Bowdoin College - Bowdoin in Literature and Film

Bowdoin in Literature and Film

• Fanshawe (1828) — This Nathaniel Hawthorne novel, published only three years after his graduation from Bowdoin, is set at a small college which bears a striking resemblance to his alma mater.
• "Morituri Salutamus" (1875) — Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote this poem for his 50th Bowdoin reunion, and recited it on that occasion. One famous passage recalls the College: "O ye familiar scenes,—ye groves of pine / That once were mine and are no longer mine, — / Thou river, widening through the meadows green / To the vast sea, so near and yet unseen, — / Ye halls, in whose seclusion and repose / Phantoms of fame, like exhalations, rose / And vanished,—we who are about to die / Salute you; earth and air and sea and sky / And the Imperial Sun that scatters down / His sovereign splendors upon grove and town."
• Broken Arrow (1950) — This Golden Globe Award-winning film starring James Stewart featured Oliver Otis Howard, class of 1850 as a prominent character.
• M*A*S*H (1968, 1970) — In both the book and film, the character Hawkeye Pierce is said to have played football at Androscoggin College, a fictional school based on the alma mater of author Richard Hooker, Bowdoin class of 1945.
• The Killer Angels (1975) — This historical novel by Michael Shaara, which won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction, focuses in large part on the role played by Bowdoin graduate and professor Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain at the Battle of Gettysburg.
• Glory (1989) — Massachusetts Governor John A. Andrew, class of 1837 is a character in this film about the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry.
• Gettysburg (1993) — In this movie based on The Killer Angels, there is at least one reference to character Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain as having had an academic career at Bowdoin, which he put aside to lead the 20th Maine.
• The Man Without a Face (1993) — Parts of this movie were filmed on campus.
• The Cider House Rules (1994) — In this John Irving novel and its 1999 film adaptation, a Bowdoin-educated doctor forges a Bowdoin diploma for a young protégé.
• The Sopranos (1999) — In an episode entitled "College," Tony Soprano and his daughter Meadow visit Colby, where Tony kills a former associate, and Bowdoin, where he reads an inscription paraphrasing Hawthorne's warning that "no man, for any considerable period, can wear one face to himself, and another to the multitude, without finally getting bewildered as to which may be true." Tony's daughter is ultimately rejected from Bowdoin and ends up attending Columbia. The episode was not filmed on Bowdoin's campus, but was filmed at Drew University in New Jersey.
• Where the Heart Is (2000) — The main character in this movie falls in love with a Bowdoin man. The film, which has a scene "at Bowdoin," is based on a novel of the same name.
• Gods and Generals (2003) — This film, based on a historical novel of the same name, is a prequel to Gettysburg.
• Kinsey (2004) — Biopic about sex researcher Alfred Kinsey, class of 1916, includes a scene in which his father opposes his decision to transfer to Bowdoin.
• The Aviator (2004) — 1909 Bowdoin grad and U.S. Senator Owen Brewster plays a major role in this Howard Hughes biopic. Played by Alan Alda who also played Hawkeye Pierce whose alma mater was based on Bowdoin as mentioned above.
• Grey's Anatomy (2008) — Dr. Derek "McDreamy" Shepherd is canonically a Bowdoin grad.
• Catamount, A North Country Thriller (2008) — A thriller that takes place in the North Country of New Hampshire. Two fly fishermen who fall victim to a rogue mountain lion were roommates at Bowdoin. The novel was written by Rick Davidson, class of 1969.
• Mad Men (2009) — In the season three episode entitled "Wee Small Hours," a Bowdoin t-shirt is worn by character Suzanne Farrell, even though the episode is set several years before Bowdoin began accepting women.
• The Good Wife (2009) — In the first scene of an episode entitled "Crash" a character introduces a new assistant, listing "Bowdoin 2005, summa cum laude" among her credentials.
• Tinkers (2009)— In this Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Paul Harding, one of the characters, Gilbert, is a semi-legendary literary figured that graduated from Bowdoin and is rumored to been one of Nathaniel Hawthorne's classmates.
• Tenure (2009) — In the first scene, Luke Wilson's character (Charlie Thurber) mentions that he was first rejected tenure at Bowdoin College.