‘Indiana Jones’ Mania In Harlem

Just when you thought Indiana Jones had ridden off into the sunset for good … the capped crusader is back! On Tuesday night in Harlem Harrison Ford hit the red carpet for the New York premiere of “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.”

“Cracking good yarn. You’ll have a good time I promise,” Ford said when asked about the new film.

Actress Karen Allen also was present for the premiere. Allen returns as Indiana Jones’ love interest Marion Ravenwood, a character she portrayed in the record-breaking first film “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” that debuted 27 years ago.

Joining the adventure series for the first time is actor Shia LaBeouf, who plays Indy’s new sidekick Mutt Williams. LaBeouf, who recently starred in the box office smash “Transformers,” said he was thrilled to work alongside Ford.

“Anything with Harrison was a lot of fun to shoot,” LaBeouf said. “You feel like you’re in a dream world where your reality is greater than your dreams. I never dreamed anything as big as this. It’s like working with unicorns.”

The story is set in 1957 at the height of the Cold War, 20 years after “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” when Jones rode off into the sunset with his father, played by Sean Connery.

Two-time Oscar nominated actress Cate Blanchett, who was absent for the film’s U.S. debut, plays the icy cold Soviet agent Irina Spalko. Her elite military unit is scouring the globe for the eerie Crystal Skull of Akator. They believe it can help the Soviets dominate the world.

Indy and Williams try to evade the ruthless Soviets and stop the Crystal Skull from falling into the deadliest of hands.

Filming began in Ghost Ranch, N.M., on June 17, 2007. The long-awaited film wrapped shooting in October of 2007. Spielberg had several locations from Big Island, Hawaii to Yale University.

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