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ON THE TOWN - "New York, New York" - Opening Song Locations 
On the Town is a 1949 musical film with music by Leonard Bernstein and Roger Edens and book and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green. It is an adaptation of the Broadway stage musical of the same name produced in 1944 (which itself is an adaptation of the Jerome Robbins ballet entitled Fancy Free which was also produced in 1944). The film was directed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, and stars Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Ann Miller, Betty Garrett, Jules Munshin, and Vera-Ellen. It is notable for its combination of studio and location filming, as a result of Gene Kelly's insistence that some scenes be shot in New York City itself, including at the American Museum of Natural History, the Brooklyn Bridge, and Rockefeller Center. (Wikipedia) This is the 3-minute opening scene. The director was given 9 days to film the 3 main characters in scenes thought the city. I'm going to give just a brief description of the location of the photos in Part 1, then elaborate on the exact addresses in Part 2 of this PopSpot. For those who aren't familiar with NYC geography, in the song the lyrics go: "The Bronx is up and the Battery's down." What that means is that the borough of the Bronx is north of Manhattan ("up"), and the Battery, at the southern tip of Manhattan, is ("down"). A "battery" is a group of cannons placed together for defense. The southern tip of Manhattan facing the Hudson River was a "battery" and the area is now called Battery Park. When they sing "the people ride in a hole in the ground," they are referring to New York' City's subway system, 60% of which is underground. PART 1 1) Brooklyn Naval Shipyard (Brooklyn Navy Yard). It is located south of the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn, east of Manhattan. 
2) Brooklyn Naval Shipyard. 
3) Brooklyn Naval Shipyard. 
4) Brooklyn Bridge. From the Brooklyn Side looking west. 
5) The front steps of Federal Hall which is located at the intersection of Wall Street at Broad Street. 
6) Little Italy. 
7) Chinatown. 
8) The Lower East Side. (as we shall see, this part of what was the Lower East Side is is now called the East Village.) 
9) Lower East Side. 
10) Boat to the Statue of Liberty. 
11) Statue of Liberty, Liberty Island. 
12) Statue of Liberty, Liberty Island. 
13) Boat back from Statue of Liberty. 
14) Underneath the Third Avenue El ("Elevated Train). 
15) On the Third Avenue E, getting into one of the train cars. 
16) On the Third Avenue El. 
17) Washington Square Park, Greenwich Village. 
18) They are at Park Avenue and 38th Street, exiting the short tunnel that runs under under Park Avenue. The top of what is now the Helmsley Building is behind them. 
19) Grant's Tomb. They are running toward the Hudson River at Riverside Drive at about 122nd Street, Morningside Heights. 
20) Riverside Church. They are approximately at 119th and Riverside Drive. 
21) The Obelisk (Egyptian; sometimes called "Cleopatra's Needle"), Central Park. East Drive at about 81st Street in back of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. 
22) Riding horses (south) next to Tavern on the Green. Just inside the park at Central Park West and 66th Street. 
23) Riding horses next to Tavern on the Green. Smokestacks of the Tavern on the Green behind them. 
24. Tavern on the Green. 
25) Riding on the bridal path going south just past the Tavern on the Green. 
26) Riding bikes north on Center Drive with the buildings along Central Park South in the background. Center Drive is approximately a continuation of 6th Avenue 
27) Running down a small hill, somewhere near the back of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The twin towers in the back are from 300 Central Park West at 90-91st Street. 
28) The man in back looks like a figure from George Seurat's painting of "Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grand Jete. 
29) They are on a double decker bus in front of the Statue of Atlas on Fifth Avenue in Rockefeller Center between 50th and 51th Streets across from St. Patrick's Cathedral. 
30) Observation deck of Rockefeller Center, looking west. 
31) Observation deck of Rockefeller Center, looking north, with Central Park behind them. 
32) Observation deck of Rockefeller Center, looking east. 
33) Observation deck of Rockefeller Center, looking southeast with the Chrysler Building in the background. 
34) Observation deck of Rockefeller Center, looking south with the Empire State Building in the background. 
35) Observation deck of Rockefeller Center, back to looking west. 
36) Observation deck of Rockefeller Center, looking north. The left of the two buildings on the right side is the Essex House (hotel) on Central Park South. 
37) Rockefeller Center. A shot looking up from the skating rink area in front of 30 Rockefeller Center. 
38) The camera pans down to the Statue of Prometheus next to the skating rink. 
