Production Dates

The Hoosiers Time Line: 1981 Through 1987

Dates of Screenwriting, Preproduction, Location Scouting, Casting, Filming, and Premieres

This page lists when and where each scene was filmed, along with other significant dates in the movie’s creation.

1981

Television production executive and novice screenwriter Angelo Pizzo begins working on the screenplay that will become Hoosiers. He continues writing and revising for the next couple of years.

1983

May 18: Pizzo registers a 115-page draft of the Hoosiers screenplay with the Writers Guild of America.

1984

January: Award-winning television producer and director David Anspaugh, a good friend of Pizzo’s since their undergraduate days at Indiana University, contacts the recently formed Indiana Film Commission. He and Pizzo hope to obtain information on possible shooting locations. They are looking for a very small town with a very old school and gym in the southern or southeastern part of the state, with its hilly scenery. Later in the year they tour towns located on or near the Ohio River, including Madison, Paoli, Salem, and Corydon.

December 23: The first mention in the media of plans to film Hoosiers appears in an article in the Fort Wayne (IN) Journal-Gazette. Anspaugh says Howard Baldwin, co-owner of the National Hockey League’s Hartford Whalers and creator of a new production company, is in negotiations to be the producer.

1985

January

More stories about the upcoming production of Hoosiers appear in Indiana newspapers. People around the state are excited about the possibility that their town, gym, or school could be used as a filming site.

January 5: The Decatur (IN) Daily Democrat reports that Gene Hackman, Jack Nicholson, Harry Dean Stanton, and Wilford Brimley are being considered for roles.

March

As location scouting officially begins, the filmmakers return to the southeastern part of Indiana. Local officials and residents all over the state contact the Indiana Film Commission, which is helping with the search, to request that their town, gym, or school be considered as a filming site.

March 6: Hoosiers is mentioned in Hollywood trade paper Variety, in an article about six movies Hemdale Film Corporation plans to shoot in 1985. Carter DeHaven will produce. The budget will be $7 million to $8 million.

April

April 14: The filmmakers announce that their first choice for shooting all the town, school, and home-gym scenes, Waveland in Montgomery County, has fallen through. Therefore, they have resumed their search for filming sites.

June

Late in the month, the community of Knightstown learns that it is a finalist to become one of the filming locations.

August

Day City Notes
20 Gene Hackman is announced in the lead role of Coach Norman Dale. A casting call will be held in a few days to fill the roles of the home team and opposing players. The state-finals game will be filmed at Hinkle Fieldhouse on the campus of Butler University in Indianapolis. The budget is now estimated at $6 million.
21 Production designer David Nichols does location scouting at Nineveh Elementary School.
22–25 Several Indiana newspapers print an item about the upcoming open casting call. The filmmakers are looking for basketball players age 18 to 20 and no taller than 6-foot-2 to cast as the Hickory Huskers.
23 An article in the Cincinnati Post states that Orion Pictures will distribute Hoosiers.
26–27 Indianapolis An open casting call is held to find the Huskers. About 400 to 600 young men show up for this audition, at which they demonstrate their basketball skills. Pairs or small groups scrimmage for a few minutes each. Some of those not chosen to be Huskers will later be offered roles as opposing team members.
28 Indianapolis First round of callbacks for team member casting. The number of potential Huskers is winnowed at this session and at each subsequent callback.
31 The location scouts visit New Richmond.

