For the second time in about a quarter-century, Farragut Place in Morristown has become a movie location.
On Monday, exteriors were filmed for an independent production, The History of Sound. Current street signs were removed and residents and their vehicles were replaced by extras in period costumes and antique cars, as the Historic District neighborhood was transformed into a community from the early 20th century.
Variety describes The History of Sound as a gay romance, based on a short story by Ben Shattuck and starring British actor Josh O’Connor and Irish actor Paul Mescal.
“Two young men during World War I set out to record the lives, voices and music of their American countrymen,” according to the film site IMDB.
O’Connor played a young Prince Charles in the Netflix series The Crown; other credits include Dr. Who, Peaky Blinders and God’s Own Country.
Mescal has appeared in Normal People and The Lost Daughter, among other things.
A Victorian home on Farragut Place was used for interior scenes of the 1998 movie One True Thing, starring Meryl Streep, William Hurt and Renée Zellweger.
Monday afternoon’s shoot only lasted two- or three hours, and the production is not scheduled to return to Morristown, a crew member told Morristown Green.
Other exterior locations listed for Monday were St. Elizabeth University in Morris Township and Giralda Farms in Madison. Earlier this month, there were reports of filming at a Hoboken restaurant.
When a downed power line created hazards a few years ago, Farragut Place homeowner Michael Aaron Rockland quipped that it was the worst trauma to befall the quiet street since Meryl Streep “died” in his dining room.
The neighborhood is likely to get a lot less screen time from The History of Sound.
Karen Ann Kurlander lives on Farragut, and helps produce an annual Armistice Ball celebrating the end of World War I. She said Monday’s film sequence involved an actor, an actress and a dog.
“The man was being filmed walking up the street with a paper bag and a leather case — riveting!” she deadpanned.
In its permit request to town officials, production company Far Winter LLC said 60 crew members were there to shoot this:
1920s Day: A man walks down a suburban street to his car.
The crew removed anachronistic details like flags and alarm company signs, Kurlander said. Police controlled traffic. Nearby residents only were informed about the film shoot last Friday, said neighbor Donna McNamara.
Alice Cutler said it was cool seeing Farragut Place transported back in time, even if only for an afternoon. “I wish I could have been an extra,” said Cutler, who helps preserve Morristown’s Revolutionary War history as president of the Trustees of the Green.
Mark Wahlberg filmed scenes on the historic town Green last spring for the Netflix movie The Union.
Patrick Dempsey and Morgan Freeman also have done scenes in Morristown in recent years, as film companies have discovered the town’s visual charms.
Director Oliver Hermanus told Variety that The History of Sound “is an unexpected love story that needs to be told — it is a journey through the life of America, across the 20th century and the traditions of American folk music, all seen through the bond between two men immersed in the history of sound. This undeniably powerful story will certainly resonate with audiences the world over.”
I have great memories of both 11 Farragut when it was used for “One True Thing” (Renee Zellinger was a doll to work with) and selling 14 Farragut not once but twice. So happy to have represented both of these historic “jewels” in our neighborhood (listed and sold) and so glad the new owners respected the historic significance in our town! We are blessed!
Someone should have been there to monitor the crew!
Indeed, flags were removed. The took the American flag that hangs in front of the Kellogg Club and simply threw it in the bushes ! Thoughtless and incomprehensible.