Movie Night at the Historical Society of Dayton Valley Feb. 15: 'A Howling in the Woods,' filmed in Dayton
The Historical Society of Dayton Valley is hosting a movie night at their upcoming general membership meeting. The meeting includes brief announcements concerning activities of the Society. The general public is invited. It will be held at the Dayton Valley Community Center at 170 Pike Street in Old Town Dayton. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. with the meeting starting at 7 p.m.
A Howling in the Woods is a 1971 made-for-TV thriller starring Barbara Eden, Larry Hagman, John Rubenstein, and Vera Miles. It premiered as the NBC World Premiere Movie on November 5, 1971.
Parts of the film, including the long opening scene, were filmed in Dayton, with the woods segments being filmed near Lake Tahoe. (Just as with the Ponderosa Ranch and Virginia City, these Lake Tahoe woods seem to be right next to Dayton!)
Disillusioned housewife Liza Crocker (Barbara Eden) returns to her family home in the small Nevada town of Stainesville (Dayton) to visit her step-mother (Vera Miles). Liza plans to divorce her husband (played by Larry Hagman) and needs the comfort of the familiar before she can follow through. She is disturbed by her husband continually trying to get her to come home and, more ominously, a mysterious howling at night. If that weren’t enough, she discovers she has a new step-brother, her father seems to be missing, and the townsfolk are behaving very oddly.
More mystery than horror, this is not a great movie. However, the scenes of Dayton in the early 1970s are priceless! Get your popcorn and prepare to enjoy! (Or boo. We don’t mind!)
Admission is free. Call Laura, 775-246-3256 or Gloria, 775-508-9043, for more information. The HSDV website is to https://DaytonNVHistory.org .