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On Location |
Upstate NY |
New York |
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Barbra' Streisand's New York
locations were not limited to the confines of Manhattan and the
other New York City boroughs. In fact, memorable scenes from two
Streisand films used upstate locations. The cast and crew of "Hello,
Dolly!" took over the quaint community of Garrison during the summer
of 1968 transforming it into an 1890s version of Yonkers.
And Sydney Pollack took Barbra and her fellow actors in "The Way We Were"
to Union College in Schenectady to film all the outdoor college
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Village of Garrison-on-Husdon, New York
 
The Garrison train depot: then
and now
In April, 1968, Barbra
began shooting "Hello, Dolly!" in Garrison, New York, a quaint bedroom
community on the banks of the Hudson River, just north of New York
City, and a stone's throw from West Point. With all its architectural
charm and small town ambience, Garrison was the ideal setting to
represent Yonkers in the 1890's.
A trip
to Garrison is a real live visit to an actual Barbra Streisand movie
set. All the places seen in the film are still there. You'll see
Vandergelder's Hay and Feed, which nowadays is home to several
offices. The old train depot is there, too, the first dramatic film
location you'll notice if you arrive by rail (is there any other way
to get there?), and the streets where Barbra Put on Her Sunday
Clothes will have you dancing among the cobblestones in short
order.
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The People of Garrison Speak Out
The residents of
Garrison, New York had mixed reactions when Twentieth Century
Fox took over their town for the filming of "Hello, Dolly!".
While the production was an inconvenience for some of the 60
residents, others embraced the excitement. Here's what some of
the Garrison townsfolk had to say to the New York Post (July 3,
1968):
"I don't even want to see the movie," said the 47 year old
housewife whose home has been transformed into Yonkers Farmers
Exchange. "For the past month,", she said, "sightseers have been
attracted by the Saloon sign hanging over her living room
window. They don't realize that there are people living behind
these sets."
A woman, whose
shopkeeper husband has been doing a prosperous business in
popsicles and salami sandwiches, said that Streisand & Co. are
"all wonderful folks." She adds, "Why Barbra and my little Jimmy
were out there playing Frisbee the other day."
A man who
reproduces antique wallpaper in his village studio said, "My
favorite period is the 1920's, so I'm right at home now.
Garrison has a phony facade of wonderment sure, but it's an
improvement over the old town."
But the owner of
the 84 year old hotel whose building has been made over to
Vandergelder's Hay and Feed Store wants the restoration to go.
"I think the place can be sobered down a little when these actor
people get out of here. I think I can do without that new
waterwheel they put out back, and all those fancy signs and
silos. This village hasn't changed much over the years except for
an occasional coat of paint. But I wouldn't have it any other
way." |
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Union College, Schenectady, New York
 
Union College:
then and now
Union College in upstate Schenectady, New York was chosen as the
location for the exterior college sequences in
"The Way We Were."
For Katie and Hubbell's love story, a campus that exuded a sense of
charm and pre-war innocence needed to be found. With Union College
scouted as the ideal location, director Sydney Pollack was able to
craft some of the film's most memorable scenes there. |
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