Here are just a few scenes from movies and television shows that were filmed in the East Village. Special thanks to Andrea Coyle for compiling most of this.
Crocodile Dundee (1986)
Avenue B & E. 7th Street, Vazac’s bar
Mick (Paul Hogan) defended two hookers and punched their pimp.
Desperately Seeking Susan (1985)
St. Marks Place, Dojo Restaurant
Roberta (Rosanna Arquette) follows Susan (Madonna) and knocks over a vendor’s wares.
2nd Ave & E. 7th Street, former location of Love Saves The Day store
Susan (Madonna) trades her jacket for boots.
Die Hard With a Vengeance (1995)
Tompkins Square Park
John (Bruce Willis) & Zeus (Samuel L. Jackson) struggle to solve a riddle at a fountain (not there in real life) in order to prevent the detonation of a bomb.
Donnie Brasco (1997)
205 E Houston Street, Katz’s Deli
Donnie (Johnny Depp) meets his FBI contact.
Ghostbusters 2 (1989)
33 St. Marks Place
Dan Aykroyd owned “Ray’s Occult Books” in the movie.
The Godfather (1972)
310 E 14th Street, New York Eye & Ear Infirmary
Interior scenes when Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando) was hospitalized. Also used for Genco’s deathbed scene, which appears only in the Trilogy set.
The Godfather ll (1974)
E. 6th Street btwn Avenues A & B
Young Vito Corleone’s (Robert DeNiro) neighborhood, set in 1917 in the movie.
62 E. 4th Street, Duo Theater
Operetta Scene, where the Black Hand character Fanucci is introduced for the first time.
108 Avenue B, Vazac’s Bar
Rosato brothers try to kill Pentangelli. Shootout ensues on 7th Street.
Hannah & Her Sisters (1986)
109 E 9th Street, Pageant Print & Books now Pageant Bar & Grill,
Elliot (Michael Caine) “accidentally” bumps into Lee (Barbara Hershey)
Indiana Jones & the Last Crusade (1989)
11 E. 7th Street, Surma Ukrainian Books & Music store
Antique store
The Interpreter (2005)
128 E 10th Street
UN Interpreter Silvia Broome (Nicole Kidman) lived here.
Men in Black 2 (2002)
11 St Marks Place, St Marks Comics
Used as the exterior of the video store.
NYPD Blue & Kojak
321 E. 5th Street: 9th Precinct NYPD station
Used as exterior (though the facade’s been since redone)
Rent (2005)
108 Avenue B, Vazac’s Bar
Substituted for The Life Cafe, though the real Life Cafe was located a couple block north at 343 E 10th Street until recently.
The Rose (1979)
82 E 4th Street, 82 Club
Now the Stillwater Bar & Grill
Spiderman 2 (2004)
32 Second Avenue, Anthology Film Archive
The laboratory, where Dr. Octavius (Alfred Molina) demonstrates his fusion project and ends up with a permanent set of tentacles.
The Super (1991)
533 E 11th Street
Apartment building Big Lou (Vincent Gardenia) gives his son (Joe Pesci).
Taxi Driver (1976)
226 E 13th Street, btwn 2nd & 3rd Avenues
Building where Iris (Jodie Foster) lived and worked as a prostitute, and the bloodbath ending took place.
Torch Song Trilogy (1988)
82 E 4th Street, 82 Club
Now Stillwater Bar & Grill
Eric is a 4th generation Lower East Sider, professional NYC history author, movie & TV consultant, and founder of Lower East Side History Project.