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Washington Heights, Manhattan in popular culture
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Washington Heights is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It has been featured and referenced in popular culture on numerous occasions. Films * 1941 - In Citizen Kane, Jedidiah Leland is spending the remainder of his life in the fictitious "Huntington Memorial Hospital" on 180th Street. * 1948 - The final scene from Force of Evil, where Joe Morse discovers the body of his brother near the Hudson River, was filmed on location in the park several yards south of the George Washington Bridge. * 1953 - How to Marry a Millionaire features the George Washington Bridge entering into Washington Heights when Waldo Brewster, a grumpy businessman (Fred Clark), and Loco Dempsey (Betty Grable), driving back into Manhattan from the "Elks Lodge", are pulled over by motorcycle cops so the bridge commission can recognize "the lucky couple" as the occupants of the bridge's 50 millionth vehicle. * 1968 - Coogan's Bluff features a scene where Clint Eastwood chases the criminal he is to bring back to Arizona through the Cloisters. * 1993 - The Saint of Fort Washington is not entirely geographically accurate, but is set in the neighborhood, with the Fort Washington Avenue Armory in particular playing a large role in the plot. * 1995 - Scenes from the film Die Hard with a Vengeance were shot at PS 115. * 2002 - The film Washington Heights starring Manny Pérez is the story of a young man trying to escape the cultural barriers of Washington Heights to make it as an illustrator. * 2005 - The film ', with rapper/actor Curtis Jackson, includes scenes filmed in Washington Heights, including scenes that featured "young 50 Cent" filmed around 159th Street and Riverside Drive. * 2005 - The documentary Mad Hot Ballroom features students from PS 115 in Washington Heights. * 2007 - The film American Gangster was filmed in some sections of Washington Heights. * 2007 - The film The Brave One, with Jodie Foster, was filmed in some sections of Washington Heights; she and her boyfriend are attacked in a scene filmed in Fort Tryon Park, and the final scene with Terrence Howard was filmed on Elwood Street between Broadway and Nagle Avenue. * 2008 - The film Pride and Glory centers on police corruption in the fictional 31st Precinct of Washington Heights. * 2010 - Parts of the film Salt were filmed in the neighborhood, in particular at the 12-story Riviera, a 1910 Beaux-Arts style co-op on 157th Street and Riverside Drive. * 2013 - The film Frances Ha ends with the main character moving to Washington Heights. * 2020 - The film adaptation of the Broadway musical In the Heights was shot in many Washington Heights locations, including the 191st Street station tunnel. * 2020 - The upcoming film remake of was filmed in Washington Heights under the work title "San Juan Hill." Television * 1975-1989 - The ABC soap opera Ryan's Hope was set in Washington Heights. * 2006 - CSI: NY Season 2 Episode 16 ("Cool Hunter") features a case of a dead man in a Washington Heights playground. * 2011 - The Showtime series Weeds features Washington Heights as the location of halfway house in Season 7. * 2013 - The short-lived MTV series was set in the neighborhood. * 2017-2019 - The HBO series chose Amsterdam Avenue between 163rd and 165th streets to recreate Times Square, mostly because of its dimensional similarities, quiet atmosphere, and lack of trees, scaffolding, or chains. Stage * 2008-2011 - The Broadway musical In the Heights was set in Washington Heights. Music * 1971 - In the song "Broadway Baby" from the musical Follies, aging chorus girl Hattie wishes she could be a star all over Manhattan, "from Battery Park to Washington Heights!" * 1989 - The song "Halloween Parade" by Lou Reed, from his album New York, mentions a "crack team from Washington Heights." * 2001 - In the song "Shiksa Goddess" from the musical The Last Five Years, Jewish romantic lead Jamie Wellerstein states that he had "Shabbas dinners on Friday nights with every Shapiro in Washington Heights!" * 2003 - The song "The Movement" by KRS-One, from the album Kristyles, has the lyric "I'm in Washington Heights, puttin' them Dominicans on." * 2007 - The song "This Is Why I'm Hot" by MIMS has the line "I hit Wash Heights with the money in the bag". * 2008 - The song "A-Punk" by the band Vampire Weekend mentions Washington Heights.
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