What Was the First Major Motion Picture Filmed in Michigan?

Since the 2000s, it seems like movie after movie was being filmed in Michigan. With such an influx of movie-making, it made me wonder: what was the very first movie filmed in Michigan?

That distinction goes to the 1947 film This Time For Keeps starring Esther Williams and Jimmy Durante. It began filming in the summer of 1946, including good portions at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island. Now you know why the Grand Hotel’s swimming pool is named “The Esther Williams Swimming Pool”.

The movie was the first of only two major films to be filmed on Mackinac Island, the other being 1980s Somewhere In Time. The Mackinac Arts Council occasionally has viewings of this film for visitors to the island.

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In 1946, MGM was looking for a site location for their new starlet, Esther Williams. They happened to see a travelogue that featured Mackinac Island, and with that, they found their location.

Once the film came out, people called wanting to know if they could come and swim in the same water that Esther Williams swam in..... the popularity of the film brought more fame to Mackinac Island, and in return, the hotel’s “Paul Bunyan’s Footprint” pool was re-named after Esther Williams.