September

Day County Town/City Notes
2 Marion Indianapolis Second round of callbacks for team member casting
4 Marion Indianapolis A press conference is held at Hinkle Fieldhouse on the campus of Butler University to give updates on the upcoming production of Hoosiers. The six Indiana towns still in the running to become filming locations are Nineveh, Wanamaker, New Palestine, Knightstown, Linden, and New Richmond. The movie’s final game will be filmed at Hinkle. As previously announced, Gene Hackman will be the lead actor. The lead actress is expected to be finalized the following week. Orion Pictures will distribute Hoosiers.
6 New Richmond and Knightstown are officially announced as filming locations. Covering this story, the Lafayette Journal and Courier (located about 13 miles northeast of New Richmond) poses the question “Will [Hoosiers] be worthwhile, or merely fall into that category of Hollywood products soon forgotten as ‘garbage’?”
9 The first crew members arrive in Indianapolis, which will serve as their home base during filming.
9 Third round of callbacks for the Husker hopefuls
10 Nineveh is officially announced as a filming location.
16 More crew members arrive in Indianapolis.
16 Fourth round of callbacks for the potential Huskers
24 An article in the Crawfordsville (IN) Journal-Review reveals that Dennis Hopper is in negotiations to be in the movie.
26 Marion Indianapolis Final round of team member casting
26 Brownsburg’s College Avenue Gymnasium is announced as the filming site of the sectional game. Lebanon’s Memory Hall also has been selected for game filming.
28 Montgomery New Richmond Tryouts for extras

October

Day County Town/City Scenes Filmed Notes
4 The young men chosen as the Huskers are notified of their selection.
9 Marion Indianapolis The Huskers report for work. They are given acting lessons by Gene Hackman and director David Anspaugh, are shown how to play 1950s-style basketball, and begin practicing as a team.
12 Boone Lebanon Tryouts for extras
13 Henry Knightstown Tryouts for extras
14 Marion Indianapolis A press conference is held to introduce Gene Hackman, previously announced as playing Coach Dale; Barbara Hershey, who will portray teacher Myra Fleener; and the Huskers. Although Dennis Hopper isn’t in attendance, the Muncie (IN) Star reports that he will be one of the three lead actors.
15 An article in the Crawfordsville (IN) Journal-Review reports that Dennis Hopper will portray a down-on-his-luck father of a basketball player. It also mentions that Sheb Wooley has been cast as the school principal.
15 Driving exteriors?
16 Exteriors?
17 Exteriors?
18 Montgomery New Richmond Norman drives into Hickory.
19 Hendricks Brownsburg Tryouts for extras; gym is prepped for filming; Norman’s Ithaca Warriors team is photographed.
21 Hendricks Brownsburg Sectional game First filming of basketball scenes
22 Boone Terhune Gas station/general store in opening credits The majority of this scene was cut. The scene is shown in its entirety on the 2005 Collector’s Edition and 2012 Blu-ray DVDs.
23 Montgomery New Richmond Norman walks past townsmen sitting outside the barbershop; Norman encounters Opal and Myra outside the feed-and-grain store.
24 Montgomery Liberty Chapel Inside Cletus’s barn with Norman, Loetta, and Buddy; Summers farm exteriors?; Myra and Norman talk along the fencerow? The barn interior scenes were cut. One of them appears on the DVDs.
25 Hendricks Harvesting corn This scene was cut but appears on the DVDs.
26 Johnson Nineveh School interiors; Norman tours the school and meets Myra. A couple of deleted school scenes appear on the DVDs.
28 Johnson Nineveh School interiors; principal’s office
29 Johnson Nineveh School exteriors; Jimmy shoots baskets outside while Norman speaks to him.
29 Montgomery Farm and driving scenes Second-unit filming
30 Hendricks Sorghum grinding; Fleener house interiors A couple of deleted interior scenes appear on the DVDs.
31 Hendricks Bridgeport Norman packing in a motel room, preparing to go to Hickory This scene was cut.

