Lorne Malvo’s Motel Room

Sometimes we just like to do it for the fun and nothing else. For us. Case in point, this post where we pay a visit to an ordinary motel room that’ll be the focus of our attention today. What the heck? No, it’s not one we’ve booked for the night, but instead appears in a well regarded TV series. It’s not all that different from any other room at any other inn, but it’s important to the story and an interesting background element fitting to the mood the series is known for. What you see here is where filming took place, exactly so, and that in itself is something epic.

Here, it’s the motel room used by Billy Bob Thorton’s character “Lorne Malvo” in the very first episode of the FX series Fargo, a piece titled “The Crocodile’s Dilemma”. Now isn’t that a blast? It was not a set, but a real functioning room in a real functioning motel. The location here is Leroy’s Motor Inn in Strathmore Alberta, in the story the town doubling for Bemidji, Minnesota. Funny how places so far removed from a story in distance, and sometimes even in appearance, can pass for another. But that’s how they do it in the industry. It’s all about filming where it’s cost effective.

In the story Malvo, a drifter rockin’ an amazing haircut, finds himself in town and due to a complicated series of events, this here room becomes his base. It’s a rather tangled tale, one of murder and intrigue with many plot twists and a structure sometimes down right bewildering for brain-dead folks like we. In the episode he’s in room #23, but in reality it’s #120. Now that you know, ask for it if you stay there and channel your inner Billy Bob/Malvo and become a cold SOB of a hitman like he, malevolent to the core and heartless. And crazy as a s**t-house rat. BB plays it so well, you can’t help think it’s not far removed from his true personality. Just sayin…

The interior of the room was made to look different in the episode than it appears now, then returned to its original form once filming wrapped. It was painted one colour, then with that not working, done over again in the scheme seen in the episode. One must wonder the cost to do this and all that down time and extra work? I guess it took a week to get it right. They’re after a specific look I guess, something a tad raw and gritty, and so must have not been happy the first time. So it goes.

From the former owner…

“They actually painted the Lorne Malvo room green at first then decided against it then wallpapered it an off white with strips to look like large panels.”

The then owner of the motel (sold soon after our visit) was lucky enough to acquire some props from the production. These include scripts, call sheets, and coolest of all a metal gas can used in a promo shoot out front under the main sign by the highway. Treasured keepsakes all!

In addition a restaurant attached to the motel was used in some scenes. They had customers on our visit and we didn’t want to bother them. Interestingly there was no attempt to change the name of the motel. Fictional labels are often applied to businesses seen, for what ever reason, but here they kept it Leroy’s Motor Inn. That’s a tad unusual. Other rooms in the motel were used by craft services and the exterior also makes an appearance in some scenes. For that they shut down the entire east wing for filming.

“They rented two rooms for a week for the set up of Lorne Melvo’s room then rented the entire east side for the filming for two days, Billy Bob actually signed a guys pizza box that was staying in a room on the west side during filming. We shut the office for 5 hours for the filming in there and the restaurant was closed for a few hours. The promo shoot the restaurant was closed all day and they used four rooms for interviews and for the extras etc.”

In addition to the Crocodile’s Dilemma episode of Fargo, the very same room was used in the 2013 film “After the Storm”. It’s not a well known flick and in spite of looking far and wide, could not find a copy to view, just a trailer. Like they fell off the map. Incidentally, there’s more than a few other movie productions that share the same title.

From the Strathmore Times…

“Stephen Lubig, a Strathmore resident, was at Leroy’s Motor Inn filming a scene from his feature film, After the Storm. Lubig is an independent filmmaker, and is the producer, writer and director of the project. He lives in Strathmore with his wife and their young son.”

We’re shown an old post card, maybe circa early 1970s, showing Leroy’s back then. Motels often gave these away these as advertising premiums. The place sure looked way different back then. The family who owned it for decades has since retired from the biz, and we understand the appearance of the place may change and maybe the name too. In the post card – check out the old grain elevator. It and the rail line that served the community are long gone. Time marches on and so comes change. Since that postcard, Strathmore has grown to become a bedroom for Calgary and is many, many times the size it was then. Once a quaint prairie village, now it’s strip malls on the highway and a little visited downtown.

The motel sign appears in a promo shoot for the production. Google Image search “Leroy’s Motor Inn Fargo” to see. That’s character “Lester Nygaard”, a beat down insurance salesperson in his striking red jacket out front, and that’s the gas can we spoke about the old owner got to keep.

A “Crocodile Dilemma” is a paradox, with each possible outcome contradictory to the other. There is no right answer. Google it!

Fargo is an acclaimed “noir” series in production since 2014 and based on the eponymous film from the 1990s. It’s how shall we say…interesting…and quirky and odd. It’s one of those shows you either love to death or hate with all your being. We’re odd, in that we’re on the fence. It’s okay, most of the time, but…you know looses in places. Still, visiting a location where some scenes were shot…that was awesome! Hope you had fun with us. Thanks Fraser and Michelle!

They’re saying…

”Thank you both for all your hard work.” Lori Boschman.

Movie locations…
As Seen In: Superman III / Silver Streak.
Brokeback Mountain then and now – Twist Ranch.
Legends of the Fall – then and now – Where Tristan sat!

If you wish more information on what you’ve seen here, by all means contact us!

Date of Adventure: June, 2019.
Location: Strathmore, AB.
Article references and thanks: The fine folks @ Leroy’s Motor Inn Strathmore.

A motel room?

This one was seen the TV Series Fargo…

…In the first episode “The Crocodile’s Dilemma”.

We’re at Leroy’s Motor Inn Strathmore Alberta.

The sign’s appears in a promo shoot.

In the story, we’re in Bemidji Minnesota.