Palm Trees In Movies

[amh]

I was recently watching Up In Smoke and decide to look up the current condition of Strawberry's house. Lo and behold, the date palm is still alive and growing, and other palms have been added as well.

Has anyone else checked on the status of palms from classic films?

The date palm trunk from the film.

And 44 years later.

I wasn't looking at his neck, man.

 

Edited June 12, 2022 by amh

[D. Morrowii]

I tried to find the ones from it’s a mad mad mad mad world 1963. I guess they planted 4 Queen palms for the movie at a place in Palos Verde. I went down a bit of a rabbit hole trying   find out if they were still there. Apparently it’s private property now right now and the guy did some YouTube videos where he searched for them 
 

[Las Palmas Norte]

6 hours ago, D. Morrowii said:

... I went down a bit of a rabbit hole trying   find out if they were still there...

Those where very likely set in place for filming then removed.

[Merlyn]

I haven't tried finding specific palms from movies, but I have looked at palms in movies and said to my wife, "nope that palm won't grow there."  She rolls her eyes and sighs... 

[Xerarch]

20 hours ago, Merlyn said:

I haven't tried finding specific palms from movies, but I have looked at palms in movies and said to my wife, "nope that palm won't grow there."  She rolls her eyes and sighs... 

I saw a short movie a while back, had a scene where Joseph and pregnant Mary were traveling to Bethlehem, they stopped for a break in a beautiful grove of palms........Washingtonia filifera.  My wife didn't really appreciate my sharp eye and deep knowledge of palms and regions of the world where they are native either.

[Merlyn]

48 minutes ago, Xerarch said:

I saw a short movie a while back, had a scene where Joseph and pregnant Mary were traveling to Bethlehem, they stopped for a break in a beautiful grove of palms........Washingtonia filifera.  My wife didn't really appreciate my sharp eye and deep knowledge of palms and regions of the world where they are native either.

Then you need to watch this comedy clip.  Fortunately my wife thought this was hilarious too, now if one of us leaves the door open a tiny bit too long the other immediately says "you just let 800 mosquitoes into the house!!!" 

 

[Darold Petty]

Merlyn, that guy is hilarious, thanks for posting !  

[amh]

12 hours ago, Xerarch said:

I saw a short movie a while back, had a scene where Joseph and pregnant Mary were traveling to Bethlehem, they stopped for a break in a beautiful grove of palms........Washingtonia filifera.  My wife didn't really appreciate my sharp eye and deep knowledge of palms and regions of the world where they are native either.

Was the movie at least filmed where Washingtonia filifera is native(ish) or was it filmed in Europe or Africa?

[Johnny Palmseed]

On 6/12/2022 at 7:46 PM, D. Morrowii said:

I tried to find the ones from it’s a mad mad mad mad world 1963. I guess they planted 4 Queen palms for the movie at a place in Palos Verde. I went down a bit of a rabbit hole trying   find out if they were still there. Apparently it’s private property now right now and the guy did some YouTube videos where he searched for them 
 

This guy says he found them but it’s no longer a “W” as the 3rd tree is gone. No picture though.

https://www.newsfromme.com/articles-such/the-big-w/

[D. Morrowii]

1 hour ago, Johnny Palmseed said:

This guy says he found them but it’s no longer a “W” as the 3rd tree is gone. No picture though.

https://www.newsfromme.com/articles-such/the-big-w/

Thanks JP, Thats a more complete story than what I found when I looked around about a year ago. The youtube guy was never able to get on the property and I think what he found then included 1 washingtonia? Maybe it was an attempt by the property owners to restore the “Big W”

[Xerarch]

11 hours ago, amh said:

Was the movie at least filmed where Washingtonia filifera is native(ish) or was it filmed in Europe or Africa?

I'm pretty sure it was a native grove around Palm Springs, really the whole production of that nativity story was high quality, the palm grove shot was natural and looked great, just wrong species.