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Daily Voice has come up with a list of holiday movies set in Pennsylvania so no matter where you are in you can feel at home for the holidays.
Grab the popcorn, and get ready to check out nine holiday films set in Pennsylvania in chronological order:
Remember the Night (1940)
Although this story starts on New York City's 5th Avenue nearly half of the film is a road trip through the Keystone state. The film is full of humor-- especially about Pennsylvania's winding and hilly roads that are awash with construction and signage issues. The film stars Fred MacMurray and Barbara Stanwyck in a criminally enchanting romance.
The Miracle of the Bells (1948)
Another Fred MacMurray film, this religious drama is about a miracle and a love story where the romantic leads are reunited at Christmas. The movie is set in the fictional town of Coaltown, Pennsylvania but was filmed in Glen Lyon.
Trouble with Angels (1966)
Roslyn Russell and Hayley Mills star in a romp about teenage girls in a Catholic boarding school. Mills plays a troublesome student at the fictional Saint Francis Academy in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, which is shot on location at the former St. Mary's Home for Children and which is presently known as Lindenwold Castle in Ambler, Pennsylvania. The film and it's sequel (Where Angels Go Trouble Follows) are shot throughout the state featuring Marin railroad, the Pennsylvania Turnpike Independence Hall, Dorney Park and various locations in and around the state. The movie includes several Christmas scenes but takes place over the course several school years.
Trading Places (1983)
This classic comedy is set during the holidays and in Philadelphia. Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy star in this film about classism where they swap lives as part of a bet.
Trapped in Paradise (1994)
As Daily Voice frequently shares articles about crime in Pennsylvania, we were surprised we had never scene this holiday film starring Nicolas Cage, Dana Carvey, Jon Lovitz, who play brothers and bank robbers stuck in a sweet township in Pennsylvania. Need more Nicolas Cage for the holiday season? Another film he stars in made our New Jersey list, you can check that out here.
Joy (2015)
This biographical comedy-drama stars Jennifer Lawrence as Joy Mangano, a self-made millionaire who created her own business empire starting with a mop. This film takes place over several years but opens at Christmas time in Peconic, New York and has several scenes in West Chester, Pennsylvania.
Love the Coopers (2015)
Filmed and set in Pittsburgh (yinz can't get much more “set in Pennsylvania” than that) on Christmas Eve as a family reunites for the holidays in this comedy-drama starring John Goodman, Diane Keaton, Ed Helms, Olivia Wilde, Marsai Tomei, Alan Arkin, and famous Pennsylvanian Amanda Seyfried.
A Song For Christmas (2017)
A music filled tv movie on Hallmark about a popstar stranded in Pennsylvania who with the help of a local family learns “the true meaning of the season, even if they’re close to losing their dairy farm,” according to Hallmark’s website. Although on one version of the movie description says it is supposedly set in Virginia, but we watched and can confirm it is the Keystone state. This film stars Becca Tobin and Kevin McGarry.
Radio Christmas (2019)
This tv movie is a Lifetime original about a Philadelphia radio DJ, played by Keshia Knight Pulliam broadcasting from Bethlehem for the holidays. “Along the way, she discovers the true meaning of family, community, love and of course, Christmas,” according to Lifetime’s website.
Hallmark does use Pennsylvanian small towns for establishing shots as confirmed by the Lititz Museum's staff, but we don’t know of any other films set in Pennsylvania, despite Ephrata’s mayor's claims at a Nov. council meeting, as reported by LancasterOnline.
Did we miss one? Email jpikora@dailyvoice.com the name of the film and the location it takes place in and we might run an update!
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