Black and white films: Comments, reviews, recommendations - silent films to 1960's era:
Speedy - 1928: Silent film with Harold Lloyd. Excellent production and on location in the 1920's.
All trolleys and street scenes but excellent for the time it was done.
Applause - 1929: Not a silent film. Actually has on location filming and a subway scene at the
Chambers St. station, all real. Read more about it on WWW.IMDB.COM
No Limit - 1931: Starts off with a great scene on a Manhattan elevated station somewhere. Cannot determine exact location
but probably 3rd Ave. El. - has Clara Bow going up the station stairs and then inside the subway car. Good scene.
The Secret Six - 1931: Early Clark Gable film. Mostly fake studio setting of NY but there is one train scene. The station
seems fake but a real train pulls into the station with IRT info written on top. No station signs, not sure of the location.
The Vice Squad - 1931: No, it's not a silent film. Most of it is done on some fake studio lot trying to be New York. There is one
subway scene done underground believe it or not. They actually made this in the system? Amazing considering everything
else is pretend NY. Not sure what station though, seems to be maybe a BMT line.
Practically Yours - 1944: Starring Fred MacMurray and he is in a supposed crowded subway train.
He does get off at a 33 st station and the train goes by. The entire film is studio NY and the station looks fake also. I doubt it
was a real setting. If you know for sure, contact us with the info.
Lady on a train - 1945: The star, Deanna Durbin, is actually on the Metro North tracks around 125st. in a long scene.
Most of the movie story is about what happened while she was on a train one night. If you like Metro North trains, get this.
Ladies Man - 1947: Comedy with Eddie Bracken and he is at a supposed to be 42 st station. Seems very fake along with the
train that he gets on. Studio made for sure, not the real trains. Why another studio fake?
The Naked City - 1948: The movie that you can use as the starting point for post-war on location NY filming. Time to spend
money and film it here not in Hollywood. It's a cop show classic with too much to mention. It has some subway scenes and
many NY locations. Great chase scene at end of movie on the Williamsburg Bridge. Get the TV series also.
Winter Meeting - 1948: A Bette Davis film where she is in the opening scene on a train station. Seems fake though.
A two car train pulls into some station and the station seems unlike a NY location. Maybe filmed elsewhere or studio.
City across the river - 1949: Has a brief opening scene with a train on the Williamsburg Bridge. Mostly a Brooklyn movie.
Port of New York - 1949: Yul Brenner film with a good subway scene on a Manhattan elevated, 3rd Ave. elevated line.
The girl from Jones Beach - 1949: The movie has an intro with Eddie Bracken supposedly on a Times Square station. Seems
very fake but a train makes it's way into the station, no car numbers though and it's a crowded platform. Check it out, the
movie is funny anyway.
The Window - 1949: Only one hour and change long but a very cool film starring a smart and tough
little kid as he tries to get away from some bad people. All filmed here and in one scene the kid goes up to the elevated
station to get away but just misses a train as it leaves the station. Can't tell what station it was, seems authentic though. Has
other street filming where trains go by.
The Glass Wall - 1950: Excellent, highly recommended film with a subway scene and 42 st scenery.
It has other interesting things to enjoy. One of the best from the film noir genre to feature NYC.
The subway scene is underground and has an R1/9 car as an F train I recall. Top notch film!
Pretty Baby - 1950: They do try and pretend it's a subway in all the scenes, but it's all studio fakes.
They use the same setting each time but it has many scenes. It's about a lady who pretends she has a baby to get a seat on
the train. More to that also. Too bad it was not done with real trains.
Union Station - 1950: William Holden movie with lots of trains. Has good scene with 3rd Ave elevated in Manhattan, kind of
gets edited with trains from other areas. A good selection anyway.
The Thief - 1952: Very unusual film in that there is no talking from the actors at all. There is sound of everything else
happening though. Ray Milland stars in this. Starts off in Washington D.C. then he goes to New York. He walks through Times
Square and gets on a train. That's a good scene.
Kind of hard to follow with no dialogue but has good production value. Also has a chase scene on the deck of the Empire
State Building. Excellent filming there. Ray Milland also was in a film you probably know about also done in New York called
"The Lost Weekend". Both are recommended.
Follow that man - 1953/1954: A TV series made here. Go to www.oldies.com and check the titles. Get Volume One. Has an
episode called "Third Rail". It has a chase scene in 207 st yard! Get it! Thanks to Bill for the tip on this one!
Little Fugitive - 1953: It's about a young kid who runs away to Coney Island. Don't want to give the story away. Has a brief
subway scene of the kid getting on the train then as it arrives at Coney Island. If you want to check out what Coney Island
was like in the early 1950's, get this. It's a short film and most of it takes place around the boardwalk.
Most Wanted Man,The- 1953: has a long subway scene on authentic R10 cars on the A train, starts at 42 st. station.
Human Desire - 1954: No subways in here but a great train movie starring Glenn Ford, train engineer, and shows many trains
and yards, etc... There are many movies with railroad themes or trains involved, this one is recommended.
Bachelor Party - 1957: Drama with Don Murray. Does have 2 scenes underground. First one is kind of brief and not much to
appreciate. The second scene is better though.
Edge of the city - 1957: Early film from Sidney Poitier. Supposed to take place in NYC. No subways but only a freight train yard.
There are authentic NY locations but www.IMDB.com says this was filmed in Jersey City, NJ. Not too sure about that, they left
out the NY portion. Good film anyway.
Something Wild - 1961: Interesting and unusual film but all made here. The main actress, Carroll Baker, is in 2 scenes. Movie
starts off with a train scene and later on she's on a train. She gets on a 4 train in The Bronx. Lots of Manhattan filming also.
You should enjoy the train scenes at least.
Strangers in the city - 1962: Another all on location classic. Has a good subway scene at end of movie on the streets of Coney
Island. Also filmed in East Harlem. It's a drama and well made.
The Pawnbroker - 1964: Rod Steiger is in one underground scene on the "A" train with an R10 car.
Mostly filmed in East Harlem, very good unique film you might like. Quincy Jones jazz soundtrack.
The Train - 1964: Perfect example of liking a movie that has nothing to do with NY. It's a World War Two story with Burt
Lancaster. It involves a freight train and much more. It's mostly filmed outdoors and it's exciting and very cool if you like
trains at all. No subways for sure but still interesting.
Actually, while we're there, another great war film is with Frank Sinatra called "Von Ryan's Express".
The Sinatra film is in color though. Still has a train theme in the story and it's good.
Mirage - 1965: A Gregory Peck drama that has him inside a BMT train for a scene and later getting on a bus near Central
Park. Overall, it's well made and it's all on location. That's always good.
Dutchman - 1967: Starts off with good filming but entire film afterwards takes place in a subway car.
Not sure if it's a real one or studio made. A racial drama overall.
The Incident - 1967: Would have been better as a color film but still a good film. It has Martin Sheen as a subway
troublemaker and Ed McMahon as a passenger. Filmed with 3rd Ave El setting at night in The Bronx at the beginning. Then
it's all indoors. It's better than Dutchman at least. It's worth it.