Industry

'On The Waterfront' in Hoboken

Prologue

Moving from east to west across the mighty Hudson can be done easily nowadays.  Whether you take the train or the Lincoln Tunnel, Hoboken, New Jersey is waiting for you.  An old river town, it has shed its identity and redefined itself often, like a snake sheds its skin.  "Birthplace of Baseball & Frank Sinatra", home of TLC's popular show "Cake Boss"; these are just some of the conventional ways the city defines itself for visitors.  Much of Hoboken's current identity is tied up in its proximity to Manhattan.  In a symbiotic, mirror-like relationship, its most treasured commodity is its ability to observe another location, rather than look at itself.

 Its newly constructed piers and waterfront parks invite visitors and residents alike to view...someplace else.

But back in the 1950s, Hoboken was a working waterfront, and its relationship with the Hudson was a functional one, based on commerce and shipping.  This harsh world of longshoremen, unions and corruption has been lost in translation somewhere, and it is hard to sense its presence today.

When walking the city's charming tree-lined streets or picnicking on a grassy lawn overlooking New York, its easy to forget the punching honesty and brutality of that bygone day which was portrayed with great skill by Elia Kazan in his Academy Award winning classic, "On The Waterfront".

a movie...

Prior to setting out, pour yourself a glass of Guinness beer to honor the longshoremen of yesteryear & watch the film paying special attention to particular scenes, the location for which you will be seeing on your walking tour.

  • view of the waterfront from the roof

  • the interior & exterior shorts of the church in the movie (an amalgam of two churches in Hoboken)

  • the scene where Terry (Marlon Brando) takes Edie (Eva Marie Saint) out for a drink in a bar where a wedding is taking place (try to notice the layout of the front & back sections of the room, divided by swinging doors and the stained glass windows in the background).

  • The scene where Terry & Edie talk at the swing set after the first church meeting, and where Father Barry talks to Terry.  It is essential to pay particular attention to the facade of the church, as the two of them leave.  Kazan used a church located in one area of Hoboken and combined it with exterior shots filmed in a distant park far away.  Although the couple appear to walk smoothly outside, Kazan actually uses sleight of hand to combine two different physical places into one location. 

...& some historical background

Budd Schulberg's celebrated screenplay and the characters he created, was based on two real-life individuals; Rev. John M. Corridan, SJ, and Anthony 'Tony Mike' DeVincenzo.

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Rev. Corridan was an activist priest who worked tirelessly with longshoremen on various NY waterfronts.  Ryan Stellabote's article "On The Waterfront and Jesuit Social Action" gives a wonderfully vivid sense of a man who was the real inspiration for Karl Malden's character, Father Berry, of his work and his attitude towards the film.  Finish your preparation by reading an article by Dick Russell for The Village Voice in 1974 about Hoboken longshoreman DeVincenzo who testified in front of The Waterfront Commission.


Travelogue

Pack & Prepare

  • make sure to bring a mobile device with internet capability to pull up movie scenes for purpose of comparison, as well as to document your own historical reminders with photographs as you go.

  • this walk focuses on real-life functionality, make sure to w.ear comfortable walking shoes.

  • Trip length: approx. 3 miles/Time:  approx. 2-3 hours


1.  Hoboken's Erie-Lackawanna Terminal 

(1 Hudson Place) Start your walk at this old terminal restored to its former glory, in spite of Hurricane Sandy.  Built in 1907, it services trains, buses and ferries.

The terminal is a beautiful reminder of the city's past and a great place to begin our walk.  Exit the station, heading into Erie-Lackawanna Park and then continue north, walking along the new recreational Waterfront Walkway.

Search for remains of the old port while walking.  Look for the past by carefully examining buildings, roads and even the stone retaining walls built into the banks of the Hudson.

2. DRINKING & POLITICS ON FIRST STREET

Turn left off of the walkway onto First Street and walk into downtown Hoboken.  Many of the old waterfront scenes in the movie were filmed here. Johnny Friendly's bar, the tenement building where Joey Doyle and his family lived, and the old Continental Hotel where many rooftop scenes were filmed; have all been torn down and have given way to newer, more modern buildings.  None-the-less, walking west on this small street, we can still find a number of movie sites and locations that give us a feel for old time Hoboken.

