Happy Kansas Day: Here are our state’s best (and worst) moments on the national stage
Monday is Kansas Day – the time each year that good Kansans stop to reflect on the history of their state, which was officially admitted into the Union on Jan. 29, 1861.
It’s also the day that, as usual, people on the east and west coasts don’t think about Kansas at all, and if they do, it’s just because their kids are watching “The Wizard of Oz.”
Oh well. We’re used to it.
In honor of Kansas’ 157th birthday, we decided to put together a few examples of times that the rest of the world did notice us. Sure, not all of the song lyrics, movie lines and attitudes in the below lists are exactly kind. But at least – for a moment – they knew we were here.
10 movies set in Kansas
“The Big Kahuna” (1999) – Not only is this set in Kansas, it’s set in Wichita, no less, as two veteran salesmen and a young protege attend a convention. Almost the whole movie takes place in a hotel room, but there is a shot of Century II out of a window.
“A Boy and His Dog” (1975) – A young man (Wichita’s own Don Johnson) and his telepathic dog wander into a post-apocalyptic Topeka.
“The Ice Harvest” (2005) – Also set in Wichita (but not filmed here), a crooked businessman (Billy Bob Thornton) and a shady lawyer (John Cusack) try to out-swindle the local mob (yeah, right) on Christmas eve.
“In Cold Blood” (1967) – Based on Truman Capote’s seminal novel about the brutal murder of the Clutter family in rural Holcomb and the capture of their killers.
“Looper” (2012) – Set in a futuristic Kansas City, criminal syndicates hire contracted killers called “loopers” to kill victims sent to them through time travel.
“Mars Attacks” (1996) – Not only is part of Tim Burton’s loopy comedy about Martians invading Earth set in Kansas, part of it was actually filmed here, too.
“Paper Moon” (1973) – Partly set in Kansas during the Great Depression, a swindler (Ryan O’Neal) agrees to deliver a young girl (Tatum O’Neal) to her aunt after her mother dies.
“Picnic” (1955) – Emotions are ignited when a handsome drifter (William Holden) arrives in a small Kansas town on Labor Day.
“Splendor in the Grass” (1961) – Set in 1928 Kansas, two high school sweethearts (Natalie Wood and Warren Beatty) are weighed down by their parents’ oppressive expectations.
“The Wizard of Oz” (1910) – Well, duh, you can’t not include this classic about Dorothy, who rides a tornado to a mystical place called, well, you know. And contrary to popular belief, Dorothy never said “Toto, I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore.” She actually says, “Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.”
Rod Pocowatchit
5 famous songs with Wichita lyrics
“Wichita Lineman,” Glen Campbell, 1968: Although it’s widely believed that this song is not actually about Wichita, Kan., about one in five performers who put on concerts in Wichita include some snippet – if not a full out cover – of this famous song in its set. So we’re claiming it anyway. “And the Wichita Lineman Is Still on the Line.”
“Seven Nation Army,” The White Stripes, 2003: Versions of the catchy guitar riff from this song have often been heard at Wichita State basketball games, and the lyric about Wichita has a common theme: the desire to escape to Kansas for a simpler life. “I’m going to Wichita/ Far from this opera for evermore/ I’m gonna work the straw/ Make the sweat drip out of every pore.”
“True Dreams of Wichita,” Soul Coughing, 1994: This soft little ditty’s meaning is hard to interpret, but its chorus seems like a compliment. Right? “I’ve seen the Kansas of your sweet little myth/ You’ve never seen it, no/ I’m half sick on the drinks you mixed/ Through your/ True dreams/ Of Wichita.”
“Wichita Skyline,” Shawn Colvin, 1996: This sweet-sounding song also mentions Independence and Salina and seems to be about a woman stuck in the Midwest. But “I must have been dreamin’ again/ ‘cause there’s nothing around the bend/ Except for that flat fine line, the Wichita skyline.”
“Golden,” Lady Antebellum, 2013: The song’s opening line is pure Kansas poetry: “The sunset falls in Wichita, yellow dances through the blue/ Wheat fields catch a glimpse of heaven, makes me think of you.”
5 celebrities from Kansas
Kirstie Alley: The television star, known for rolls in “Cheers” and “Dancing with the Stars,” was born and raised in Wichita and still has a couple of houses on Douglas, one of which she sometimes decorates for the holidays. It’s not unusual to spot her in restaurants, shops and Wichita State basketball games from time to time.
Don Johnson: He was a big deal in the 1980s as the star of “Miami Vice,” and he’s also a 1967 graduate of Wichita South High School, where he performed as Tony in “West Side Story.” Johnson, the father of “50 Shades” star Dakota Johnson, also attended KU.
Paul Rudd: This funnyman, who has starred in movies like “Anchorman” and “The Avengers,” moved to Lenexa as a child. He graduated from Shawnee Mission West High School and went to the University of Kansas, where he majored in theater. Since, he’s been a hard-core Kansas City Royals supporter and was in attendance for the team’s 2015 World Series run.
Eric Stonestreet: This actor, who plays Cam in ABC’s “Modern Family,” graduated from Kansas State University in 1996 and is always returning for games. Last year, he donated a new box truck to the school’s marching band so it could take its equipment to the Cactus Bowl.
Joe Walsh: Wichita happily claims the Eagles lead guitarist, who was born in in Wichita in 1947.
A few times Kansas was dissed in front of everybody
Johnny Depp dis: Back in 2011, star Johnny Depp was giving an interview to national magazine about his new film, “The Rum Diary.” In attempting to explain his thoughts on the film’s appeal, Depp stepped in it with Wichita. “I believe that this film, regardless of what it makes in, you know, Wichita, Kansas, this week – which is probably about $13 – it doesn’t make any difference … I think it’s an intelligent film … And a lot of times, outside the big cities in the States, they don’t want that.” Wichita was not amused.
“All the President’s Men” dis: This 1976 movie, which focused on the Washington Post’s coverage of the Watergate scandal, was a great flick with a mean jab at Wichita. When Robert Redford, playing journalist Bob Woodward, asks what his source considers a bad question, the source replies, “That is a question straight out of Wichita, Kansas.” Was that totally necessary?
Ric Flair dis: Late last year, ESPN aired “30 for 30: Nature Boy” about professional wrestler Rick Flair, and he had nothing kind to say about his road trips to Kansas. “If I couldn’t go out, I was miserable,” he tells the cameras in the show. “When I was, like, working in an area where there was no nightlife – like when I used to have to go to Kansas City and go to Wichita ... all those little s*** towns, man, I was miserable.”
“Twister” dis: A line in this 1996 movie announces that “Kansas is a mess.” Well, okay, it’s not really an insult. The line happens when storm chaser Rabbit, played by Alan Ruck, is complaining about his storm-chasing comrades folding the maps all wrong. “Kansas is a mess,” he said. “There’s a big crease right through Wichita. ROLL the maps.”
Rod Pocowatchit, Denise Neil and Tom Seals
This story was originally published January 29, 2018 at 9:17 AM with the headline "Happy Kansas Day: Here are our state’s best (and worst) moments on the national stage."