Curious to know about the filming locations of the National Lampoon’s Animal House film? Here’s all you need to know about the film and the locations where it was filmed. The film Matt Simmons and Ivan Reitman produced was inspired by Miller’s stories published in National Lampoon. These stories were based on Chris Miller and his experience at Zeta, Beta, and Tau fraternity in Washington, DC.
The film is made in the direction of John Landis. The outstanding cinematography is by Charles Correll. The film got distributed by Universal Pictures and was a box office hit at the time, with a collection of $ 141.6M.
National Lampoon’s Animal House is a comedy film released on July 28, 1978, whose production was announced to start around 1965 by Universal Pictures in partnership with National Lampoon, Oregon Film Factory, and Stage III Production. Universal Pictures is known for producing genuine satirical comedy films like Minions, Mama Mia, King Kong, Meet The Frockers, The Grinch, etc.
The film’s lead cast includes Josh Belushi as Josh Bluto, Tim Matheson as Eric, Peter Riegert as Donald Boon, Tom Hucle as Larry Pinto, Stephen Furst as Kent, Bruce McGill as Daniel Simpson, Karn Allen as Katy, Douglas Kenney as Dwayne, Christain Miller as Curtis Wayne. All of these cast members played the part of Delta House members. The Omega House film includes James Daughton as Gregorgy, Mark Metcalf as Douglas C. Neidermeyer, Kevin Bacon as Chip Diler, Mary Louise Weller as Mandy, and Martha Smith as Barbara.
The film’s supporting cast includes John Vernon as Dean Vernon, Verna Bloom as Mrs. Marion Wormer, Donald Sutherland as Professor Dave Jennings, Cesare Danova as Mayor Carmine, Sarah Holcomb as Clorette DePasto, and DeWayne Jessie. The film was initially set to release in 1998, and that’s when the production house released the film. They completed the movie filming in their scheduled time without any delay. The actors in the film gave a power-packed performance.
The film was loved by the audience, thus inspiring the producers to go forward and make a spin-off series for the same. The series was named Delta House, and it featured Vernon in his role of Dean Wormer, Furst as Flounder, McGill as D-Day, and Widdoes as Hoover in the lead cast.
The producers made the first attempt to make a sequel in 1967 with the storyline of the Delta House members reuniting for the marriage of Pinto; Flouder has become a hippie. He had changed his name from Flouder to Pisces. The idea got rejected by Universal as a previous film with hippie sequences didn’t do well at the box office. The film’s idea for a sequel died at the time with the death of John Belushi.
The producers made another attempt to make a sequel for the film due to its popularity in 1982. But the idea for the same didn’t move forward after the first script draft, which included some of the grown-up Delta’s returning to Faber College after five years. The sequel idea got dropped.
The film became a legacy, with its cast member Blueshi becoming the most successful comedy actor till his death in 1982 Mtheson, Bacon, and Allen went on to be a star and had a long successful careers in acting. This film proved to be lucky for these members as this was the first time they were acting. It is like the series F.R.I.E.N.D.S. in this field, as the unknown cast members went on to have a long successful career.
Film’s Plot
The film also started presenting raw comedy and inspired other films, including Police Academy, The American Pie, etc., to follow the trend. The film initially received mixed reviews, but soon a larger audience found it appealing, thus leading it to become one of the best films in the era of 1978.
It still holds 91% positive reviews and ratings and is watched with the same love. The film was said to be full of energy and messy in a good way. The film also became a reason for worry to some parents as they feared their kids joining sororities and fraternity houses once in college.
The film’s plot follows a pair of first-year students, Lary Kroger and Kent Dorfman, who are trying to be a part of fraternity house Omega and get ostracized by them. The pair then become members of the Delta fraternity. The Delta fraternity house accepted the pair and gave the fraternity names Flounder and Pinto. Delta isn’t doing all too well on campus and is on probation.
They also get on the wrong side of Dean Vernon. He hopes to remove the Delta fraternity from the campus and asks the Omegas to create conditions. This leads to a series of events and a failed test by the Delta for them to receive a warning of being thrown off campus.
Boon is dating Katy, but the couple breaks up after Boon finds out about Katy having a sexual relationship with a professor. Otter gets assaulted by a group of Omegas based on the fabricated claim of him dating Mandy. The Delta’s get expelled from the college by Vernon for their low mid-term grades. The Delta House members, in Otter and Bluto’s leadership, retaliate by destroying the annual D-Day Homecoming.
The film ends with a revelation of the future for the fraternity members where the Delta’s are pretty successful in life. At the same time, life wasn’t kind to the members of the Omega group, and they were suffering.
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The Lampoon’s Animal House Filming Locations-
The movie’s filming began on October 24, 1997, and was wrapped up by the middle of December 1977. The film’s filming occurred in parts of Eugene, Dexter, and Oregon.
- Eugene – Oregon University
There are several scenes shot at the University of Oregon. In the film’s first scene, Flounder and Pinto, rushing from their dorm to the fraternity, were shot at Oregon University. The scene with Flounder bringing a horse into Dean Wormer’s office was shot in the johnson hall of the University.
2. Cottage Groove
The Di-Day homecoming scenes were shot on the main street of this town. It still pays tribute to the scene’s chaos by having a replica of Deathmobile and record-setting Toga parties. These parties are similar to the one at the movie’s 40th reunion. The marching band scene where they are misdirected was also shot on 733 E Main Street in Cottage Groove.
2. Lowell
The scene where Otis Day and the Knights performed on the arrival of the Delta house members with their dates was shot near Eugene in Dexter Lake Club roadhouse. The building has undergone several changes and is now known as Rattlesnake B.B.Q. Otter Street. The scene with the mayor’s passed-out daughter being delivered by Pinto in a trolley to his house was shot at 2160 Potter Street in Eugene.
4. Hayward Field
The scene with R.O.T.C. training near the stables, with Flounder featured, was shot at Hayward Field in Eugene. The scene also shows a confrontation between Flounder and Neidermeyer.
5. Erb Memorial Union
The scene where Bluto pretends to be a zit after filling his mouth with mashed potatoes is shot at the Erb Memorial Union in Eugene. The scene is still one of my fan favorites. A food fight also follows the scene in the same hall.
