I know that is kind of a cheapshot, but these names are absurd to me now. When I was young I never thought twice about church names and how odd they may seem to many. I just thought that is what they were called, which, in fact, was true: that is what they were called. Our Lady of Perpetual Help, St. Mary's Catholic Church of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary, The Precious Blood of Christ Catholic Church, etc. (Can you imagine having to answer the phone "Good Morning, Precious Blood of Christ, how can I direct you?" Sounds more like an expression of exasperation than a church name: "Oh precious blood of Christ, would you stop playing and get in here and get your dinner!" ) And Immaculate Conception Academy (an all-girls school where I grew up. Just makes the name all that more creepy.) And the topper for me has always been "celebrating" the Feast of the Circumcision. I know it is not feasting ON the circumcision, but it is close. There was this spoof of a Martha Stewart Cookbook for all holidays where they had this recipe of calamari rings in tomato sauce (complete with accompanying photo) as the dish for celebrating this holiday! Pretty funny. And gross. But funny.
Anyway, it all gives many of us peace and there are nice statues and windows so so be it.
Well more imporantly than all this is I found out that St. Mary, The Virgin is the REAL film location for the movie "Fame" that stood in for the High School of Performing Arts and right in front on 46th St. is where they danced on the taxi. Talk about a holy revelation. The story goes that the High School of Performing Arts which was across the street (the building is still there, but the school has moved) wouldn't let Alan Parker use it to shoot "Fame" because he made "Midnight Express" and they didn't want their name associated with this. Huh? So a church (okay, an Episcopalian church) stepped in to let a man who made a movie with male prison sex use their building?! Does not compute, but that is the story.
That's all.
2 comments:
I love it!! I always wanted to go to the High School of Performing Arts, and now I do!!
Rent the DVD of the film. In the documentary about the making of the film they talk about this and show scense of the taxi pulling up to the doors.
Coco (Irene Cara) comes out of the second doorway from the end and says "Hey that's ME singing"! Don't think I don't do that every time I can when I walk by!
LOVE NY!! and FAME!!
It wasn't PA (the school) that had a problem with Parker and his celluloid past, they were very accommodating to the movie's making, supplying many of the film's extras and general support.
The denial to use the actual schools facilities and image was from the New York State Education Board.
They had read the script that Parker had to supply to them to vet, and objected to some of the films sexual themes, the portrayal of unwanted pregnancy and liberal use of profanity. The board felt that it was not a light they wanted people to view NYC school kids in, thus refusing Parker and co. the use of the real school.
It is a very interesting alternative location to film, partly that it’s a Church, or the left ‘wing’ of the building (notice in the film the main entrance of the church is covered with a fake Hotel marquee) which was supposedly ‘abandoned’ at the time, to what capacity I’m not sure as The Virgin does have an ongoing history dating back to it’s origins in the former Longacre Sq (now Times Sq) just before the turn of the 20th Century. However not completely out of place as the Church has been used by many a Theatre Company or workshop. A little cheeky also that after Parker was refused by the Education Board, he simply crossed the road to shoot his scenes instead.
I use to walk past ‘The Virgin’ everyday to go to work, and almost chuckle to myself at the thought of leg-warmers pirouetting atop cars. I miss NYC, one of the greatest things about that place is the amount of history that is in those buildings. To enter or view sometimes ordinary looking structures only to learn it once stood for something, it was the location of a noted historical event, or was represented on film in an iconic cinematic scene.
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