Movies Set in Philadelphia

[thoth]

I know this has been discussed in numerous on PhillySpeaks, but I was surprised to see there wasn't a thread specifically devoted to this.

Like a lot of people on PS, I get a kick out of seeing Philly locales on film. Share your discoveries. Here's one that I had heard about, but didn't realize actually ended up being set in Philly, even though the Joey Coyle incident happened here:

Money For Nothing - Trailer - YouTube

Also didn't realize Philip Seymour Hoffman and James Gandolfini had bit parts in it. They're using the NYC accent, like seemingly every movie that features Philly "natives".

[carloss]

The fake Philly accent is one of the worst crimes committed by the entertainment industry. Nowhere on par with blackface or the happy Negro stereotype, granted, but still pretty grating...as if casting agents couldn't be bothered to suffer a 90-minute train ride from New York to hear how the accent really sounds.

[mixiboi]

Filmography

It is a nice list...

[OffenseTaken]

Crumb (1995):







Depictions of Philadelphia in narrative films tend to be much more affectionate than they are in documentaries, where the city is often cast as the benighted hellhole that people love to leave. Crumb is no exception, but it's also portrayed as the kind of inward-turning, weirdly inspiring place that David Lynch* likes to describe when he talks about his PAFA years.

There are few street scenes in the Philadelphia sequences, which adds to a sense of claustrophobia that is already pretty acute, but unfortunately it makes it pretty hard to pinpoint exactly where Robert Crumb's mother and brother lived. Wherever it is, it would be tough to make it a stop on one of those Philly Movie Tours.

*The exec producer of Crumb, so it may be by design

They're using the NYC accent, like seemingly every movie that features Philly "natives".

My theory is that even if studios were willing to put in the expensive effort to coach actors on Philadelphia English, most viewers would just find it weird and distracting, and wonder why the actors are sneaking vaguely Southern vowel sounds into a Brooklyn accent. Even though everyone has heard Chris Matthews talk, Philadelphia English is just something that doesn't exist in the movie universe.

It's kinda like how Castle thunder still gets used sometimes today to signify stormy weather, or when the sound of a punch to the face gets unrealistically augmented with the sound of someone slapping a T-bone steak against a countertop. If they recorded the real thing, it just wouldn't "read."

Oh my gosh. 1,000th post. Way too much ****ing time on here.

[annie]

There are few street scenes in the Philadelphia sequences, which adds to a sense of claustrophobia that is already pretty acute, but unfortunately it makes it pretty hard to pinpoint exactly where Robert Crumb's mother and brother lived. Wherever it is, it would be tough to make it a stop on one of those Philly Movie Tours.

When he was a kid, 53rd Street in West Philly and then in a military housing project in Southwest down by the oil refineries. Family was in Upper Darby later on. But yeah, none of them really movie tours sites.

[transplant]

Twelve Monkeys, with the zoo animals on 95, beautiful!
Also the bear with city hall in the background was pretty cool too.

[OldMama]

Fallen with Denzel Washington. It was not set in Philadelphia but it was filmed in Manayunk, especially in Dobson's schoolyard and the streets on either side of the school (Calumet and Wright). They cooked for the crew right outside my window, never offered us a bite. Sadly, the movie turned out to be pretty awful.

And don't diss Rocky. I was in a little town on the Tuscany/Umbria border in 2001 and a waitress asked us where we were from. When we said "Philadelphia" the entire waitstaff yelled "ROCKY" and proceeded to do the song and the Art Museum dance. Hilarious.

[five apples]

Trading Places, one of my all time favorites. Set and filmed in Philly.

[forkiks]

yesterday i was looking at the movie trailers to see what's playing in the ritz theaters...and saw that one of the movies currenly playing called 'backwards' is set in philly (haven't seen it and not sure how good it is) - the storyline involves rowing, i noticed the backgrounds in the trailer and was like...that looks familiar. (I see it's mentioned in the filmography link above btw)

Trading Places is awesome

[thoth]

My theory is that even if studios were willing to put in the expensive effort to coach actors on Philadelphia English, most viewers would just find it weird and distracting, and wonder why the actors are sneaking vaguely Southern vowel sounds into a Brooklyn accent. Even though everyone has heard Chris Matthews talk, Philadelphia English is just something that doesn't exist in the movie universe.

It's kinda like how Castle thunder still gets used sometimes today to signify stormy weather, or when the sound of a punch to the face gets unrealistically augmented with the sound of someone slapping a T-bone steak against a countertop. If they recorded the real thing, it just wouldn't "read."

Oh my gosh. 1,000th post. Way too much ****ing time on here.

I don't think people were off put by Fargo or Pennsylvania Dutch people's accents in Witness. I'm sure the points you brought up feed into the logic of mainstream movie producers, but I'm surprised that are virtually no movies where the accent is portrayed accurately.

Back to the main topic, here's a De Palma movie that is set in NYC but mostly shot in Philly. Often overlooked probably because of Blow Out, it has some great shots of the PMA galleries in the 80s, downtown, etc Dude had a boner for Philly for a minute:
Dressed to Kill (1980 film) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[thoth]

Actually, after watching this, I rescind my comments about the importance of including the Philly accent in movies.

9th & Bay Trailer - YouTube

[RashadZak]

First ten minutes or so of King of Marvin Gardens! Great shots of Penn Center area late at night, the concourse, subway surface trolley, and a little bit of Southwest Philly (I think?).

[MarketStEl]

Trading Places, one of my all time favorites. Set and filmed* in Philly.

