[read more], The MET – The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, Tiger Street Art Mural on Lafayette St. (SoHo, NYC) L.I.S.A. On March 29, 1971, The Godfather, considered by many to be one of the greatest films ever made, began principal photography in New York City. We then join Michael Corleone and his girlfriend Kay Adams as they Christmas shop at the Best & Co. Department Store on Fifth Avenue at 51st Street. The new cut completely deletes Michael being honored with a papal order in St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York and instead goes right to the party celebration, mimicking the openings of Godfather I and II. But if they’re still there today, look directly to your left as you enter through the subway station turnstiles — you may still glimpse the doors. Anyone have any ideas? I would love to go on a film location scavenger hunt, sadly though I live in Anchorage Alaska presently and not much to my knowledge has been filmed here. The abandoned restaurant looks a lot like the Jackson hole diner on Astoria blvd in queens. Some scenes in the first half hour are shuffled so that this all makes sense—and it’s for the better. By the time The Godfather was filmed, all US churches would have made the change in the orientation of the altar, so the way it is set for the film was probably a special staging to reflect the way it would have looked in the 1940s. There’s a Yahoo group dedicated to the St. George Hotel that has a whole section about the Godfather scene. The first Godfather film is a Francis Ford Coppola classic, beloved by millions, and although the majority of the story takes place in New York there is an important Sicilian component. The scene where Michael meets Kay in Front of her school was filmed outside of the Ross Elementary School in Ross, CA (Marin County). The scenes for Vito Corleone´s funeral were all filmed on the Calvary Cemetery. Uneasy with the possible introduction of drugs into his business world, Don Corleone sends Luca Brasi to meet with Sollozzo and pledge his loyalty in order to spy on him. When this film was shot, a friend of mine was doing his medical residency at New York Eye and Ear Hospital and I thought I remembered him telling me the interior hospital room scene was shot there one night. We later get another shot of the house as Clemenza leaves to assist in the round of assassinations at the end of the film. The bar was closed in the early ’90s after a cop shot someone in there. They were used in building the Nassau Coliseum, which was finished in 1972. The same building was used extensively for Once Apon a Time. The New York City stomping grounds of the notorious Corleone family have entered film and pop-culture immortality, becoming a classic travel destination for millions across the world. January 26, 2014 as this would seem to remove the principal objection to stem-cell research. It is located to the northwest of Queens, New York City in Sunnyside. What a surprise to see Lincoln Hospital in your pictures. After his shave, Willie Cicci then goes up the stairs and locks the “hit” in the revolving door and shoots him. The barber shop where Cicci is getting a shave is definitely at the St Regis: you can clearly see an SR monogram on the front door. There are some critical scenes filmed in Sicily at locations you can still visit today, essentially unspoiled and looking as they did in the early 1970s … btw a close friend was a child living on E116th and Pleasant ave when the scenes were shot up there. Not sure if the interior was actually abandoned, or if this was built on a stage: In retaliation, Sonny orders Clemenza to kill Paulie Gatto, who helped set up the attempt on his father’s life. Used to work in locations myself in the late 80’s early 90’s. It was quite spectacular. These guys wedged a wooden box it seems to make it spray; in the late 60s/early 70s an adult from the neighborhood would go down to the fire station and get a special sprinkler cap for the “Johnny pump,” resulting in exactly what is seen in the movie. I lived there for a year during my undergrad days. Even the original railings of the Supreme Court Building – which were themselves added after initial construction finished – have been replaced with standard round pipe railings. Can’t vouch for the inside, though. So, I might be able to narrow it down further before I leave for Sicily in June. Woltz gets very different treatment in the movie and in the original novel. The closest you can get now is if you go to the entrance of the 2/3 train and turn around, you’ll see a set of doors that was the entrance, now chained shut. Cheers, Stockbauer. The British were civil servants and military, the Americans were small retailers. “ichael takes off for Sicily (locations soon to be covered by sister site Scouting Italy) as a gang war breaks out in New York. (Church from the Godfather baptism Scene video) Outside the church of Saint Anthony of Padua located at 155 Sullivan Street you can see a young Vito (Godfather II) conspiring against mobster Don Fanucci. Perhaps they filmed in two different locations, but I’ll go to the St Regis tomorrow to investigate! The Windows were dressed and the scenes were filmed and days later the building was gone. Tom Haden’s Diner is a tough one but physically it matches up perfectly inside and out with what is now called Diner in Williamsburg, back then there was an empty lot next to it that did indeed sell Christmas trees. The barbershop hit scene is at the St regis Hotel in manhattan. New York City is the most populous city in the United States and located in the state of New York. That old aluminum diner looks like one that was on woodhaven Blvd, right before metropolitan ave. I looked it up when I got home and found someone had written up info on it and its appearance in the Godfather. Stripped by souvenir-hunters, the structure remained in place until about 1983, when Ridge Fire Company, along with the owner, burned what was left to clear the land. My grandfather hired day laborers for the New