How Oscars favorite ‘Oppenheimer’ traces its roots to Tennessee

Oak Ridge may not have loomed large in “Oppenheimer,” the Christopher Nolan film with more Oscar nominations than any other picture this year, but the town certainly loomed large in the

troubled mind of J. Robert Oppenheimer.

As the physicist oversaw the creation of the atomic bomb at Los Alamos, New Mexico, during World War II, he knew his work would be meaningless without fuel for the devastating weapon. That fuel for the first bomb, enriched uranium, came from a small town outside Knoxville.

Before Oppenheimer was tapped for the Manhattan Project, there was Oak Ridge, then known as Clinton Engineering Works. The former farming community was selected as the first site of the project and employed around 50,000 people at its peak. Across four plants – code named K-25, S-50, X-10 and Y-12 – Oak Ridge used different methods to separate the tiny amount of explosive uranium from its natural form.

Oppenheimer visited the town several times and even stationed his brother there at the height of operations. Now, the film about his life is a favorite to win best picture at the Oscars on March 10, and is nominated for 13 awards overall.

Here’s how to watch the ceremony. If you want to watch the film before the Oscars, it is streaming on NBCUniversal’s platform Peacock and available to rent through Amazon Prime.

Ahead of Hollywood’s biggest night, here’s a look back at stories that connect Oppenheimer to Tennessee and the lasting legacy of nuclear power’s earliest years.

Oak Ridge figures, including Oppenheimer’s brother, appear in film

The “Oppenheimer” movie was filmed mostly in Los Alamos and surrounding areas of Santa Fe, New Mexico, and it mentions the name “Oak Ridge” only once. Still, three key figures who worked at the Y-12 electromagnetic separation plant in Oak Ridge appear in the film:

Major General Kenneth Nichols was instrumental in selecting Oak Ridge as the first Manhattan Project site in 1942. He later served as District Engineer of the Manhattan Engineer District, overseeing uranium enrichment in Oak Ridge and plutonium enrichment at the Hanford site in Washington state, and won a distinguished service medal from the U.S. Army. He is played by Dane DeHaan in “Oppenheimer.”

Ernest Lawrence was a Nobel Prize-winning physicist who developed the calutron technology that used electromagnetic separation to enrich uranium at the massive Y-12 plant. He is played by Josh Hartnett in “Oppenheimer.”

Frank Oppenheimer was not just the brother of the Manhattan Project’s lead scientist. He was a physicist in his own right, and was invited by his brother to go to Oak Ridge and monitor Y-12’s equipment in the final stretch of the war. He is played by Dylan Arnold in “Oppenheimer.”

Oppenheimer’s biggest influence in Oak Ridge can’t be seen today

In the race to beat Nazi Germany to the atomic bomb, Manhattan Project leaders were willing to try any technology that could speed uranium enrichment in Oak Ridge. Oppenheimer himself pressured leaders to build a thermal diffusion plant in Oak Ridge called S-50.

Built in just 69 days in 1944, the large plant on the Clinch River proved less effective than hoped and was soon torn down. Two Manhattan Project sites still stand and serve national science and national security priorities: Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Y-12 National Security Complex.

“It was the dawn of the atomic age, so someone had to train the scientists and engineers that were trying to figure out how to use this new knowledge for good,” David Keim, director of communications at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, told Knox News. “We continue to do work in nuclear energy.”

‘Oppenheimer’ boosted Oak Ridge tourism

Even though Oak Ridge is hardly mentioned in “Oppenheimer,” Ray Smith, the town’s official historian, said the film spurred a greater interest in the town’s history.

“I’ve done 17 bus tours here in Oak Ridge since the movie came out and there’s been an increase in tourism because of the mere mention of Oak Ridge,” Smith told Knox News in December.

The Department of Energy offers a public bus tour of Manhattan Project sites in Oak Ridge through the American Museum of Science and Energy. The 2024 tours are set to begin this spring. Check amse.org/bus-tours for more information and to purchase tickets for $15.

Before Oscars, Oak Ridge marked uranium anniversary

Nine days before the Oscars came the 80th anniversary of the first shipment of enriched uranium from the Y-12 plant in Oak Ridge to Los Alamos on March 1, 1944. The process involved lieutenants dressed in disguise and a secretive briefcase handed off in Chicago.

The occasion passed without much notice. If Y-12 National Security Complex decided to mark every Manhattan Project anniversary, it could have an event just about every week.

“Whatever the nation has asked of Y-12 over the past eight decades, our team has adapted and delivered,” Gene Sievers, site manager at Y-12, told Knox News in a statement.

Looking for a gift for an ‘Oppenheimer’ fan?

Maybe there’s a birthday coming up for a fan of the movie, or you’re looking for the perfect gift to bring to an Oscars watch party. We have 19 gift ideas, including the physicist’s signature hat and Christopher Nolan’s screenplay.

Daniel Dassow is a growth and development reporter focused on technology and energy. Phone 423-637-0878. Email daniel.dassow@knoxnews.com.

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