Towson Making a Cameo in HBO Film

John McCain's Straight Talk Express made a pit stop in Towson.

Maryland being the blue state it is, such a stop would be unlikely during the campaign season. It would be unlikelier still at Goucher College. But that's where the bus was on Friday.

"Game Change," the HBO film about the Republican presidential campaign of 2008, shot in Towson on Friday, with more filming scheduled for Monday, according to a source involved with the production.

On Location Vacations first reported that crews were on location in Towson.

On Friday, crews were filming several political rally scenes outside Dorsey College Center at Goucher College.

A Goucher spokeswoman couldn't immediately be reached for comment.

A primary-election-era "John McCain '08" banner was draped above the steps leading to Kraushaar Auditorium on Friday afternoon. Nearby, production workers were putting McCain-Palin signs on risers, with CNN and Fox News trucks parked next to the famed Straight Talk Express bus. In fact, a production source said it was the same bus used by the real-life candidate McCain.

Julianne Moore (Sarah Palin) and Ed Harris (McCain) were on set.

"Game Change," based on the book by journalists John Heilemann and Mark Halperin, tells the behind-the-scenes story of the McCain-Palin campaign. The film is directed by Jay Roach ("Recount," "Austin Powers," "Meet the Parents") and also stars Woody Harrelson as campaign manager Steve Schmidt.

Nearly all of the movie is being filmed in the Baltimore area. The Baltimore shoot is scheduled to run through late June.In a recent Baltimore Sun story, production designers discussed how Baltimore locations in for campaign offices, rallies and hotel rooms across the country.

It's unknown if crews are shooting anywhere else in Towson.

Aside from the filming, which closed down a Goucher parking lot, the campus was almost entirely quiet. Classes ended just under a month ago. The film crews were apparently careful not to make much noise. They used Towson University for staging and extras parking. When asked about the production, university spokeswoman Carol Dunsworth said it was news to her.

"Isn't that odd?" she said. "You'd think there'd be a bit of a scene."