25 years ago, Hollywood came to Nelsonville, Ohio

Twenty-five years ago, it was 1956 in Nelsonville.

OK, so the math is a little off. Blame the magic of Hollywood. For it was in 1985 that 20th Century Fox released its teen movie "œMischief."

As a work of cinematic art, "œMischief" is not exactly "œAguirre: The Wrath of God." A formulaic (if likeable) coming-of-age flick, complete with high school hi-jinx, raging adolescent hormones and a town bully, the movie seems designed to capitalize on the 1950s nostalgia craze stoked by "œAmerican Graffiti" and TV's "œHappy Days" "“ not to mention the loss-of-virginity theme immortalized in 1982's "œPorky's."

What gives it a lasting attraction for residents of Athens County is the main location the filmmakers chose to create their 1950s all-American town: Nelsonville, Ohio.

"We looked at lots and lots and lots and lots of locations," recalled Michael Nolin, one of the film's producers. "We actually selected Nelsonville because of the town square... We must have gone to at least 10 different states."

Nolin, who went on to produce such movies as "Mr. Holland's Opus" and "Delta of Venus," noted that already by the mid-1980s in America, "most of the squares had been malled. But Nelsonville really, really fit the bill."

It fit the bill even more so after the set designers got through with it, putting in brick sidewalks and adding gas street lamps. If you're familiar with Nelsonville even today, however, you'll immediately recognize many of the exteriors in the movie. The town is even identified in the script as Nelsonville, Ohio "“ though some scenes were shot in central Ohio communities including Columbus, Canal Winchester, Baltimore and Lithopolis (see side story).

THE MOVIE REPRESENTED an early breakout for a number of its young stars who went on to bigger and better things, most notably Kelly Preston "“ later Mrs. John Travolta.

Preston plays Marilyn "“ the most popular girl in school, and the seemingly unattainable love interest of geeky Jonathan, played by Doug McKeon (four years after appearing as the young son in "On Golden Pond").

Chris Nash is Gene, the cool, leather-jacketed, motorcycle-riding "new kid" who befriends Jonathan and gives him advice on how to score with the babes. Gene, meanwhile, falls head over heels for Bunny (Catherine Mary Stewart), a wholesome young thing who "“ wouldn't you just know it "“ dates Kenny (D.W. Brown), the town's rich kid/resident jerk.

To say more would ruin the plot, though if you're familiar with movies of this genre you can probably guess at least some of it.

For Nelsonville and Athens County, having a Hollywood film crew in town was big news, and a number of locals got screen time as extras. The set designers completely made over Nelsonville Public Square in a '50s look, and business in the center of town had to shut down during filming.

Questioned about the authenticity of the makeover in a May 14, 1984 man-on-the-street feature in The Athens NEWS, four Nelsonville residents agreed that the filmmakers pretty much got it right.

"The square looks almost like it did back then," confirmed 65-year-old Nelsonville auxiliary police officer Edgar Jones, adding that he especially liked the hairstyles on the extras. "Boys look like boys and girls look like girls," he noted approvingly. "I wish we could go back to that."

Though it was exciting to have Hollywood come to town, The NEWS also reported at the time that some downtown Nelsonville merchants were "grumbling" about their loss of trade. More than one told the paper, however, that the cast and crew were very nice and polite.

One local business owner reported that McKeon and Nash were "just like everybody else. They put their pants on one leg at a time, just like you and me."

A SHORT ARTICLE in the April 9, 1984 Athens NEWS had announced breathlessly that when 20th Century Fox was to start filming that spring on a movie whose working title was "Heart and Soul," "the production would "need area high school students between 15 and 18 years old" as extras.

The paper went on to report that between 200 and 300 extras would be hired, at the lordly sum of $3.35 an hour (minimum wage in 1984).

About a month later, the NEWS reported that about 325 people had been hired as extras.

Among them were David Phillippi and Tom Ryan, both at that time Ohio University students. The two men both cherish their memories of working on "Mischief," and have stayed in touch with others from the production.

Ryan was studying telecommunications and working at WOUB radio when he responded to the movie's "cattle call" audition for extras. From a face in the crowd, he managed to work his way up to "stand-in" for actor Dennis O'Connell, who plays the minor character "T.J." This involved blocking out the parts and positions that the actor would play, before the cameras got rolling. Phillippi also got a stand-in job.

