Back to SCORPIO for a minute. As soon as I saw the first brief scene taking place in this huge old wooden skating rink complete with a three- or four-manual theater organ, I perked right up. Nothing grabs my attention in movie locations like some obviously wonderful artifact from the mid-20th-century. It's not that I ever cared much for roller skating -- I went along with friends under duress a few times -- but I just had to pause the film and look at this place. That kind of structure evokes strong feelings for my early decades, and these couple of brief scenes are all too fleeting.
Anyhoo...
A lot of the location work took place in DR KevinH's stomping grounds of Alexandria, VA, and the roller rink in question was the Alexandria Arena, built in 1948 and demolished in 1986:
http://www.localkicks.com/local_style/entertainment/the-alexandria-roller-rink-once-the-place-to-catch-janis-joplin-the-doors-rod-stewartBrief use is made, also, of a former Safeway store there, and a number of nice looking city blocks. I can identify the supermarket structure on Google, but it probably hasn't been a Safeway in years. I hate to think of what has probably happened with some of the lovely urban blocks we also get tantalizing glimpses of.
While it's common for me to take note of great location shots of any place I knew, this is one of those that is compelling even though I don't actually know the place. I've only been in Alexandria that one time a couple of years ago when we met there to see Sandy Bainum's show. I nevertheless am sad for the loss of what I saw in this movie. And I do look forward to a return to the film, having now been through it my first time.
