Extra, Extra!

I noticed that the movie "Iron Will" is playing on the Hallmark channel today. I could have been

an extra in that movie. It was made near Two Harbors on the North Shore of Lake Superior, 25 miles from where I live.

My daughter and I were sauntering through the Target store in 1993 or 4 and as we passed a table that was set up with people recruiting extras for this very movie, I said to one of the recruiters, "I don't think my coat would be suitable for the movie." He replied, "Oh, yes, it will do fine." The outdoor scenes were filmed in cold, snowy weather which is what we have a lot of here.

I said to my daughter,"With my looks and talent, I just won't work for minimum wages!"

Patty Duke's son, Sean Astin, starred in this movie. Patty had starred in "You'll Like My Mother" which was

produced right here in Duluth using our very famous old mansion named Glensheen. It is a

great tourist attraction, now owned by the U of M, Duluth Branch. I have toured it twice. The first time we were not allowed to visit

the third floor or the attic. So I had to visit it in my dreams, literally. (Patty Duke was filmed on that floor as she hid her newborn baby from her mother-in-law.) I kept dreaming while

sound asleep, that I owned Glensheen and I was inspecting the attic. Finally, the Glensheen tour included the third floor and the attic. Oh, happy day!

The third floor was rather interesting. They had a room where the children of the family that

originally lived in the mansion were kept when they were sick. But the attic was a big disappointment. Attics should be full of wonderful interesting things from the past. This one wasn't.

Some people think the mansion is haunted by the lady that lived there alone except for her night nurse. Her servants probably did not live in. She was in her 80's when someone broke into the house and murdered both her and her night nurse. It was big news around here as the case was being solved.

I have a commercial copy of "You'll Like My Mother" and I think I'll view it tomorrow. It was one of the scariest movies I've ever watched. Its like taking another tour of Glensheen.