Manhattan, Kansas - in Popular Culture

In Popular Culture

• The eponymous character in Raymond Chandler's 1949 novel The Little Sister is from Manhattan.
• Kenneth S. Davis's 1951 novel Morning in Kansas is set in Manhattan (called New Boston in the book).
• In 1972, Glen Campbell recorded a No. 6 hit on the Country Music Charts with his song "Manhattan, Kansas."
• The 1975 documentary film Banjoman captures a concert held in Manhattan on January 23, 1973, to honor Earl Scruggs. The concert included performances by Joan Baez, David Bromberg, The Byrds, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, and Doc and Merle Watson.
• Manhattan features in Vernor Vinge's 1985 science-fiction novella The Ungoverned.
• The main character in Sydney Sheldon's 1987 novel Windmills of the Gods starts out as a professor at Kansas State University in Manhattan.
• Manhattan is a principal setting for the 1992 novel Was, by Geoff Ryman, a contemporary examination of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
• W.E.B. Griffin mentions Manhattan as the hometown of a main character in his Brotherhood of War (novel series).
• The plot of the failed 1993 CBS television pilot The Elvira Show revolves around two witches, played by Elvira and Katherine Helmond, moving to Manhattan with their talking cat.
• The opening scene for the trailer to the 2004 film Friday Night Lights is Poyntz Avenue in downtown Manhattan; this was stock footage purchased for the trailer.
• The 2006 documentary film Manhattan, Kansas by Tara Wray is about her mentally unstable mother.