MovieChat Forums > I Know My First Name Is Steven (1989) Discussion > Wanting to clarify something

Wanting to clarify something

posted 17 years ago by sndjentinc
6 replies | jump to latest

I've watched the movie many times and remember back when it originally aired. Still, there is one part I am trying to figure out. Here goes.

When Parnell and Deke are packing up the car and Steve comes riding up on his bike, Parnell says "Help pack up, we're movin'". Steve says "Where are we going?"

Now here's the part I need clarification on.....Parnell replies, but it's hard to make out what he is saying. It sounds like (and even when I turn on the closed captioning it says he says this) "We're going to Reno", but it sounds more like "We're goin' to Rena" in a "hick" accent.

Later on (after Parnell has kidnapped Timmy White), we see Parnell and Timmy picking Steve up from school and on the side of a school bus it says "Port Arena Public Schools". After watching the above scene again, it sounds like Parnell says "Port Arena" when Steve asks where they are going. I don't remember anywhere in the story where they go to "Reno", so Port Arena is the only thing I can think of.

BTW, is Port Arena near Ukiah? (I'm not familiar with California?)

Another thing, anyone know where this movie was filmed? Was it actually filmed in Ukiah and Merced?

I would love to know where the cabin / gas station portrayed as Cathy's Valley was filmed.

I wish they would release a DVD with director's commentary on it.

[–] DBfanTS 17 years ago

All I know is he abducted Timmy White from Ukiah. I read it on Wikipedia.

[–] tinkerbelldolphingrrl 16 years ago

Hi sndjentinc!

I know it's been a little over a year since you wrote your comments here on & about the true story and tv movie(1989) called:
"I Know My First Name Is Steven".
By any chance, Do you have a copy of the movie that I could buy from you?
Or: Do you know a web-site I can buy the movie from?
I'd really, really like to own the movie!!
I Totally agree with you that they should release this movie on to:
DVD with Director's Commentary on it (or cast) and if they don't want to
release it that way, then Dangit!...just put the movie on DVD and release it!!
Jeez!! I think I may email the Studio that filmed it and see what they say...

Are you still interested in ever talking about this movie?...or Steven....
I've been searching for years for a copy of this movie!! Since I was about Steven's age when the first story broke about Steven's abduction, I was always
interested in Steven's safety and any stories that broke about Steven after that.

After Steven had been rescued , he had so much anger and his relationship with his Mother was so full of anger...she tried to get him to a talk-therapist (psychotherapy), but he refused...in my opinion, in the end I think that's what killed him...how can you live through those years of physical and emotional abuse and not talk about it? If he had talked about it to a professional in the field and in the process start releasing all the pain, sadness, anger, lack of self-love, etc.., then maybe he would have lived and just maybe, lived a happy or healthier life. Since he didn't get help to release his anger, then it can only go one other place and that's inward, toward himself...which explains the anger he expressed often. Steven then moved out; I think when he got his studio money...(don't quote me on that though)...this is all pure speculation on my part and purely my own opinon, not to be confused with whatever the truth might have been and no disrespect to Steven's mother either.

I thought it was so very sad the day he died...and kinda bizarre too that the
motorcycle he died on in the crash; he had bought (the motorcycle) with the money he received from the Movie Studio for selling his story to them.

Well, I'm signing off..I really hope to hear from you!..Or anyone else that reads this and has a copy of this movie!..or comments. PLEASE LET ME KNOW!! thx, Margaret :)
[email protected] OR:
[email protected]

(sorry if any words are incorrectly spelled)

[–] Moax429 16 years ago

When Dennis asks Parnell, "Where're we going?," Parnell says,"Point Arena."

I do agree - I wish Warner Home Video (who, I discovered, now owns the DVD rights to this film) would wake up and put it on DVD! (I even tried calling them long distance once; they gave me an answer to the effect of, "Never heard of it." A rather lame excuse for a company who has this film tucked away in their vaults somewhere, isn't it?)

[–] 16 years ago

[deleted]

[–] alaxcjp 15 years ago

Parnell, according to the book, went to Reno severel times to gamble. He took Steven with him. They just didnt touch on it in the movie. TMI

[–] amazon423 15 years ago

Point Arena is on the coast of Mendocino County and Ukiah is the County seat. It is about an hour more or less to get from PA to Ukiah. If you saw the movie "Forever Young" you saw the Point Arena lighthouse. Where they lived was near Point Arena. When Steven got Timmy out of the house they had a long way to travel and it is amazing that they made it to Ukiah and found the police station because at that time it was on a side street several blocks from the courthouse. Steven got a cop's attention and was leaving the office when an officer asked him his name. That was when he said "I Know my name is Steven."Parnell was at work that night at the Palace Hotel where he was front desk. This was on a Saturday night/early Sunday morning because the person who told my boss and myself as we were leaving the Greyhound bus station was the street sweeper in the parking lot. The station was only open during bus times but the whole town went nuts when Timmy was found and even more so when the full story came out.