"We did everything that the actors did on camera, when they were setting up the lights and everything," Ryan recalled. Afterwards, said Phillippi, "if we were lucky, they'd throw us in the background." Both men got a fair amount of screen time this way.

"Oh, yeah, I'm on screen a lot," Ryan said. "After the sex scene, look for a really ugly green bowling shirt."

He laughed, noting that when he was first given the shirt by wardrobe, he considered it "the ugliest thing I'd ever seen." A quarter-century later, he admitted, "I would kill for that shirt."

When Phillippi first heard of the need for movie extras, he took a wild chance that would make a teen movie hero proud, picking up the phone and calling 20th Century Fox, and somehow persuading a secretary to give him a hotel phone number for producer Sam Manners. His plan was to ask for a job on the production crew, not as an actor.

"It was just pretty ballsy at the time," he said. "You couldn't do that nowadays."

When he got Manners on the phone, the producer was "very gracious," and advised him, "you should just come out, get on the set any way you can." So Phillippi, too, became an extra and stand-in for principal actors including D.W. Brown.

NOLIN, WHILE FOND of "Mischief," pegged it as "a pretty mediocre film" "“ but admitted that this is the view of a perfectionist "film school brat," who now teaches film production at the Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia.

"It was a really fun movie, there's no question about it," he acknowledged. "I think the people involved in making that movie were generally good people, and really interacted with the community."

Phillippi and Ryan, perhaps understandably, are less ambivalent about the film's merits, as both of them cite working on the movie as one of the highlights of their younger days.

"I still think it had a lot of heart to it," Ryan said.

Phillippi insisted that "it's a great film "“ it really is... That film is very sweet." He noted that "Mischief" has enjoyed a persistent popularity "“ though he admitted that part of that might stem from Preston's mild nude love scene.

The movie's promoters seem to have played up this "steamy," losing-your-cherry aspect of the film "“ as witness the remarkable cover shot on the video: McKeon and Preston sprawling out of the front seat of a car, he with her panties in his hand.

"Actually, they went through three names," Ryan noted, recalling that for one brief, terrible moment, the film's working title was "Getting Lucky."

"Thank God they didn't go with that one," he said.

The movie Web site Fast-rewind.com calls "Mischief" a "little-known sleeper," judging it a "cute and likeable movie with groovy songs from the 1950s and brilliant performances from Doug McKeon, Chris Nash, Catherine Mary Stewart and Kelly Preston."

Ryan and Phillippi both went on to work in the entertainment industry. Phillippi, now in Cincinnati, was for years a news director at a Columbus TV station, and more recently has done assistant directing, working with extras on films including "Seabiscuit" and "Summer Catch." Ryan has worked in theater and television, (he's proud of having had lunch with Susan Lucci of "All My Children" fame), and now maintains a Web site devoted to Catherine Mary Stewart.

As the Internet has brought us all closer together, both have been making contact with the cast and crew of "Mischief" to share photos and reminisce.

Catherine Mary Stewart, though reportedly just getting started on a new film in Tulsa, Okla., took a moment to shoot The Athens NEWS an e-mail on the occasion of the film's 25th birthday.

"I have wonderful memories of the 'Mischief' shoot and I'm especially thrilled that I am back in touch with Doug McKeon and Chris Nash, thanks to that crazy internet!" the actress wrote.

Whatever the movie's merits, it created memories that will stick with Ryan, Phillippi, and no doubt many others whose lives were touched by the production that turned Nelsonville for one summer into a 1950s fantasy world.

"It was a kind of perfect summer job for a lot of kids," Nolin said.

Phillippi has a private Facebook site called "Heart and Soul" devoted to "Mischief." It contains some 150 photos he took during the production. To get into the site, one's request to join must be approved.

In an e-mail last month, director Mel Damski said he enjoyed the Facebook site: "David, I'm loving these pictures. Brings back so many memories, and some of them are actually good memories. We looked through nine states and provinces and countless towns before we chose Nelsonville, Ohio, and these pictures make me feel it was all worthwhile."