Maps of Movies
This Boy's Life (1993)
Where This Boy's Life says it takes place, and where it was really shot.
Dwight's Washington town was filmed in the real Concrete, but his house was built in the woods near Vancouver.
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Scenes and places
Uranium hunting out west (1957)
Toby and his mother chase a fresh start in Utah, treating a uranium-spotting light as their ticket out of money worries. Caroline's optimism is the engine of the story.
Set in Salt Lake City, Utah — Toby and Caroline arrive in Salt Lake City in 1957, hoping to start over by prospecting for uranium. Google Maps · Apple Maps
The Utah capital, where the film's 1957 journey begins.
Filmed at Professor Valley, Utah — The main-titles drive was filmed in Professor Valley. Google Maps · Apple Maps
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Filmed at La Sal Mountains, Utah — Additional scenes were shot in the La Sal Mountains; the exact spot is not given. Google Maps · Apple Maps
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Filmed at Moab, Utah — Additional scenes were shot in and around Moab; the exact spot is not given. Google Maps · Apple Maps
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Filmed at Salt Lake City, Utah — Some scenes were shot in Salt Lake City; no specific site is named. Google Maps · Apple Maps
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The bus to Seattle (1957)
Caroline decides on the spot to leave town and the pair board a bus. Toby, soon calling himself Jack, begins to drift into trouble at school.
Set in Seattle, Washington — After being followed by an unwelcome ex-boyfriend, Caroline impulsively moves Toby to Seattle instead. Google Maps · Apple Maps
The big city where Toby and Caroline settle, with no filming location on record.
Thanksgiving turkey shoot in Concrete (1957)
Dwight shows off his town and his rifle skills, but Caroline outshoots him at the turkey shoot. His fury, hidden for now, hints at what is coming.
Set in Concrete, Washington — Dwight brings Caroline and Jack to his home town near the northern Cascades for Thanksgiving. Google Maps · Apple Maps
A small cement-industry town on the Skagit River below the North Cascades.
Filmed at Concrete, Washington — Ten days of filming here; the main street was restored to its 1950s look, and a local radio report says the town's cement silos were painted by the film crew. Google Maps · Apple Maps
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Fighting Arthur Gayle at school
Egged on by his new classmates to taunt Arthur, Jack ends up in a fistfight. The quarrel turns into the friendship that carries him through Concrete.
Set in Concrete school — Jack fights classmate Arthur Gayle, an effeminate misfit, and later befriends him.
Filming used the town's former elementary school buildings and the Concrete High School building; no coordinates are on record.
Life under Dwight's roof
Dwight turns controlling and insecure, and Jack bears the brunt. Caroline believes her new husband is a good influence.
Set in Dwight's house, Concrete — Dwight forces Jack to join the Boy Scouts and withholds his paper route money.
The film's house was built as a set in the woods outside Vancouver, not in Concrete.
The Hill School interview
After many rejections, Jack gets one chance to make a case for himself. The interview opens a door to the East Coast.
Set in The Hill School, Pottstown, Pennsylvania — Jack impresses an interviewer for the Hill School. Google Maps · Apple Maps
A boarding school in Pottstown, Pennsylvania; no filming there is on record.
Characters
- Toby (Jack) — A teenage boy who moves with his mother from town to town and goes by Jack.
- Caroline — His free-spirited mother, always looking for a fresh start.
- Dwight Hansen — Her pompous suitor, later husband, with a domineering streak.
Questions answered on the map
- Was the town in This Boy's Life a real place?