The Plaza Hotel
Alfred Hitchco*ck’sNorth by Northwestwas the first ever film to be shot on location at The Plaza Hotel. Founded in 1907, movie scenes that appeared to be in hotel were merely Hollywood’s replica backdrops, in 1959 The luxurious Plaza Hotel made it’s first official debut on the silver screen.
The Plaza was the location for the dramatic sequence where Roger O. Thornhill (Cary Grant) is mistaken for a government agent and kidnapped from the famous lobby.
Grand Central Station
Like The Plaza, New York City landmark, Grand Central Station had also been the setting of many films, prior to the 1950’s. Filming on location had become all the rage in the 50’s. Hitchco*ck wasn’t hesitant to go on location for filming Roger O. Thornhill‘s (Cary Grant) escape from New York City.North by Northwestis one of the first films to shoot inside Grand Central.
The United Nations
A particular scene in the film called for Roger O. Thornhill (Cary Grant) to enter the United Nations. When production could not get permission to film on location at the UN building, Hitchco*ck’s resolution was to set up a hidden camera and film Grant entering as if he were just an average pedestrian. Hitchco*ck got the exterior shot, but a matte painting was used for the interior.
Mount Rushmore
1958 the Associated Press released information that Alfred Hitchco*ck had plans to fulfill his ambition of filming a chase scene through the four famous faces of Mount Rushmore.
The press was eager to find out what tricks the famous director has in mind for the star-studded cast. During an interview, Hitchco*ck revealed, that scene anticipated to be shot on the national landmark would be filled with fighting and deaths.
Once the information was released to the public, it was not long until government officials banned the film from being shot on site and the team was sent back to Hollywood where MGM had no other choice but to create a replica of the monument for filming purposes.
* In an effort to stay current, we are constantly updating our tours with new locations and cannot guarantee the presence of locations mentioned on our site. If you have a particular interest in locations from a specific TV show or movie, please let your tour guide know and we will do our best to accommodate your request.
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FAQs
The house of silkily villainous Phillip Vandamm (James Mason), supposedly '169 Baywood, Glen Cove', where Thornhill is force-fed bourbon by creepy Leonard (Martin Landau), is the redbrick mansion at Old Westbury Gardens, 71 Old Westbury Road, the Phipps Estate, a few miles south of the real Glen Cove, Long Island.
Where is the Mount Rushmore house in North by Northwest? ›
The house was built entirely on the MGM stages in Culver City. The interiors were built as full-scale movie sets. Some of the exteriors were also build on stage – the previously-mentioned beams, the balcony from which Roger sees Eve, etc.
Where was the Cornfield scene in North by Northwest filmed? ›
Where was the cornfield scene in North by Northwest filmed? It is supposed to be an Indiana highway in the movie, but in reality the sequence was shot on California Highway 155, near the town of Delano, in the central valley north of Bakersfield. The site has not changed much at all.
What airport was used in the movie North by Northwest? ›
Hitchco*ck during location shooting at Chicago Midway International Airport in Illinois. “The only newspaper I read is the London Times,” Hitchco*ck told François Truffaut in 1962.
Is the Mount Rushmore house in North by Northwest real? ›
The house would be created entirely in Culver City, where MGM was located. It would consist of a few sections built at full-scale, as movie sets. The exterior shots would depend on special effects. Certain shots would blend the sets together with the special effects, to create the illusion that the house was real.
Where in Glen Cove was North by Northwest filmed? ›
GLEN COVE, N.Y. OVER the past century, the Justices Court building at 140 Glen Street has been a courthouse, a jail, a makeshift hospital for victims of the influenza epidemic in 1918 and, more glamorously, the setting for a courtroom scene with Cary Grant in Alfred Hitchco*ck's 1959 film “North by Northwest.”
Was any part of North by Northwest filmed at Mount Rushmore? ›
Altogether, the crew lensed three scenes at Mount Rushmore: Eva Marie Saint's staged shooting of Grant in the memorial's cafeteria, the parking lot scene in which the rangers haul away Grant's "dead" body in a station wagon, and a number of views of the memorial from various terraces.
Was North by Northwest filmed in Grand Central Station? ›
Grand Central Station
Thornhill's (Cary Grant) escape from New York City. North by Northwest is one of the first films to shoot inside Grand Central.
How old was Cary Grant in North by Northwest? ›
The other side of this issue is the fact that Cary Grant was 55-years-old when North by Northwest was shot, which of cause isn't a problem in itself.
Was the house in the movie North by Northwest real? ›
Scenes from Alfred Hitchco*ck's North by Northwest (starring Cary Grant) showing interior and exterior shots of the fictional Vandamm House that inspired a generation of villain's lairs.
Midway through North By Northwest, Thornhill arrives at a meeting spot: a bus stop in the middle of Midwestern farmland. Thornhill soon discovers that he'd been led into a trap, as a crop duster flies over him, nearly riddling him with gunfire from one of its passengers.
What town sits in the northwest corner of Oregon and is famous for movies being filmed there? ›
Astoria, Oregon
| Astoria |
|---|
| Coordinates: 46°11′18″N 123°48′36″W |
| Country | United States |
| State | Oregon |
| County | Clatsop |
24 more rowsAlfred Hitchco*ck's classic thriller North By Northwest marked the first time The Plaza was prominently featured on the big screen. (By the year 2000, The Plaza became New York's most popular film site.)
Where was the Crop Duster scene from North by Northwest filmed? ›
Just north of Bakersfield is the location of the famous crop-dusting scene in which Cary Grant is chased by an airplane in North by Northwest. Located on Corcoran Road just west of five Highway near Wasco California. 12168 Corcoran road and Garces highway is the intersection made famous in the Alfred Hitchco*ck classic.
How many awards did North by Northwest win? ›
North by Northwest got three nominations at the Academy Awards. They were the awards for Best Film Editing, Best Art Direction – Set Decoration, Color, and Best Original Screenplay. The movie won an Edgar Award for Best Motion Picture Screenplay. The movie won Top Action Drama at the Laurel Awards.
Is the house in the movie North by Northwest real? ›
“How did they do the filming of the house in North By Northwest?” The house wasn't real; it consisted of sets built at MGM (now Sony Pictures Studios).
What location was house filmed at? ›
The pilot episode was filmed in Vancouver; primary photography for all subsequent episodes took place on the Fox lot in Century City, Los Angeles. Bryan Singer chose the hospital near his hometown, West Windsor, New Jersey, as the show's fictional setting.
Where on Long Island was North by Northwest filmed? ›
North by Northwest, considered one of Alfred Hitchco*ck's greatest films & starring Cary Grant, is released in the US with portions filmed in Glen Cove and at The Mansion.
