Boardwalk Empire: A 1920’s Atlantic City nightclub. HBO photo
Boardwalk Empire. A young Al Capone (center) and his two brothers are busy creating the family business, out of Chicago. It’s good I spell his name correctly, because in this episode, Capone makes a personal visit to a newsman who got the spelling wrong. HBO photoBy Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger
Ocean Grove and its buildings have appeared in a number of movies including Woody Allen’s “Stardust Memories” (1980) and “According to Greta” with Hillary Duff (filmed in 2007). Except for Greta, Ocean Grove has appeared because of it’s unique seaside appearance rather than because it is Ocean Grove. In Stardust Memories, the town was presented as a generic seaside resort, and the Great Auditorium became the Stardust Hotel. In Greta, the town actually was portrayed as OG.
Which brings me to the opening episode of Boardwalk Empire’s 4th hit season on HBO. This multi-award winning series is film-making at its best. Set in 1920’s Atlantic City, during Prohibition, it is about Nucky Thompson, a gangster who struggles to maintain his hold on the booze trafficking into New Jersey. As many of you know, we at BF are big fans of the production including its music, and we often post songs by Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks, the Grammy winning group that provides much of the music.
Last Sunday it began again with its usual precise and georgeous portrayal of an era and a place. The costumes and the settings are magnificent. The plots are fascinating.
Now it is 1924, and Nucky has carved out his territory which is from Cape May up to Asbury Park and west to Trenton. He is having trouble with rival gangsters from New York and Chicago, and his marriage has failed. Now he is living in a fancy suite in an Atlantic City hotel.
Late in the episode he steps onto the porch to get some sea air, and this is what we see:
TV photo. HBO’s Boardwalk Empire, season 4, episode 1. Sept. 8, 2013. This scene is set in Atlantic City. On the porch is Nucky Thompson (foreground) and his personal assistant. Paul Goldfinger still photo from the TV series.The setting is Atlantic City, but that sure looks like our Albatross Hotel. So I went over to Ocean Pathway to compare, and, as you see, the look is very close—too close to deny. Inside, owner Bill Reilly decided to let the cat out of the bag.
A crew from HBO showed up a couple of months ago. They thought that our Albatross looked like a 1924 seaside hotel. So they took photos and measurements inside and out, and then, somehow, with some modifications, re-created our Albatross in Atlantic City.
The Albatross in Ocean Grove, Sept. 13, 2013. Paul Goldfinger photo.So once again, OG is shown in a successful film production, but this portrayal is unique because the hotel exterior scene in this episode was not actually filmed in the Grove.
Considering the sex scenes, the booze, the violence and the chorus girls (and the current absence of a boardwalk in the Grove) it is amazing that a part of OG has actually found its way into this production, especially one ironically called “Boardwalk Empire.” But that did happen, and maybe more scenes of the Albatross will show up later.
VINCE GIORDANO AND THE NIGHTHAWKS, From the original soundtrack of Boardwalk Empire: “Margie” Their soundtrack recording won a Grammy. Vince appears regularly in New York City.
STEPHEN DeROSA as Eddie Cantor with a tune from Boardwalk Empire:
For a number of years, the Albatross was 2-1/2 stories. This was changed after the publication of a 1905 insurance map. The metal parapet at the top with “Albatross” dates from 1921 and must be after the enlargement. The press seemingly made no mention of this prominent project. It did, however, mention a 1910 paint job:
“The Albatross, at 34 Ocean Pathway, has just been repainted by Patrick McGowan, who has executed a fine job of work. The body of the house is done in light buff, the trim in white, the shutters in moss green, the sash in Venetian red, and the veranda ceiling in pea green. Two coats of color have been put on the building.”
Here is a nascent idea for you: The referenced scene in Boardwalk Empire takes place in Atlantic City, not Ocean Grove. The show’s designers just borrowed our hotel for its good looks. —Paul
I keep wondering whether there is more to this. Nucky is a bootlegger. What is he doing in OG at a hotel called The Albatross? Does this hint at a nascent ethical struggle in Nucky?
OG has been a location for many films. But this HBO usage is unique. How did the art/creative department at HBO make this happen? Did they build a set or is this some kind of digital magic? Anybody know?
I seem to remember a ‘period’ commercial filmed on the Boardwalk.
Let us not forget “Earthly Possession’s ” Seaview Ave… 1999 My porch is in the scene.
Editor’s note: Thanks Liz; I hadn’t heard of this one. It turns out that “Earthly Possessions” is a 1999 made-for-TV film with Anne Taylor and Susan Sarandon. Evidently there were two scenes filmed in Ocean Grove. The Internet describes a beach scene and a parade scene. —PG
I couldn’t believe it when I saw it!I was so excited!!!!