marketing teams, the brand was a pivotal aspect of the film, and CEO Fred Smith even made an appearance on camera.
Walk The Line
Chronicling the tale of country music legend Johnny Cash, Walk The Line was released in 2005. This film featured scenes in several iconic Memphis locations including Sun Studios, The Orpheum Theatre, The Pipkin Building at the Memphis Fairgrounds, and parts of the South Main district.
The Firm
Arguably, one of the most well-known films shot in Memphis, Tom Cruise starred in this 1993 legal thriller showcasing several Memphis landmarks. Throughout The Firm, you don’t have to look hard to recognize The Peabody Hotel, Mud Island, The Cotton Exchange Building, Elmwood Cemetery, or the Union Planters Building.
Fun Fact: Despite popular belief, the longtime Union Planters Building in downtown Memphis (100 N Main Street branded with UP at the top ) was not their official headquarters. Their headquarters was actually in East Memphis.
21 Grams
In the 2003 film 21 Grams, there is no definitive reference to being in Memphis. However, many that have lived in the Memphis area, can recognize Central Gardens, Ernestine and Hazels, the downtown YMCA and even the Bartlett Recreation Center. Those die-hard, lifelong Memphians might even note seeing Anderton’s restaurant or the North End (now Westy’s).
The People vs. Larry Flynt
While there is less concrete data out there about the specific locations at which this movie was filmed, it is widely accepted parts of the movie were recorded in Memphis, TN. In this 1996 film, Woody Harrelson portrays Larry Flynt, the founder of Hustler on his journey to defend his right to free speech.
Great Balls of Fire
The 1989 biographical movie, Great Balls of Fire, tells the story of Jerry Lee Lewis. As one of the pioneers of rock and roll, Sun Studio was a must for him on his rise to fame, and it was a must for the movie too. Of course, as another icon of the era, Graceland made the cut too.
Hustle and Flow
Ten years before Empire hit TV, Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson came to Memphis to record the 2005 film, Hustle and Flow. This movie, both set and recorded in Memphis, even launched, Memphis-native, Craig Brewer’s professional career as a movie writer and director. Brewer has now written and directed several episodes for Empire.
The Client
Another John Grisham legal thriller, The Client was largely filmed in Memphis before being released in 1994. The Med is used as the set of, well, a hospital except it is given an “Elvis Presley Wing” for the movie. Reggie Love is a lawyer whose offices are run out of The Sterick Building, and the on-screen courthouse is in fact the Memphis Courthouse. Of course, as with so many other Memphis movies, the crew couldn’t wrap up until they recorded at the Arcade Restaurant.
Mystery Train
The 1989 film, Mystery Train, recounts three stories that converge in Downtown Memphis at the Arcade Hotel. The cast filmed at several iconic locations including the Arcade Restaurant, Sun Studios, A. Schwab’s, and both Main Street and Beale Street.
Forty Shades of Blue
Directed by Memphis native Ira Sachs, this 2005 film is also set and recorded in Memphis. When Sachs set out with the crew to record a scene in an abandoned part of town that still had some beauty and appeal to it, he knew right away to go to Memphis’ Broad Avenue. That said, the cast also recorded at Ardent Studios, The Peabody Hotel, and multiple East Memphis homes.
