In honor of my recent interview with actor Paul Pape who is best known for his role as "Double J" in the iconic film “Saturday Night Fever” I have put together an informative list of trivia filled with interesting facts about a few of the movies that were shot in Brooklyn for you to enjoy!
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Saturday Night Fever (1977)
The film was shot entirely on-location in Brooklyn, New York. The 2001 Odyssey Disco was a real club located at 802 64th Street, which has since been demolished.
Filming was frequently halted on the streets of New York City because teenage girl fans of John Travolta would scream when they saw him due to his popularity from the ABC sitcom “Welcome Back, Kotter.”
The movie was originally called "Tribal Rites of the New Saturday Night", the title of the "New York" Magazine article that inspired it by British writer Nik Cohn. The article centers on working class Italian-Americans in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, and on the lives of young men who work dead-end jobs but live for their nights dancing at the local discotheque. The title was ultimately shortened to "Saturday Night", as a direct reference to the fact that Tony (John Travolta) and his friends inhabited 2001 Odyssey on Saturday nights. However, when The Bee Gees submitted the soundtrack, one of the songs, "Night Fever", was thought to embody the film's spirit better than the original. Director John Badham added the word "Saturday" and it replaced the original title.
Filming was almost interrupted when a local Mafia group tried to extort protection from the crew. In fact, the nightclub where the film was shot was hit with a small firebomb.
The club used for the 2001 Odyssey was not as fancy as seen in the film. $15,000 were spent by the filmmakers to redecorate the location specifically for the film, which also included adding the dance floor with the pulsating lights. The walls were covered with aluminum foil and Christmas lights to enhance the atmosphere. When the club's owner saw the dailies for the first time, he said, "Holy shit, you guys made my place look great!"
The bridge that Tony knows all about is the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, which connects Brooklyn to Staten Island.
The dance studio was Phillips Dance Studio in Bensonhurst, the Manero home was a house in Bay Ridge, the paint store was Pearson Paint & Hardware, also in Bay Ridge.
To try to throw off John Travolta's fans, John Badham and his team took to shooting exterior scenes as early in the morning as possible before people caught on - often at the crack of dawn. They would also generate fake call sheets. The tactics worked well enough that Badham was usually able to get the scenes done before significant crowds had time to gather.
When John Travolta met John Badham he was surprised that the director knew so little about New York. He took it upon himself to show Badham Manhattan and Brooklyn.
When the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge was closed for location filming over several nights, drivers were so irate that it got into the local newspapers.
Goodfellas (1990)
Ray Liotta turned down the part of Harvey Dent in "Batman" in order to make this movie.
The studio was initially very nervous about the film, due to its extreme violence and language. The film reportedly received the worst preview response in the studio's history. Martin Scorsese said that "the numbers were so low, it was funny." Nevertheless, the film was released without alteration to overwhelming critical acclaim, cementing Scorsese's reputation as one of America's foremost filmmakers.
Tony Darrow worked in the real-life Bamboo Lounge, where Henry Hill and the people on whom the film's characters are based would hang out. The exterior of 'Bamboo Lounge' restaurant is located on Coney Island Avenue in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn
Martin Scorsese is a big fan of the Copacabana. He went there on his prom night. The long tracking shot through the Copacabana nightclub came about because the filmmakers couldn't get permission to go in the short way, forcing them to go around the back. Martin Scorsese decided to film the sequence in one unbroken shot in order to symbolize that Henry's entire life was ahead of him. "It's his seduction of her (Karen), and it's also the lifestyle seducing him". This sequence was shot eight times.
The ‘Florida’ zoo, where Henry Hill accompanies the coldly ruthless Jimmy Conway (Robert de Niro) as they threaten to feed a debtor to the lions, is Prospect Park Zoo, 450 Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn
The film's cast includes 2 oscar winners: Robert DeNiro & Joe Pesci and 2 oscar nominees: Lorraine Bracco & Samuel L. Jackson.
The studio insisted on a 55 day schedule, while Martin Scorsese wanted a 70 day shoot. Production ended up going 15 days over schedule, and wrapping on the 70th day, precisely what Scorsese originally had asked for. However Scorsese claimed he and the crew worked hard and under heavy stress to complete the film as soon as possible.
Do The Right Thing (1989)
This film was inspired by an actual incident in New York City, where some black youths were chased out of a pizzeria by some white youths in a section of New York City known as Howard Beach.
According to Spike Lee, the casting of Rosie Perez came about during a birthday party he was hosting in a club in LA. When the R&B song "Da Butt" by Experience Unlimited from Lee's previous movie "School Daze" (1988) started playing, a spontaneous "butt contest" was held. Lee saw Perez dancing on top of a speaker, and told her to come down, fearing that she would fall off and hurt herself, and he would get sued. Security had to step in to force Perez down, after which she profusely cursed at Lee. Lee was in awe of her voice, and quickly learned that they were both from the same part of Brooklyn. He offered her the part of Mookie's girlfriend on the spot, deciding that she would be Puerto Rican. But Perez tells it differently in interviews. She said Lee started the butt contest himself to see which Black woman had the biggest butt. She also said she thought Lee was hitting on her at first and ignored him. She didn't find out until later that it was for a role in his movie.
Spike Lee wrote the script in two weeks.
Danny Aiello admitted that he almost turned down the part of Sal when he saw that he'd be playing the owner of a pizzeria, believing it to be a lazy stereotype of Italian-Americans despite the high number of pizzerias that are owned by Italian-Americans.
