October 05, 2024
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Geneva street scenes to appear in new Christmas movie

Film crew used fake snow to create Christmas in September

By Brenda Schory

own & Country Gardens and City Barbershop on State Street in Geneva get the holiday treatment while a film crew shoots scenes for a Christmas movie. (Provided)

GENEVA – Part of a Christmas movie for the ION Television cable channel was shot in Geneva, in front of Town and Country Gardens, City Barbershop and Geneva Diner.

Town and County Gardens manager Brent Leech said a film crew shot a segment of the movie, titled “The Christmas Thief,” in front of their store on State Street in September.

“They were filming all over the suburbs,” Leech said. “They needed a flower shop in a downtown setting and one of their scouts walked by when I was outside. He asked about using the front of our store for a Christmas movie.”

The front of their store, the next door barbershop and a vacant store next to that were all decorated for Christmas and the film crew brought in fake snow, Leech said.

They also filmed the back alley that evening and some inside the Geneva Diner on Second Street as well, Leech said.

“They were filming for about 4 1/2 hours – so it’s probably for a minute or two in the movie,” Leech said.

The front door of Town & Country Gardens in Geneva, dressed up for Christmas in September for a film crew shooting scenes for an ION Television movie. (provided)

According to the special event application filed with the city, Roc Media Group/Thriller Films in Chicago shot the scenes Sept. 16.

An employee of Town & Country Gardens stands in the doorway as the store is all done up for Christmas in September – including fake snow. Geneva was included in scenes for ‘The Christmas Thief,’ which was in several suburbs. (Provided)

“They told us it was ‘A Private Eye Christmas,’ but that they would probably change the name,” Leech said.

A film crew shoots scenes for a Christmas movie on State Street in Geneva in September. The movie ‘The Christmas Thief’ will premier on ION Television at 8 p.m. Dec. 5. (Provided)

And he was right, as the title was changed to “The Christmas Thief,” Jen Emma Hertel, the location manager and line producer for the filming, stated in an email.

A film crew sets up to shoot scenes for a Christmas movie in downtown Geneva. They also shot scenes inside the Geneva Diner on Second Street, as well as in other suburbs. (Provided)

The movie will premier at 8 p.m. Dec. 5 on ION Television, with co-stars Lana Lawton – Michelle Borth on “Hawaii Five-O” – as a fledgling private eye home for the holidays, and Vivica Fox as the head of a local detective agency. The story involves a string of local burglaries where the main suspect is Santa Claus, according to a news release about the cable station’s upcoming holiday features.

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