MovieChat Forums > Odds Against Tomorrow Discussion > location

location

posted 20 years ago by chatnoir16
24 replies | jump to latest

besides the studio in the bronx, can anyhone identify the downtown in which it was shot & the surrounding area?

[–] inframan 18 years ago

Hudson, NY. 120 miles north of NYC. Looks surprisingly unchanged today. Bank's still there, back door of bank still looks the same. But now all the other stores are antique shops.

Sorry you had to wait a year & a half for a response.

[–] Verenka 18 years ago

What about the apt building where the Ed Begley character lives? Where in Manhattan (or other borough?)

[–] LOVEfords 18 years ago

It is on Riverside Drive in Manhattan.

[–] Verenka 18 years ago

Thanks to LOVEfords about the Ed Begley apt location. I thought it looked like Riverside Drive.

[–] bldg26a 18 years ago

When Belafonte drives up and makes the u-turn, you can see the street sign. It is 143rd Street and Riverside Drive

[–] Verenka 18 years ago

Good catch. It was on TCM just a few nights ago and I missed it, but it will show up again.

"Americans are obsessed with God & money, but they're warm-hearted & energetic"

[–] ChiefBrody_6 11 years ago

I love it when movies and TV shows are filmed in areas near where I live, and I can identify and then visit the sites where the filming was done.

Since it was easy to figure out where the site of the "Hotel Juno" (where Ed Begley's character lived) was since the street sign was visible in one scene, I decided to go take a look at it myself today to see how it compares to what it looked like in the movie.

The entrance isn't too different from how it looked in the movie. Obviously, I didn't expect to see an awning saying "Hotel Juno" at the entrance, as that was just put there for the movie. The white columns at the entrance are still intact, but the iron work near the stairs has changed. Also changed are the sides of the stairs, and the concrete planters are gone now.

Looking across the street toward the river, there is now a guard rail along the curb so people don't accidentally drive down the small hill there. There is still a small park across the street. A large sewage treatment plant with a park on the top of it might somewhat block the views of the river for anyone living in Ed Begley's building.

The actual location of the building that served as the Hotel Juno is 660 Riverside Drive (at the corner of W 143 St), New York, NY.

"It's only an island if you look at it from the water."

[–] dawnestella 10 years ago

Thanks, that was really cool to see!

[–] lancekoz 18 years ago

I can't believe my luck, I have the same question as I am currently viewing it on TCM. Few movies of this era actually make use of the setting so much, and it is very well shot and composed.

[–] stornc 18 years ago

wow. I was wondering where this movie was shot at location wise. Thanks for providing the answer. I've been around the country a lot, and I grew up in Ithaca NY (probably 200 miles from Hudson)... although I had never been to Hudson.

I kept telling my wife as we where trying to puzzle it out..."yeah, but those trees, those look like north east coast trees... and the hills look like perhaps pennsylvania, maybe ohio..."

So it was cool to get an answer.

Great movie, btw. Really enjoyed it.

[–] LOVEfords 18 years ago

inframan is right, Hudson looks remarkably the same now as it did 47 years ago. I have lived in central Upstate New York my whole life. Hudson resembles so many of these small cities like Seneca Falls, Oneonta, Oneida, etc. I remember taking the New York Central train and stopping at Hudson many times. The camera work in this movie is vividly excellent and that includes the scenes as Ryan's character drives the station wagon in the countryside on his way to Hudson. Especially with the recent loss of Shelley Winters, this movie is a must-see.

[–] RichardHarlandSmith 18 years ago

I used to visit Beacon, NY, which is very much like Hudson-- established off the river, it has the look of a lot of old mill towns that have gone to seed over the decades as the local industry moved out. I also like the movie's use of upper Manhattan locations, all those aqueduct-like trestles and bridges, which look like the remnants of a Gothic cathedral. This movie is really sharp-- the music, the cinematography, the performances. Movies just aren't sharp anymore.

