“To my knowledge, there has never been a movie that has usurped the holiday quite like ‘Groundhog Day’ has,” actor Stephen Tobolowsky said. His portrayal of supporting character Ned Ryerson is widely talked about in discussions of the movie, but he said he was still surprised by the way “Groundhog Day” had become greater than […]
By Rick Bellairs 30 years! Who knew? When people approached the city of Woodstock 30 years ago about filming a movie in our town, who would have guessed we would still be talking about it, let alone celebrating it? 2/2/22 Woodstock celebrated the 30th anniversary of the making of the movie Groundhog Day. The festivities […]
Thirty years ago, Chas Friedel sashayed across the floor of Woodstock Moose Lodge 1329 with high school friend Virginia Costello, right next to Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell, during the filming of “Groundhog Day.” This past weekend, his son, Nathan Friedel, stood on the very same tiles and was auctioned off – like Phil Connors […]
For Mario Pizzaferrato, Feb. 2 is an excuse to come back to the town he loves. “Woodstock is where my roots are,” the 70-year-old accordion player said. Pizzaferrato said he brushed shoulders with Harold Ramis, Bill Murray, and Andie MacDowell while their characters were casually grabbing dessert at the fictional fudge shop in the movie […]
As I write on Friday, Jan. 28, Woodstock’s Groundhog Days’ fun is about to begin. As you read, Woodstock Willie will have made his annual prognostication, the breakfast will have been enjoyed, tours of the filming sites walked, and the movie shown again and again. I don’t know whether he’ll see his shadow or whether […]
Woodstock might have been the intended setting after all. Despite Punxsutawney, Pa., being the setting of the Harold Ramis film “Groundhog Day,” screenplay writer Danny Rubin said he had imagined Punxsutawney very much like, …. well, Woodstock. “I actually envisioned the town of Punxsutawney as a small, contained town,” Rubin said, “I wanted to make […]
Thirty years ago, Woodstock wasn’t represented by a groundhog mascot, many people in the community likely didn’t know what date Groundhog Day was, and no one certainly knew that a nearly four-month brush with Hollywood in the early spring of 1992 would lead to a three-decades-long celebration. “When I signed up to be a background […]
While “Groundhog Day” director Harold Ramis and screenwriter Danny Rubin met in Chicago to go over small changes in the dialogue, a pair of Chicago-area actors were brought in to read for the role of the DJs who are heard on Phil Connors’ clock radio but never seen in the movie. As the casting calls […]
Who could have known, 30 years ago, what a wonderful gift Woodstock was getting when director Harold Ramis brought the cast and crew of “Groundhog Day” to town? For that matter, who could have seen the impact the comedy would have on people around the world, many who have made the pilgrimage to Woodstock to […]
When the filming cast and crew came to Woodstock 30 years ago, they changed the community forever. Now, the Groundhog Days Committee is working feverishly to pull off the city’s 30th anniversary celebration of the filming of Harold Ramis’ classic movie, “Groundhog Day.” “We have most of our usual events and added a few more,” […]
Larry Lough is editor of The Independent and reports local news.
Janet Dovidio has been a freelance correspondent for The Independent for eight years.
Susan W. Murray wrote for The Independent, covering various beats, from 2005 to 2008.
Tricia Carzoli is a freelance writer and photographer that on community news.