39) Notice the crowd on the wall above Prometheus watching the filming. 
40) They are pointing north (up Fifth Avenue) as they sing, "The Bronx is up. . ." 
41) Now they are pointing south (down Fifth Avenue) as they sing, ". . .and the Battery's down" 
42) Big finish: Frank Sinatra, Jules Munchin, Gene Kelly. 
PART 2 ON THE TOWN INTRO - THE ANNOTATED VERSION with exact, modern-day locations. 1) Brooklyn Naval Shipyard (Brooklyn Navy Yard).
1a) The Brooklyn Naval Shipyard was near Williamsburg in Brooklyn. During World War II 70,000 people were employed here constructing ships for the war. The based later closed in 1966. 
1b) The Brooklyn Naval Shipyard - a closer look. 
1c) Their ship. Also the lifting crane at right.. 
1d) The dock where their ship would have been as seen from Kent Avenue, Williamsburg, today. 
2) Brooklyn Naval Shipyard.
2c) OUTTAKE (clearer shot) : Brooklyn Naval Yard Scene. Behind them you can see the Manhattan Bridge and a few skyscrapers near Wall Street. 
3) Brooklyn Naval Shipyard.
3a) OUTTAKE - Brooklyn Naval Shipyard. Looking behind the man, you can see that it also went by the name New York Navy Shipyard. 
3b) OUTTAKE - Brooklyn Naval Shipyard. 
4) Brooklyn Bridge. From the Brooklyn Side looking west. The Woolworth Building is the tall building in the background.
4a) OUTTAKE: Brooklyn Bridge. 
4b) OUTTAKE: Brooklyn Bridge. 
4c) OUTTAKE: Brooklyn Bridge. 
5) The front steps of Federal Hall, Wall Street at Broad Street. Behind them is the statue of George Washington. (It was the site of George Washington's inauguration as the first President of the United States.)
5) A CLEARER VIEW OF THE STATUE: The front steps of Federal Hall, Wall Street at Broad Street. 
5) AVIEW FROM THE FRONT OF FEDERAL HALL: The photo is from the front steps of Federal Hall. The New York Stock Exchange is located in the center back. 
6) Little Italy. 85 Mulberry Street between Bayard and Canal. The awning reads "A. Saulino Italian Specialties" (i.e. Grocery). The man in front is slicing off samples of cheese for them. The sign on the window says "Importer & Exporter - 85 - Cheese & Oil."
6a) OUTTAKE: Little Italy. The sign at left says "Razzini, Prop." (proprietor) 
6b) OUTTAKE: The Little Italy Shot - 85 Mulberry Street - The awning reads "A. Saulino's Italian Specialties (i.e. Grocery). The sign above that says "KING OF PIES Pizzeria Napoletana" (Napoletana is Italian for "Neapolitan," meaning fro Naples, Italy.) (In the distant background you can see the top of the Empire State Building about 3 miles away.) (click to enlarge photo) 6c) A. Saulino. Grocer. 85 Mulberry Street (from the NYPL Reverse Phone Book, 1948) 6d) The true name of the "KING OF PIES" store was Calate Pizzeria and it's located at 87 Mulberry Street. (from the NYPL Reverse Phone Book, 1948) 6e) The present day location: 85 Mulberry Street, just south of Canal Street. (It's the dollar ($1) store with the blue sign.) (This section of Mulberry Street is now part of Chinatown. Most of Little Italy is north of Canal Street now.) 6f) The film scene superimposed over its present day location: 85 Mulberry Street. 6g) It's the exact same location as where this famous photo as taken. The Italian store was at # 85 Mulberry. You can even see the number for #84 Mulberry, on the awning across the street, circled. 
6g) Here's 85 Mulberry Street circled again. I also put a yellow box around a building in the back on Canal Street. You'll see that same box in the next picture. 
6h) Here's the vintage immigrant photo again. You can see how the yellow boxes match up in the back. They are the same building on Canal and Mulberry. 
6j) Here they are next to each other. 
7) Chinatown. They are at the southeast corner of Mott and Bayard. The building partially obscured by the left sailor's head is 59 Mott Street.
7a) Chinatown. The building with the horizontal stripes and the sign in the center is 59 Mott Street. 
7b) With the stars overlayed 
7c) A modern version. This is the southeast corner of Mott and Bayard looking northwest.