York Central Railroad out of a Little Italy location just around the time young Vito Corleone was establishng himself in the neighborhood. In the scene where Don Corleone is shot while buying oranges, the logo “Product of Israel” is supposedly visible on one of the cardboard orange boxes, more than two years before there actually was such a country. The store was an empty shell. I hope you’re still doing this sort of work , The New York Filming Locations of The Godfather, Then and Now, The Filming Locations of The Naked City – Part 1: The Lower East Side & Williamsburg Bridge, The Most Famous Sitcom Residences In New York City, http://www.etsy.com/listing/39731690/hotel-st-george-brooklyn-ny-antique, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hotel_St._George, http://godfather.wikia.com/wiki/Luna_Azure, https://www.google.com/maps/preview/place/81+New+Jersey+4,+River+Edge,+NJ+07661/@40.9114951,-74.0398276,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x89c2fa7a99676107:0xe6910cd8404dbd8a, https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/StGeorgeTower/conversations/messages, in fact were painted for the filming of the tollbooth scene, http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnjt/6680978913/in/set-72157623583084158, http://www.wnet.org/reelny/previous_seasons/reelnewyork6/aboutwork14.html, http://cdn.brownstoner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Hotel-St.-George-lobby-1910.jpg, http://www.movie-locations.com/movies/a/afterhours.html#.V6FhJDsrI2w. If you look carefully at the glass door as Barzini exits the Supreme Court building, you can see the reflection of what’s now the Javits federal building, which would not exist for another decade. at lugis resturant on white plains rd at gunhill and shook al pacino hand during break of scene. So though the scene is set in Italy, it was really shot in New York months after the main shooting ended. First photo at the top of the page. Two items I’d like to add. Good times In fact, in the capture above of the barber shop, you can see the St. Regis’ initials on the window. The house today is pretty much the same as it appears in the film, except for one detail…. PBS ran it on Oscar night in 2002; I was flipping back and forth between it and Denzel and Halle’s wins; Kitchell still makes documentary films, including ones on Berkeley’s radical politics and the environment. Note the distinctive pattern on the green brick. As a dispute over narcotics threatens the delicate balance between the five main New York … The Sicily scenes couldn’t be filmed in the town of Corleone, as it was too modern-looking. There has been a lot of debate over this. Very nice work. The stone wall at the NY Godfather house was a prop made of stucco and cardboard. Hotel St. George became a homeless shelter for a while, I believe. He arrives in Sicily to … It’s interesting to see how much the sycamore tree in front of Clemenza’s house has grown in 40 years. No? A part of it burned down in 1995 in what was the biggest fire ever in NYC until 9/11. On March 29, 1971, The Godfather, considered by many to be one of the greatest films ever made, began principal photography in New York City. The place was pretty run down post-filming and by 1978 had become a truly seedy strip club. Michael Watkins: I grew up in Brooklyn and was in Troop 309 sponsored by the... Veronica Jaap: 2020 -- the year that was . please let me know. As a former location scout I can appreciate the amount of time and effort this took!!! As soon as you go down the steps, you’ll know it. All the more so as this has been my favorite movie since I was about 17. Just before Vito guts Don Ciccio, you can see the sea behind him, and he is facing toward the left where Don Ciccio is snoozing on the front porch. I really wish I knew where this was, but it seems that any record of it is long gone. As well, his assiciation with uptown Railway scions and other industrialists provided a formidable barrier to infiltration by the mob or Cosa Nostra. It was still there into the early 80’s but now is gone. One minor correction: the “access road” or “service road” at the old Mitchel AFB site was actually a taxiway. Regarding the St George – there used to be a bar on the ground floor called Club Wild Fyre, and that was where the Luca Brasi scene was filmed. Michael Corleone fled New York City after starting a mafia war between Italian mob families there. The bar in the St George was called Corio’s at the time of the filming of The Godfather. Wikipedia has some great info on it! If you enjoyed reading this post, would you consider making a donation to help me make my first movie? According to some sources, the scene in which Moe Green was shot in the eye while getting a massage was filmed at the McBurney YMCA on 14th Street, although it was supposed to take place in Las Vegas. As outsiders in a new society, some formed secret brotherhoods and street gangs to get ahead in an unforgiving city. An NYU film student, Mark Kitchell ,was granted full access to the shooting on E. 6th Street by Coppola, who even sat for a brief interview. Bar Vitelli in Savoca. Thank you very much. The scene were Michael and his girlfriend Kay Adams went shopping on Christmas was filmed at Best & Co, a department Store on Fifth Avenue at 51st Street. It’s here, in the opening scenes, that the wedding of the Godfather’s daughter takes place. Apparently they used to call the room where they filmed that scene the Luca Brasi Room. So it was River on 11th on the west side of Manhattan. Any chance on a follow-up for the New York scenes in Godfather Part II? Old man Tattaglia was perhaps hit in Coney Island somewhere; you can see the beach and boardwalk outside the window as the hit men prepare. The Godfather film location: Michael and Kay stay in Manhattan: St Regis New York, East 55th Street, New York Michael Corleone ( Al Pacino ) and Kay ( Diane Keaton ) are staying in five-star luxury at the St Regis Hotel, now the St Regis New York , 2 East 55th Street on the corner of Fifth Avenue. In