Wilmas in Cinema: Get Smart

(picture from exclaim)

When it comes to locations in the history of cinema there are few locations due to their fame where they could easily be recognized, for other places it may be harder to near impossibleto tell where they are. Wilmington (Wilmas to the Wilmington native) is the latter of the two in cinema. 

In the third act of the recent release and remake "Get Smart" much action and chase takes place in the city of Los Angeles. Not just any part, a good amount of a chase seen is done on the little famed 47 freeway which leads to the LA ports. This is a freeway that travels through the industrial section of Wilmington. Port cranes, refineries and the quirky green lift bridge can all be seen in the background of the action. I'm sure this particular freeway was used due to it being small and can easily be closed down for filming. In the history of 47 it is not the first time it has starred in a few feature films. More details on this in future postings.

"Get Smart" is an entertaining film that does not just copy its origins but takes it in a new direction without ruining the concept. The film maybe misleading, it does contain humor as the trailers and TV spots emphasize but it works better as a full fledged spy film that contains humor.