CRANFORD, NJ — “Happy Gilmore 2” was filmed in 31 municipalities and nine counties across the state. Adam Sandler’s production company, Happy Madison Productions, chose to film in New Jersey again. In recent weeks, the teen musical, “Don’t Say Good Luck,” has been filmed in Livingston, Ridgewood and Cranford.
That’s not the only movie that’s been filmed in Cranford. In fact, Cranford has been quite the hot spot for filming recently. Steven Soderbergh’s film, “Presence,” starring Lucy Liu, was filmed entirely in a house in Cranford. Some of the scenes for “Bros” were filmed in Downtown Cranford on Alden Street, between North Union Avenue and Miln Street. And a significant portion of “Mothers’ Instinct” was filmed in Cranford.
Jon Crowley, executive director of New Jersey Motion Picture and Television Commission, explained what makes Cranford so desirable to filmmakers. He said, “Cranford has a great little downtown that’s just an art director’s dream. It’s really a charming downtown. The architect. The marquee of the theater is gorgeous. It can play Anywhere, USA. Beautiful architecture is highly desirable. You can come into New Jersey and do neighborhood hosts in Cranford and you’re just down the road from any number of big cities. There’s a wide variety of looks. Wherever you go, you got it. Mountains with snow, a beach; you got that, too. Time is money. If a group has a requirement, New Jersey has it all.”
Crowley also points out that, with New Jersey being the fourth smallest state, if a person wasn’t born and raised here, they don’t realize the variety of different looks the state has inside it. “Open farmland and everything in between,” he said. “You’re never 30 or 40 minutes from all that.”
There’s also the fact that many of the industry’s workforce live in Cranford and they’d choose to stay at home in their own backyard. Crowley said, “To move a crew from one location to the next, that’s how Cranford plays into the larger picture that is New Jersey. We have the largest experienced workforce outside of Los Angeles and New York City. Almost 40 percent of Teamsters live in New Jersey, and they would prefer to drive down the Parkway to work.”
With all the filming that’s happening in Cranford, Crowley believes it’s good for economic development. He said, “For one thing, the crews, when they wrap for the day, they’re having dinner and spending in (the) town. You don’t want to get in a car after you filmed for 10 hours.”
Photo Courtesy of J. Marra/NJMPTVC
