www.AdamTheWoo.com - PLEASE RATE & SUBSCRIBE - I made the trek to Las Vegas, New Mexico to find the locations from one of my favorite 80s films. Enjoy !
It's 11:59 on Radio Free America; this is Uncle Sam, with music, and the truth until dawn. Right now I've got a few words for some of our brothers and sisters in the occupied zone: "the chair is against the wall, the chair is against the wall", "john has a long mustache, john has a long mustache". It's twelve o'clock, American, another day closer to victory. And for all of you out there, on, or behind the line, this is your song. [the Battle Hymn of the Republic begins to play]
My Aunt played one of the people taken hostage by the Russians you can see her behind the fences in the movie. My whole family is from Las Vegas, NM. Thank you so much for this video!
Great movie. I know people make fun of it, but if you grew up in the 80's like I did, this was a powerful film. John Milius was a genius and considering what they had to work with, they did great.
I remember when I was in high school wanting desperately for a movie with this premise to exist... it was before the days of IMDb... one evening while combing television I caught the beginning of this movie and it has always been legendary for me ever since.
This is so cool! I was THERE!!.. I was in Jr High when this was filmed and spent the better part of my life there. The building you said was blown up was actually a real building (Abandoned) that eventually fell down. In the beginning you can see my dads El Camino parked across the street from that. I was a huge deal for a small town. Another big one filmed there was Convoy..lol and now Longmire is filmed there. It was so awesome being a kid and watching the helicopters fly over my house late at night.. Thanks for sharing this.
Adam, I love your work, and I don't want you to think I'm bashing in any way. I applaud all you do. In an effort to be "accurate", I need to point out just a couple of things. I was there each day this movie was being filmed. I was a 6th Grader at that middle school in 1983. The entire classroom indoors and out was a set, built onto our school for film and after was demolished. The Buildings on Grand Ave. and Lincoln Ave. were not a facade. Those were actual buildings listed on the National Historical Registrar from the late 1800's. When MGM set off explosives inside those structures seen in the film, it made them extremely unstable. For years after MGM had long since left our town, they were roped off and collapsing daily. Eventually they had to be demolished. As for the tree in the park that had been removed? That tree was a prop to cover the poll that you pointed out...that's why it's still there. As a boy I got to meet all the actors, of course I didn't know who any of them were or would become, but those rubber prop guns they carried were pretty cool when I was 11 years old. Patrick Swayze fell so much in love with our small town, he moved there. Had a home in a close nearby canon until he passed away. He was a regular at our local business for years after this movie. Next time you get a chance to return to Las Vegas, NM visit Johnson's Mesa, where all the "Wolverine" battle scenes we're filmed. Great Stuff Adam, Keep them coming!!
Dan Holguin very cool info Dan thank you. This movie left such a strong impression on me when I watched for the first time as a 9th grader when it first was released.
I saw that movie in the theater and it is still entertaining. The theater in the Eagle Rock Mall in California is of course no longer around. I saw Airplane there too as well as Return of the Jedi, Revenge of the Nerds, and The Principal with James Belushi...oh the memories!
I,m gonna watch "the original" Red Dawn like I did in the '80's on the big screen. I saw it at the theater and thought it was one of the most awesome movies of all time -- Swayze has always been one of my favorites, that man could act !!!! -- and what a great guy.
An underrated movie in many aspects,......never really gets the recognition it fully deserves,...I think it's a great film , and I've watched it many times
Thank you Adam one of my favorites - I was a senior tank driver army guard in 1984 M60A1 TANK DRIVER AND YES WE DID COME CLOSE TO BEING SHIPPED OUT TO EUROPE (GERMANY) BUT NEVER DID.THANK GOD....GOD BLESS AMERICA ......
I'm going to go watch this on Netflix now. Thank you so much for putting this together Adam. I really enjoyed it. Amazing how much of it is still there! I seen the new one. It was good but not like this one. WOLVERINES!!
Thx adamthewoo! I was 17 when this was released and was about to go into the army in Aug of 1984. This was a very powerful movie for me. I remember for a long time after I saw this every time I heard a chopper I had to look up to make sure it was 'one of ours'!
You know, as a native New Mexican, I ALWAYS think of "that" Las Vegas first. That being said, I had no idea Red Dawn was filmed there. Might have to take a road trip!!! Great vid!!
Dude, I envy you! I may have met a TON of major Actors and Actresses, but you have actually been to the places that they have played their parts. "All the world's a stage", eh? And you have seen many of those places. Thank you for respecting all those places that you've visited so that the rest of us have a chance to eventually do the same. I just wish more people were like you. Also, thank you for documenting these places before some of them disappear forever. You make these journeys fun. Again, Thank you, for all you do. Dude, you ROCK!!!