8) The East Village ( The street above Houston and East of the Bowery were then considered part the Lower East Side, now they are known as "The East Village."). The yellow sign reads "92 GUSSIES." which turns out to be a home furnishings store at 92 Avenue C at East 6th Street I had originally thought "Gussies" was an early sign for "Guss Pickles" which was a famous pickle store on Essex Street, but the address for "Gussies' " as "92" matched up in the Phone book.
9) The East Village. They continue walking past Gussies.
9a) East Village. (CLOSE-UP VIEW: Gussie's with the number 92 on the sign. In the background we can see the number 90 - the store next door. 
9b) GUSSIES phone number from the "BY ADRESS" reverse phone book for 1948 in the New York Public Library. 
9c) The East Village. (CLOSE-UP VIEW: Gussie's - A COMPOSITE VIEW, using two frames, blended together.) 
9d) The East Village. Where GUSSIES would have been at Avenue C and 6th Street. 
9e) The East Village. This shot shows the fire escape in the background at 94 Avenue C, matching up to the one next to GUSSIES at 92 Avenue C from the film. 
10) Boat to the Statue of Liberty.
11) Statue of Liberty, Liberty Island, New York Harbor.
11) Liberty Island, via Google Street View. 
12) Statue of Liberty, Liberty Island.
12a) OUTTAKE: Statue of Liberty. 
13) On the boat back from the Statue of Liberty.
13a) OUTTAKE (clearer shot) : Outtake from Boat from Liberty Island. Actually they are pointing southeast from the river, so they are around Chambers Street which meant the boat from Liberty Island went north then turned around to get to the usual docking place alongside Battery Park. The circled building in the background is 26 Broadway at Beaver Street (aka The Standard Oil Building), which is located across the street from Bowling Green park at the end of Broadway and also the huge bronze Bull statue representing Wall Street. 
14) This is somewhere underneath the Third Avenue El. They are about to take it to their next stop, which is Greenwich Village. Logically they would have taken the train from the South Ferry stop which is closest to where they got off the Statue of Liberty Ferry. The movie was made in 1949. The Third Avenue Elevated (El) was taken down in 1955. It ran up the entire east side of Manhattan, then into the Bronx. It was the last elevated train in Manhattan.
14) Bus #604 passes by. (I sent the photo to the NYC Transit museum but it was not enough of a clue as to tell which route the bus took in 1948.) 
16) The route of the Third Avenue El in 1948 is circled in black. 
15) On the Third Avenue El. They have climbed the stairs to the train in order to go uptown. Next stop: Greenwich Village.
16) On the Third Avenue El.
17) Washington Square Park, Greenwich Village. Fifth Avenue and Washington Square Park North. The Empire State Building in the background a mile and a half up Fifth Avenue. in the late 40's, cars and busses could drive through the arch and continue downtown.
17) Washington Square Park, Greenwich Village. SUPERIMPOSED. 
18) Entering the tunnel going south at Park Avenue and 38th Street with the top of what is now the Helmsley Building being them.
18a) The same view today The Met Life building now obscures the top the Helmsley Building being them. That's Gand Central Teminal at the base of the Met Life building, which for many years was called the Pan Am building and had helicopters landing on top. 
18b) The view today. Overlayed. 
18c) What the Helmsley Building looked like in 1950 - from the north. 
19) Grant's Tomb. They are running toward the Hudson River at Riverside Drive at about 122nd Street, Morningside Heights. You can see the steps leading up to the plaza in front of the memorial behind them. Ulysses S. Grant led the Union in the Civil War and later became President.
19a) Grant's Tomb with the stairway behind them. 
19b) PopSpotted. 
20) Riverside Church. From 119th and Riverside Drive. This view would be partially blocked now by a lower church-related building built next to the tower. Riverside Church is the tallest church in the United States, and the 24th tallest in the world.
20) Riverside Church. 
20) ThePopSpot. 
OUTTAKE: Riverside Church. 
One of the smaller doorways to Riverside Church on Riverside Drive. 
Then and now. 
21) The Obelisk (Egyptian; sometimes called "Cleopatra's Needle"), Central Park. East Drive at about 81st Street in back of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
21) A 1917 postcard of The Obelisk. 
21) The Obelisk. Central Park. East Drive at about 81st Street in back of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. 
22) Riding horses (south) next to Tavern on the Green, located just inside the park at Central Park West and 66th Street. The tall building on the right is the Majestic at 72nd and Central Park West, across the street from the Dakota.
22a) The site. 
22b) The superimposed PopSpot. 
