The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon - Opening Montage Locations

The montage begins by showing The Empire State building.

(Note: The TV 14 in the corner is the channel marking on my TV. I took a photo of the opening with my iPhone and then went through it frame-by frame to find the locations.)

Then the Empire State Building in close up.

Jimmy walks by The Fountain at Lincoln Center.

Jimmy walks by The Fountain at Lincoln Center.

Next is a shot taken on on the Brooklyn Bridge. 1 World Trade Center is in back left.

The Radio City Music Hall sign on Sixth Avenue and West 50th Street.

The Radio City Music Hall sign on Sixth Avenue and West 50th Street - In glorious color.

Looking up 7th Avenue from about 40th Street. The Conde Nast Building with the tower on the right.

This shot is taken from the roof of one of the small buildings in Rockefeller Center, on Fifth Avenue looking south. The tall building at left is the Mercantile Building at 10 East 40th Street, just East of Fifth Avenue.

Marie Fotini, Popspot's European correspondent figured this location out, as you can see from the French writing on her screenshot.

Brooklyn Bridge from the Brooklyn side with Freedom Tower (1 World Trade Center) in the background.

The Chrysler Building (pointy roof in the background) as seen from the southwest corner of 40th and Lexington Avenue.

The Chrysler Building (far background) as seen from the southwest corner of 40th and Lexington Avenue.

The Chrysler Building shot from the corner of 39th and Lex.

The Chrysler Building shot from the corner of 39th and Lex.

The shot is then of the bottom of 30 Rockefeller Center. Then it pans up to. . .

. . .the top of 30 Rockefeller Center. (The Tonight Show is taped at the other end of the building).

The shot of Rock Center in the opening is taken from a roof. But you can get a similar view from standing on the front steps of St. Patrick's Cathedral. An arrow points to the Empire State Building and also 30 Rockefeller Center in each photo.

Next, Jimmy comes out the door of the Gramercy Tavern, a restaurant near where he used to live near Gramercy Park. In the alcove behind him back are long tree branches under bright lights.

Gramercy Tavern is located at 42 East 20th Street between Broadway and Park Avenue South.

He walks past an elaborate carved pilaster out front.

. . .then further. . .

. . .then continues further, past a window. In the background, note the out-of-focus letters E - R - N.

In this frame I have made a box around the word TAVERN and written out the word TAVERN in red so you see the corresponding letters. This is how I figured out where he was.

By going through the sequence frame-by-frame on my iPhone, I finally came upon the frame with the word T-A-V-E-R-N on it. Gramercy Tavern is a pretty famous restaurant in New York City, so I put 2-and-2 together and matched them up.)

Previously I had looked at most of the restaurants around Rockefeller Center to see if they had match up.

Here's a picture I took of the Gramercy Tavern entrance with Jimmy, in frame, in front of it.

This is a nice picture of the entrance to the Gramercy Tavern from another angle, taken off the web. You can see the tall thin tree branches in the alcove.

Another shot from the web.

The next shot is of Jimmy buying hot sugar-coated peanuts from a street vendor. The trees in the background are illuminated by small lights.

Jimmy seems surprised when the vendor indicate that they will cost three dollars.

By going frame-by-frame through the sequence, I could see the same pattern of columns as on the building on the right.

And it just so happens, most likely the same vendor Jimmy was buying his peanuts from was in the same location: The northwest corner of Sixth Avenue and West 50th Street.

It makes sense because Jimmy offices are across the street in a Rockefeller Center building on Sixth Avenue between 49th and 50th Streets.

You can see the vendor, and Jimmy's office in Google Street View by clicking here.

In the sequence, Jimmy walks into frame, looks at the peanuts and, evidently, asks the price.

The vendor holds out three fingers as if to illustrate "three dollars."

I met the vendor and showed him the video on the phone. Though there was some language barrier difficulties between us, and I didn't get his name, he thinks it possibly might have been him who Jimmy was talking to (both seem to have the same brown winter cap on ), and was kind enough to repeat the "three" sign" he possibly gave Jimmy.

Here's a nice shot of him. Be sure to try out his delicious sugar-roasted nut varieties next time you're near Rock Center.

The next shot is of one of the two lions in front of The New York Public Library at 42nd Street and Fifth Avenue. (The "uptown" lion, to be exact. Their names are "Patience" and "Fortitude" so I image this is "Fortitude.")

Here's the PopSpot of that.

Then there's a shot of Grand Central from the stairway.

Here's my shot of that.

Then, Jimmy once again walks by the Fountain at Lincoln Center - this time in a color shot.

Here'a a wide shot of that.

Then the band is seen with the Rock Center plaza in the background. The skating rink would be behind them about 100 feet.

Here's where that is. They are right outside the NBC studio window where they film the Today Show.

Then they show them from a slightly different angle with the Bouchon coffee shop behind them

Here's a PopSpot of that.

Then there's a picture of the grille over the doorway to Rock Center that Jimmy will be entering, and they superimpose the name of the night's musical guest, in this case Rylan Adams.

You can see that the entranceway says: FIFTY WEST FIFTIETH STREET.

Here's where that is.

Then they cut to Jimmy walking toward the NBC studio entrance from the street next to Radio City Music Hall. (i.e. Jimmy's on 50th Street just east of Sixth Avenue)

Here's a wider shot of that.

Then Jimmy approaches the door, taken from the reverse angle. You can see the Radio City Music Hall sign in the back.

Getting closer. . .

Here's that.

Then he walks past the NBC sign.

Here's that in a wide shot.

And here that is in a panorama shot.(click to ENLARGE)

And then we are upstairs in the studio. . .

. . .we see the curtain. . .

. . .and, on the left side, Steve Higgins, Jimmy's sidekick and the announcer, loudly proclaims, "From Studio 6B in Rockefeller Center, in the heart of New York City, it's the Tonight Show starring Jimmmmmmmmmmmy Fallon! . . .and the legendary Roots crew!"

Then close on the curtain. . .

Then Jimmy walks out. . .

Approaches his mark on the floor ( a little star, as I believe). . .

Waves "hi" to the audience. . . and the show begins.

So now you can follow Jimmy along his route nightly at home and know where he really is. Thanks for visiting.