November

Day County Town/City Scenes Filmed Notes
1 Hendricks Summers house interiors Most of these scenes were cut. Some appear on the DVDs.
2 Henry Knightstown Mob of reporters in gym; pep session introducing team
4 Henry Knightstown First basketball practice, where George and Buddy are kicked out and Whit also leaves; movie’s final shot of a kid shooting baskets in the empty gym as the camera pans up to the state champs portrait on the wall
5 Henry Knightstown Practice is interrupted by townspeople; Norman tours the gym with Cletus and meets Jimmy; Norman talks to Everett about Shooter after practice. The scene with Norman and Everett was cut but appears on the DVDs.
6 Henry Knightstown Locker room: Before the first home game; first game halftime; after the first game; Norman sits alone.
7 Sectional locker room? This scene was cut but appears on the DVDs.
8–9 Hendricks Brownsburg Sectional game; away games for montages Dennis Hopper’s first day on set
11 Hendricks Fleener house exteriors: Norman and Myra go on a walk. The team travels to its first away game at Cedar Knob; Norman and Strap talk on the bus.
12 Hendricks Dale house interiors: Shooter visits Norman at home; Norman dunks Shooter in the sink.
13–15 Henry Knightstown Oolitic game First home game of the season
16 Henry Knightstown Verdi game Shooter’s first game as assistant coach
16 The 120-page revised final shooting script is registered with the Writers Guild of America.
18 Henry Knightstown Lyons game
19 Henry Knightstown Dugger game
20–21 Boone Elizaville Town meeting Parts of this scene that were cut are on the DVDs.
22 The first mention in the press that thousands of extras will be needed for the filming of the state-finals game, December 4 through 7
22, 23, 25 Boone Lebanon Regional game; gym exterior scene
26 Boone Lebanon Away games for the montage; exterior shot of Avon Theater at night
27 Hendricks Norman and Everett find Shooter unconscious in the woods; Norman visits Shooter at home.
29 Marion Indianapolis Hospital scenes
30 Marion Indianapolis Cedar Knob away game The only regular-season away game shown as a full scene and not as part of a montage

December

Day County Town/City Scenes Filmed Notes
2 The filmmakers publicize the need for 15,000 extras to fill the stands during the upcoming four-night shooting of the state-finals game at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. It is stated that extras must come dressed in 1950s-style clothes. The filmmakers will later realize that this statement likely kept many people who might have attended from showing up.
2 Montgomery New Richmond Barbershop meet-and-greet
3 Montgomery New Richmond Caravan lined up to head to state finals; Norman meets Shooter in the diner; the Huskers get haircuts. The majority of the caravan scene was cut. It appears in its entirety on the DVDs.
4–7 Marion Indianapolis Butler Fieldhouse interiors and exteriors; state-finals game
9 Second-unit filming
10 Henry Knightstown Holland game
11 Henry Knightstown Also, second-unit filming
12 Henry Knightstown Also, second-unit filming. In the evening, a wrap party is held for the cast in Indianapolis.
19 Knightstown Tri-County Banner editor Bob Reed makes a prescient comment about Hoosiers: “An Academy Award is pretty far-out thinking, but not impossible.”

