Fame (1980 Film) - Locations

Locations

Principal photography took place between August and November 1979 in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx, New York City.

The movie was not filmed at the actual High School of Performing Arts due to worries by the New York Board of Education over the content of the script. The then-principal of the New York High School of Performing Arts, Richard Klein, had minor concerns over a few details in the script, but overall had given his blessing, and had no objections to the school building being used for actual filming. However the weight of the decision already made by the Education Board meant he had to concede to the majority ruling.

Alan Parker confirmed that he begged Nancy Littlefield, Head of the city's Motion Picture Office, to let him speak to the Board after hearing their original rejection. "'Please please please, let me talk to them,' I said. But then I got there and I was probably the most persuasive, sensible and honest I'd ever been in my entire life. And I looked at this row of faces and I realized it didn't matter one bit. Their minds were made up long, long ago."

The exterior of the school was shot using the left wing of the then-abandoned Church of Saint Mary the Virgin building almost directly opposite the real school on W46th Street in Times Square. The main doors of the church to the right of the entrance the students are seen using were covered with a marquee that read 'Hotel Remington'.

Two disused schools, Haaren High School (now John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Haaren Hall Building) on 10th Avenue between 58th Street and 59th Street in Hell's Kitchen, and Performance Space 122 at 150 1st Avenue at East 9th Street in the East Village, were converted as a replacement and used for all the interior scenes. Most of the audition scenes were shot at Haaren, except for the dance audition, and subsequent dance scenes in this same room (with the pillars) which used the second floor converted dance studio at P.S 122 which had been set up by choreographer Charles Moulton. The scene where Lisa is told she has been cut from the dance department has a close up of the door knob to Miss Berg's office which clearly shows 'Public School'(PS) City of New York. The narrow roomed dance class scenes and Sherwood's classroom were also filmed at Haaren. All Hallway and staircase scenes (except Leroy's skating scene), The Cafeteria scene and all rooms with brick walls were all filmed at P.S 122. The graduation scene used the auditorium at Haaren.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show scenes were filmed at the 8th Street Playhouse at 52 West 8th Street. The scenes depict actual midnight screenings of the cult classic with its unique audience participation, hosted by Rocky Horror Fan Club president Sal Piro who appears in the movie as himself.

The scene of Bruno and Coco talking about stars while eating hot dogs and the scene in which Montgomery tells Doris he is gay were shot in Times Square.

When Bruno and Angelo drop Coco off at her sister's fake apartment, this building is located at 257 Central Park West on the corner of 86th Street.

The church scene with Ralph was filmed at the Holy Cross Church, 329 West 42nd Street, just off Times Square.

Montgomery's apartment is in the Palace Theatre Building located at 1564 Broadway, corner of West 47th Street on Times Square.

Ralph's Stand Up routines were filmed at Rick Newman's Catch A Rising Star originally located at 1st Avenue between East 78th Street and East 77th Street. Parker states in the commentary for the DVD/Blu-ray, that it names the club in the script but they didn't actually film there. But if one compares the scene with footage and images of the club at the time, the structure, fittings and decor are identical.

The scene where the character François Lafete picks up Coco in the diner was shot in a now demolished building located at 1553 Broadway on the corner of West 46th Street.