[–] 18 years ago

[deleted]

[–] thomasm5 18 years ago

The tanks by the river are gone(its all a park now) and the town isn't as seedy as it looks in the movie. My family went to Hudson after seeing the movie back when it came out (we live in Poughkeepsie, about 30 miles south). My first experience of walking around an area where a movie was shot. I was 8 or 9. Harry Belafonte has a home a few miles north of Hudson where he spends most of his time.

[–] nyriverrat 18 years ago

I just saw the movie this morning. I registered here specifically to verify that it was filmed in Hudson. I recognised the lighthouse, and the islands in the river between Hudson and Athens. It looks a little different now, but still recognizable.

[–] thomasm5 18 years ago

I just watched it, also. One thing I thought was unusual was the number of telephone/utility poles on the main street. Maybe it was like that everywhere, but it seemed like more than usual, even back then. Looking at the time stamp you must be on the west coast now?

[–] mamaleh483 17 years ago

But the town in the movie isn't called Hudson, is it? What is it called?

[–] thomasm5 17 years ago

I haven't seen the movie since I replied back in April. I don't think they name the town in the movie, but I could be wrong.

[–] mamaleh483 17 years ago

i know the fictional town has a name because it's a question in a trivia quiz. I'm trying to find out the name of the town. Has anyone seen it lately? Thanks.

[–] elf-65 17 years ago

Have just watched this, and the town is called Melton.

[–] ChiefBrody_6 11 years ago

Yup, the movie was on broadcast TV tonight here in the NYC area, and the town was indeed called Melton. The name was on the front of the bus that Harry Belafonte was traveling in, and it was also printed on the face of the clock outside of the First National Bank in town.

Coincidentally, there is an actual town called Milton, NY (notice that it is spelled with an "i" and not an "e" like in the movie). I thought that maybe that was where the movie was filmed, but then I realized it is on the wrong side of the Hudson River. When the guys are in town before the robbery and hanging out down by the river, they are clearly looking West across the river (because you can see the sun setting on the other side). Milton, NY is on the West side of the Hudson, so it couldn't be where the film was shot. I haven't actually been to Hudson myself so I didn't recognize the area in the movie, except to know that it must have been some small town upstate on the East side of the Hudson River.

"It's only an island if you look at it from the water."

[–] soulcombinetics 7 years ago

Good call Brody..

One of my favorite films of all time. I'll tell you why shortly…but when i first saw the film and saw "Melton" on the clock i looked all over for the town upstate but to no avail, could find it. Until i realized it was filmed in Hudson NY, and drove up there a couple of years back. Yep, banks still there and so was the Apt. Rob Ryan and Begley looked out of.. casing the bank out.

I read the william p. mcgivern novel after watching the movie first…the book came first, and Ingram (Belafonte's) character was so submissive to Ryan's character it was disturbing. I believe being that the film was under Harry B's prod. co. "Har-bel" he changed the character of Johnny, and thank goodness for that. Ingram in the book literally not only tolerated Earl Slater's hate beyond belief, but was almost like a groveling coward. Great that the whole script was wriitten differently. And although Ryan is one of my utterly favorite actors, I really, really think Ed Begley was so great in this film..god he was convincing and so realistic.

I knew the park location where Johnny dropped Burke off, 72nd st..and all the other locales Harlem/Riverside drive.. except one. Where was the Bar where Ryan beat up the guy from "Mash" ? I couldnt see any street signs.

I watch this film at leats twice a year. Every performance was superb, down to the club owner and elevator operator in Burke's building, every character was perfect, I mean even the guy at the soda shoppe who delivered the food to the bank. All in all, a near perfect film.

[–] ChiefBrody_6 7 years ago

I don't know where the bar that you speak of is located, unfortunately. It's been a while since I've seen the movie now; I might have try to watch it again soon as you have me curious about this.

Thanks for your informative post. I have not read the book, so I didn't know that there was a difference in Ingram's character between the book and movie.

It's only an island if you look at it from the water.

[–] soulcombinetics 7 years ago

Quite welcome.

An utter difference, and in the book Ingram, is actually trying to comfort the dying Slater. There is no explosion at the end. Dont even bother reading the book. Im sure Belafonte had some influence to give dignity and toughness to Johnny's character in the film. Thanks for the response!