Caitlin Baxter, who will be a senior at the University this fall, wasn’t yet born in 1985 when Rob Reiner filmed “Stand by Me” in Brownsville. Still, she’s keenly aware of the movie’s legacy in her hometown of less than 2,000 residents, just 30 miles north of Eugene.
There’s a certain sense of small-town pride for the acclaimed coming-of-age drama that garnered an Academy Award nomination for best adapted screenplay.
The film starred actors Richard Dreyfuss, Kiefer Sutherland, Corey Feldman, Jerry O’Connell and River Phoenix, who was an Oregon native.
“Some things here have changed since the movie, but if you watch it, a lot of things are the same,” Baxter said. “(The city) does look like it’s from the past – old and charming.”
Set in rural Oregon during the late 1950s, “Stand By Me” was based on “The Body,” a Stephen King novella, and features Ben E. King’s song of the same title as its theme. The nostalgic, adventurous tale, narrated by Dreyfuss, chronicles the friendship of four pre-teen boys – Gordie, Chris, Teddy, and Vern – all navigating challenges in their lives like a sibling’s untimely death and a father’s psychological scars from war.
The boys come together one summer day on an epic journey to find a rumored dead body near some train tracks. In the process, they encounter the local bully, Ace, flee from an oncoming train, and grow closer. They learn more in one summer than they ever could have imagined.
Baxter’s parents lived in Brownsville during the filming of “Stand By Me” and watched the car scene when Sutherland’s character (Ace) bullied the brigade of boys, she said.
“They used my best friend’s grandmother’s house for Gordie’s house, and they built a garden there to film the movie,” Baxter said. “Now the town doctor and her husband live in Vern’s house, and the tree house is just a few blocks away from my house.”
As you find time between U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trial events, drive up to Brownsville to discover another Willamette Valley claim to fame: the “Stand By Me” filming sites. Follow Interstate-5 just over the Brownsville exit and enjoy a morning or afternoon in a rural Oregon town that, according to Baxter, “hearkens to the good old days.”
The Historic Brownsville Oregon Web site for visitors includes a complete listing of the “Stand by Me” sites and can be found at www.historicbrownsville.com.
Among the famous locations is Pioneer Park, host of the pie eating contest, the Main Street bridge that crosses Calapooia River, and Park and Main streets, where the “goodbye” scene took place.
Baxter said the town welcomes tourists. It has even printed informational brochures about the movie in other languages to accommodate tourists.
“(‘Stand By Me’ is) easy to get excited about – it’s a good movie, and a lot of people here were extras in it even though Brownsville’s really tiny,” Baxter said.
Beyond checking out “Stand by Me” sites, Baxter recommended that visitors see the Linn County Pioneer Museum, the Green Heron Art Gallery and the 1880s Moyer House as well as downtown boutiques and cafés.
“We’ve got some cool stuff that shows the history of Brownsville throughout the ages,” she said.