By Dan Curran   Published Feb 05, 2003 at 5:23 AM

There have been a handful of movies filmed in Milwaukee in recent years, including "American Movie," "Dahmer," "Lady in the Box," and the un-released "Milwaukee, Minnesota." But these pictures are pretty low profile -- shown mostly in art-house theaters or going straight to video. You probably aren't bragging to your out-of-town friends that "you know 'Lady in the Box' was filmed here."

When has Milwaukee made a splash in a movie closer to the mainstream of pop culture? Milwaukee has had brief roles in a handful of well-known movies, maybe even stealing a scene in a few of them. What follows is a list of memorable scenes related to Milwaukee.

Wayne's World (1992) -- "Actually its pronounced 'Mila wauk kay'" says rocker Alice Cooper, playing himself, to the wide-eyed Wayne and Garth characters. The gag is that Cooper reveals intimate knowledge of Milwaukee history, and the supposed etymology of the city name from an Indian word. This happens after the two "party dudes" are shown driving to Milwaukee, then doing a send-up of the "Laverne and Shirley" intro, including the shot of our town's city hall. The use of Milwaukee as an integral part of a couple funny scenes makes this the pinnacle of the city's movie moments.

Major League (1988) -- There are numerous actual Milwaukee sightings in this baseball flick, which starred Charlie Sheen and Corbin Bernsen. In addition to Milwaukee County Stadium, director David S. Ward used a restaurant on the northwest side, a home on the lower east side, a Third Ward building and a home on Lake Drive to film scenes for this movie. And one of our town's biggest celebrities, Bob Uecker, has a role. The down side is that Milwaukee gets no credit in the story, as the film is supposed to be taking place in Cleveland. It's a shame the producers didn't wait another ten years to make this film. By then they might have considered our Brewers, not the Cleveland Indians, as the baseball team that best exemplifies total ineptitude.

Dogma (1999) -- It seems writer-director Kevin Smith doesn't think too much of Milwaukee, considering he uses our town as the setting for his version of hell. Actors Matt Damon and Ben Affleck play two fallen angels condemned to spend eternity at an airport in Milwaukee (actually Pittsburgh International Airport; Mitchell must not have been hellacious enough). After Damon tries to convert a nun over to "the dark side," the two angels are able to escape Milwaukee for New Jersey, thus dodging eternal damnation (or do they? Ever smelled Jersey? -ed.).

Fletch Lives (1989) -- "I'll give you a hint -- Milwaukee, Wisconsin," says Chevy Chase in an affected lisp. Playing the title character, Chase used his impersonation skills to change from one persona to another. In this scene he invents the role of a quirky, flamboyant Harley-Davidson heir to escape the ire of the patrons at a biker bar. We see Fletch enjoys celebrity status with the bikers, who then lend him a Harley to continue in his adventure.

Blues Brothers (1980) -- Like "Major League," this is a case of Milwaukee playing the part of another town. In the final chase scene, Jake and Elwood's car goes airborne. It's supposed to occur in Chicago, however, you can see the distinctive grid pattern of Brewtown's tallest building, then known as the First Wisconsin (now US Bank). After sitting unused for three years, the Hoan Bridge (the infamous "bridge to nowhere") was finally open to automobile traffic by the time this scene was filmed. Director John Landis took advantage of the existence of connecting ramps that ended in midair (since demolished) to create this scene.

Tommy Boy (1995) -- The late Chris Farley made a subtle tribute to his Milwaukee years in his first starring role. Though it's not mentioned by name, the setting would have to be Milwaukee in the opening scenes of this movie. We see Farley's Tommy Callahan character take a final exam, run through campus and pound beers with the rugby team at what is supposed to be Marquette University (actually Trinity College at the University of Toronto).

Brief mentions of Milwaukee in: Hoop Dreams, Home Alone, Casino, Reservoir Dogs, Spinal Tap (this is the one that gave Shank Hall its name.)