1986

Month Day Notes
January 12 The film receives some publicity outside of Indiana in the Los Angeles Times’ list of all movies scheduled for release in 1986. Its capsule review of Hoosiers says “Zealous high school cage coach Gene Hackman is bent on taking his team to the title.”
February The movie is in the editing phase. The first rough cut runs about 3½ hours. Distributor Orion Pictures wants the final running time to be about an hour and 50 minutes.
7 Gene Hackman is interviewed on the syndicated TV show Entertainment Tonight about his role in the film.
7 It is announced that Hoosiers will be released in late August or early September. Officials with the Indiana Film Commission hope to convince Orion to hold the world premiere in Indianapolis, perhaps as a benefit showing for a local charity. The IFC also has appointed a five-member task force to work with Orion in arranging a statewide or regional premiere ahead of the nationwide release.
April Jerry Goldsmith signs on to compose the soundtrack.
May 18 The movie is expected to be released in late August.
June 24 A successful sneak preview is held in Costa Mesa, California, in front of a test audience of 500. They respond enthusiastically to Hoosiers and give it a score of 74 out of 100.
The film is tentatively scheduled for release on September 26.
July 6 Writer/producer Angelo Pizzo says he expects Hoosiers to be released in early October and that the world premiere is tentatively set for Circle Theatre in Indianapolis in late September.
The film is shown to Indiana state officials, including Lieutenant Governor John Mutz, and members of the Indiana Film Commission. Mutz and the IFC had helped with the production of Hoosiers.
August 23 The movie’s release has been delayed because of marketing and distribution disagreements between production company Hemdale and distributor Orion. The movie probably will open in January or February 1987.
25 A screening is held in Hollywood for industry professionals.
26 A sneak preview is held in Hollywood for the cast and crew.
28 The release date is moved to January 1987. In order to be eligible for Academy Award consideration for 1986, Hoosiers will be shown for a week in Los Angeles before the end of the year.
28 Indiana Lieutenant Governor John Mutz predicts that Dennis Hopper will be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
September 10 Indiana Lieutenant Governor John Mutz announces that the film will have its world premiere at Circle Theatre in Indianapolis on November 10 and will open throughout Indiana on November 14. It is still expected to be released nationally in January.
27–28 Filming site New Richmond holds a Hickory Festival to celebrate the first anniversary of Hoosiers’ filming. Supporting actor Sheb Wooley attends. This festival will be held annually through 1990.
October A sneak preview is held for movie critics from several national publications.
The first national print review of Hoosiers appears in Seventeen magazine.
14 Hoosiers is reviewed in The Hollywood Reporter.
15 A review of the movie appears in Variety.
30 A sneak preview is held for Indiana theater owners, press, and local cast members at Glendale Cinema in Indianapolis.
31 The first Indiana print reviews of Hoosiers appear in the Indianapolis Star, the Columbus Republic, and the Muncie Evening Press. The reviews in the Star and the Republic spoil all the plot points.
November McCall’s and Playboy print reviews of Hoosiers.
1 Hoosiers is discussed on the popular syndicated movie review TV show Siskel & Ebert & the Movies. Roger Ebert gives it thumbs up, calling the film wonderful, heartwarming, and amazingly exciting. He also becomes the first movie critic to predict that Hoosiers could be nominated for one or more Academy Awards. Gene Siskel gives the movie thumbs down. Although he agrees with Ebert that Hackman is effective in his role, he believes the character is asked to do too much. He also wishes the movie were more fresh and less predictable.
10 The world premiere is held in Indianapolis at Circle Theatre. Of the three main actors, only Dennis Hopper attends. The screening is preceded by a reception and dinner and is followed by an afterparty with coffee, dessert, and dancing.
12, 13 Sneak previews are held in several Indiana cities and towns.
14 In its Indiana-only premiere, Hoosiers is shown on 30 screens.
16 The Los Angeles Times reports that the movie will open nationwide on January 23, 1987.
14–16 Hoosiers earns $220,068 on its opening weekend—a per-screen average of $7,335.
14–23 Hoosiers earns $492,594 in the first 10 days of its release.
28 The movie expands to 60 Indiana theaters.
December 5 The movie expands to 74 Indiana theaters.
11 Hoosiers makes its West Coast debut at the Cineplex Odeon Plitt Theater in Century City, California. This sold-out showing is a benefit for the Los Angeles chapter of the American Diabetes Association. The film is followed by a dinner at the Century Plaza.
11 An overwhelmingly positive review of Hoosiers appears in the Los Angeles Times.
12 Hoosiers begins a limited one-week engagement at the UA Coronet in Westwood, California in order to be eligible for Academy Award consideration for 1986. It is screened six times a day on Friday and Saturday and five times a day Sunday through Thursday. Hoosiers does well enough in that first week to be held over. In its second, third, and fourth weeks at the UA Coronet, its showings increase to ten times a day. Hoosiers remains at that theater through February 5, 1987.
15 The Los Angeles Film Critics Association names Dennis Hopper Best Supporting Actor for his role in Hoosiers.
17 Longtime Associated Press entertainment reporter Bob Thomas predicts Gene Hackman might be nominated for the Best Actor Oscar for his role in Hoosiers.
27 The Cincinnati Post reports that the film’s national premiere is set for February 13, 1987.

