Back in 2010, I surfed Bill Crider’s Pop Culture Magazine and saw a link to a list of the 50 states and the best movie associated with each state. The more I thought about them, the more I disagreed with most of them. For example, Recount was listed as the best movie ever associated with Florida. Of course, that’s just bullshit political posturing. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off was listed as the best-ever Illinois movie, and, well, you get the idea. There was plenty of room for improvement.

Nevertheless, I thought it was a good concept, so I gave it a go. I put up my choices for the best movie about each state (and the District Of Columbia) and got several interesting responses from readers. So I’m revisiting the list and making a few revisions based on my oh, so fickle nature. For instance, I added Cry Vengeance to Alaska’s listing, a taut little film noir shot in Ketchikan. I eliminated Chicago from Illinois. I saw it again not long ago and it didn’t hold up.

In addition, I gave New York City a separate listing apart from New York State. The city is such an iconic place, and so many movies were filmed or set there, the rest of the state often gets shut out, so I split the city off.

I must add that these films were not necessarily shot in their respective states, but for the most part each film is set there, or it has a strong organic link to that state. Arkansas, for instance, gets A Face In The Crowd. Only the opening scenes are set in Arkansas, then the film swiftly moves on to Memphis and New York, but the central character, played by Andy Griffith (in a blistering debut performance), is an Arkansan through and through. His persona drips with Arkansas throughout the movie.

Some films, which I consider to be masterpieces, like The Wild Bunch or Citizen Kane, are not really associated with any particular state in a meaningful way, so they don’t make the list.

Also, a few of the states have had many great movies connected to them, so they get multiple entries. It’s just too difficult to pick out one great Florida movie, for example, so I listed four. In those cases, the multiple listings are arranged chronologically.

All set? Here we go. And I expect complete agreement.

Alabama: THE PHENIX CITY STORY (1955), TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (1962)

Alaska: CRY VENGEANCE (1954), THE FAR COUNTRY (1955)

Arizona: THE BARON OF ARIZONA (1950), 3:10 TO YUMA (1957)

Arkansas: A FACE IN THE CROWD (1957)

California: A STAR IS BORN (1954), BULLITT (1968), FAT CITY (1972), THE PLAYER (1992), LA CONFIDENTIAL (1997)

Colorado: MISERY (1990)

Connecticut: HOLIDAY INN (1942), CHRISTMAS IN CONNECTICUT (1945), THE ICE STORM (1997)

Delaware: TRIGGER MAN (2007)

District Of Columbia: THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL (1951), JFK (1991), ENEMY OF THE STATE (1998)

Florida: KEY LARGO (1948), BODY HEAT (1981), SCARFACE (1983), THE BOYNTON BEACH CLUB (2006)

Georgia: GONE WITH THE WIND (1939), DELIVERANCE (1972)

Hawaii: BIG JIM McLAIN (1952), FROM HERE TO ETERNITY (1953)

Idaho: DUCHESS OF IDAHO (1950)

Illinois: HALLOWEEN (1978), THE UNTOUCHABLES (1987)

Indiana: A CHRISTMAS STORY (1983), HOOSIERS (1986)

Iowa: THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY (1995)

Kansas: THE WIZARD OF OZ (1939), IN COLD BLOOD (1967)

Kentucky: COAL MINER’S DAUGHTER (1980), THE INSIDER (1999)

Louisiana: ALL THE KING’S MEN (1949), KING CREOLE (1958), THE CINCINNATI KID (1965)

Maine: THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION (1994)

Maryland: HAIRSPRAY (1988), AVALON (1990)

Massachusetts: THE FRIENDS OF EDDIE COYLE (1973), THE TOWN (2010)

Michigan: ANATOMY OF A MURDER (1959)

Minnesota: FARGO (1996)

Mississippi: THE LONG HOT SUMMER (1958), MISSISSIPPI BURNING (1988)

Missouri: WINTER’S BONE (2010)

Montana: THEY DIED WITH THEIR BOOTS ON (1941)

Nebraska: ELECTION (1999)

Nevada: OCEAN’S 11 (1960), THE GODFATHER PART II (1974), THE SHOOTIST (1976), CASINO (1995), HARD EIGHT (1996)

New Hampshire: TO DIE FOR (1995)

New Jersey: ATLANTIC CITY (1980),THE WRESTLER (2008)

New Mexico: THE BIG CARNIVAL (1951), THEM! (1954)

New York State: IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946), NIAGARA (1954)

New York City: THE HUSTLER (1961), THE GODFATHER (1972), ACROSS 110th STREET (1972), SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER (1977)

North Carolina: CAPE FEAR (1962)

North Dakota: NORTHERN LIGHTS (1979)

Ohio: MAJOR LEAGUE (1989)

Oklahoma: THE GRAPES OF WRATH (1940), OKLAHOMA! (1955)

Oregon: MR HOLLAND’S OPUS (1995)

Pennsylvania: NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1968), ROCKY (1976), THE DEER HUNTER (1978), GROUNDHOG DAY (1993)

Rhode Island: REVERSAL OF FORTUNE (1990)

South Carolina: THE LORDS OF DISCIPLINE (1983)

South Dakota: BADLANDS (1973), DANCES WITH WOLVES (1990)

Tennessee: MYSTERY TRAIN (1989)

Texas: THE ALAMO (1960), THE LAST PICTURE SHOW (1971)

Utah: ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST (1968)

Vermont: BABY BOOM (1987)

Virginia: REMEMBER THE TITANS (2000)

Washington: HOUSE OF GAMES (1987), THE FABULOUS BAKER BOYS (1989)

West Virginia: MATEWAN (1987)

Wisconsin: OUR VINES HAVE TENDER GRAPES (1945)

Wyoming: SHANE (1953)