Welcome to the Smithsonian Institution in the Movies blog!
This blog was created to enlist the help of movie experts and lovers throughout the world. We are interested in learning about what movies the Smithsonian Institution has played a role in, whether it is the character dropping the name of the Institution or scenes taking place in or around one of the Smithsonian Institution’s buildings.
We have already started compiling a list of these movies on our main SI in the movies site which can be found here: SI in the Movies
Check out the site and see what you can add! Once your information has been verified we will add an entry and update our website. Check back for chances to interact with SI staff and updates on SI movie events and exhibits.
Thank you for your time and interest!
SI Movie Poll:
"Get Smart" at the Smithsonian, by Ken Rahim, Smithsonian Institution
March 23, 2009 at 1:38 pm
1. First Monday in October (1981)
Description:
Film about two Supreme Court Justices’ relationship,
Dan Snow (Walter Matthau) the liberal Justice and
the ultra conservative Ruth Loomis (Jill Clayburgh)
who also happens to be the first woman Justice
appointed to the Supreme Court.
Smithsonian Connection:
-Filmed outside the Arts and Industries Building and
Castle
-The Rotunda of A&I was turned into a movie set
Film Information:
Main Actors: Walter Matthau, Jill Clayburgh, Barnard
Hughes
Director: Ronald Neame
Distribution Company: Paramount Pictures
May 26, 2009 at 7:26 pm
Captain Jean-Luc Picard: “It’s a boyhood fantasy… I must have seen this ship hundreds of times in the Smithsonian but I was never able to touch it.”
A quote from the film Star Trek: First Contact (1996). The film was written by Ronald D. Moore, who visited the Air and Space Museum in 1993 and had the unique (and highly illegal) opportunity to touch the Apollo 11 capsule Columbia. The plexiglas had been removed and he was SO moved by the experience he wrote this line for Patrick Stewart.
Good to know the Smithsonian is alive and well in the year 2063!
May 28, 2009 at 12:47 pm
Thanks for the info and what a great story! We will add the movie to the database soon and look forward to checking out the movie to find the SI reference. It seems that SI has had quite the career in Sci-Fi films….Thanks again!
June 9, 2009 at 8:39 pm
Robin Williams may have remembered that line you quote – he is reported to have said to reporters at the opening of NATMII that he wanted to touch everything “but they won’t let me”
A few weeks ago Ben Stiller just about swooned when he saw the original Enterprise.
June 1, 2009 at 1:53 pm
The wedding of Lily van der Woodsen and Bart Bass, two of the parents on “Gossip Girl, ” was filmed at the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, SI.
June 1, 2009 at 2:23 pm
How interesting! It’s great to have an entry for Cooper-Hewitt. If you could tell us, what was the filming like and was it difficult working the set around the collections? We will add the entry to the database so check back soon and thanks for helping us out!
June 9, 2009 at 5:31 pm
[...] “In celebration of the release of Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, the Smithsonian Institution Archives has created a website dedicated to the Smithsonian’s roles in movies. Included in the website is a database of movies SI has appeared in, photos from SI movies sets, SI movies events happening this summer, and a blog about SI’s role in the movies. Now here is where you come in. The database is an ongoing process and we would like you to contribute your knowledge of the SI’s film cameos to our blog. Additionally, if you would like to review these movies, discuss how films portray SI or add a great inside story that you know about SI’s connection to the film that would be great too! You can check out the website at: http://siarchives.si.edu/exhibits/SIintheMovies/ and the blog at: http://siarchives.wordpress.com/si-in-the-movies/“; [...]
June 9, 2009 at 8:46 pm
Go to the IMDB website and search on “location” — I found a bunch of movies that reportedly used SI as a “location.” I offer this as a suggestion to others as a possible pointer.
I can say that the Mall and the Castle were fleeting background in the 2007 remake of Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Starring Nicole Kidman, “The Invasion” replaced the evil commie alien pods with molecular goo carried back to Earth by the shards from the Columbia re-entry. Actually, shades of Andromeda Strain?
June 16, 2009 at 12:23 pm
There’s currently a film crew blocking access to the Mall. Rumor has it they’re filming a movie called “How Do You Know,” starring Owen Wilson and Reese Witherspoon and directed by James L. Brooks!
September 10, 2009 at 5:42 pm
Julie and Julia. 2009.
The main character visits the Julia Childs exhibit at NMAH and leaves a bar of butter behind in honor of Julia’s love affair with butter.
September 30, 2009 at 5:27 pm
Cool! Thanks a lot! I liked this movie and seen it many times!
October 8, 2009 at 8:13 pm
I don’t know If I said it already but …Great site…keep up the good work. :) I read a lot of blogs on a daily basis and for the most part, people lack substance but, I just wanted to make a quick comment to say I’m glad I found your blog. Thanks, :)
A definite great read….
October 23, 2009 at 2:54 pm
The Simpson’s episode 37: Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington shown in 1991, makes a cultural reference to the National Air and Space Museum, along with other iconic Washington features such as the Lincoln Memorial and the White House.