Friday, July 19, 2013

Trading Places (1983)

dir. John Landis

Louis Winthorpe's (Dan Aykroyd) house – 2014 Delancey Place, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The Duke & Duke bank – Wells Fargo Building, 135 S. Broad Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The Dukes mansion – Mill Neck Manor, 40 Frost Mill Road, Mill Neck, New York.

The Heritage Club – Curtis Institute of Music, 1726 Locust Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Billy Ray Valentine (Eddie Murphy) pretends to be a blind cripple – Rittenhouse Square, S. 18th Street at Locust Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The police station – Community College of Philadelphia, 1700 Spring Garden Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The bar where Billy Ray is showing off – Cannon's Pub, 2794 Broadway, New York, New York. Many thanks to David Wright for pointing that out. Cannon's had closed in 2004 after 70 years in business and returned a few months later as O'Connell's. The pub was remodeled in 2013 and reopened as Tara Hill Irish Tavern but closed again in July 2016.

Ophelia (Jamie Lee Curtis) agrees to help Louis – Centre Square, 1500 Market Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Clothespin sculpture is a 45-foot work of public art created by artist Claes Oldenburg in 1975. It was installed for the Bicentennial Celebration in 1976, and has remained there ever since.

Louis sees Billy Ray passing by in a limousine – Independence Hall, 520 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Ophelia's apartment – 1210 South Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The neighborhood has since changed, and the street is barely recognizable.

The depressed Louis gets off the bus – Avenue B between E. 14th and 13th Streets, New York, New York. Many thanks to AlphaJ for identifying this location.

The Dukes' henchman Clarence Beeks (Paul Gleason) calling from 'Washington, DC' – Centre Street near Foley Square, New York, New York

The train leaving Washington, DC – Newark Penn Station, 1048 Raymond Boulevard, Newark, New Jersey.

Arriving in Philadelphia – 30th Street Station, 3001 Market Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Louis and Billy Ray outsmart the Dukes on the trading floor – World Trade Center, New York, New York. The original World Trade Center was destroyed in the September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001. The site was rebuilt with five new skyscrapers and a memorial to the victims of the attacks. One World Trade Center opened in October 2014. It is the tallest building in the U.S., and already a recognizable New York landmark.

Beeks and a gorilla are loaded onto a ship heading for Africa – Brooklyn Bridge Park Pier 2, New York, New York.

Louis, Billy Ray, Ophelia and Coleman vacation on a tropical beach – Davis Bay, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands

See also...


A Fish Called Wanda

The Million Pound Note

29 comments:

  1. Great work! I enjoyed seeing this locations as they look now.

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  2. The beach is at Davis Bay, St. Croix. It is the present site of the Renaissance Camambola Resort and Spa. What a gorgeous spot!

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  3. The place where Louis gets off the bus is Avenue B between 14th and 13th streets in Manhattan - I grew up nearby there and I am pretty sure but would like someone else to confirm as well

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  4. The New York Chamber of Commerce Building - The Great Hall, 65 Liberty Street, New York City, New York, USA (as the interior for the Great Hall of the Heritage Club)

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  5. The interior of the Heritage Club is the interior of the Union League, 140 S Broad St, Philadelphia, PA 19102.

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  6. Wrong about the Union League comment. That's a myth.

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  7. Where was the inside of Winthorpe's office located? I love that office with the woodwork and fireplace.

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    1. Thanks Yuro G., I was thinking that

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    2. according to : /www.businessinsider.com.au/an-oral-history-of-trading-places-2013-12 "these offices were upstairs at the Park Avenue Armory, they had these beautiful Stanford White interiors. In fact, there was a real Gilbert Stuart portrait of George Washington."

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  8. The exterior shot of Coleman standing in front of the Mercedes limo outside of the bar was shot on 108th and Broadway looking west from the east side. You can see the building across the street has the same structure and the building to the left has the same structure and fire escapes.

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  9. just to narrow down the bar exterior it's tara hill irish tavern on the corner of Broadway and W. 108th Street

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  10. Thank you for Sharing these movie locations. Trading places is one of my favorite movies.

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  11. Duke mansion is actually not the mill neck Manor. It looks like it, but the actual location is Bellarmine hall on the campus of Fairfield university in Fairfield, CT.

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    1. No, it's Mill Neck Manor. It looks exactly like in the movie. Bellarmine Hall looks different.

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  12. The tennis club (I can't remember if it's named) is the heights casino on Montague St. in Brooklyn Heights.

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  13. About the photo above with the Septa bus that the caption locates in NYC, makes me wonder: Did they really go to the trouble of either bringing a Septa Bus to NYC for the scene, or perhaps paint another bus as a really accurate stand in? I have to say, it doesn't look like a Philly Street scene, but the inclusion of the bus is curious.

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  14. Thanks! I'm watching it right now in Italy. It's broadcasted each Christmas' eve.

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  15. There's a scene filmed at what's known today as the Union League of Philadelphia (http://papernposh.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Union-League-of-Philadelphia.jpg). Don't have a screenshot from movie but it was between 25-50% of movie. Keep up the great work, huge fan!!

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  16. the scene in jail is actually Manhattan house of corrections ,12th fl,100 centre st.

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  17. The scene in the bank was filmed on 5th Avenue and 46th street in NYC. I was there. Then the scene cuts, and Winthorpe is seen getting tossed out on the street by that giant clothespin.

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  18. What a great blog idea! Really great information!!! Thanks for putting it together.

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  19. Correction. the bar where Billy Ray is showing off is actually the Happy Rooster 118 S. 16th St. (corner of 16th & Sansom in Center City Phila). A scene in Limitless (where Bradley Cooper’s character is introduced to the magic pill) was also shot there.

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  20. The 1100, 1200 and 1300 blocks of South Street were in transition. Buildings allowed to deteriorate because of the proposed sunken bed for I-95 had started to turn around east of there as the hippie kids turned the place into the early South Street scene in the early / mid 70s, then grown up rock and rollers meets the punk kids in the late 70s through the 80s. Though the place where Ophelia's apartment looks like trouble, it wasn't the least bit scary. Just structures beyond saving scooped out, ready for the rehab that was slowly moving west. Throw in some extras hanging out as make believe drug addicts is comical to any of us that were there. It wasn't without urban realities however. I worked at a punk bar up the street called The Love, and the bar next door was voted Most Likely Location In Philadelphia To Die In A Crime Of Passion, or something like that.

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  21. Love this movie,am so envious of those fortunate enough to be able to view the great locations used in the making. I live in the u.k and doubt I will ever have an opportunity, so thanks to all for the information and knowledge.

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