“Somewhere in Time,” starring Jane Seymour, Christopher Reeve, and Christopher Plummer, has become one of my all-time favorite films. Released in October of 1980, this time-traveling classic was filmed on location at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island. As I created a poster to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the film’s release, I listened to the haunting and unforgettable music of John Barry’s soundtrack, which became his best-selling film score. The music brilliantly weaves an emotional link between the present and the past of a love story that transcends time. It continues to echo in your mind long after the credits roll and the screen fades to black. Although Barry’s score did not receive an Oscar nomination, the film was nominated for Best Costume Design.

My future wife, Bonita, had piqued my interest in the history behind the film while she was still living in Columbia, Missouri, between 1983 and 1991. Richard Matheson wrote the film’s screenplay which was based on his 1975 novel “Bid Time Return” about a playwright (Christopher Reeve) who falls in love with the portrait of a beautiful and famous early-20th century stage actress named Elise McKenna (Jane Seymour) and travels back in time to meet her and find love. Seymour’s character was loosely based on Maude Adams, a popular American stage actress who achieved her greatest success playing Peter Pan in the 1905 production of “Peter Pan.” The film served as a catalyst for Bonita and me to further research the life of Maude Adams and her manager Charles Frohman (the basis for the William Fawcett Robinson character portrayed by Plummer). Matheson’s fictional story was clearly art imitating life.

Imagine, if you will, transporting to the late 19th century Grand Hotel…that romantic Victorian getaway on Mackinac Island which opened in 1887. Bonita and I stayed there in June of 1990. It seemed as if we had traveled back in time just like playwright Richard Collier had done in the film.

Too bad we didn’t stay at the Grand Hotel one year later. The first annual Somewhere in Time Weekend was held there in October of 1991. Each year this event has drawn movie lovers and followers of the film known as the International Network of “Somewhere in Time” Enthusiasts (INSITE). The special weekend package includes a screening of the film, discussions of the movie’s production process, and appearances by returning cast and crew. Attending guests are encouraged to wear period costume. What an experience that would be!

To reach the Grand Hotel, Bonita and I rendezvoused at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport and then drove to the northern point of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. We parked our rental car in Mackinaw City and boarded a ferry to historic Mackinac Island, which is located in Lake Huron. As we stepped off of the ferry, it truly felt like stepping back in time as the old-world charm of the Victorian architecture flooded our senses. Many of the building structures at the landing dock had undergone extensive preservation and restoration…no chain hotels, just quaint B&Bs, cottages, and shops. There’s also a ban on all motor vehicles except for emergency and service vehicles…no cars allowed, just horse-drawn carriages and bicycles. We packed light so we opted to walk the short distance to the Grand Hotel.

“You have no idea how far I've come to be with you.”

Arriving at the Grand Hotel was like walking onto the set of “Somewhere in Time.” There were rocking chairs lining the world’s longest porch that overlooks a vast Tea Garden and the Esther Williams swimming pool and offers stunning views of the Straits of Mackinac. Truly a perfect setting for the film even though in his book Matheson’s story took place at Hotel del Coronado, an 1888 Victorian beach resort located in San Diego, California. Like so many Grand Hotel visitors before us, we tried to book the rooms (117 and 416) that Elise and Richard had occupied in the film, but we were told those “rooms” only existed on a sound stage. Although no actual rooms from the film exist, the Grand Hotel does offer two suites that are dedicated to the film: a Somewhere in Time Suite (#368) and the Jane Seymour Suite (#392), both rooms decorated with film memorabilia. Our room ended up being one of the less glamorous options, but no less charming.

One day we decided to explore the rest of the island. We rented a tandem bicycle and rode 8 miles around the circumference of the island, stopping to take in some of the sights like Mission Church and Arch Rock. Later we shopped and tasted some of the famous Mackinac Island Fudge (we, too, became “fudgies,” the endearing nickname given to out-of-towners by locals because no tourist leaves without sampling the island’s famous fudge).

As I reflect on our stay at the Grand Hotel, Jim Croce’s “Time in a Bottle” comes to mind:

If I could save time in a bottle
The first thing that I'd like to do
Is to save every day till eternity passes away
Just to spend them with you

If I could make days last forever
If words could make wishes come true
I'd save every day like a treasure and then
Again, I would spend them with you

But there never seems to be enough time
To do the things you want to do, once you find them
I've looked around enough to know
That you're the one I want to go through time with

If I had a box just for wishes
And dreams that had never come true
The box would be empty, except for the memory of how
They were answered by you

But there never seems to be enough time
To do the things you want to do, once you find them
I've looked around enough to know
That you're the one I want to go through time with

Everyone wants to live forever and find a love that will last for an eternity. But life is too short. When you do fall in love, there never seems to be enough time to spend together. If we could just turn back the clock…

If We Could Just Turn Back the Clock...

Reflections

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