ABC’s The Astronaut Wives Club Films in Gulfport

Road closures due to crews filming may sound like something that only happens in Hollywood, but drivers on Highway 90 Monday morning got a taste of the tinsel town treatment.

Filming started in Gulfport Monday for The Astronaut Wives Club, and after last week’s successful Sun and Sand Film Festival, it’s something Coast residents may have to get used to. The Gulfport beach went retro as filming started on ABC’s ten part miniseries, The Astronaut Wives Club.

The film, set in Florida in the 50s, may have slowed traffic Monday, but owner of Port City Café in downtown Gulfport, Ernest Ulrich, sees the big picture. Ulrich says, "It brings money in as far a tourism, it brings money in as far as the locals just being curious, what’s going on downtown, on the beach right now, they got big old booms down there, and here in downtown, the same thing."

The film details the rise in popularity of the wives of the Mercury Seven, America’s first astronauts. These families were suddenly thrust into the national spotlight and while the real life drama unfolded in Florida, TV executives saw Gulfport as the perfect backdrop for this period piece. Chris Vignes, spokesman for the City of Gulfport says, "The advertising we’re getting from being on a national television series is unparalleled. The excitement is in the air, the businesses, everybody is really excited about what’s coming in."

With Cruisin’ the Coast in the rearview, local business leaders think it’s very likely this massive tourism event is what convinced show leaders that the Coast would be the perfect fit for the TV series. Ulrich also says, "I think they may have in the past checked out Cruisin’ the Coast, said, ‘Hey, we’ve got an opportunity there, let’s take advantage of that opportunity. The weather’s nice, the folks on the Gulf Coast, if they can put on Cruisin’, they can take care of us.’”

With the beautiful weather along the Coast, especially in the fall, and the classic cars owners that Cruisin’ the Coast brings to south Mississippi, you could say it’s opening doors for the film industry on the Gulf Coast. Vignes also says, "The secret is out that filmmaking is easy in Mississippi. We’re here for them and it’s easy to work with the municipalities and the government, and we look forward to more projects coming along. We’ve had a lot of inquiries recently."

That’s good news for Ulrich, who knows that more people in the area means more cash flow. Ulrich closes, "It’s bringing some traffic. I think it’s going to be great for the Gulf Coast, putting us on the map in the filming industry."