22b) Riding horses. The two chimneys of the Tavern on the Green behind them.
22b) The site. Tavern in the Green in the Background. 
22c) The superimposed PopSpot. 
23a) The Tavern on the Green from another angle. 
24). Continuing to ride south by the Tavern on the Green.
23a) The site. 
23b) Superimposed. 
25) Riding on the bridal path going south just past the Tavern on the Green.
25a) The site, looking south toward Central Park South - the buildings in the distance. 
25b) PopSpotted. 
26) Riding bikes north on Center Drive with the buildings along Central Park South in the background. Center Drive is approximately a continuation of 6th Avenue
26a) The present day site of where they were riding. 
26b) Superimposed. 
The pointed building behind the Bicycle shot, as they ride north in the park on bicycles. One building in from 57th and 6th. 109 East 57th (goes from 57th to 56th). "The Economist" building. Being renovated. Had Steinway piano on the Ground floor. 
27) Running down a small hill, somewhere near the back of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The CIRCLED: The twin towers in the back are from 300 CPW at 90-91st Street. The building at left is at 86-87th Street and Central Park West.
27a) CIRCLED: The twin towers in the back are from 300 CPW at 90-91st Street. The building at left is at 86-87th Street and Central Park West. 
28) The man in back looks like a figure from George Seurat's painting of Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grand Jatte.
28) Here he is in close-up. The film director, Stanley Donen, almost always has random people in the background (or forground) of all the scenes. 
28) Here he is, as if in the Seurat painting.. 
29) They are on a double decker bus in front of the statue of Atlas on Fifth Avenue in Rockefeller Center between 50th and 51th Streets across from St. Patrick's Cathedral.
29) The statue of Atlas on Fifth Avenue in Rockefeller Center between 50th and 51th Streets, west side across from St. Patrick's Cathedral. 
30) Observation deck of Rockefeller Center, looking west.
31) Observation deck of Rockefeller Center, looking north, with Central Park behind them.
32) Observation deck of Rockefeller Center, looking east.
33) Observation deck of Rockefeller Center, looking southeast with the Chrysler Building in the background.
34) Observation deck of Rockefeller Center, looking south with the Empire State Building in the background.
35) Back to looking west.
36) Looking north. The left of the two buildings on the right side is the Essex House (hotel) on Central Park South.
36a) Here's where they are on the roof of Rockefeller Center from an old postcard.. 
36b) Here's where they were from an aerial view. 
37) Rockefeller Center. A shot looking up from the skating rink in front of 30 Rockefeller Center.
38) The camera pans down to the Statue of Prometheus next to the skating rink.
38a) OUTTAKE: Filming that scene. (click to enlarge) 
39) Notice the crowd on the wall above Prometheus watching the filming.
39) Here's a view of that spot today. (The area where they are standing alternates between being an ice rink in winter and a bar/restaurant in the summer.) SIDE-NOTE ON THE PROMETHEUS STATUE (from the Tishman Spyer (managing agent) website) "Referencing Greek mythology, the statue depicts the Greek Titan Prometheus, best known for going against the wishes of the gods and providing fire to humanity (and thus is given credit for civilization and progress). Over time, this classical figure came to represent human striving and the quest for knowledge. . ." "(Prometheus) is depicted in motion, thrusting forward with his right arm held high, handing off the eternal flame to all of mankind; he sits on a mountain (Earth), is surrounded by the fountain (sea) and is encircled by the ring of the zodiac (heavens)." 
40) They are pointing north (up Fifth Avenue) as they sing, "The Bronx is up. . ."
41) Now they are pointing south (down Fifth Avenue) as they sing, ". . .and the Battery's down"
42) Big finish: Frank Sinatra, Jules Munchin, Gene Kelly.
MAPPING THE LOCATIONS: Unlike many New York films, the director put the scenes together in a logical route the three sailors might have taken. (The map, with all the neighborhoods nicely labelled, is from a CITY GUIDE, the monthly guide available free at Grand Central and elsewhere telling about shopping, theater, dining and sightseeing in the city, primarily for tourists.) INDEX TO MAP 1 - Ship (Brooklyn NavyYard) RANDOM EXTRA OUTTAKES OUTTAKE 
OUTTAKE 
OUTTAKE 
OUTTAKE from later in the movie: 50th and Broadway 
ANOTHER OUTTAKE from later in the movie: Columbus Circle (59th St. and Central Park West) 
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