Savannah, Georgia in popular culture
The city of Savannah, Georgia, the largest city and the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, is frequently mentioned in popular culture. What follows is a list of Savannah, Georgia in popular culture and includes works of literature, music, film, and television.
Savannah was established in 1733 and was the first colonial and state capital of Georgia. It is known as America's first planned city and attracts millions of visitors who enjoy the city's architecture and historic buildings: the birthplace of Juliette Gordon Low, the Telfair Academy of Arts and Sciences, the First African Baptist Church, Temple Mickve Israel, and the Central of Georgia Railway roundhouse complex. Today, Savannah's downtown area is one of the largest National Historic Landmark Districts in the United States.
Savannah in literature
The 1994 nonfiction novel Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt is set in Savannah, and in 1997 was made into a film, directed by Clint Eastwood.Savannah resident N.Y.W. Peacocke has completed two books of a trilogy that deal with the war of independence in Georgia, and particularly Savannah. Savannah Spell and Mirror My Soul weave a love triangle around the events of the Revolution in Georgia and Carolina. She more recently, January 25, 2010, completed the Trilogy with publication of Savannah Spell to Yorktown.
E.L. Doctorow's historical novel, The March, is about Union General William Tecumseh Sherman's 1864 scorched-earth campaign in which he marched 60,000 troops southeastward from Atlanta to Savannah and then northward into the Carolinas during the American Civil War.
Chris Fuhrman authored the book The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys, which depicted his life as a Catholic schoolboy growing up in Savannah and attending a local parochial school. Fuhrman actually attended Blessed Sacrament School in Savannah and graduated in 1974. He was also a graduate of the University of Georgia in Athens, where his book was published. Fuhrman died in 1990 of cancer at the age of 30.
Fifth-generation Savannahian Murray Silver is the author of Great Balls of Fire: The Uncensored Story of Jerry Lee Lewis, adapted to the big screen by Orion in 1989 and starring Dennis Quaid and Winona Ryder. Silver is also the author of the bestselling Behind the Moss Curtain and Other Great Savannah Stories, now in its sixth printing and also the subject of a new motion picture. His latest book, When Elvis Meets the Dalai Lama, is a collection of the author's favorite stories about starting out as a rock concert promoter and eventually becoming an assistant to the Dalai Lama.
The novel by is a paranormal romantic drama set in the historic district of Savannah and features the city as one of its main characters.
Also the book Delirium of the Brave written by Dr. William C. Harris about the Benedictine Military School and Savannah.
Romantic Comedy Mystery novelist Mary Kay Andrews is the author of two books that take place in Savannah, Georgia and its surrounding areas. Savannah Breeze is about Southern belle BeBe Loudermilk has lost all her worldly possessions, thanks to a brief but disastrous relationship with the gorgeous Reddy, an "investment counselor" who turns out to be a con man. All that's left is a ramshackle 1950s motel on Tybee Island—an eccentric beach town that calls itself a drinking village with a fishing problem. Savannah Blues is her follow-up novel and is about An antiques picker, Weezie Foley combs Savannah's steamy back alleys and garage sales for treasures when she's not dealing with her loopy relatives or her hunky ex-boyfriend. But an unauthorized sneak preview at a sale lands Weezie smack in the middle of magnolia-scented murder, mayhem... and more.
The first 2 chapters of the 2011 book Dawn of Sorcerer's, are set in Savannah.
"The Shadow Man", by Savannah native and newspaper columnist Dr. Mark Murphy, is a medical thriller about a Savannah surgeon who is framed as a serial killer. The novel made its debut in July, 2012.
Witching Savannah, a new Urban Fantasy series by J.D. Horn, debuts with The Line in February 2014. The Source and The Void are scheduled for release in July and December 2014.
Karen Kingsbury's novel The Chance is set partially in Savannah. The main characters place letters under an oak tree at a Savannah park and agree to meet again eleven years later to retrieve and re-read them.
