PITTSBURGH — When a movie or television show films on location, it’s common to cover the signage of local businesses with names that fit the time period or setting of the production. The Amazon Prime Video series “A League of Their Own” recently did that with the old Schwartz Market on the South Side while shooting there in July.
What’s rarely discussed, though, is how that can confuse locals who think their favorite businesses have suddenly changed names or owners.
New Kensington Mayor Tom Guzzo knows that from experience. He received lots of call from concerned residents when the IMDb TV series “Sprung” set up to film this week in suburban next-door neighbors New Kensington and Arnold.
“People call the mayor and say, ‘Oh, my God, is that business changing?’” Guzzo told the Post-Gazette. His answer: “No, relax, it’s for the movie.”
“Sprung” is a single-camera comedy from Greg Garcia, who also created the sitcoms “My Name is Earl” and “Raising Hope.” It stars Garret Dillahunt as Jack, who is released from prison after more than two decades into a world ravaged by the COVID-19 pandemic and must figure out a way to rebuild his life. The show co-stars the recently cast Martha Plimpton as Barb, the mother of Jack’s cellmate, Rooster (Phillip Garcia).
Local filming began on “Sprung” in August and Movie Casting PGH has been regularly putting out casting calls for extras and stand-ins interested in working on the show. It’s the first project to film in New Kensington since the 2019 Cate Blanchett dramedy “Where’d You Go, Bernadette” shot there a few summers ago, according to Guzzo.
This week’s “Sprung” filming took place at Valley Royal Court in New Kensington and Della’s Frozen Custard and Roy A. Hunt Elementary School in Arnold.
“I think it’s great that our little town gets to be a star in a major production,” Arnold Mayor Joe Bia said.
Guzzo said that this round of production was supposed to occur a week earlier but was delayed due to the threat of residual rain from Hurricane Ida. An extra week with new signage on local businesses led to even more folks being convinced their favorite establishments were gone.
Guzzo briefly stopped by the “Sprung” set on Monday. He said that the show’s location scouts have been great to work with, especially in working around logistical hurdles created by last weekend’s New Kensington Wine and Beer Festival.
“Being on the set is always kind of interesting,” Guzzo said. “You get to see people who you only see on TV.”
This wasn’t his first time on a set. The mayor was invited to visit when “Where’d You Go, Bernadette” was filming at a jewelry store the production had turned into a pharmacy. He was given a walkthrough around the set, but was expressly told not to touch the expensive Chihuly glass chandelier that had been flown in from Seattle to be used in exactly one shot.
“You couldn’t have computer-generated that somehow?” Guzzo quipped. “That was pretty cool.”
“Sprung” and “A League of Their Own” are currently the only Hollywood projects filming around Western Pennsylvania. Billy Porter’s directorial debut “What If?” and the Dakota Johnson-starring “Cha Cha Real Smooth” recently wrapped. The Netflix biopic “Rustin” is expected to start shooting around here on Sept. 27.
Having TV shows shot here is another feather in New Kensington’s cap. The Westmoreland County city is proud to show off its efforts to revive its downtown, with 31 businesses opening in the last 16 months.
“Anything that brings attention to your city in a good way is great,” Guzzo said. “There’s a real buzz going on through the city. This just adds to it.”
