KATHERINE HEIGL ONLINE

Hallmark Leaves Its Mark On County

Coloma - Another Hallmark television movie is being filmed in El Dorado County. "Love Comes Softly" is a period piece directed by Michael Landon Jr., and its set is located at the Bacchi Ranch. Though filming will wrap up quite quickly, the Larry Levinson Production Co. is leaving something behind. A cabin built for the movie set will remain.

The site and the cabin have been designated a permanent movie set. Film Commissioner Kathleen Dodge and Bill Carey of the El Dorado County Building Department, along with members of the Bacchi Family Trust that owns the land formalized an agreement to give El Dorado County a prime location for rustic movie/television scenes.

It is a perfect set for yet another Hallmark movie being filmed in El Dorado County. A period piece, "Love Comes Softly" is the story of pioneer families during the great westward migration. It resonates with the tribulations endured by the pioneers of the last century. Whether they came for gold, agriculture, business or land, their stories form the fabric of history.

Landon is capturing a part of that heritage on tape, and he is reported also to be the co-author of the script, a beautiful love story. Death, unrequited love, a hard winter, a lonely child and unexpected pregnancy all play a part in the film, but it all has a happy, wholesome ending. The talent used in the film include Katherine Heigl as the widow, Skye McCole Bartusiak as the little girl and Dale Midkiff as the widower.

"It's a chick flick' ... it'll make you cry, but I think men will like it because of its western and historical aspects. It's a wonderful story," said Dodge.

The producer is Brian Gordon for Larry Levinson Productions and much of the crew is the same as the crew that recently shot "Straight From The Heart" in Coloma - even the sound technician's dog was in evidence.

Cabin On The Prairie

"It was such a great little cabin, so well-built for going in overnight, that I thought it would be a shame to tear it down," said Dodge. Movie sets are often temporary. Unless a movie is using buildings already in place, structures are revised as needed in the script. When the movie is finished, the set is torn down. "Now we have our own "little cabin on the prairie" - and it will be just perfect for any western and period pieces," Dodge said.

Carey explained that movie sets are exempt from the permit process per se, since they are considered temporary. Film companies have their own insurance and sets of rules and regulations to abide by. In this case, he was able to make the official movie set designation and have it on record as a permanent structure. With the bureaucratic t's crossed and i's dotted, El Dorado County has a new landmark, and a new hallmark for movie production.

Since Dodge became film commissioner about 10 years ago, El Dorado County has burgeoned in popularity as the site for magazine advertisements, commercials, television shows and movies.