Yonkers has long served as the setting for some of America’s most notable plays and films such as Neil Simon’s Tony-Award winning “Lost in Yonkers” and the unforgettable “Hello, Dolly.” The film adaptations of these two Broadway hits did much for putting Yonkers in the collective consciousness of millions of moviegoers worldwide.
The diverse neighborhoods, historic landmark buildings and, of course, the scenic downtown waterfront have also attracted the attention of Hollywood filmmakers to serve as the backdrop for scenes in more than 30 motion pictures that have been filmed here. In Steven Spielberg’s “Catch Me If You Can”, Leonardo DiCaprio is seen running down Buena Vista Avenue to the Yonkers Train Station while Russell Crowe in Ron Howard’s “A Beautiful Mind” drops off mail in front of the Alder Manor. In the re-make of ”Rear Window”, the late Christopher Reeve was filmed in the former Industrial Park on the Waterfront.
The film adaptation of Philip Roth’s “Goodbye, Columbus” included a scene at the Yonkers Public Library. Speaking of building landmarks, the city’s Court House made several appearances on the silver screen: in “Sleepers,” “It Could Happen to You” and “Big Daddy.” Other notable motion pictures shot in our city were “The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” with Jim Carrey, “The Mona Lisa Smile” with Julia Roberts, “The Preacher’s Wife with Whitney Houston and Denzel Washington, the re-make of ”The Manchurian Candidate,” also with Mr. Washington and “The Royal Tenenbaums” with a star-studded cast.
More recently, “A Tale of Two Pizzas” a comedy about two warring pizzeria owners co-starring Vincent Pastore and Frank Vincent—both of “The Sopranos” fame—included a number of scenes shot at some bona fide pizza venues in the city. This film will be the first four family entertainment films to be shown free of charge on Tuesday, August 5 at 8 PM as part of the Annual Yonkers Downtown BID’s highly popular Main Street Films at Dusk.
.Every Tuesday night in August, an outdoor movie theatre will be set up at 86 Main Street including an inflatable large screen, seats and free popcorn. The other film showings will be “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” onAugust 12, about a Greek-American woman who manages a restaurant andfalls in love with a non-Greek American and the sometimes rocky family relationships that ensue; the original 1971 “Willie Wonka and Chocolate Factory” on August 19 about a young boy who wins a tour through the most magnificent chocolate factory in the world, led by the world's most eccentric candy maker played by Gene Wilder and “Ratatouille” on August 26, the 2007 Academy Award winning computer-aided Pixar production about a French rat with exceptional culinary talents.
As the Yonkers Downtown Waterfront continues to be revitalized, one can well imagine how this area and many of the new landmarks that have been created in recent years—the renovated Metro North station, Riverfront library, the distinctive new apartment and condo buildings, restaurants and shops, the New York Water Taxi and the waterfront esplanade among others will find their way onto the silver and TV screens with greater frequency.
On behalf of the Yonkers Downtown BID family, I’d like to thank our sponsors—Citibank, Con Edison, Nationwide Insurance and the City of Yonkers and Mayor Phil Amicone —for their support in making Main Street Film Series at Dusk possible. See you at the movies! |
