Reel Wildwood: "Going Home" & "Birdy"

In our movie-themed trivia challenge entry last Friday, we referenced two movies shot extensively in the Wildwoods: Robert Mitchum's Going Home (1971) and Touched (1983), starring Robert Hayes.

Since then, we've received several inquiries about these movies, particularly with regard to their availability. Neither have been released on DVD; both came out on VHS years ago, and are obviously long out of print.

However, they turn up fairly often on eBay, usually at bargain bin prices. If you search periodically, you will likely be able to land them for no more than $5 each.

It's well worth the effort, as both are good movies in their own right. But the obscure Wildwood nostalgia is what makes them truly special.

Still, you don't have to own these movies to be able to see all of this classic footage.

Once again, we are indebted to Ralph Grassi of Funchase.com, who has uploaded extensive reel footage from these films, as well as a classic scene shot on the Boardwalk from Birdy (1984) to the Funchase YouTube page.

Today, we'll take a look at two videos featuring vintage Wildwood scenery and landmarks from Going Home, as well as the excerpt from Birdy (starring a very young Nicholas Cage). Tomorrow, we'll post the nine-part set of Touched, in its entirety.

Thanks again to Ralph for making these videos available for all to view and enjoy!

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This first scene from Going Home features Jan Michael Vincent and Brenda Voccaro. It was shot in a very familiar setting - the Stanley Sportland Arcade (which today is Lime Ricky World)...



The next clip starts at the old Glenwood Bowl, located just off the Boardwalk at Glenwood Ave. (it still stands today, long abandoned, "behind" the large building that takes up the entire 3000 block of the boards). This scene stars Mitchum and Vincent, who play father and son in the movie...



And finally, we have our clip from Birdy, which starred Cage and Matthew Modine. Here we have some terrific footage of Hunt's Pier, a ride on the Flyer, and views of Morey's Pier (Surfside) and the Boardwalk...



Check out these and many other great videos from Funchase on YouTube!