MovieChat Forums > The Hot Rock (1972) Discussion > Movie locales

Movie locales

posted 15 years ago by cryptical70
8 replies | jump to latest

THE HOT ROCK was filmed in and around New York City and Long Island in May-June 1971, and many of the film locales are still around. Here are *some* of the places that are in the film:

In one of the opening scenes, Robert Redford is seen walking down Carmans Avenue in East Meadow, Long Island. The "State Prison" is actually County Jail of Nassau County. East Meadow High School, Eisenhower Park and the Nassau Medical Center (the tallest building on Long Island) can be seen in the background.

After the gang breaks Greenberg out of prison, they speed away through Modells Shopping Center, into a truck. The shopping center located on Hempstead Turnpike is still there, though most of the stores are different or gone. Modells used to be a department store and supermarket, (which are gone), then an art supermarket (also gone) but a newer Modells sporting goods store is still there. By the way, there are no State Prisons in Nassau County, Long Island.

The bank where Robert Redford enters and takes the Sahara Stone out of the vault is still there, and currently a Citibank. The bank is located at the intersection of 33rd Street and Park Avenue in New York City. The interior of the bank, which was used for filming, has been completely remodeled since 1971. The Pan Am building is now the MetLife Building. The famous Waldorf-Astoria Hotel is also nearby.

As Robert Redford walks uptown on Park Avenue after he steals the Sahara Stone, he passes Ritz Tower (a luxury apartment complex). The Ritz Tower is still there. One of the other corner buildings which he passes along the way is now a Staples store.

[–] mtworkowski 15 years ago

Good job on the locals. One that i always look at is where murch turns left at Modell's and then right to enter the trailer truck. It was the Roslyn Savings Bank and is visible in the car chase seen. I'm a little curious about the parkway that Kelp and Dortmunder are on when Dortmunder say's he "learned plumbing". Is it the Cross Island? I don't know.~~~~

[–] cryptical70 15 years ago

That is Long Island Expressway at the turnoff for the Brooklyn Queens Expressway. Near the Maurice Avenue exit. Trinity Cemetery (where Don Corlione's funeral was filmed for the Godfather) can be seen in the distance. I think that's the Masbeth/Woodside area of Queens.

Here is another Hot Rock locale I'm still trying to locate....

Murch (Ron Liebman) is working on a car in his shop when his mother (Charlotte Rae) drives up (in a taxi). Murch then puts on a phonograph record with the sounds of motor engines. I am still trying to identify the locale of the shop. Looks like it's along the Long Island Expressway service road, but I can't really tell. I could be wrong. Anyone know for sure?

[–] vpilutis 13 years ago

The bank where Robert Redford enters and takes the Sahara Stone out of the vault is still there, and currently a Citibank.

First National City Bank and Citibank are/were the same company.
They just made it sound more fancy with the new name.

Talk about banks Dog Day Afternoon was filmed no where near the real location.
Which has an EL train nearby the "F" Line Avenue P station.
I was dating a girl from that area back in 1972 and I've been living in the area since 1982. Now days its Bay Ridge Federal Savings

My Home stop is Bay 50th St ("D" line now days)where "the French Connection" was filmed

See some stars here
http://www.vbphoto.biz/

[–] motorhead100 10 years ago

Recently on vacation in New York, I took a trip to the Brooklynn Museum and am pretty sure I stood on the spot where they filmed the stone behind the glass walls. The subway station outside the museum is still there (there's a shot of them walking by it with the museum in the background) but the entrance has been changed (faces a different way).

[–] onleft23 12 years ago

hey t/y for the inside baseball
lucky to say ive been to nyc 3 times
next time i'll try to check out some of these sites

[–] leader-7 11 years ago

In fact, First National City Bank was the precursor name to Citibank... and is the real name of the bank till they changed it.

The location of that bank was not on 33rd and Park, but in the 40's north of the PanAm bldg. And Ritz Tower is the north east corner of 57th street and Park.

This edit corrects a typo.

[–] walkingf00l 8 years ago

Does anyone know the location of the park where Segal and Redford first meet with Moses Gunn on the park bench? With that outcropping of Manhattan Schist, it should be obvious, but for the life of me, I cannot figure it out.

Any ideas?

[–] mtworkowski 10 years ago

Yeah, it's Carman Ave. Now there are two more prisons or jails. Whatever. I think they are now prisons. If you go on Google Earth, you can see that route that he boys took w/ the benz. Now it's past Home Depot and a fast left turn at the alley leading to the Roslyn Bank. Now it's some other thing but you can see the holes in the wall that held the Roslyn Bank sign. This was probably the best movie that Redford made, and it's not given much notice in his filmo. Also, Quincy Jones produced a wonderful sound track for the movie. If you can get it....get it. Also, he didn't put his name on it. He said he was so proud of his team that he let them take credit. Don't believe it. There must have been a union dispute about this move. Too many loose ends. Happy hunting......a