The Muppets (2011. Comedy. Rated PG. Directed by James Bobin) A Muppet fanatic and two humans in a budding relationship mobilize the Muppets, now scattered all over the world, to help save the Muppets’ beloved theater from being torn down. Songs, laughter tears ensue. Starring Jason Segel, Amy Adams, Chris Cooper, Steve Whitmire, Eric Jacobsen, David Goelz, Bill Barretta. The scenes of Kermit and friends driving across the country are in Tahoe (standing in for the snowy Rocky Mountains) and rural Lincoln in Western Placer County along Wise Road and various cross streets (standing in as the Midwest). Notice the beautiful, green fields along the roadways. \ Some of the road views can be seen from inside Kermit’s car, looking out. Other scenes feature the exterior of the car driving down county roads. The Muppets shot here in part because Placer County diverse terrain is a good substitute for many parts of the US; many other productions have done the same. This was the second time Kermit shot in Placer County. He filmed here for a few days in 2006, for a Superbowl commercial for the Ford Escape Hybrid (at Euchre Bar Tail Head/Iron Point near Alta, CA).

Phenomenon (1996. Romantic fantasy. Rated PG. Directed by Jon Turteltaub) An amiable ordinary man of modest ambitions in a small town is inexplicably transformed into a genius. Starring John Travolta, Kyra Sedgewick, Forest Whitaker, and Robert Duvall. 90% of this film was shot in around Auburn, CA in 1995. Some of the locations include the Gold Country Fairgrounds, Machado’s Orchards, and various businesses in Old Town Auburn. The bar scenes were filmed at the old historic Shanghai Restaurant and Bar, where the Auburn Alehouse is now located. The gas station where Travolta’s character works was a fake façade built specially to block the view of I-80 in the background. There is a small medallion in the Old Town crossroads to commemorate the production’s several weeks of filming here.

Her (2013. Sci-fi, romantic drama. Rated R. Directed by Spike Jonze. 2014 Oscar winner: Best Writing, Original Screenplay + several other nominations) Set in the very near future in Los Angeles, a geek develops a relationship with his operating system (a virtual personal assistant), personified through a female voice. Starring Joaquin Phoenix, Scarlett Johansson, Amy Adams, Rooney Mara, Olivia Wilde, and Chris Pratt. Most of the filming was in Los Angeles and Shanghai (the blend of the architecture of these two cities creates the near future look of the City of Angels). The scenes shot in and near Placer County were for scenes when Phoenix’s character goes on vacation. The locations are along Donner Pass Road (Historic Hwy 40) between Donner Summit and west to the Hampshire Rocks Road exit at I-80. They include cabins near that exit, hiking in the snow nearby, an icicle hanging from one of the buildings at the intersection of Donner Pass Road and Soda Springs Road, and the vista near Summit Bridge. Another Spike Jonze film has a connection to Placer County: his film Being John Malkovich featured a chimp that lived at the time near Auburn.

The Gold Rush (1925. Classic silent comedy. Not rated-predates movie ratings. Directed by Charlie Chaplin) A prospector (Charlie Chaplin’s ever optimistic Little Tramp) goes to the Klondike in search of gold (so, no it’s not the California Gold Rush but the one up north in 1898) and encounters many challenges and falls in love. Starring Charlie Chaplin (who also wrote and produced), Mack Swain, Georgia Hale, and Tom Murray. Scenes were primarily filmed at what is now Sugar Bowl Ski Resort. Most memorable was the recreation of the climbing the icy Chilkoot Pass - the Klondike-bound prospectors had to summit several times the steps cut into the ice to get all their gear into the Yukon – 1000’ elevation gain in the last ½ mile. For Chaplin’s scenes several hundred ‘hobos’ were hired in Sacramento, given two hot meals and a heavy overcoat. They were transported by train to the Donner Summit stop at Norden and climbed all day long. The film features Chaplin’s famous “dancing forks’ scene. Johnny Depp recreated this scene in the film Benny and Joon as an homage to Chaplin. Chaplin was inspired to write this script in part by the events of the 1846 Donner Party tragedy, so he was filming in the same area where the Donner Party members were stranded 60 years earlier. Chaplin stated several times that this was the film for which he most wanted to be remembered.