Asterisk added because there were a few scenes shot in New York.

Pay attention to the street furniture when our rich boy, down and out in a Santa suit, gets off the SEPTA bus he boarded in front of his "mansion" (the Art Alliance plays that role).

Of course, these days, the opposite is far more the case: Philly plays New York all the time.

Maybe the "New Yorkers" in those films should speak with Philadelphia accents. It'd be poetic justice.

[BarryG]

Actually, after watching this, I rescind my comments about the importance of including the Philly accent in movies.

9th & Bay Trailer - YouTube

Wowza. Where is Bay St?

[supersupper]

Philly in the sixties, revealed by a premier Philadelphia film maker.





little bit of a philly accent thing happening.

"..you know, if you did meet someone there at night, because there was nobody around...."


PS, subtitle above the movie: did they mean tough or through ?

[thoth]

Wowza. Where is Bay St?

No clue. Fictionalized, I guess. I figured most people knew about this, but just for posterity here's a link to Tony Luke's vanity project, "The Nail", starring, er, Tony Luke: The Nail - Trailer - YouTube

[Mondu]

My favorite is Fighting Back. Tom Skeritt plays a shop owner who is fed up with the crime in Kensington. He forms a vigilante group and kicks some butt. It's not fine cinema, but still highly entertaining. Last I checked it's available on Netflix streaming.

[Lolly]

This reminds me I've been wanting to take this tour.

Philadelphia Movie Sites Tour

Sounds fun.

Movies they list are:

• 12 Monkeys
• Age of Innocence
• Baby Mama
• Beloved
• Blow Out
• Fallen
• In Her Shoes
• Invincible
• Italian Job
• Jersey Girl
• Law Abiding Citizen
• Mannequin
• Marley & Me
• National Treasure
• Philadelphia
• Return to Paradise
• Rocky
• Rocky Balboa
• Rocky III
• Rocky V
• The Answer Man
• The Happening
• The Sixth Sense
• Trading Places
• Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
• Unbreakable
• Up Close & Personal
• Witness

And related stops in the tour:

• Independence Mall - Shooter / Rocky II
• Independence Hall bell tower - National Treasure
• Curtis Center building (lobby) - Unbreakable
• Independence Square / Washington Square - National Treasure
• Old Pine Churce graveyard - National Treasure
• Famous 4th Street Deli - Philadelphia / In Her Shoes / Jersey Girl
• Delancy Street - Italian Job / The Answer Man
• Old City - Beloved
• St. Augustine's Church - The Sixth Sense
• PA Convention Center / Reading Terminal Market - 12 Monkeys / National Treasure
• Hard Rock Cafe - Jersey Girl
• Macy's - Mannequin / Mannequin On The Move
• Manhole cover (City Hall) - 12 Monkeys
• Municipal Services Building - Up Close and Personal / Shooter
• LOVE Park - Baby Mama
• Clothespin Statue (15 & Market)- Trading Places
• Academy of Music - Age of Innocence
• Furness Library (non site visit - clip only) - Philadelphia
• Franklin Field (non site visit - clip only) - Invincible
• 2302 St. Alban's Place (Lynn and Cole Sear's home) - The Sixth Sense
• Various City Scenes (clip only) - Rocky Balboa
• Eastern State Penitentiary - Transformers Revenge of the Fallen / 12 Monkeys / Return to Paradise
• Benjamin Franklin Parkway / Phila Museum of Art - Rocky / Rocky II / Rocky V / Rocky Balboa / In Her Shoes
• Franklin Institute Science Museum / Aviator Park - National Treasure
• Amtrak's 30th Street Station - Witness / The Happening / Blowout / Trading Places
• Chestnut Street Bridge - Shooter
• Pickwick Pharmacy - Philadelphia
• City Hall - Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen / Philadelphia / Law Abiding Citizen / Fallen / Blowout)
• Broad & Walnut Streets - Marley & Me
• Butcher & Singer restaurant - The Sixth Sense
• Walnut Street - In Her Shoes
• Rittenhouse Square park - The Happening / Trading Places / Rocky II
• Curtis Institute - Trading Places
• Tequila's restaurant - Unbreakable
• Jamaican Jerk Hut - In Her Shoes
• High School for Performing Arts (former Ridgeway Library) - 12 Monkeys
• Geno's Steaks - Fallen
• Pat's Steaks - Invincible
• Italian Market - Rocky / In Her Shoes / Rocky II / Rocky Balboa
• Loft Apartment of Andrew and Miguel - Philadelphia
• 8th & Chestnut Street Post Office - The Answer Man
• Independence Hall - Shooter

[OldMama]

Maybe this is why they don't try to replicate the Philly accent...

When I was an undergrad I took a phonetics course. One of the things we had to do was to be able to transcribe spoken speech phonetically. We all had to start with our names. When I told the professor (who later became my favorite of all time) that there was no sound for the initial vowel in my last name, he said, "my dear, you are from Philadelphia, aren't you? That is not a vowel you make at the beginning of your name. It is a cry of pain." The Philly agent is notoriously grating to non-natives. And to those who have lost the accent. I was listening to a radio ad for Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick in the car the other day and winced. Like nails on a chalkboard.

[Lolly]

Trading Places, one of my all time favorites.

Me too. Always wanted to figure out where Jamie Lee Curtis' character's apartment was, exactly. I think it was in the 1300 block of South Street, south side I believe, but not sure exactly where. Things have certainly changed a lot around there since then.