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Arthur Avenue

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Arthur Avenue
OwnerCity of New York
Maintained byNYCDOT
Length1.2 mi (1.9 km)[1]
LocationBronx, New York City
South endCrotona Park North in Tremont
North endFordham Road in Belmont

Arthur Avenue is a street in the Belmont neighborhood of the Bronx, New York City, which serves as the center of the Bronx's "Little Italy".[1] Although the historical and commercial center of Little Italy is Arthur Avenue itself, the area stretches across East 187th Street from Arthur Avenue to Beaumont Avenue, and is similarly lined with delis, bakeries, cafes and various Italian merchants.

The Bronx's Little Italy has an Italian immigrant heritage that dates back to around the 1910s or 1920s.[2][3][4] Arthur Avenue and Morris Park are viewed as the Bronx's primary Italian American communities. Other Italian-American communities in the Bronx are the working class and middle-class neighborhoods of Schuylerville, Country Club, Pelham Bay, and sections of Fordham. The avenue itself is named for former U.S. president Chester A. Arthur.[5]

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Arthur Avenue pushcarts in 1940.
Arthur Avenue in 2014.

Robert De Niro's directing debut A Bronx Tale takes place in the vicinity of Belmont. However, it was largely filmed in Astoria, Queens. The series Third Watch was based on Arthur Avenue initially, with the first episode referring to the firehouse as "Camelot," based on its location at the intersection of King Street and Arthur Avenue. The 1973 film "The Seven-Ups" starring Roy Scheider was filmed on Arthur Avenue and Hoffman Street. In 2003, a scene from the HBO hit series The Sopranos was shot in Mario's Restaurant, which had been the planned site of a mob hit in The Godfather, which was turned down by the owner of the restaurant [6]

Leonard of James Frey's A Million Little Pieces grew up in this area. Much of the novel Underworld takes place near Arthur Avenue.[7] The author himself, Don DeLillo, grew up there.[8]

The opening scene of the 1955 film, Marty shows Arthur Avenue. The film's main character, Marty Piletti, works at a meat market on Arthur Avenue, and in the movie he considers buying it from its owner.[9]

Early scenes in the mid-1960s film, The Incident take place on 183rd Street and Third Avenue and in the Third Avenue El station (once the primary El station for Arthur Avenue). The scenes, featuring Martin Sheen and Tony Musante, involve the mugging of a pedestrian. The Belmont station filled in for one on the Jerome Avenue El line, which is the line that forms the film's narrative.

The 1950s doo-wop music group called Dion and the Belmonts originated in this area, named after Belmont Avenue. Italian rock band Elio e le Storie Tese at the end of their song "Gargaroz" in studio album Studentessi featured a mock advertising of a food shop in Arthur Avenue, in Italian language with some strange Americanisms.

A reality TV show called Mama's Boys of the Bronx[citation needed] was about grown men living on and around Arthur Avenue in the Bronx with their mothers.

Lady Gaga's music video for "Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)" takes place in and around Arthur Avenue/Little Italy.

In 2016, Arthur Avenue was named one of "America's Greatest Streets" by the American Planning Association.[10]

The 2019 movie Bottom of the 9th, which stars Joe Manganiello and Sofia Vergara, was filmed throughout the neighborhood, specifically featuring Arthur Avenue. The screenplay for the film was written by Robert Bruzio, who grew up on Arthur Avenue.[11]

References

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  1. ^ a b
    • "Arthur Avenue" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved July 3, 2018.
    • "Arthur Avenue" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved July 3, 2018.
  2. ^ Mariani, John (June 5, 2016). "The Real Little Italy and Best Restaurants Are in the Bronx". HuffPost. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
  3. ^ "Is NYC's Arthur Avenue the Real Little Italy?". Fox News. Associated Press. September 11, 2011. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
  4. ^ Crowley, Chris (December 14, 2014). "A GUIDE TO ARTHUR AVE, NYC'S BETTER LITTLE ITALY". Thrillist.org. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
  5. ^ Donovan, Aaron (July 29, 2001). "If You're Thinking of Living In/Belmont; Close-Knit Bronx Area With Italian Aura". The New York Times. Retrieved October 11, 2007. When the city began to build streets in the area in the late 19th century, Catherine Lorillard, an admirer of the 21st president, Chester A. Arthur, asked that the main street in the area be named after him, Mr. Ultan said.
  6. ^ Signorile, Vito. "Famous Arthur Avenue Eatery Turned Down ‘The Godfather’", Bronx Times, February 23, 2011. Accessed May 8, 2023. "What many people don’t know is that Coppola originally wanted the scene to take place at Mario’s Restaurant at 2342 Arthur Avenue, however, the restaurant’s owner and namesake, Mario Migliucci, declined the offer from the movie’s director because he wanted his restaurant to be known for its food and family-oriented atmosphere, not a movie scene involving mob murder.... Although Joe Migliucci had approved a scene from HBO’s hit series The Sopranos to be filmed in the restaurant in 1999, he believes his father would have enjoyed having the show filmed there because it only portrayed the cast eating dinner after a Billy Joel concert, not a murder scene."
  7. ^ On page 234 of the novel, an old, infirm character easily walks from the main character's old house to Arthur Avenue.
  8. ^ Passaro, Vince (May 19, 1991). "Dangerous Don DeLillo". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 6, 2015.
  9. ^ Chronopoulos, Themis (Spring–Fall 2007). "Paddy Chayefsky's 'Marty' and Its Significance to the Social History of Arthur Avenue, The Bronx, in the 1950s". The Bronx County Historical Society Journal. XLIV: 50–59. Archived from the original on January 20, 2013. Retrieved June 6, 2012.
  10. ^ Rocchio, Patrick (October 8, 2016). "Arthur Avenue selected as one of 'America's Greatest Streets'". The Bronx Times.
  11. ^ Myers, Kimber (July 18, 2019). "Review: Baseball drama Bottom of the 9th can't come back from dull start". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 24, 2021. Almost two decades ago, Sonny Stano (Joe Manganiello) was headed to the major leagues, but a deadly mistake sent him to prison and derailed his baseball career. When he finally returns home to Arthur Avenue in the Bronx, he hopes for a second chance with a minor-league team on Staten Island, and with his ex-girlfriend Angela (Sofía Vergara).
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