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The Goonies film locations in Astoria

Posted on December 10, 2011 by peter bell

The 1985 film The Goonies has become something of a cultural touchstone.  Chances are that if you grew up in the 1980s, you have seen this movie or at least heard it referenced through pop culture.  The exterior shots for this movie were filmed in the Astoria, Oregon area, and popturf user crabapple has provided a number of Goonies film locations.

Steven Spielberg, who is also given the story credit for the film, directed the beginning sequence of The Goonies.  This fast-paced sequence does a number of things: it introduces and gives individual attributes to all of the protagonists in the film (the Goonies), it introduces some of the antagonists (the Fratellis), and it sets up the location of the sleepy seaside town of Astoria. (*Spoiler alert from here on)

In the opening of the film, Mama and Francis Fratelli break Jake Fratelli out of the county jail.  An action-packed police chase ensues through the streets of Astoria.  We get to see the police car chase as it weaves through the lives of the various Goonies: past Mouth’s house on top of the hill, in the background as Andy leads cheer practice at the football field, flying by Rosalita outside the Stop and Snack Store, and past the bowling alley where Chunk is so enthralled with the action that he loses his lunch.   The Fratellis’ truck finally loses the police as it enters into a race on Cannon Beach.

The Goonies learn that they are in danger of losing their homes, and they congregate at the Goonies’ house.  Their next-door neighbor, Data, makes a surprising entrance via a zip line through the screen door.  They find a treasure map in the attic, take it upon themselves to find the treasure, and hop on their bikes to uncertain adventure.

On their way to the first of a series of locations, they ride past the Flavel House, where Mikey’s dad is operating the flagpole.  The Flavel House is currently the home of the Clatsop County Historical Society.

The Goonies make their way to a location that is marked by Spanish doubloon that has three holes in it.  The hole on the far left is the Tillamook Rock Lighthouse, a.k.a “Terrible Tilly” because of the dangerous conditions to operate it.  The hole in the middle is a rock that was later blue-screened in, but the hole on the right is the restaurant known as “Lighthouse Lounge.”  A film crew built the restaurant over an existing park shelter in Ecola State Park, 1.5 miles north of Cannon Beach.

The majority of the rest of the shots were done in studios, except for the ending sequence when the police on Cannon Beach find the Goonies and the Fratellis.  Interesting side note: the director, Richard Donner, is one of the police on the ATVs that find them.

Many of these locations can be viewed in an afternoon, and if you are going to do it Goonies-style you might want to consider touring them on a bike.  It’s been rumored for years a sequel being made for this classic movie, but nothing has happened yet.  You never know though.  Remember: Goonies never say die.

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