contrast, a lot of excitement was created recently when the US, Massachusetts-based, Advanced Cell The Samuel French Building is actually the Fred E. French Building. Our point of view here is toward toward the house…. I know where the barber shop is… I worked right across the street. Photo link below, link to Godfather writeup is in the photo description: It has still shots from the scene as well as pictures of the bar itsef. Part 2 was filmed on my block in little Italy Funny, this is the 3rd reference to the Godfather I’ve heard in 2 days, and second one related to locations. The elevated walkway in the background was part of the old wire factory that ran parallel to the FDR. This was the place was where Peter Clemenza had lunch. The 120 Longfellow Ave. residence, which served as the home of Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) in the 1972 film “The Godfather,” is now for sale. Some maintain that these professional paranormal eliminators…. You can compare the current St. Regis emblem in the upper right-hand corner to the initials in the window in the photo. This was filmed in what was once the heart of Little Italy at 128 Mott Street, known as The Mietz Building. No one does a better job of reminding me why I love my city so much. It was still there into the early 80’s but now is gone. She said it is close to the town of Acireale, between Santa Tecla and Strazzo, which narrows it down further. The results on both sides the operands are single virile A couple things about the Mitchel Field site for Sonny’s shooting: A radio tower is seen in the distance in some wide shots. Thank you for any other fantastic post. He stops to buy fruit from the vendor at 137 Mott Street (note the Jake “Raging Bull” La Motta poster in the window): Just then, two assassins spring out and begin shooting, gunning down Corleone in front of the entrance to Genco at 128 Mott: Later that night, we find Michael and Kay coming out of a show at Radio City Music Hall: They exit the side entrance on West 50th Street…. Corleone, where this villa is supposed to be, is nowhere near the sea. I think I was in the bar one time. I was fortunate enough at the age of 15 to have had the opportunity to be an extra in The Godfather. I think the abandoned diner might actually be a tiny diner which isn’t open but still stands on the west side highway near Christopher Street… (south of christopher I believe). on Northern Blvd in Long Island City, Queens right by Best Buy, around 50th St. Never forget that the radio playing at the tollbooth is Russ Hodges’ calling Bobby Thomson’s “Shot Heard ‘Round the World.” Listen closely to it…Clint Hartung is down at third when the toll booth clerk closes the window. The exterior scenes were filmed at the Church of St. Joachim and St. Anne in the Pleasant Plains section of Staten Island. The interior hospital scenes were shot at the Eye and Ear Hospital on 13th Street and 2nd Ave. That location is also comparable in appearance as it was in March, 1971 when they shot the scene. If you are a location guy you know this building, check the bathroom on the third floor for pistols…, Ha, I think you didn’t read the full post – click the bottom of the page for the additional two pages . They either sold or donated it to a school in Long Island City. Great research on this film. When you enter the hotel and go down the stairs (it’s below street level) to the barber shop. Outstanding work for your Godfather photos and historical research. It was finishing up when I quit in early ’72. The interior of Genco Oil was reportedly built on the fourth floor of a warehouse nearby to 128 Mott Street (but not actually in the Mietz building). The barbershop was in the St. Regis Hotel downstairs from the lobby. New York film locations from the movie The Godfather: Part II starring Ashton Kutcher. 7. (assuming they used the interior, of course). See my comment below. It’s still there, used for a Catholic school television service. In reality, there are actually several houses at the end of the block that were cut off by the fake wall: As the wedding progresses, detectives show up to take license plate numbers. It’s on the east side of the street and I believe it’s now a record shop. I believe it is now a mall of some kind. 2) The silver diner looks like the one (not in use?) From stores to actually putting a fake feast,some of the That was fun I did something like that when I was in Berkeley a couple years ago. The “florist” sign is now for a cafe and a door through to it and the “maisonettes” sign is for a gift shop. Threw you twenty bucks for your film, wish the best of luck to you sir and don’t stop what you’re doing! Because the film is a period piece, The Godfather actually presents a fascinating record of what 1940s-era New York City locations still existed in the early-1970s. First time I watched all three in their entirety in years. The prior day they had completed principal shooting of the wedding. At least that’s the only way I can make sense of it. I work on how people use buildings from an architectural presepctive, and there just isn’t enough of this kind of then-and-now architectural history for non-iconic typical city buildings. The very same lot was used for a small grave yard for Once Apon A Time in America. Anyway. This is were Connie got married. The films, through a series of flashbacks, span 1901-1979 and travel all over the world from New York to Las Vegas, Miami and Cuba to Rome and Sicily. I waas glad to see your postcard pic of hte old St.George Hotel. He witnessed the shoot, saw Caan and the crew – also note that the Rheingold truck was used to block the FDR. One error in a scene description – the boardroom scene would have been the New York Central Railroad – the Penn Central, which included the New York Central, was created in 1968. Thanks for all of your fantastic work putting this together. The house today is pretty much the same as it appears in the film but no walls outside the property (was surrounded by a fake brick wall and wrought-iron gate).