Interesting Haunts #1 (part 3)
Ohio State Reformatory and The Shawshank Redemption (TDH #67)
We’ve been looking at the Ohio State Reformatory, also known as Mansfield Prison. You can use these links to read “Part 1” and “Part 2,” if you haven’t yet.
It’s appropriate that OSR is sometimes called “Hollywood’s Favorite Prison.” Quite a few movies and documentaries have been filmed there. Here are a few notables:
Tango & Cash (1989)
Scenes: Parts of this buddy-cop action film starring Sylvester Stallone and Kurt Russell were filmed at the reformatory, which was used to depict a grim prison setting.
Air Force One (1997)
Scenes: The OSR was used for some interior shots in this political action thriller starring Harrison Ford.
Judas and the Black Messiah (2021)
Scenes: The reformatory was used for certain scenes portraying jail settings in this critically acclaimed biographical drama about the life of Fred Hampton.
Harry and Walter Go to New York (1976)
Scenes: Early scenes in this heist comedy film were shot at OSR.
Most Famous
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
Significance: This is the most famous movie filmed at OSR. The prison served as Shawshank State Penitentiary, and many iconic scenes, including Andy Dufresne’s escape and the prison yard sequences, were filmed here. The movie put the Reformatory on the map for film enthusiasts and tourists alike.
Coincidentally, 2024 is the 30th anniversary of The Shawshank Redemption, that the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) has as their top-rated movie (as voted by IMDb voters. The others in the top 5 that Shawshank beat out are The Godfather (1972), The Dark Knight (2008), The Godfather Part II (1974) and 12 Angry Men (1957). It was the first IMDb title to have 2 million votes.
The Shawshank Trail is a do-it-yourself driving tour that hits over a dozen filming sites for the movie. These feature the Shawshank warden’s office located in the West administration area of the real prison. In it, visitors will see the wall safe from the movie. Other sites include the bank Andy visited after escaping prison, Red’s bus station, the rock wall and oak tree where Red found what Andy left him, the old hotel where Brooks hung himself, and the courthouse where Andy stood trial. You can even visit the theatre where The Shawshank Redemption premiered on September 13, 1994.
Many other movie scenes and music videos were filmed at the Ohio State Reformatory. This includes the Russian prison scene at the beginning of the 1997 movie, Air Force One. It was shot in the West Cell Block. Today, there are still two enormous pictures of Russian communist leaders Vladimir Lenin and Joseph Stalin hanging side-by-side down a wall in the Central Guard Room.
In the first tier of the West Cell Block is one cell that stands out from the rest. It is painted red and has gold bars. This was done for the filming of a Li’l Wayne “Go DJ” rap video. Some of the other cells were restored for the filming of Godsmack’s “Awake” music video. ( from Ohio Traveler)
To tie things off, here is a nice video of Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman talking about The Shawshank Redemption at a 30-year anniversary celebration.
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