Savannah in television
The following is based on a list assembled by the Savannah Film Commission , as well as the IMDb| Year | Title | Network | Notes | Reference |
| 2016 | The Man in the High Castle | Amazon Studios | In the 10th episode of the second season, entitled "Fallout", Savannah is reported as showing the highest levels of unrest in Nazi-occupied America following the death of Adolf Hitler. The city is set to be razed as a result but the plan is cancelled. | |
| 2013 | The Haves and the Have Nots | OWN | Show is set in Savannah; exterior shots are scattered throughout the city. | - |
| 2009 | The Office | NBC | In the 10th episode of the sixth season of the U.S. comedy series The Office, entitled "Murder," the series characters participated in a role playing game in which they took roles based on fictitious residents of Savannah. The episode originally aired on November 12, 2009. | |
| 2009 | Ghost Adventures | Travel Channel | In the 7th episode of season 2, the TV series conducts paranormal investigation at the Moon River Brewing Company. This episode originally aired on July 17, 2009. | |
| 2008 | Ruby | Style Network | Ruby is a documentary style reality television series on the Style Network that debuted in 2008 in the United States. It follows the life of Ruby Gettinger who lives in Savannah, Georgia as she attempts to lose weight. | - |
| 2008 | TV Guide Network | Sequel to. Reality show features life at the news department shared by WJCL and WTGS in Savannah. First episode aired on | ||
| 2007 | Southern Haunts | PBS | Season 1, Episode 3 was filmed in Savannah and hosted by Murray Silver. It originally aired on | |
| 2007 | Southern Haunts | PBS | Season 1, Episode 4 was filmed in Savannah. It originally aired on | |
| 2006 | Paula's Party | Food Network | Paula's Party was one of Paula Deen's shows on the Food Network. The first episodes were filmed in Savannah. | |
| 2006 | My Celebrity Home | Style Network | 26 April 2006 Titled Page Davis and 24 May 2006 Titled Desperate Housewives | - |
| 2005 | The Colbert Report | Comedy Central | District 1 was the first featured in "Better Know a District" segment. | |
| 1996 | Savannah | The WB | ||
| 1994 | Scarlett |
Savannah in film
The following is based on a list assembled by the Savannah Film Commission , as well as the IMDb| Year | Title | Notes | Reference |
| 2019 | Lady and the Tramp | Starring Tessa Thompson and Justin Theroux. | A Disney+ movie |
| 2017 | Baywatch | Starring Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron. | filmed on Tybee Island |
| 2016 | The Do-Over | Starring Adam Sandler and David Spade. | A Netflix movie |
| 2015 | Filmed in both Savannah and Tybee Island. Starring Antonio Banderas. | ||
| 2010 | The Conspirator | Filmed completely in Savannah. The Conspirator is a 2010 historical drama about the trial of Mary Surratt, the only female co-conspirator in the Abraham Lincoln assassination and the first woman to be hanged by the United States federal government. It stars Robin Wright Penn, James McAvoy, Justin Long, Evan Rachel Wood, Tom Wilkinson, Alexis Bledel, Kevin Kline, and Toby Kebbell. | |
| 2010 | The Last Song | Filmed in both Savannah and Tybee Island, The Last Song is the film adaptation of the Nicholas Sparks book by the same name. It stars Miley Cyrus, Greg Kinnear, and Liam Hemsworth. The film's storyline follows a troubled teenager, played by Cyrus, and her estranged father, played by Kinnear, as they reconnect with each other through music during a summer in a quiet Southern beach town. | |
| 2005 | Boogeyman | A young man tries to deal with the childhood terror that has affected his life. Starring Barry Watson. | |
| 2005 | Red Thread | ||
| 2005 | Snap | Savannah College of Art and Design student film starring actor Bubba Lewis. A young boy must defend his house after his parents are brutally murdered. | |
| 2004 | 95 Miles to Go | ||
| 2004 | Damn Good Dog | A profile of University of Georgia mascot Uga | |
| 2003 | Undertow | ||
