Gene Hackman's 'Hoosiers' legacy remembered in real-life Hickory

WRTV's Taj Simmons takes us to New Richmond, Indiana, the city that played the backdrop to the Gene Hackman film "Hoosiers."

By: Taj Simmons

NEW RICHMOND — The town of Hickory in the 1986 film 'Hoosiers' was actually portrayed by the Montgomery County town of New Richmond, but Gene Hackman's performance as Coach Norman Dale brought it to life. The movie remains inspirational in New Richmond and beyond after Hackman's death.

The film began production in the fall of 1985 in New Richmond. Hackman, who was found dead on Wednesday at the age of 95, also made the trip to the town of about 300 people.

"These people are all so willing to help and they're fascinated by us being here," Hackman said when interviewed by WRTV on the set in 1985.

40 years after production wrapped, New Richmond still contains reminders of its status as Hickory's stand-in. The nearby Carnegie Museum of Montgomery County has documented stories from the town for an upcoming 'Hoosiers' exhibit.

"Many residents who were adults during filming have since passed, but the kids remember their parents being a part of the filming," said museum curator Janna Bennett. "The story gets passed down from generation to generation."

'Hoosiers' screenwriter Angelo Pizzo said Hackman first found it difficult to shoot in Indiana, but his attitude added a layer of depth to his portrayal as Coach Dale.

"It fit the part perfectly, he was that guy in so many ways," Pizzo said. "He had his own demons, but he worked through them. After [director David Anspaugh] and I edited the film, he walked up to us and said, 'I don't know how the hell you guys did it, but you pulled it off.'"

Pizzo said the film has stood the test of time because of its authenticity, both with Hackman's performance and through shooting the film across Indiana.

"We were either going to shoot this in Indiana or not shoot at all," Pizzo said. "If people in Indiana didn't think that we got it right, then we would have felt that we failed."

'Hoosiers' was preserved by the Library of Congress's National Film Registry in 2001.