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May 26, 2012

Springfields fight over The Simpsons movie premiere

by Anna Johns, posted May 26th 2007 10:53AM
springfield; simpsonsIt's getting down to the nitty gritty with 16 American towns named Springfield. They're all vying for the right to premiere The Simpsons movie in July.

While my personal favorite is Springfield, Oregon because I live in Portland and can easily drive there, I think Springfield, Illinois may be ahead in the running. According to this LA Times article, Mayor Tim Davlin recently gave a speech where he said "we are indeed the city that best represents the community on television." Either he's trying to make us think he's the real Mayor Quimby (because that is totally something Quimby would say), or he has never seen The Simpsons. The Springfield portrayed on the show ain't exactly paradise. It's more of a dump, really.

Davlin says his town's assets are the donut factory, nearby Shelbyville, and the fact that Abraham Lincoln once lived there (think: Abe Simpson). Another contender, Springfield, Mass. is going just a little too high-brow, claiming it should get the premiere because it's the nation's first Springfield, and the birthplace of Dr. Seuss and frozen food.

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justin

what about springfeild manitoba i really think that one should of won for sure even if they didnt put a entry in for it

August 04 2007 at 9:43 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Mike

I grew up in Holyoke, MA - near Springfield (live overseas now).

I love Holyoke and Western Mass, and hope the Mass entry wins; however, I thought the entry from Tennessee was really funny and most in keeping with the spirit of the show.

Good luck to all the entrants.

July 02 2007 at 4:01 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
DKM

PS.
I think the Simpson's is set in the 80's, since Marge and Homer got married in the 70's. The Springfield is a memory of how it used to be. I don't think the current Springfield has to be a dump. The important thing is that it used to be like the one in the Simpsons.

It was a time before Bush, the Iraq war and estate tax cuts.

June 17 2007 at 1:47 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
DKM

I grew up in West Springfield Mass in the 60's and 70's.
The similarities are that it was a blue collar town. It was a good place to raise a family, like the Simpsons. Any defects were more charming than dangerous.

The cops were "not too bright" but were generous, and we knew everyone in town. Firemen, bank employees,etc
I went to demonstrate against the building of the Seabrook Nuclear Power plant in NH. Remember when Sam Lovejoy toppled it? Donuts places all over the place, and they still are. Extremely old gravestones in most cemetaries, many from the American Revolution. Lots of snow for "Mr. Plow". All kinds of churches (including Flanders') and many Quickie Marts run by immigrants

THE RED SOX,
Boston accents like Mayor Quimby, the Memorial Bridge, Bondi's island, York St. jail, Springfield Civic Center
BB Hall of Fame, Springfield Country Club (in West Side), Farming communities (Agawam, Southwick, Feeding Hills, Hampshire County) , NOHO nearby, 5 colleges including Amherst, UMASS, Hampshire, Mount Holyoke and Smith, Indian motorcycle museum, Naismith at Springfield College, AIC, Western NE College, The Elms, birth of volleyball in Holyoke, Holyoke Soldiers Home, 2nd largest St. Patrick's Day parade in Holyoke, Old Day House, Big E, Storrowton Theatre in West Side, Dr. Seuss and Mulberry Street, Hungry Hill and the Italian south end, Forest Park, the Springfield Indians, the famous Pilgrim in the Springfield Quad, the planetarium, the Morgan Horse, Mt. Tom, the Oxbow, the Holyoke Range, the Notch, Skinner Mt., Yankee Candle founder (HCC), the Connecticut River,Quabbin Reservoir (covers 5 old towns)

All these things are historical and applicable to the show.
The history is something that you can't recreate or backdate. Western Massachusetts has buildings,graves, roads, and family trees that go back to the 1600's.

What Springfield Mass has in common is that it's a blue collar town still, and people are squeaking by and doing other things to get by and "keep up with the Joneses"

I live near DC now, and will always be a Yankee. I hope that Springfield Mass wins. It deserves it...

June 17 2007 at 1:29 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
biskitwheels

springfield, mass is famous for march 28th, 1973 at the civic center when the grateful dead absolutely destroyed the place. a 20 plus minute dark star and an "eyes of the world" that rivals most jazz greats. 1 drummer, jerry on a strat.

many of the names of characters are taken from streets in portland, oregon. what i do love is how springfield really is a town in every corner of america and can never really be defined as a specific place.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_The_Simpsons_name_origins

June 16 2007 at 1:34 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
dave

Springfield Mass is the home of NRBQ, The Memorial Bridge, The Armory, The Springfield Country club and if you look at the aerial shot of Springfield Ma and the one from the Simpson's-they match exactly!

June 09 2007 at 9:33 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
David

Midnight Penguin, I was talking about Springfield MA being the 18th most dangerous. You have seen nothnig until you go there. There was a stop light missing one morning and the car on that side didn't even stop, kept gonig and almost smacked into a bus. And after that she still just went on like nothing happened!

May 27 2007 at 2:26 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Mel

I live in St. Louis, and I'm really excited about Springfield Illinois being the frontrunner in this thing. I've never been there, nor to any other Springfield, but I am ridiciously excited about The Simpsons Movie, and if it's premiering there, I will do whatever it takes to make my family drive me there.

May 27 2007 at 11:16 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
The Midnight Penguin

I'm close to Springfield, IL and I do believe it's a dump. In a retail sense there's tons of shoplifting at the mall, more than usual, and really really bad security that doesn't do anything to stop it. I can believe the poster that said it's the 18th dangerous city! Just driving around town makes me feel like I'm living 20 years ago or more, and a lot of interactions I've had the people are just slow and not very friendly. I've never been to another Springfield though.

May 27 2007 at 10:17 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
DiRT

Springfield, IL has been hosting Simpsons related trips to sister city members around the globe for years. Winners from other countries come for a weekend, get a tour of the doughnut factory, see the Abe Lincoln sites (Jeremiah Springfield reference, not Abe Simpson), and get a bunch of "Springfield" themed goodies.

Can someone please log into the LA Times site and repost the article? I hate when dooche-baggy sites make you log in for "free" content.

May 27 2007 at 9:05 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply

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