Still a favorite movie I watch every so often. Thanks for including the film shots along with the locations as they exist today. I've always wanted to visit Las Vegas, New Mexico. Hopefully I'll be able to someday.
My beloved mama and her people were born in this magnificent, beautiful city of Las Vegas..I remember going to visit there shortly after the release of this movie and my cousin Thelma, (RIP cuz ) worked at a hotel/bar in the square downtown, she told me the cast would come in on breaks and would drink up a storm all being very nice to my cousin, but she said, and I mean no disrespect to him, Patrick Swayze would always sit by himself in a corner reading or studying his lines..she would try to get his autograph but he would always brush her off saying don't bother him.. basically her saying he was the only one out of the group that was rude ..in any event my Aunt and cousin showed me around this incredible city and especially Hermans Peak..and other historical places..we drove up in the mountains too since my aunt also had a cabin up there and omg.. I'd never seen anything so beautiful my life! The whole city and people in it makes me so very proud I am associated in a sense to it, and that my family was born and raised in this amazing city, Las Vegas, New Mexico ❤❤
Good ole Vegas! Loved growing up there as a young man. This movie aways takes me back cause i used to explore those mountains all day. All causeof the Wolverines.
***** Great job as always. LOL, "This VW Bug has nothing to do with Red Dawn". At 7:26 when you mentioned "the girl" which being the actor Jennifer Grey was later reunited with Patrick Swayze in Dirty Dancing. R.I.P Patrick Swayze, died of Pancreatic Cancer.
Been binge watching you for four days... envy you yet don't because I bet that for every second of your best moments you post here for us to enjoy, a half hour of really hard work went into it. Thank you for taking us there and making the trip for us so easy:)
how many times I have seen this movie..... and JUST caught a "long shot" of Sandia Peak through the trees.... of the Sandia Mountains. Was in Las Vegas last fall... will go back again soon and check out more references. Good stuff!! Covid sure took its toll on LV.
Brilliantly Done, Adam! Just watched the Movie in preparation for the episode of FilmSack about it. So glad you shared your Red Dawn excursion with all of us on the internet. 😁👍
Great movie! My Dad and I just watched this again for the first time in over 20 years. It was like seeing it for the first time again =-O. This movie scared the 💩 out of me when I first saw it 1984. The parachute scene was terrifying to me as a kid, we were cold war kids(also a good band).
Very good job on the video, and a great job of making the connection of the various parts of the movie to the various locations that exist currently in the town.
A Great Film. The significance of the prop Rough Rider's statue was that Las Vegas, N.M. was the sight of a reunion of the Rough Riders that Theodore Roosevelt himself attended. Likely one of my ancestor uncles who was a member of the 1st Vol. Cav. with Teddy (now buried in St. David, Az. ) was one of them.
I ran into a person in Santa Fe that had been one of the extras in the scene at the drive in. She said they were not acting like they were cold and miserable, they were. they had been out there for some time for a really short "shoot'. By the way, it is known as "The real Las Vegas". If you go, go up the Gallinas Canyon and see Montezuma, have no idea what it is like now and whether it is still "American University" or not.
Love that you went back to revisit the Red Dawn movie locations ,just one correction I can see you mentioned the LADY COWBOY STILL UP AFTER ALL THIS YEARS AFTER MOVIE.... NOPE SHE HAS BEEN THERE EVER SINCE I CAN REMEMBER ...I WAS BORN N RAISED IN LAS VEGAS..Thank you sir... Patrick lived in las vegas part time at his ranch ,was always seen shopping or partying in vegas lol... May God Redt his soul....
Thanks for the tour. I'll look for some.of those spots if I'm ever in Las Vegas. The only set that I've intentionally visited was Roslyn Washington which was the set of the TV show Northern Exposure.
Another great video Adam,here in the UK we have many movie locations but nothing like the american ones.Red Dawn is one of my all time favorites and i'm glad to see a lot of the place still standing.You can't beat the 80's movies and can't wait for your next one.I know it's a long shot as the movie wasn't a big hit,but i would love to see the locations for The Burning if you could,that would seriously make my day,,thanks.
Best theme music of all time. Basil Poledouris could make some patriotic marches. Red Dawn (1984), Flight of the Intruder, and even Hot Shots 2 just to name a few.
This movie recreates the experiences that formerly free countries of Eastern Europe went through in Soviet occupation. It's not a vestibule, but a public bandstand, in many parks across the U.S. c1880-1920. The one in Honolulu was made about 1883 for the Royal Hawaiian Band.
+Joseph Schmoe I was about 12, living in western Nebraska where Reagan wanted to put all those brand new MX missles.... I remember feeling a little freaked too.