1987

Month Day Notes
The soundtrack is released on LP in Europe under the title Best Shot.
The American Cinema Editors nominate Carroll Timothy O’Meara for an Eddie award for his work on Hoosiers.
January 1 Film critic Roger Ebert mentions Hoosiers in his list of the best movies of 1986. He writes, “Hoosiers, a movie that opened only in Indiana during 1986, deserves a national success in 1987.”
5 Writing for the San Francisco Examiner, Anne Thompson reports that Hoosiers is gaining Oscar momentum.
6 Dennis Hopper is nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor for his role of Shooter.
9 The movie is shown in sneak previews in the California cities of Hollywood, Manhattan Beach, Marina del Rey, Rolling Hills, and Torrance, selling 90% of its tickets.
10 It is reported that the film has earned $1.5 million after playing in Indiana for 8 weeks and in Los Angeles at the UA Coronet for 4 weeks.
In mid-January, director David Anspaugh and writer/producer Angelo Pizzo visit the San Diego area to do interviews and promote Hoosiers ahead of its Western rollout.
16 The movie is rolled out to over 90 screens in Western cities, including Tucson, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Los Angeles (65 theaters), San Diego, other southern California locations, and Honolulu. That weekend Hoosiers is #20 on the list of the nation’s highest-grossing movies.
18 Hoosiers is shown out of competition at the U.S. Film Festival (later renamed Sundance) in Park City, Utah, where it receives a standing ovation.
18 Writer/producer Angelo Pizzo tells the Bloomington (IN) Sunday Herald-Times that the movie will premiere across the nation on February 27 on 700 to 1,000 screens.
18 Orion Pictures, convinced that no one outside the U.S. knows what a Hoosier is, will title the film Best Shot for its European release.
22 Reviewing Hoosiers for the Times-Advocate (Escondido, CA), William E. Fark writes “An Academy Award nomination is likely” for Dennis Hopper.
23 The movie’s West Coast rollout has grossed half a million dollars.
February 6 Gene Hackman travels to Washington, D.C., where he visits with Indiana congressmen and meets President Ronald Reagan at the White House. Reagan had recently viewed Hoosiers at a private screening.
9 The film has grossed $3 million.
11 Hoosiers is nominated for two Academy Awards: Best Supporting Actor (Dennis Hopper) and Best Original Score (Jerry Goldsmith).
15 The Los Angeles Times calls Hoosiers “a surprise hit with audiences and critics” that “has been the season’s Cinderella story.”
27 Having earned $3,968,400 in its limited release, Hoosiers premieres across the country on 1,039 screens. It becomes the fifth-highest-grossing movie that weekend while earning an additional $3.6 million.
March 6–8 Hoosiers is the eighth-highest-grossing movie of the weekend, earning $2.8 million.
13–15 Hoosiers drops to #10 while earning $2.4 million.
20–22 The film returns to #8, earning $2.1 million.
27–29 The film rises to #7 while grossing $1.7 million.
28 Hoosiers is announced as a nominee for Best First Feature at the second annual Independent Spirit Awards ceremony in Los Angeles.
30 Hoosiers does not win any Oscars. The Indianapolis News reports that Jerry Goldsmith’s chances of winning for best soundtrack may have been damaged because of a protest by the American Federation of Musicians. Officials with the AFM are angry that the soundtrack was recorded in Hungary, in violation of the AFM’s agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture Producers. Hungarian musicians earn about one-tenth as much as union musicians in the U.S.
April 3–5 Hoosiers is the #8 movie nationally, grossing $1.5 million that weekend.
May 29 Hoosiers leaves Indiana theaters after being shown in the state for 28 weeks. Its final national box office gross is $28,607,524.
August A screening is held in Indianapolis for owners of home video sales and rental stores in Indiana in advance of the movie’s upcoming release on videotape.
September 9 HBO Home Video releases Hoosiers on videotape; it costs $89.95. A spokesman for HBO Home Video says that because the movie is very much in demand, 200,000 units have been shipped to retailers—an amount that is well above average.
October The videotapes are pulled from store shelves. HBO Home Video tells distributors to stop selling and renting the tapes because of a lawsuit filed against HBO by Vestron Video in a dispute over who owns Hoosiers’ home video rights.

Read about what happened with Hoosiers in later years.

Read descriptions of the filming sites.