By Lisa Kashinsky
Wicked Local
December 3, 2014
Come Wednesday, the front window of Shore Things, Betsy Howley’s Brant Rock gift shop, will look more like that of an old appliance shop.
Next door, the interior of ice cream shop The Latest Scoop has been transformed with everything from a new paint job to an old-time telephone booth.
These are just some of the changes the Brant Rock esplanade has undergone recently as Walt Disney Pictures prepares to film “The Finest Hours” in town today, Wednesday, Dec. 3.
“It’s been great, they’ve been so nice and accommodating,” Howley said of the film crew. “It should be fun to watch the filming.”
“The Finest Hours,” adapted from the Casey Sherman and Michael Tougias book of the same name, tells the story of a U.S. Coast Guard rescue off Cape Cod after two oil tankers split in half during a February 1952 nor’easter.
Actor Chris Pine will play the hero, Boatswain’s Mate Bernie Webber.
The movie will film in the Brant Rock area on Dec. 3, starting with a sunset shoot at the seawall from about 2 to 4 p.m. on Ocean Street between Colonial Road and the Victory Baptist Church, Marshfield Police Safety Officer Kevin Feyler said.
The production will then shift to The Latest Scoop at 263 Ocean St., and will start to film there around 8 p.m., Feyler said.
While the movie’s main set is in Quincy, it was also set to film in Cohasset, Duxbury, Norwell and Chatham.
Howley said that members of the film crew had been in the Brant Rock esplanade area for about a month building the set at The Latest Scoop.
She said her shop closed down for a few days as filming neared so that she could remove products from her front window and so the film crew could set up appliances for the shoot and put up a sign.
On Monday, crews were out removing modern streetlights to help set the stage for the 1950s-themed shoot.
“The whole reason they want this area is because they’re trying to make it look like the 1950s,” Feyler said. “They’re going to park cars in the area from that timeframe to make it look like the actual 1950s.”
Feyler said parts of the Brant Rock area would be closed from 10 a.m. Wednesday to 10 a.m. Thursday for the production.
Police will detour residents around the filming, he said.
For instance, Ocean Street southbound will be closed during the shoot at The Latest Scoop. Motorists will be detoured down Joseph Driebeck Way, where the bridge will be open, Feyler said. Detours will most likely run along Plymouth Avenue while the movie films at the seawall, Feyler said, as Ocean Street will be closed in both directions between Colonial Road and the church for that shoot.
Nearby residents have been notified of the detours and parking restrictions, Feyler said. Residents can park on side streets or at the beach parking lot across from the Brant Rock Market, he said.
For those interested in watching the filming, Feyler said police would set up areas for people to come and watch.
“A lot of people came down when we filmed ‘The Way, Way Back,’” Feyler said. “I’m sure we’ll have something so people can do the same thing down there.”
The Venus II Restaurant and Sports Bar will be closed the night of Dec. 3 to serve as a base for the film crew. Other restaurants in the area will remain open during the shoot, Feyler said.
Feyler said that the film crew was doing its best to making filming as easy as possible on residents and businesses.
“It’s a great thing that another film’s being filmed in Marshfield. It brings a lot to the economy,” he said.
Tracy Vaughan, co-owner of Brant Rock restaurant The Jetty, said that having the movie film in Marshfield was good for business.
“Part of the crew has been in here quite a bit for lunch,” she said.
Vaughan said that movie has helped draw people to Brant Rock, which also helps spread the word about her restaurant.
“It certainly brings people that might not ever make it to Brant Rock, to Brant Rock,” she said, adding, “Now people know about us. That’s a positive.”
Howley said she was excited for the shoot.
“All the customers have been coming in and asking about it,” she said.
Reach reporter Lisa Kashinsky at lkashinsky@wickedlocal.com. Follow her on Twitter @MarshfieldLisa.