  • the end of the cab ride (corner of First & River Streets)                                                 Actually filmed off-site on a TV-set, the scene between the two brothers (where Brando says his famous line "I could 'a been a contender!") takes place while driving towards 437 River Street.  The scene where Charley's cab stops to let Terry out is the only part of this entire sequence that was shot on location.

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  • Hoboken City Hall (94 Washington Street)                                                                    Built in 1883 and designed by Francis George Himpler, this Beaux Arts building was the site where the Waterfront Commission courtroom scene was filmed.

  • The Shannon Bar (106 First Street)                                                                                Established in 1956 and open in the afternoon and evenings (4pm-3am).  Although it has survived economically by morphing into a sports bar, this is one of the last establishments still standing from the waterfront era.  Notice the portrait of the original owner over the bar, a woman beloved by many of the Irish longshoremen who hung out there.  This family business takes pride in its past.

3.  'Bread and God' on Willow

  Turn left off of First onto Willow Street and walk four blocks north to Church Square.

  • Give us this day our daily bread:  The Antique Bakery  (122 Willow Avenue)                               Although under new ownership, this old time bakery still sells freshly-baked bread, "the way it used to be".  Avoid the boutique atmosphere of other stores and stop here, buy a hot loaf of bread and eat it out on the street, while continuing on past Hoboken University Medical Center to....

  • Our Lady of Grace Church (400 Willow Avenue)                                                            Built in 1876 by William J. Whyte and the same Francis Himpler who designed City Hall, this church is one of two churches in the film.  OLG was used for the exterior shots and its gothic exterior is clearly recognizable in the movie, when Terry & Edie leave the first church meeting held by Father Barry.  Notice the park actually located outside this church.  It is not the park the couple walk into in the movie.  Once the couple leave the church,  Kazan uses steam in the background to transition from filming Church Square Park in front of OLG to Elysian Park, where the rest of the scene takes place....movie magic.

 

 

 

 

4.  A Hero's musical parenthesis 

(457 Fifth Street/ 6th & 7th Streets between Willow & Clinton)                                              Mention must be made of the fact that the home of a real life hero lies north of where you are standing.  An optional stop on this already long walk, you may not wish to go the extra distance.  Choose instead to sit on a bench in Church Square Park, or, if you would like a quick coffee or beer, visit Onieal's Restaurant (343 Park Avenue) for a rest.  

While catching your breath, consider what you've seen of the city thus far. In the photo selections to the right, you can see DeVincenzo's green & white painted home of 30 years (457 Fifth Street) and the old Willow Terrace Row Houses nearby. Both sites are located inland, in a slightly less affluent section of Hoboken.  There are still differences in prosperity that you can sense from block to block.  The contrast between neighborhoods in Hoboken, like any other city, speaks to the fact that certain things may not have changed much in the sixty years since our movie was made.  Sit back and listen to British punk rocker & activist Billy Bragg singing "There is Power in the Union", and hoist a glass in honor of Tony Mike, of his bravery and legend.

5.  Church & Revolution

Newly refreshed, walk down Fourth Street towards the river, and the location of the second church used in OWF.

  • Court Street Cobblestones (4th & Court Streets)                                                          A block away from your destination, look down Court Street, the old cobblestone mews where Terry & Edie were filmed, running from a truck driver.  Then continue on towards...

  • Saint Peter and Paul Church (404 Hudson Street).  All of the church interiors of Father Barry & his worker's meeting were filmed inside of this church.   Visit the interior and as you leave the church, before taking a left onto Hudson Street, stop for a moment at Steven's Park and watch part of an interview (6:53-7:31) with Karl Malden where he discusses preparing for his role by working with real priest and revolutionary Father John Corridan.  The role priests played as activists and engaged members of the community has parallels in many other countries, especially in Latin American in the Liberation Theology Movement.

6.  An Autopsy of the Northern Waterfront

As you walk along Hudson Street towards The Stevens Institute of Technology, the feeling of the neighborhood reflects the affluence brought by a university community coupled with proximity to the waterfront.  Beautiful brownstones give way to the Institute's green quadrangles where it sits in its commanding position up on a rise.  Turn right onto Sixth Street and walk to the end, past the guard booth that accesses the campus.

