That Time Patrick Swayze, Bill Paxton, & Liam Neeson Hung Out in Eastern KY

I have been borderline giddy about the tax incentive that continues to draw more and more filmmakers and some of your favorite actors to Kentucky.

Some films being shot in the Commonwealth are not even SET here, and that's even more exciting because that means they don't need Kentucky JUST because the story is set in Kentucky. But 36 years ago, eastern Kentucky was needed to play itself, and so Hollywood A-listers descended upon Hazard.

The Stars Descend Upon Hazard KY

The movie was Next of Kin, and it starred the late Patrick Swayze as Truman, a Chicago police officer whose brother, Gerald, is murdered by a mobster after being convinced to come to the Windy City for work. The story then moves to Kentucky where Gerald's funeral is held AND where we meet a third brother, Briar, whose idea of justice is diametrically opposed to Truman's, for obvious reasons. The violent R-rated film co-stars the late Bill Paxton as Gerald and Liam Neeson as Briar. Pre-superstardom Helen Hunt and Ben Stiller were also featured in significant supporting roles.

Next of Kin Reception -- Critics and Audience

Released in October of 1989, Next of Kin was not well-received by critics and currently features a lackluster 50% rating at Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences, however, were supportive. While it wasn't a blockbuster, by any means, it made $16 million at the American box office, yielding a $4 million profit. In today's numbers, thanks to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' handy inflation calculator, that's a $40 million dollar haul on a $30 million budget. Not bad. And CERTAINLY not as bad as the reviews.

But I doubt the folks in Perry County and Letcher County cared very much since three big stars (Paxton's  were hanging out in the area. Imagine if we'd had the Internet and social media at the time. We might have seen many more examples of this:

Congratulations to the Spurlocks for running into Swayze. A reporter from WYMT-Hazard wasn't so lucky.

Again, there was no Internet or social media, so tracking these big stars down wasn't as easy. If she'd had the best information available, she could have visited one of the film's shooting locations and hung out in the principal's waiting room at the now-defunct M.C. Napier High School.

To be honest, I'm not really sure social media makes a HUGE difference these days; many film shoots are top secret and studios go to great lengths to keep it that way. But there IS more movie production happening in Kentucky now, and it pays to have your ear to the ground, and, yes, your eye on social media.