Arts & Entertainment
Big Apple Films Highlighted at Library
Philip Harwood gives the skinny on legendary New York movies.
Smiles and laughter filled the theater at the Syosset Public Library thanks to film historian Philip Harwood. He narrated while showing legendary movies filmed in New York during his presentation "New York on Film" Monday.
"New York has been the wonder city for film," Harwood said. "New York films capture the spirit of the great metropolis. Filmmaking started here before it ventured to California. Vitagraph Studios was here in Brooklyn; it eventually grew into Warner Bros."
A few of the clips shown during the program included 42nd Street, King Kong, Saboteur, Tarzan's New York Adventure,The Lost Weekend and The Godfather Part 2.
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"You can't show New York films without showing a few with guns and crime. To most people, that's what New York is most known for," he jokingly said.
Harwood's presentation highlighted scenes such as the finale in Saboteur, which was filmed at the Statue of Liberty, Tarzan's New York Adventure, which was filmed at the Brooklyn Bridge, and King Kong at the Empire State Building. "This program gives you a cinematic look at the great locations in New York," he said.
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Giving insight about the history of New York films, Harwood shared that the model used for King Kong was only 18 inches tall and that the film earned $90,000 when it opened during the Great Depression in 1933.
"I want [the audience] to focus on the preservation of films because this is our legacy, our identity," Harwood said.
A graduate of West Hempstead High School and Hofstra University, Harwood has been a film buff and music lover since a young age.
"I love film revivals like Gone With the Wind and nostalgic radio," Harwood said. "At Hofstra, I was a part of the radio station and I loved to play classical music. Most college students at that time were not into classical music like I was. Most people say I was born 70-years-old because of the music I like."
Harwood presents movie lectures at public libraries and community centers throughout Long Island when not working his day job as a professor at Queens College and C.W. Post.
Harwood is the author of Well! Reflections on the Life and Career of Jack Benny.
For more information about free programs at the library, call 516-921-7161 or visit www.syossetlibrary.org.
