Roadshow releases video of condition of real house in Baldwinsville, New York. Here’s a spot for wine pairings, and maybe a wake-up call to parents everywhere
Roadshow releases video of condition of real house in Baldwinsville, New York. Here’s a spot for wine pairings, and maybe a wake-up call to parents everywhere
Imagine your childhood: a front yard, a couple of pieces of furniture, a stove, and a couple of crockpots in the corner, ready to be raided if you hear an alarm or see a burglar coming. Surely, you thought, you’d move out then and there. Instead, you spent your youth wondering what would happen in that house, even as your parents slowly left, leaving you to watch over the place until it’s no longer yours.
Now, for some reason, YouTuber Randa Jackson decided to find out. This New York home is the scene of one of many, many recent collaborations between the home video company and Home Alone franchise director Chris Columbus.
What happened to the boy in the grey coat? Actually, he’s playing guitar. “The Home Alone house is one of those iconic places that just people love to see,” Jackson told The Guardian. “It doesn’t matter what side of the aisle you’re on, whether you’re a real family or a movie fan, everyone loves that home movie.”
Jackson’s video is darkly funny and pretty factual: the kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom are beautifully staged. You watch the key pieces of furniture move through the rooms, you see the crockpots get swapped out for the footstools and tiles and sinks come out. Jackson filmed from the attic and it works: it’s perfect for watching the house come apart, to watch a family living in fear: “The New York State police knocked on the door right before the first Christmas in that house,” Jackson says. “They busted through, and a bunch of them were pepper-sprayed. They couldn’t find anything.”
New York police were evidently so freaked out by their investigators’ skills on the couch they forgot to catch what turned out to be a simple burglary. The guy who lived there was able to leave without getting caught, but he was arrested on drug charges. The house was later sold, and a new family moved in. Jackson’s video ends with a memento of her and Columbus’s partnership: a bench she created with Columbus, in the spot of the original Crockpot.