Text and photos by Dan Efram
Last week, Martin Scorsese’s "The Irishman" took over the corner of Orchard and Broome for filming. Villa Roma Productions brought in classic vintage cars and made over this Lower East Side corner to resemble one from Little Italy a few blocks West — specifically Mulberry & Hester — creating historically accurate facades and business signage.
Set mere steps from the Tenement Museum, it's not surprising to anyone familiar why the area is so popular for period pieces. Previous productions shooting here are too numerous to mention, but this may be Orchard Street’s most significantly altered state since Steven Soderburg’s Cinemax vehicle, “The Knick,” was filmed here in 2014–2015."
Scorcese’s romance of 1960-70’s New York City, always brings out a bevvy of amazing images. Vintage cars littered the neighborhood and included a Cadillac, Lincoln, Chevy, Dodge and Plymouth. The scene in question on Friday evening included a swanky (mob?) family arriving via a Sedan De Ville to Umberto’s Clam House (Tictail Market). Across the street, Irving Coffee Roasters had been completely turned into Al’s Shoes, where the cast and crew was treated to a cupcake party celebrating their friend Marty’s birthday.
As is often the case on big production sets, there seemed to be one person for every specific task that could be imagined. Prior to the Umberto’s arrival scene, a scenic artist came out to paint dirt onto the facade.
The cast includes Robert DeNiro, Al Pacino (as Hoffa), Harvey Keitel, Joe Pesci, Bobby Cannavale and Ray Romano. This Daily Mail post has pics of the cast on set.
