I was up in Cleveland yesterday, innocently walking along East Ninth Street, when suddenly I found myself in New York City. And on a movie set.
A scene along East 9th Street
The Avengers, a movie that is set to open in 2012, currently is filming in Cleveland. One of the blocks along East Ninth Street has been turned into a scene of awful carnage in New York City, with overturned taxi cabs, chunks of concrete, and flattened police cars. No doubt it is where the Avengers fight a pitched battle against some super-villains who possess awesome destructive power and are despicable fiends, besides. Apparently folks working in downtown Cleveland have heard explosions on other days of filming, and on one occasion hordes of extras were sent running down the street, screaming. Whether it was from the wrath of the super-villain or the latest bad economic news is not clear.
When I was present, there were no sightings of any bad guys or of Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, or for that matter the Vision or the Scarlet Witch — just a street strewn with rubble, cameramen, key grips, and prop guys wandering around, filming cranes and other moviemaking equipment, and some parked vehicles that would help create the feel of New York City — like NYPD police cars, buses, and fire trucks.
Cleveland has been the location for filming on lots of movies, including A Christmas Story, Air Force One, Spider-Man 3, and American Splendor. Let’s hope The Avengers is a notable addition to that list, and that Hollywood continues to occasionally bring some excitement — and debris — to the City by the Lake.
Webner House 