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  • Castle Point Lookout (off of Wittpenn Walk, in SIT)                                                       Stop here as you walk through the grounds in order to appreciate the breadth and scope of the entire waterfront area.  From the Lookout down towards the south, this view is a stunning reminder of the Hudson's strength and might.

  • Northern View at Babbio Drive (SIT Campus)                                             Continue walking along Wittpenn Walk, passing in front of the Howe Center and follow the path to the farther right, called Babbio Drive.  Various imposing residences and buildings are located on this walkway, overlooking the northern coastline.  Stop next to the first home on the right to look down the slope at the last working pier in Hoboken. You'll get a closer view of it shortly, but this view's perspective emphasizes the difference between the majority of recreational piers and this lonely vestige of functioning waterfront.  

  • Elysian Park  Follow Babbio Drive off of the SIT, taking an immediate right onto Castle Point Terrace.  Attractive homes give way to the iconic wrought iron fence of Elysian Park.

The site of two major scenes, this park remains relatively unchanged since the movie's filming.  Take a right and walk down towards the long line of fence overlooking the river.  It is here that Terry confesses his involvement with Johnny Friendly to Father Barry in a four minute scene overlooking the industrial coastline.  Sit on one of the benches and look to your right at the new residential condominiums located where the old Maxwell House Coffee Plant used to be.  A walk back into the park will take you to the swing sets where Terry & Edie first get to know each other.

The swings are still in the same place.  Look west at the Hudson Street park edge and notice that there is no church located there.  Smoke and mirrors abound in this famous scene.   The couple's dialogue starts at the swing sets,and then during one exchange, Edie apparently teleports herself from the middle of the park back to the fence at the end, all in three seconds (watch carefully at 2:12-2:13).  A wonderful example of smooth editing and consistent acting, if you weren't actually on-site, you would never realize the degree to which Kazan manipulated the environment around him.

  • Opposing Views in Maxwell Place Park  Exiting the park at its north western corner, take an immediate right and walk down Frank Sinatra Drive until you reach the path entrance to the condominium park.  Take a left into the park, passing the Hoboken Cove Boathouse.  A volunteer non-profit organization, the Boathouse offers free seasonal kayaking and river access.  At the small beach in front of the cottage, stop and notice this last little remnant of history.  The sand and water direct your eyes towards the old working pier that you saw earlier from SIT's campus. Contrast the gritty functionality of this structure with the recreational feeling of Shipyard Marina Pier 13, located a short walk north through the park.  Pier 13 (complete with outdoor beach chairs, bar and Astroturf) couldn't be more different from the simplicity of that final operational pier.

7.  have drinks with the cast                                        

Walk back into Hoboken along 14th Street to Dino & Harry's Steakhouse (163 14th Street/(201) 659-6202), where Terry takes Edie Doyle out for a drink on their first date.  Time your trip right (Dino & Harry's only opens after 5pm), and you can play your own Brando or Eva Marie Saint, while sitting in the dining room right off the bar.  Wood fixtures, period stained glass and tin ceilings pull you into the film.  Relax your feet (you deserve it!) and reflect on all the ghosts you have met during today's walk...and ask yourself one final question....does the "Waterfront" exist today in Hoboken? 


Epilogue

For the historian at heart...

learn more about the actual waterfront struggle in NYC:

  • Read the hard hitting journalism that inspired Kazan's movie.  Written by New York Sun reporter, Malcom Johnson, this Pulitzer Prize winning series of articles has been re-issued in book form with a prologue by movie screen writer Budd Schulberg.

  • Learn about the Irish Waterfront depicted in the film in James T. Fisher's historical summary    According to Cornell University Press, this books is a "remarkable and engaging historical account of the classic film's backstory".

Take action...

The activist in us knows that a walk like this demands more than solely historical obeservation.  Learn about similar struggles taking place today.  Honor 'Tony Mike' and Father Corridan by becoming involved in the world around us.                                                                                                

International Organizations

International Labor Rights Forum                              Human Rights Watch                        

International Labour Organization                             Jobs With Justice                                                                          

NYC Organizations

Domestic Workers United                                            New York Cares 

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