On Friday, HBO dropped an advance premiere episode of The Deuce, its new television series starring James Franco and Maggie Gyllenhaal about Times Square in the early 1970s through mid-1980s. The show, created by George Pelecanos and David Simon, stars James Franco and Maggie Gyllenhaal, and chronicles the rise and legalization of the porn industry.
Here are the film locations so far we can ascertain from the first episode and the trailer, with assistance from our Gritty Times Square tour guide, Bob Brenner. The show officially releases on September 10th.
Join us for an upcoming tour of Gritty Times Square!
1. The Deuce
2. One Times Square
The establishing shot of Times Square shows One Times Square, originally the headquarters of the New York Times when first built and now home of the Times Square New Years Eve Ball, when it was owned by Allied Chemical. Allied is responsible for the refacing of the building from its original granite and terra cotta facade to marble design influenced strongly by mid-century architectural ideas.
Today, One Times Square is mostly covered over by billboards and is one of the emptiest but also most profitable buildings in Midtown.
3. The World Theater
4. First Peepshow in Times Square
5. Geisha Massage Parlor
6. Terminal Bar
Terminal Bar was located across the street from the Port Authority Bus Terminal at 41st St. and 8th Avenue, now the location of the New York Times building. When it opened in 1958, it was a straight Irish bar, but by the 1970s had become predominantly gay, black, and Hispanic. It closed in 1982 and was demolished (along with the rest of the block) in the 1990s to make way for the new New York Times building.
7. New York Women’s House of Detention
Photo: Paul Schiraldi/HBO
8. Martin Hodas’ Secret Basement Film Studio
Photo: Paul Schiraldi/HBO
9. Gritty NYC Subway
No show about New York City in the 1970s is complete without shots from the gritty subway. Besides the graffiti, we see a double lettered subway train (the RR), a now-defunct nomenclature used by the predecessors of current subway lines. Both the the Independent Subway System (IND), which was one of three subway systems in NYC that form to make today’s MTA, and the BMT Broadway line, had the practice of designating local lines with double-lettered signage.
The RR, which did not actually run through Times Square, appeared starting 1960 to 1961, the same train known as the “Fourth Avenue Local via Tunnel.” Initially, the RR ran from Forest Hills, Queens to Bay Ridge in Brooklyn. In 1967, the RR train ran from Astoria, Queens to Bay Ridge in Queens on the BMT Astoria line. In 1985-86, with the renaming of the double-lettered trains, it became the R line again.
10. Playland Arcade
Photo: Paul Schiraldi/HBO
Vincent Martino’s up-to-no-good twin, Frankie Martino (both played by James Franco) is seen strolling by Playland, an arcade at 246 West 42nd Street that had Skee ball, a shooting gallery, video games, and other games. It was also known for offering Polaroid instant photo booths. The actual film location was the Mexican restaurant La Nueva Juquila at 2106 Amsterdam Avenue.
Unlike what The Deuce set suggests, Playland did not have peep shows or girls. As Roberts Brenner, who leads our Gritty Times Square tour, attests, “It attracted a younger, mostly teenage crowd. Peepshows were usually located in adult book stores, where teenagers were discouraged.”
11. Vinnie’s Neighborhood and Bar
Photo: Paul Schiraldi/HBO
Vinnie leaves in Bay Ridge, near the Verrazano Bridge, which you can see in the background when he gets held up outside the bar he works at and in the background when he meets with his estranged wife Andrea, after he moves out. His local subway stop is the Fort Hamilton Parkway D station.
12. The Lionel Hotel
Activity seems to converge in the Lionel Hotel, which is shown in the first episode located next to the “Park and Lock.” In real life, this is Meyers Parking on West 30th Street between 7th and 8th Avenue, close to Madison Square Garden. The vintage sign still exists on the facade today. In later episodes, the entrance is shown to be on 42nd Street, shot on Amsterdam Avenue in Washington Heights next to Eddy Food Center Bodega, which is turned into ABC United Trading Corp., an electronic store.
Vinnie heads here after he leaves his townhouse (and wife, mother in law and kids) in the Sunset Park/Bay Ridge area, off the Fort Hamilton Parkway D train.
13. New York University
We first meet Abby Parker as she seductively entices her college professor during a lecture. Later, we see her walking through Washington Square Park back to her dorm at New York University (NYU). In the background of the shot above, you can see the handsome townhouses that surround the park. Later, there is an aerial shot of the Washington Square Park arch and fountain.
Although Abby gets out of a vintage cab during the first episode, the aerial shot gives away the present day film location, as it shows the park’s fountain layout following the 2009 renovation:
14. House of Korea
Photo: Paul Schiraldi/HBO
Conveniently, the Manhattan bar inside the restaurant, the House of Korea, that Vinnie tends at is just down the street from the Park N Lock, so it’s also filmed on 30th Street. In an earlier scene inside, we see a conversation been Vinnie and his boss, the owner of the House of Korea, who is lamenting the bad business.
His boss turns down the idea to rebrand the restaurant as a steakhouse. But later, Vinnie sees some Danskin leotards in a shop window and has an idea to drum up business: the waitresses will wear leotards on the street, pass out empty glasses, and offer a first drink free to customers.
According to Bob Brenner, there was no Korean restaurant in Times Square during this era.
15. Brooklyn Public Library Williamsburg Branch
16. Sarge’s Deli
17. Parisi Bakery
18. Lincoln Tunnel
19. Metro Motel
Lori gets out on the New Jersey side of the tunnel, in front of the Metro Motel. Her john is upset, because he thinks he’s going to get a return ride based on his negotiation. The Metro Motel actually exists, but is located in Woodside, Queens right on Queens Boulevard and has pretty horrific Yelp reviews. The neon signage however, is original to the motel.
20. Supreme Books
Photo: Paul Schiraldi/HBO
In The Deuce, a character named Fat Mooney runs Supreme Books, a shop with magazines that gets raided by the cops. The actual film location is Don Panchito in Washington Heights.
21. New York City Criminal Courthouse
A number of the major players in the Times Square sex industry and the city’s criminal families show up to the New York City Criminal Courthouse to hear the verdict on a game-changing lower-court ruling on obscenity, which will pave the way for the industry to thrive.
Join us for an upcoming tour of Gritty Times Square!