The building Sal's Pizzeria was in did not exist before shooting. Rather, it was constructed on an empty lot by the production company, and subsequently torn down after shooting wrapped.
The entire shoot took place on one commandeered block in Brooklyn, and extra care was taken to ensure the experience was palatable to residents. The production even hired a couple of residents from the block.
The cast includes one Oscar winner: Spike Lee; and four Oscar nominees: Danny Aiello, Ruby Dee, Samuel L. Jackson and Rosie Perez.
Various long shots down the length of the street occasionally reminds the viewer that Lee was able to create a complete world within one city block.
Features Danny Aiello's only Oscar nominated performance.
Sophie’s Choice (1982)
Meryl Streep begged director Alan J. Pakula for this role literally on her hands and knees. Marthe Keller and Barbra Streisand both tried to win the role also, but Pakula ultimately chose Streep.
The cast spent three weeks in rehearsal before a single scene was shot.
Sophie’s ‘Pink Palace’ boarding house is located on Rugby Road in Flatbush, Brooklyn
Meryl Streep not only learned a Polish accent but also learned how to speak German and Polish in order to have the proper accent of a Polish refugee. She reportedly learned Polish from one of the assistants working on the film who happened to speak it.
After seeing him in this film, John Cleese decided to cast Kevin Kline in his movie "A Fish Called Wanda".
This was Kevin Kline's second film. "The Pirates of Penzance" was filmed first, making it his film debut; however, due to delays in post-production, it was released after this film.
The film was mostly shot in New York City, with Sophie's flashback scenes shot afterwards in Zagreb, Yugoslavia.
This film brought Meryl Streep her second Oscar. She would have to wait another 29 years before winning her third.
Moonstruck (1987)
The film was set in Brooklyn N.Y. Vincent Gardenia had lived in Brooklyn for over 30 years until his death in 1992. They named a street after him called the Vincent Gardenia Boulevard.
When Johnny hails a cab at the airport after his return from Sicily, he asks the driver to take him to "19 Cranberry Street, Brooklyn." This is the real address of the house used for exterior shots of the Castorini House
The movie's line "Snap out of it!" was voted as the #96 movie quote by the American Film Institute (out of 100).
Loretta goes to the Cammareri Bakery to invite her fiance’s brother to the wedding. Loretta is standing on the northwest corner of Sackett & Henry Streets in Brooklyn.
Danny Aiello and Nicolas Cage play brothers, but Aiello is 31 years older than Cage.
The opening title sequence was originally played on the score from "La bohème" opera but was changed to the Dean Martin track "That's Amore" because the preview drew negative test audience reaction. Many shifted uncomfortably on their seats, thinking that they had been lured into an art film.
Despite playing Italian American characters, Olympia Dukakis was of Greek descent whereas Cher was of Armenian descent.
While filming between takes, Cher motioned to Olympia Dukakis that the movie was going to be a dud. She originally thought that she was giving a bad performance. She went on to win the Oscar and Golden Globe for Best Actress.
The storefront (502 Henry St.) that once housed the famous Cammareri Bros. Italian bakery became Maybelle's Cafe for a while. That has since closed and a new restaurant (Purbird Flame Grilled Chicken) opened in 2015. The original bakery equipment is still stored in the basement of the building - it's too big and expensive to remove. It is now an Italian takeout restaurant called Mozzlab (2024).
Norman Jewison considers this movie his favorite of all the films he has directed.
When Loretta is kicking the empty can, she is in Brooklyn, on Columbia Heights and she turns left and walks down Cranberry St. If she looked to her right, she would see the East River and Manhattan.
The French Connection (1971)
The film is based on actual events described in the book 'The French Connection: A True Account of Cops, Narcotics, and International Conspiracy' written by Robin Moore in 1969. According to director William Friedkin, the film is an "impression of that case" that took place between 7 October 1961 and 24 February 1962. Detectives Jimmy Doyle (Gene Hackman) and Buddy Russo (Roy Scheider) were based on the real officers on the case, Eddie Egan and Sonny Grosso. Although their real names were changed for the movie, Egan and Grosso were actually nicknamed 'Popeye' and 'Cloudy' like their counterparts in the movie.
The greatest screen car chase ever filmed takes place on Stillwell Avenue, Brooklyn. The entire chase was shot with an Arriflex camera, as was most of the picture. One brief shot, where Doyle's car slams into the fence, was filmed in Ridgewood under the Myrtle Ave., or M, line.
The traffic jam on the Brooklyn Bridge was shot without permission.
All of the extras used in the first bar scene were real-life police officers.
Doyle and Russo stake out 'Sal & Angie's' which in real life is ‘Mesa Azteca’ on Wyckoff Avenue in Ridgewood, Brooklyn
Popeye shoots 'Frog Two' at the 62nd Street Station in Brooklyn
The day after winning his Best Actor Oscar for “The French Connection”, Hackman was surprised and delighted with a cake and a rendition of "For He's A Jolly Good Fellow" from the entire cast and crew on the set of “The Poseidon Adventure”. He held his Oscar alongside his co-stars Shelley Winters, Ernest Borgnine, Red Buttons, Jack Albertson, and Producer Irwin Allen all holding their Oscars.
Some facts are taken from IMDB & Wikipedia.
Don't miss the chance to listen to my fascinating podcast interview with actor Paul Pape, best known for his role as "Double J" in the iconic film “Saturday Night Fever” on my podcast HOLLYWOOD OBSESSED! Click the links below to listen now!
Episode 97 - HERE
Episode 98 - HERE
