Shag the Movie

Does anyone else just love this movie or even know what movie I am talking about? I can watch it over and over and always try to picture myself being in Myrtle Beach during that era. I really wish I grew up during that time. I always try to make it a point to watch the movie before going or if I can take it and watch it while at the beach. I

Shag the Movie

Yes, I%26#39;ve seen the movie. Many folks seem to love it with a passion. As for me, it drove me crazy for one reason: What was that building they tried to pass off as The Pavilion?? It%26#39;s a TENT!

I%26#39;ve done some research and The Pavilion dance hall never looked like that. I spent time going frame-by-frame on the DVD looking for clues. In one scene you can catch a quick glimpse of a neighboring building called The Biarritz Motel. I found a motel by this name in Old Orchard Beach Maine.

You can see that they filmed around the real Pavilion amusement park (before they installed the wooden coaster) and on Ocean Blvd (though I think the shots of the rides inside the park may also have been filmed elsewhere) so why would they film the dance sequences elsewhere? It%26#39;s simply lame.

So call me crazy, but I%26#39;ve come close to writing the director for answers. I%26#39;ve read discussions of this movie all over the Internet (try Amazon, 81 reviews) but no one besides me seems to wonder about this glaring inaccuracy.

Shag the Movie

Well, look at this recent article from MyrtleBeachOnline.com. It sheds a little light.

http://tinyurl.com/h5je4

An excerpt:

';Ironically, the flick The Pavilion is most known for - ';Shag'; - wasn%26#39;t even shot within the park. Crews filmed it in Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, Atlantic Beach and Georgetown during the summer of 1987, but never inside The Pavilion.';

What a shame.

There is a thread on the NMB forum from a poster wanting to know where Shagging still survives? (And NOT the Austin Powers type!)

It is certainly not as popular anymore (seems the younger generations are just not interested). NMB does seem to be the epicenter...here%26#39;s some info at:

beachshag.com

I was aware that the actual inside of the Pavillion was not used. Years back I read an article about it but do not remember the details. If I am right it was something about not being able to transform the Pavillion. I do think they did a good job in making you feel like you are in Myrtle Beach. Oh how I just love this movie.

As with majority of movies they are not always shot in one place. Take for instance the movie I know What you Did Last Summer. It was shot in the Wilmington area with a big part of it in South Port. Now you can tell they moved the filming to the West coast because what East coast especially NC has the big rock cliffs on the ocean.

You might find this interesting:

[url=http://home.carolina.rr.com/myrtlebeachdays/ShagTheMovie.htm]Locations Used for Filming Shag The Movie[/url]

Good grief! Let%26#39;s try that again. Here%26#39;s the link:

鈥r.com/myrtlebeachdays/ShagTheMovie.htm

I%26#39;m not sure I%26#39;ve ever seen anyone so riled up over the details of a movie. I grew up with shagging parents (Charter Members of Lake Norman) and remember being in NMB when the movie was filmed and going to the old Atlantic Beach Pavilion and watching all the action. The old Fat Harolds Beach Club is also easy to pick out even though it was dressed up.

I was lucky enough to be dragged to the beach at least every other month for a long weekend and I probably need my hand slapped for not doing more to learn the dance and bring a younger group into it. I do have the basic down pat though.

As an actress, I thought Phoebe Cates brought some wonderful assets to the movie, although there were other movies that better allowed her to display her ';talents';. %26lt;:-o

The shag is still very much alive and well along the Grand Strand, with beach music bands playing somewhere almost every weekend. The Society of Stranders (SOS) just wrapped up their Fall Migration, one of two major shag celebrations held in NMB every year. They have a very strong junior program, yielding amazingly talented young shaggers, and introducing the dance to many newcomers. http://www.shagdance.com/

Anyone interested in Shag dancing go to Fat Harolds in North Myrtle Beach. Very much alive and well there. So much fun to watch. Those guys are GOOD!!

I love this movie and recently at a party the topic of comversation turned to all time favorite movies and I mentioned Shag as being one of mine a friend of mine that I have known for years laughed and said I know that movie my cousin from Fair Bluff, NC was in it. Later we watched the movie and she showed me all the shots her cousin was in. She even had a minor speaking part. And it turns out I know the girl%26#39;s father from way back. Just makes me love the movie even more.