I just love this movie. I used to watch it when I was a kid when it would come on tv sometimes. Now I have the DVD- yay!
I have always wondered where the library hideout place was. It looks so authentic to me, I think it must be real. I've always wanted to visit. Does anyone know where it is?
It was supposedly filmed in what is now the Jefferson Market Library, 425 Sixth Avenue, at 10th Street in NYC. It was built in 1875-1877 and was a courthouse for many years. There were jail cells in the basement. The most famous trial held there was when Harry K. Thaw was tried for killing Stanford White, who was having a very public affair with Thaw's wife, the gorgeous "girl on the red velvet swing," Evelyn Nesbit (later dramatized by E.L. Doctorow in the book "Ragtime"). Stephen Crane testified on behalf of a woman he felt had been wrongly accused of prostitution. The newspapers hailed his chivalry. After the notorious Triangle Shirtwaist Company fire, women picketing working conditions were arrested and confined to the courthouse (along with the usual prostitues tried in night court) to intimidate them, as in "No good girls come here." The tactic didn't deter the strikers. Mae West was tried there on obscenity charges early in her career.
The building was later used by the police, allegedly for riot training. It fell into disrepair and was considered an eyesore slated for demolition. But it was saved and is now a cherished landmark.
And parts of "They Might Be Giants" were filmed there.
In the film you can even hear the A train rumbling underneath.
shareNot the A at 10th St. and 6th Ave.: a D or an F.
shareIt could be the A train, or the C or E also. The 8th Avenue line swings over to the West 4th Street station under Greenwich Avenue and the library is at Greenwich and 6th. The scenes at the Jefferson Market branch of the library are just one of the reasons I enjoy this movie. It's a little quirky and maybe not to everyone's taste but I liked it from the first time I saw it.
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