| 2000 | Meeting Daddy | ||
| 2000 | The Gift | A woman with extrasensory perception is asked to help find a young woman who has disappeared. Starring Cate Blanchett and Katie Holmes. | |
| 1999 | The Legend of Bagger Vance | A disillusioned war veteran, Captain Rannulph Junah, reluctantly agrees to play a game of golf. He finds the game futile until his caddy, Bagger Vance, teaches him the secret of the authentic golf stroke which turns out also to be the secret to mastering any challenge and finding meaning in life. Starring Will Smith, Matt Damon, and Charlize Theron. | |
| 1998 | Claudine's Return | starring Christina Applegate, it was released as Kiss of Fire on DVD | |
| 1998 | Forces of Nature | Only the last 15 to 20 minutes of the film takes place in Savannah. A soon-to-be-married man encounters an exciting stranger after his plane suffers an accident on takeoff. Starring Ben Affleck and Sandra Bullock. | |
| 1998 | The General's Daughter | Portions were filmed on the campus of Savannah State University and a plantation house on the outskirts of Savannah | |
| 1997 | The Dinner | ||
| 1997 | The Gingerbread Man | ||
| 1997 | Kiss of Fire | starring Christina Applegate, it was originally released as Claudine's Return | |
| 1997 | Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil | Completely filmed in Savannah. Is based on the book by John Berendt by the same name. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil is a 1997 film directed by Clint Eastwood, and an adaptation the book of the same name. The film features Kevin Spacey as Jim Williams and Jude Law as Billy Carl Hanson. The Lady Chablis, who was a well known transvestite performer at Savannah's Club One plays herself in the film. An appearance by Uga V, the English bulldog live mascot of the University of Georgia, playing his father, Uga IV. The Uga mascots live in Savannah between football games. Starring Kevin Spacey and John Cusack. | |
| 1996 | White Squall | ||
| 1996 | Wild America | starring Jonathan Taylor Thomas | |
| 1995 | Something to Talk About | A major scene is created outside the Six Pence pub on Bull Street. Starring Julia Roberts and Dennis Quaid | |
| 1994 | Forrest Gump | The park bench that Forrest is sitting on throughout the film, the famous feather dropping opening sequence, and the ending of the film all take place and were filmed in Savannah. The well known park bench that Forrest sat on is encased in the Historic Society in Savannah. Also, Forrest's house in Alabama was actually purpose built in Savannah. Starring Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Gary Sinese, and Sally Field. | |
| 1994 | Now and Then | ||
| 1993 | Camilla | ||
| 1991 | Flight of the Intruder | ||
| 1991 | Cape Fear | A convicted rapist, released from prison after serving a 14-year sentence, stalks the family of the lawyer who originally defended him. Remake of the 1962 film of the same name, which was also filmed in Savannah. | |
| 1990 | Love Crimes | ||
| 1989 | Glory | Robert Gould Shaw leads the US Civil War's first all-black volunteer company, fighting prejudices of both his own Union army and the Confederates. Parts of the film were shot in Savannah and nearby Jeykll Island. Starring Matthew Broderick, Denzel Washington, and Morgan Freeman. | |
| 1989 | The Judas Project | ||
| 1989 | The Return of Swamp Thing | ||
| 1981 | Tales of Ordinary Madness | ||
| 1981 | There Was a Little Girl | ||
| 1980 | City of the Living Dead | ||
| 1980 | Mother Seton | ||
| 1980 | The Slayer | ||
| 1980 | White Death | ||
| 1979 | Carny | ||
| 1979 | Gold Bug | ||
| 1979 | Hopscotch | ||
| 1978 | The Double McGuffin | ||
| 1977 | The Lincoln Conspiracy | ||
| 1976 | The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings | ||
| 1975 | Distance | ||
| 1975 | Gator | ||
| 1974 | The Longest Yard | ||
| 1962 | Cape Fear | A lawyer's family is stalked by a man he once helped put in jail. | |
| 1957 | The Young Don't Cry | ||
| 1955 | View from Pomphey's Head | written and directed by Philip Dunne |