How much local Beaufort shrimp were used in the filming of Forrest Gump?
That question was answered a little over a week ago when the folks at the Gay Fish Company on St. Helena Island discovered the 30 year old invoices from Paramount Pictures in an old filing cabinet and posted their find on their Facebook page.
The answer? 6,125 lbs of local shrimp.
The shrimp were purchased at Gay’s at a “whopping” price of $2.95 & $3 per pound, which was the going rate for larger orders at the time. (Who wishes that were still the price today?)
The shrimp were necessary to film the scene where Forrest and his First Mate, Lt. Dan, (Hanks & Sinese) bring in a huge haul in their nets and it spills all across the deck of the boat. It was at that moment in the film when the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company found all the success it needed. And, the rest was history.
It appears that Paramount spent a total of $26,940.10 on shrimp and some accessories from Gay’s for that seconds-long scene in the film.
That’s a lot of shrimp.
Everyone knows that Forrest Gump’s beautiful shrimp boat scenes weren’t filmed in Bayou La Batre, Alabama. They were shot on location along Lucy Creek on Lady’s Island. The dock and boat house on the Coosaw Island side of Lucy Creek was the setting for the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company.
So much of the movie is Beaufort SC & the sea islands.
When Paramount Pictures swept into town in 1993, everyone was excited that a new movie was filming with Tom Hanks, Sally Field, Robin Wright and a modestly known newer actor named Gary Sinese. Although most of the story is set in Alabama, filming took place mainly in and around Beaufort, as well as in parts of coastal Virginia, North Carolina and in Savannah.
Dozens and dozens of locals were cast as extras in the movie, and location spotters were dispatched all over the Beaufort area to take photographs to determine which local spots were ideal for filming particular scenes of the movie. They must’ve found what they were looking for because, yet again, the rest is history.
And, for Gump fans who are waxing nostalgic and want to see the receipts with their own eyes in person, they’re being proudly displayed in frames at Gay Fish Company’s seafood market at the docks on St. Helena Island, where they’ve been fishing the ocean for 75 years, now.
Visit all of the Forrest Gump locations in Beaufort SC
FAQs
The answer? 6,125 lbs of local shrimp. The shrimp were purchased at Gay's at a “whopping” price of $2.95 & $3 per pound, which was the going rate for larger orders at the time. (Who wishes that were still the price today?)
How much of Forrest Gump was filmed in Beaufort, SC? ›
Although most of this Academy Award-winning classic was set in Alabama, much of the filming took place in and around Beaufort. The University of South Carolina-Beaufort campus was transformed into Gump Medical Center through the magic of CGI. Scenes of Forrest cutting grass were filmed at the Basil Green Complex.
How many shrimp did Forrest catch? ›
Explanation: In the iconic movie "Forrest Gump," the character Forrest embarks on a shrimping trip with his friend Bubba, and during their first shrimping expedition, they successfully catch 153 shrimp.
How many shrimp boats did Forrest Gump have? ›
You most likely have to guess/determine that from what the movie presents. Some of that was in about nine shrimp boats (all named Jenny.) He at the beginning the only surviving boat on the coast. Those are very costly bye themselves.
Where was the Forrest Gump shrimp boat scene filmed? ›
Forrest Gump's beautiful shrimp boat scenes were staged to look like Bayou La Batre, Alabama. However, the majority of these scenes were shot on location at Lucy Point Creek, on Lady's Island just over the bridge from Beaufort.
Did Forrest Gump have autism? ›
It would have been extraordinary if Groom had created the character with autism in mind and all evidence points to the idea that he simply intended Forrest to be a low-IQ individual stumbling through some of recent history's most historic events.
How many movies have been filmed in Beaufort South Carolina? ›
Hollywood's love affair with Beaufort dates back to the 1940s, but movies have been made here for even longer. The Southerners, released in 1914, was the first-ever movie shot here. Since then, over 100 movies and TV series have been shot here.
Does Tom Hanks own any Bubba Gump shrimp? ›
Does Tom Hanks own Bubba Gump Shrimp? No, Hanks never owned the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company, which was inspired by his movie Forrest Gump. Did Tom Hanks get paid for Forrest Gump?
What disease did Jenny have? ›
In the book that's the sequel to Forrest Gump, Gump and Co., author Winston Groom reveals that Jenny died of hepatitis C, a bloodborne illness which would probably have been the result of her intravenous drug use during her hippie years.
How much money did Forrest Gump make from shrimp? ›
A South Carolina Seafood Company Reveals a Piece of Forrest Gump History. A pair of receipts show the sale of $15,125.30 and $11,814.86 in shrimp, respectively, to the crew of Forrest Gump in 1993.
5 Bluff Plantation, 3547 Combahee Rd, Yemassee, South Carolina . , site of the Gump boarding house and Jenny's farmhouse where she lived in as a child. Both built for the filming, and torn down as the film was completed.
What happened to the shrimp boat in Forrest Gump? ›
After shrimping for a couple of years, the Stanleys sold the boat to Planet Hollywood at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. The new owners sailed the boat down as far as they could, dismantling much of the vessel before transporting it to be docked and displayed outside Planet Hollywood.
Where is the big tree in Forrest Gump? ›
It was constructed on an 8,000-acre plantation in South Carolina just for the movie and now it is gone. The massive oak tree that served as a playground for Forrest and his childhood friend, Jenny, (Robin Wright) grows on this same South Carolina plantation. Later in the movie, this tree shaded Jenny's grave.
Where was the majority of Forrest Gump filmed? ›
Forrest Gump Locations
Even the Forrest Gump film scenes of the fictional town of Greenbow, Alabama, were in Varnville, South Carolina. Major chunks of the Forrest Gump production were shot in and around the parts of Beaufort in South Carolina, areas of North Carolina, and coastal Virginia.
How much of Forrest Gump was filmed in Savannah? ›
Forrest Gump (1994)
Though much of the movie starring Tom Hanks was filmed in South Carolina, the bus bench where Forrest Gump sits and tells his life story was located in Chippewa Square in Savannah's Historic District.
Where was Forrest Gump's bench scene filmed? ›
Chippewa Square
A statue of General Oglethorpe sits in the middle, but it's the film history that brings visitors. Forrest's iconic bench scene took place here, but the bench is now housed in the Savannah History Museum.
Where was the final running scene of Forrest Gump filmed? ›
It took us about 10 minutes to wait for enough people to get out of the way and for the cars to not drive up on us. Located north of Monument Valley on US Scenic Highway 163, Forrest Gump Point is the iconic spot where Forrest ended his epic run in the 1994 film, with views of Monument Valley behind him.
