Together with Margaret McHenry Maids

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Wichita in Pop Culture

What is the first song, show, movie, or piece of literature that comes to mind when you hear the word Wichita?

Depending on what generation you fall into, you probably said Wichita Lineman or Seven Nation Army. In both cases, you’re not wrong, but those aren’t the only places Wichita pops into pop culture.

Here’s a deeper look at all the places Wichita has appeared, been mentioned, or been immortalized by artists, musicians, authors, screenwriters, filmmakers, and Hollywood weirdos.

Music

Wichita has an allure that no one can deny including Jack White. So, what songs mention Wichita?

• Seven Nation Army - White Stripes (2003)

Lyric: “I’m going to Wichita, Far from this opera forevermore”

I don’t think anyone really knows why they mention Wichita, but whenever someone covers this at a concert, you know immediately who is from Wichita.

• Wichita Lineman - Glenn Campbell | Song & Album (1968)

Glenn Campbell recorded a whole album called Wichita Lineman. And well, Wichita is in the name. The hit song “Wichita Lineman” was written by Jimmy Webb and is one of the most iconic mentions of Wichita in pop culture. The song was a huge hit when it was released, and it has since become a classic. It has also been covered 10 times by artists including James Taylor, R.E.M, Ray Charles, Kool & The Gang, Dan Navarro, Dwight Yoakam, Jose Feliciano, Black Puma, Glen Campbell with Stone Temple Pilots, and Sammy Davis, Jr.

• I’ve been Everywhere - Hank Snow (1962) / Johnny Cash

Lyric: “Been to …Buffalo, Toronto, Winslow, Sarasota, Wichita, Tulsa…”

Not a huge call out, but hey we’ll take what we can get.

• Wichita Skyline - Shawn Colvin (1996)

Lyric: “Now I'm just a flat fine line like the Wichita skyline”

I’m not super familiar with this, but take a listen if you’d like.

• Jack Straw - Grateful Dead (1972)

Lyric: “Jack Straw from Wichita”. Yup. That is about as much as I know.

Literature

• Dennis the Menace - Comic (first printed in 1951) - set in Wichita, Kansas - the perfect middle-class suburban setting

• The Testing - Joelle Carbonneau (2013) - based in Tosu City (aka post-apoclyptic Wichita)

• Thunderhead - Neal Shusterman (2019) - Wichita is the location of a major event

• Hospitality Suite - Roger Pueff - Stage Play set in Wichita

• Wichita Vortex Sutra - Allen Ginsberg - Anti-war Poem (1960’s)

• In Cold Blood - Truman Capote (1966) - mainly set in Holcomb, but Wichita is referenced

• The Pursued - Corey Mead (2025) - True story of violent stalker in Wichita form 1977 to 1981

Movies / Shows

• Wichita (1955) & Wyatt Earp (1994) - Both of these films highlight Wichita and the life of Wyatt Earp (Earp was a member of the Wichita PD in the 1870’s). The 1994 film had an all-star cast featuring Kevin Costoner, Dennis Quaid, Gene Hackman, and more.

• Good Luck, Miss Wyckoff (1979) - Set in small-town Kansas in the 1950’s with references to Wichita

• Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987) - Quote:

Neal: Are you saying I could be stuck in Wichita?

Del: I'm saying you are stuck in Wichita.

• The Ice Harvest (2005) - This film features John Cusack, Billy Bob Thornton, and Connie Nielsen in a “neo-noir black comedy” set in Wichita on Christmas Eve.

• Knight and Day (2010) - This Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz film was originally called Wichita

• Zombieland (2009) - Emma Stone’s character is literally named Wichita after the character’s hometown

• Mars Attacks! (1996) - This film was primarily filmed in Burns (~40 miles northeast of Wichita), but some shots were in town here.

• The Big Kahuna (1999) - Set in Wichita, this Kevin Spacey movie actually has a couple shots of downtown Wichita unlike many “Wichita-based” movies.

• Twister (1996) - Some scenes from Twister were filmed in Wichita.

• Cheers - Kirstie Alley was a life-long Wichitan and star of Cheers. Kelsey Grammer now makes appearances to promote his beer line Faith American Blue Hazy IPA.

• King Kung Fu (1976) - One of the greatest cinematic masterpieces of the last 100 years. This deserves a whole deep-dive on it’s own

• Christmas at the Golden Dragon (2022) - This is one of the more recent pop culture references and took us by surprise as we were cuddled up on the couch with the fire crackling and we turn on Hallmark just to hear the Wichita name dropped (as well as University of Wichita).

• Supernatural - Wichita is either mentioned or featured in 7 different seasons of the popular show.

• Ted Lasso - This might be one of the biggest and most recent reference. Ted Lasso, played by Jason Sudeikis, was the football coach and led the D2 Shockers to their first ever National title in American football before getting recruited to coach the other football overseas.

  

Games

• Fallout - Wichita is mentioned, never played it though so who knows.

As we can see, Wichita is no stranger to being featured or highlighted in pop culture.

From films and music to television, the city has been featured in various forms of media over the years. Whether it’s the hit song “Wichita Lineman” or appearances in popular television shows, Wichita has made its mark in pop culture.

What did we miss? What did you not know about?

We’ve also done some dives into “famous people of Wichita” which could also tie into Wichita pretty heavily.

What do you want to see us go deep on in a future deep dive?

Let us know!

Together with Ballet Wichita

🎄✨ Get swept away by the magic of the season with Ballet Wichita’s 51st annual production of The Nutcracker.

From December 19–21, 2025 at Century II Concert Hall, enjoy live Tchaikovsky music, stunning costumes, and world-class dancing as Clara, the Nutcracker Prince, and the Sugar Plum Fairy transport you to the Land of Sweets.

A Wichita holiday tradition for all ages.

Tickets are on sale now and seats go fast. 🎟️