Dixie Lanes

Langley sets the stage for much of this comedy caper

This lesser-known movie is an oddball you may not have seen yet, but Langley is the star of the show. Set in a small town in the south, a troubled family reunites after years of separation due to WWII and prior personal tragedies. Made in 1988 but filmed in the style of a comedy caper produced several decades earlier, this story is a bit all over the place, but the island looks fantastic made up for the 1940s. While there are brief appearances further north on the island as well, Langley sets the stage for much of the movie and the Clyde Theatre stars as the local bowling alley and bar for which the movie is named, Dixie Lanes.

Time stamps:

00:04:14
Motorcycle and side car enter Anthes Ave. from McLeod Alley and turn left towards 1st St.

00:05:50
Front St. in Coupeville, where main character Everett enters the Knead and Feed (portraying the bakery where Judy works for her dad).

00:10:00
The Clyde Theatre makes its first appearance as the titular bowling alley, “Dixie Lanes”.

00:12:09
Bus crosses Deception Pass Bridge

00:12:45
Aunt Zelma waits outside the gas station for nephew Everett to arrive.

Fun Fact: Most recently this property at the corner of 1st and Anthes served as a restaurant, but funnily enough it had once been a gas station, originally constructed in the late 1930s in the same era as the Clyde Theatre (the adjacent buildings once shared the same owner). If you peek between the buildings from the gate, you can still see the painted advertisement for Mobil Motor Oil on the east side of the original Norman Clyde Garage.

00:42:00
The former Knead & Feed Bakery (now Molka Xete Mexican Kitchen), where Judy tries makeup to win over Everett, but they just end up arguing again.

00:42:40
Everett’s car tears around the corner at the gas station and Dixie Lanes (former Mike’s Place Restaurant and current Clyde Theatre on 1st & Anthes Streets in Langley).

01:03:00
A view down Anthes St. with the Methodist Church’s bell tower visible, followed by a view up 1st St. towards Boy and Dog Park.

01:07:00
Exterior of Clyde Theatre/”Dixie Lanes”, where Zelma runs into 1st St. to stop Everett from driving past. She jumps in the car with him and they argue about the missing money.

01:10:00
Mayhem on 1st St. as Zelma’s car comes crashing through town and the big storm arrives.

01:17:00
Exterior of Clyde Theatre/”Dixie Lanes”. The family gathers at the bar, where Everett and Clarence reconcile.

Despite taking place in the south, this movie was filmed entirely on location in Washington State. As well as Whidbey Island, filming took place in Anacortes, Bellingham, and Port Townsend.