A building on Hobson Avenue that began as a livery stable in the early days of Sapulpa and later became Anderson’s Machine Shop was bustling with new activity this week. But it wasn’t horses or machining going on in the building—it was filming.
“The Way I Heard It,” a new TV Show narrated by Mike Rowe, had several scenes filmed in Sapulpa over the last few days, including some at the machine shop, the Burnett Mansion, Greenhill Funeral Home, and even our local Reasor’s.
Hunter Cates, from Tulsa, has starred in several plays at the Sapulpa Community Theatre and was cast for an episode of “The Way I Heard It,” which is based on a podcast of the same name.
“There was nothing fancy about how I got the part,” he told Sapulpa Times in an email on Monday. He auditioned for one role, but while there, the directors liked what he calls his “COVID cut” haircut and asked him to play the one he landed, which has more of a mad scientist vibe to it. “Basically, they cast my hair,” he said.
Cates’ first role in Sapulpa was Jimmy Stewart’s role in “You Can’t Take It With You” in 2014, followed by Cary Grant’s role in “Arsenic and Old Lace.” “It’s probably the only time Hunter Cates, Jimmy Stewart, and Cary Grant will ever be mentioned in the same sentence,” Cates said.
The actor says that it’s no surprise to him that Sapulpa was chosen when the film crew said they needed a certain appeal.
“Sapulpa has an effortless, small-town charm you can’t replicate in a studio,” Cates said. “Oklahoma is becoming economically attractive to big productions, and our state’s film office is building the infrastructure to meet the demand, which I hope will only grow.”
Oklahoma’s film qualities came back into the spotlight this week with the teaser release of footage from “Killers of the Flower Moon,” a movie being shot in Oklahoma, directed by Martin Scorsese, and starring Leonardo DiCaprio. Cates says we should expect to see more filming coming to the Sooner State. “I know of two huge productions that are happening right now in our neck of the woods. Hopefully, those will be game-changers for Green Country.”
Sheri Ishmael-Waldrop from the Sapulpa Chamber of Commerce was responsible for showing around the film crew to help them find the locations in Sapulpa that would be used for the show. “I hope this is the first of many film or TV productions to visit our community and choose to film in Sapulpa,” she said. “The Chamber of Commerce and City of Sapulpa will continue to work towards earning a ‘Film Friendly’ status from the Oklahoma Film and Music Office.” Waldrop said she’d release the air date and time for the show as soon as they’ve received it.
“The Way I Heard It” is continuing to shoot in Oklahoma this week, but no release date for the show has been announced yet. You can get more information on the podcast at mikerowe.com/podcast
