Johnny's Ham King Diner

If you are interested and a good meal 7am-3pm six days a week check out Johnny's Ham King on Fort St. at 18th Street.

The grill is the heart of this Albanian family business that has put three children thru college.

Peter holds court most days backed by a brother-in-law, and two sons.  I order the ham and eggs with fresh cut potatoes.  There is alway leftovers which make for a great sandwich or treat over several days for my dog.

The diner is opposite an 1897 warehouse backed by St. Anne Catholic Church.

Johnny's Ham King would make a great location too.

Annie Oakley Grave Site in Ohio

While traveling in Ohio recently I visited the Annie Oakley archive at the Garst Museum in Greenville.
Annie Oakley (Phoebe Anne Moses) was born in Darke County, Ohio in 1860. By the age 15, she was excellent hunter and protege sharp shooter. She became the first female superstar, who toured North America and Europe first as circus act, later in Buffalo Bill's Wild West show. She appeared in motion pictures for Thomas Edison and her image and life story told through books, stage, and film and television.

She married Frank Butler in Windsor, Ontario in 1882 and together they toured until retirement in 1913. Somewhere I read a reference to her having a sister in Ferndale, Michigan.
She died at age 66 in 1926 in Greenville. Frank died 18 days later. 

Michigan Central Train Station Meets Frederick Church

A large well planted and framed image of Syria on the Sea (1873) by Frederick Church sits in front of possibly the largest industrial ruin in North America - Michigan Central Train Station in Detroit. The contrast between the ruins of Syria are a reminder of how architecture is often discarded. The orginal painting is housed at the Detroit Institute of Arts.

Frederick Church has a long relationship with Detroit.  He was commissioned for one or more painting by Charles Lang Freer for placement in his private home/art gallery in Detroit around 1880. The Freer collection became the Freer Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.

Sweetest Heart of Mary Electrified

Sweetest Heart of Mary Catholic Church in Detroit at one point illuminated the Virgin Mary with 75 watt light bulbs. The church is an environmental shrine. The ceiling is painted as a cosmic universe with stars. I recommend a visitation to see the show on Christmas.

Location Scouting

Highland Park, Michigan has become a great location environment for the feature films. The City government is film friendly and accessible. Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story used a home in the community. Real Steel shot at the Ford Highland Park Plant. This canvernous location is managed by a friendly Ford Motor Company.

Also for Real Steel I spent five days touring the Michigan Tumb Area scouting for motels and small family owned gas stations with no signage. All this was based around the background location of the wind turbine farms near Ubly, Mi.

One of the criteria is  the 30 mile production radius from the production office. This was the case for Ann Arbor based Scream 4. I was assigned to find a big barn for the Stab-A-Thon scene.  I visited 17 barns in two days around Manchester including the largest barn in the county.

Stone with Robert DeNiro called for a prison location.  Macombe County Juvenile Facility was available and scouted. The location selected was at Jackson State Prison.

Michigan has a wealth of locations. The original SS Kresege HQ, now owned by Wayne State University is an excellent example of multi use environment with an beautiful lobby and science labs.This location was reviewed for Laughing Out Loud.

Dissolving Detroit - Yellow

In Detroit, Michigan you can cover anything with paint. Yellow is a very popular. Industrial grade Yellow – found on factory floors, shouts safety and durability. Yellow has always been significant in advertising. The Yellow Pages Book originated in Detroit.

For retail, Yellow is the color of choice. Liquor stores are addicted to a yellow base coat at minimum, with strong graphics laid on top. Brightness adds security. You can easily see the store late at night, on grey days, and against the snow. On clear days yellow POPS in various shades.

Dissolving Detroit

I spent three hours with Berlin, Germany director Matthias Hoene walking around the enormous McLouth Steel Plant in August, 2010. The plant construction began in 1948 and the steel began production in 1954. The plant ran until 1996 and now sits in ruins. At its production peak the plant was the second largest user of electricity in Michigan. City of Detroit was first.