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The Martin Scorsese film The Irishman, starring Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci released select theaters on November 1st in New York City and Los Angeles, including at the Belasco Theater in Times Square. The Netflix film, which begins streaming on the platform on November 27th, is a mob saga centered around the disappearance of real life crime boss and union leader Jimmy Hoffa, a mystery which remains unsolved officially to this day. The sweeping story, based on the book I Heard You Paint Houses: Frank “The Irishman” Sheeran & Closing the Case on Jimmy Hoffa, covers decades (involving some age reversing CGI on the main actors) and touches on some major moments in American history, including the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, as well as New York City mob history. De Niro plays Frank Sheeran, a World War II veteran who began as a hitman for Pennsylvania crime boss Russell Bufalino and later admitted to the killing of Hoffa.
The Irishman had a wide geographic range for shooting, not only in New York City but also in Yonkers, in upstate New York, and more to recreate iconic mob locations from all over the country. Here is a look at what you’ll see in the film!
The earlier location of Umberto’s Clam House, on the corner of Mulberry and Hester Street, was the scene of the murder of “Crazy” Joe Gallo. Gallo was notorious for his attempt to take over the Profaci crime family in the 1960s, which would later be known as the Colombo family. As a result, he was murdered while he celebrated his birthday with his family at Umberto’s.
Since the current Umberto’s is mid-block on Mulberry (and much shinier looking than it’s predecessor), the production team recreated the restaurant on the corner of Orchard and Broome Street on the Lower East Side to show the scene of Gallo’s murder (which the film attributes to Sheeran, who later claimed responsibility).
From The Irishman by Martin Scorsese. Photo: Netflix 2019.
The first trailer for The Irishman opens on a scene at the restaurant Villa di Roma in Philadelphia, where mob folks had been known to frequent. In The Irishman, a lot of meetings between Bufalino and various mob figures take place here. The set is a recreation in Ridgewood, Queens, designed to mimic the Italian Market area of Philadelphia and according to the Philadelphia Inquirer, many other recognizable local businesses were included in the set. Details included not only the signage, but also merchandise in the storefronts.
From The Irishman by Martin Scorsese. Photo: Netflix 2019.
One scene, as Jimmy Hoffa is on trial for yet another case, is shot in the Bronx County Courthouse lobby. This beautiful interior space, one of the most undersung in the city, has been used more and more in film locations in recent years. It has appeared in Billions and Maniac, while the exterior has been seen more frequently in shows like Gotham and Daredevil.
From The Irishman by Martin Scorsese. Photo: Netflix 2019.
Interwoven into the story is Sheeran’s roadtrip to take Bufalino, Bufalino’s wife, and his own wife to a wedding in Detroit. Bufalino needs to stop in numerous locations along the way to pick up money from businesses he’s involved with. Suffern in Rockland County, New York serves as one of these scenes, where the group heads into a “Fair Furriers” to collect, a jewelry store, and a high end decor and collectibles store where Bufalino lectures the owner about his son. The main stretch of the town on Lafayette Avenue was converted into a mid-century looking street shops including a barbershop, fur store, and more.
When Frank is first sent to Chicago to assist in one of Hoffa’s intimidation efforts, it involves sinking a bunch of taxi cars, a scene that appears to be filmed in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Frank comes up with a faster plan however, which is to use “candy” and basically bomb the cars in their lot. This is filmed just beside the Brooklyn Queens Expressway in the Gowanus/Carroll Gardens area. The location is given away by the distinctive green support structures under the “BQE” and the height that the elevated highway takes in this area of Brooklyn, close to the highest subway station in New York City — Smith-9th Street.
Other film locations includes Lee’s Tavern on Staten Island was converted into Nemo’s Bar & Grill, a mob spot in Detroit, where they filmed the scene where the car explodes. Other scenes were filmed in Yonkers, a popular stand-in for New York City with the Empire City and Casino and Raceway serving as a home base for the production.
Next, check out NYC Filming Locations for Motherless Brooklyn.
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