Stripes and Jim Beam

It’s funny what inspires me to learn.  Sometimes it is a tidbit in an article that sends me off on a tangent, other times it is something I see or hear on TV.  Today, it was just a mention at the end of a movie.

Last night I was watching the movie Stripes.  Not only is this one of the funniest movies by Bill Murray (remember him from our Suntory bit?), but also one of the greatest Army movies ever made.   I could watch it 100 times and still laugh.

What caught  my eye at the end of the movie was a fairly prominent credit/Thank You to the Jim Beam Distilleries. 

Normally these things are due to product placement, but there really wasn’t that much during the movie…..so, I had to know why.

As it turns out, the entire “Prison Break/Rescue Scene” was filmed at the abandoned Chapeze Distillery near Louisville Kentucky.  This distillery was (and still is) owned by Jim Beam and they utilize some of the warehousing.

The theme and feel of those scenes are perfect for an Eastern Block country….so I commend Jim Beam for allowing the filming (and destruction in part)  to take place there. 

Stripes brought together so many great actors (John Candy, John Larroquette, John Diehl, Judge Reinhold, Harold Ramis and of course…our favorite Big Toe- Warren Oats), it makes me happy this movie was made.

And now you know….the rest of the story.