This year marks the 25th Anniversary of my favorite movie of all-time 'The Shawshank Redemption.' The film has been in the Number One slot on the IMDB list of their Top 250 films for years.
'Shawshank' was filmed in and around the town of Mansfield, Ohio. If you're ever in Mansfield, you can hop on 'The Shawshank Trail' and visit the filming sites. Or you can head straight to the Ohio State Reformatory and tour the prison itself. I wonder if you can actually step into the cell that contained Andy Dufresne, the character played by Tim Robbins. One of these days, I'll have to get to Mansfield.
'Shawshank Redemption' was based on a Stephen King story called 'Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption.' Soon after I saw it, I was in Manhattan and spotted Stephen King walking toward me. I stopped him and said, "I just gotta tell ya. I LOVED the Shawshank Redemption." Mr. King said "Thanks, but no one saw it!" And he was right, the film was not a hit when it first came out.
But it is now.
Morgan Freeman (l.) and Tim Robbins in a shot taken five years ago by Valerie Macon / Getty Images.