List of references to Cleveland in popular culture

This is a list of references to Cleveland in popular culture. Founded in 1796 near the mouth of the Cuyahoga River, Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County.^[1] It is the most populous county in the state, and is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately 60 miles (97 km) west of the Pennsylvania border. Being a major U.S. city, Cleveland has been used as the cite of numerous books, films, music, and television shows; as well as being mentioned or referenced in many others. Below is a partial list.

Print

• The Old Man and the Sea - "The Yankees cannot lose." "But I fear the Indians of Cleveland."^[2]
• The setting of Calvin and Hobbes is suburb Chagrin Falls.^[3]
• The comic American Splendor is set in Cleveland. A movie about the comic, also titled American Splendor, was also produced and set in Cleveland.^[4]

Television

• Buffy The Vampire Slayer - On more than one occasion, Cleveland is mentioned throughout the series, with one reference declaring it is the base of one of the seven existing Hellmouths. In the final scene of the television series, Faith says, "Looks like the hellmouth is officially closed for business." Giles responds, "There is another one in Cleveland. Not to spoil the moment."
• Full House - Michelle says, "Glenn wants to know where babies come from." Joey replies, "Um...Cleveland."
• Go Go Gophers episode - The Cleveland Indians. Colonial Kit Coyote takes the Gopher Indians to Cleveland.
• Scrubs - In "My Kingdom", Dr. Cox says, "And this...abomination is the reason we can’t afford a new computer?" Dr. Kelso replies, "Well, that, and a little medical boondoggle I have to go to in Cleveland. And by ‘medical boondoggle’ I mean ‘golf weekend.’ And by ‘Cleveland’ I mean ‘Hawaii.’"
• Seinfeld - In The Heart Attack, Tor tells Jerry that his note reads, "Cleveland 117, San Antonio, 109."^[5][6]
• Seinfeld - In The Secretary, George Steinbrenner tells George Constanza, "Uh huh, I understand what you’re saying George and I know what it’s like to be financially strapped. When I was a young man in Cleveland I use to hitchhike to work. One time I got picked up by a bakery truck."
• The Drew Carey Show is set in Cleveland.^[7]
• Hot in Cleveland is set in Cleveland.^[7]
• The 30 Rock episode Cleveland is partially set in Cleveland, and the show’s characters refer to it as a type of Shangri-La.^[8]
• The character Ted Mosby in How I Met Your Mother is from Cleveland and the show contains various references.^[9]
• The character Cleveland Brown’s name is a reference to the Cleveland Browns.
• On the first episode of Fuller House, Stephanie Tanner says, "First I go to Ibiza and then Singapore and then Cleveland." Kimmy Gibbler responds, "Wow, that's so cool. I've always wanted to go to Cleveland."
• The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis - Maynard G. Krebs would frequently say he was going to see the movie The Monster That Devoured Cleveland, which perpetually ran at the Central City Bijou throughout the entire series run. In one episode, he invites Dobie to accompany him to a double-feature of the film and its sequel, Son of the Monster that Devoured Cleveland.
• Kyle XY Andy moves to Cleveland.

Film

• 12 Angry Men - Juror #7 wants to get out of jury duty quickly because he has tickets to the ball game between the "Yanks and Cleveland."^[10]
• National Lampoon's European Vacation - The Griswolds are dining out in Paris. The French-speaking waiter says to Clark (shown as English subtitles), "Remarkable accent. Chicago? Perhaps Cleveland."
• Super Troopers - Trooper Arcot "Thorny" Ramathorn asks Trooper Rodney Farva, "What are you going to do with ten million dollars? And you can't say buy the Cleveland Cavaliers."
• This Is Spinal Tap - Spın̈al Tap performs at the "Xanadu Star Theater" in Cleveland.
• Bachelor Party - Rick Gassko (portrayed by Tom Hanks) says, "Cleveland won the pennant!" after swinging at a tennis ball as if it were a baseball.
• Finding Dory - Part of the plot involved a truck going to an aquarium in Cleveland.
• The Santa Clause - After delivering some Christmas presents, Scott Calvin/Santa Claus (portrayed by Tim Allen) says, "You miss me already? I’ve been gone, what? Ten minutes. Gimme a break. I was on my way to Cleveland."
• Hot Tub Time Machine - The Drive did not happen because the wide receiver dropped the ball after being distracted by a squirrel.
• The 1989 film Major League and its 1994 sequel Major League II are set in Cleveland.^[11]
• The 1993 film Ghost In The Machine is set in Cleveland.
• The 2002 film Welcome to Collinwood is set in Cleveland.^[12]
• The 2006 film The Oh in Ohio is set in Cleveland.^[13]
• The 2011 film Kill the Irishman is set in Cleveland.^[14]
• The 2014 film Draft Day is set in Cleveland.
• The 2014 film Predestination Baby Jane was left at Cleveland Orphanage.
• The 2015 film Trainwreck contains multiple references to Cleveland and includes LeBron James.
• The 2016 film The Land, directed by Steven Caple Jr, is set in Cleveland and contains numerous shots of Cleveland.^[15]

Music

• "Cuyahoga" on R.E.M.’s 1986 album Lifes Rich Pageant is a reference to the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland.^[16]
• "Cleveland Rocks" appears on Ian Hunter’s 1979 album You're Never Alone with a Schizophrenic. The song was covered by the Presidents of the United States of America and used on The Drew Carey Show as a theme.^[17]
• Randy Newman’s song "Burn On" from his 1972 album Sail Away is about the Cuyahoga River and Cleveland. The entire song is played in the opening segment of the movie Major League.^[16]
• "April 29, 1992 (Miami)" is a song on Sublime’s eponymous 1996 album that mentions Cleveland as a place that is rioting.
• "The Heart of Rock & Roll" by Huey Lewis and the News references Cleveland as being the heart of rock & roll. Originally, the song lyric was going to be "The heart of rock and roll is in Cleveland," rather than "The heart of rock and roll is still beating."^[18]
• Gordon Lightfoot's song "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" mentions that the SS Edmund Fitzgerald was leaving for Cleveland before it sunk.
• The song Ohio (Come Back to Texas) by Bowling for Soup mentions a girl that went to Cleveland. The song mentions Drew Carey and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
• Kid Cudi, a Shaker Heights native, alludes to cold Cleveland weather in "Cleveland is the Reason", on A Kid Named Cudi. He also says it's the reason for his sadness in "Cuyahoga Blues." In an interview about working on 808's and Heartbreak he said, "Cleveland wasn’t fit for me as a city. A kid with big dreams I mean, there’s not much in Cleveland to do to accomplish all those goals that I had."^[19]

References