Arthur

Arthur (1981) is an American romantic comedy written and directed by Steve Gordon, starring Dudley Moore as Arthur Bach, a wealthy and frequently intoxicated New York playboy whose family threatens to disinherit him unless he marries the respectable Susan Johnson, played by Jill Eikenberry. Instead, Arthur falls in love with Linda Marolla, a working-class waitress portrayed by Liza Minnelli. John Gielgud plays Arthur’s devoted butler Hobson, a performance that earned him the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Also starring Geraldine Fitzgerald, Stephen Elliott and Ted Ross, the film was a major commercial success and won a second Oscar for its theme song, “Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do)”, performed by Christopher Cross.

Arthur was filmed in New York City and the surrounding region during 1980, with Manhattan providing most of its locations. The production made extensive use of actual hotels, restaurants, department stores and historic mansions, particularly along Fifth Avenue and the Upper East Side. Additional filming took place in Queens, Brooklyn, Long Island and Danbury, Connecticut. Kaufman Astoria Studios in Queens supplied several interiors, including Arthur’s luxurious apartment. The film also preserves views of several New York establishments that have since closed or been demolished.

The opening sequence was filmed at the corner of Lexington Avenue and East 53rd Street, where Arthur’s chauffeur Bitterman, played by Ted Ross, stops his Rolls-Royce beside two prostitutes. The women are standing outside 615 Lexington Avenue, a commercial building that was demolished during the redevelopment of the block in the 1980s. The site is now occupied by the skyscraper at 599 Lexington Avenue. After picking up Gloria, played by Anne De Salvo, Arthur travels north along Park Avenue before entering Central Park near East 72nd Street. The car continues along West Drive, passing near Tavern on the Green, before heading towards the Plaza Hotel.

The Plaza Hotel at Fifth Avenue and Central Park South is one of the film’s principal locations. Arthur arrives in his Rolls-Royce with Gloria, stumbling out of the vehicle in front of the hotel’s entrance. The following restaurant sequence was filmed in the Plaza’s famous Oak Room, where Arthur drunkenly embarrasses himself in front of other diners, including members of his own family. The restaurant’s dark wood panelling, carved architectural details and red table lamps are clearly visible throughout the scene. Originally opened as the Oak Lounge in 1907, the room became a restaurant in 1934 and remained one of New York’s best-known dining establishments for decades. The Oak Room closed in 2011, although the historic interior has survived and is occasionally used for private events.

Arthur’s luxurious Manhattan residence is represented by the apartment building at 1067 Fifth Avenue, on the corner of East 88th Street, opposite Central Park and close to the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. The exterior appears when Gloria leaves the building after spending the night with Arthur, counting the money he has given her. The camera looks up towards the upper floors before returning to street level. The apartment interiors, including Arthur’s elaborate bathroom and the grand staircase, were constructed at Kaufman Astoria Studios at 34-12 36th Street in Queens. These studio sets allowed the filmmakers to create a residence considerably more extravagant than the building’s actual apartments.

The Bach family’s corporate headquarters appears at 640 Fifth Avenue, with the entrance on West 51st Street serving as the fictional Bach Building. Arthur is summoned there for a meeting with his father, Stanford Bach, played by Thomas Barbour, while Bitterman waits outside in the car. The building’s entrance and surrounding commercial architecture establish the family’s business interests in Midtown Manhattan.

Bergdorf Goodman at 754 Fifth Avenue, between West 57th and 58th Streets, provides the setting for Arthur’s first encounter with Linda. He is shopping with Hobson when he notices Linda stealing a necktie intended as a birthday present for her father. After she leaves the department store, a security guard follows her onto Fifth Avenue and confronts her beside the Pulitzer Fountain in Grand Army Plaza. Arthur intervenes and claims that she was stealing the tie for him, allowing her to escape arrest. The sequence uses both the actual department store and the plaza outside, with the fountain, surrounding buildings and Fifth Avenue clearly visible.

Linda’s apartment is located at 141-33 79th Avenue in Kew Gardens Hills, Queens. The building first appears when Bitterman drives her home in Arthur’s Rolls-Royce following their meeting outside Bergdorf Goodman. She deliberately waits until a neighbour is watching before stepping out of the expensive car. The street returns later when Arthur visits Linda while intoxicated. He initially enters the neighbouring building at 141-21 79th Avenue by mistake before making his way towards the correct entrance. The residential buildings and the nearby Judge Moses Weinstein Playground remain recognisable.

Arthur later visits Windsor Florist at 1118 Lexington Avenue, on the corner of East 78th Street, to purchase flowers for Linda. The scene was filmed inside the actual shop, where Arthur has a conversation with the proprietor before leaving with a bouquet of roses. Windsor Florist had operated at the address since the 1930s, making it one of the neighbourhood’s long-established businesses. The Lexington Avenue shop closed in 2022 following a dispute with its landlord, although the business continued at another location.

Arthur and Linda’s romantic dinner was filmed at the rooftop garden of the International Building at Rockefeller Center, 630 Fifth Avenue. The couple sit at a candlelit table accompanied by musicians, with the Gothic spires of St. Patrick’s Cathedral visible immediately across the street. The garden occupies part of the building’s northern rooftop and was created during the original development of Rockefeller Center in the 1930s. Its landscaped terraces, greenery and surrounding skyscrapers provide the setting for one of the film’s most distinctive outdoor scenes. The rooftop gardens remain part of Rockefeller Center, although they are not ordinarily accessible to the public.

Another of Arthur and Linda’s dates takes place at Faber’s Sportland, a former amusement arcade at 1240 Surf Avenue in Coney Island, Brooklyn. Arthur plays a mechanical shooting game called “Shoot the Bear” before the couple walk through the arcade to redeem their winnings for a prize. The venue occupied part of the ground floor of the historic Henderson Building, originally constructed as Henderson’s Music Hall and later used for amusement businesses. Faber’s was a familiar Coney Island establishment for decades, but the Sportland arcade eventually closed. The adjoining Faber’s Fascination survived until 2010, when the building was cleared for redevelopment. The original arcade and its distinctive illuminated signs no longer exist.

The Carnegie Mansion at 2 East 91st Street serves as the home of Arthur’s wealthy grandmother, Martha Bach, played by Geraldine Fitzgerald. Arthur visits her after discovering that his family intends to withdraw his inheritance unless he marries Susan. The mansion’s exterior represents the Bach family’s old-money wealth, although the location of the interior scenes has not been firmly established. The building was constructed between 1899 and 1902 for industrialist Andrew Carnegie and his family, with 64 rooms and an extensive private garden. It now houses the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, which opened there in 1976.

The home of Susan Johnson’s parents was filmed at the de Seversky Mansion on the Old Westbury campus of the New York Institute of Technology on Long Island. Arthur arrives in his vintage Packard convertible before entering the imposing brick residence to meet Susan and her father, Burt Johnson, played by Stephen Elliott. The filmmakers used both the exterior and the actual interiors, including the grand entrance hall, staircase and a wood-panelled sitting room where Burt speaks with Arthur. Originally known as White Eagle, the Georgian Revival mansion was built between 1916 and 1918 for Alfred I. du Pont. It was later renamed Templeton before being acquired by the New York Institute of Technology in 1972. The property remains part of the university’s campus and is used for events.

Arthur’s engagement party was filmed at several different locations. The exterior of the family estate was represented by the Marshall Field III Mansion at Caumsett, now Caumsett State Historic Park Preserve at 25 Lloyd Harbor Road on Long Island. Linda arrives by taxi and enters the mansion, but the interior party scenes were filmed at the James B. Duke House at 1 East 78th Street in Manhattan. The ornate rooms provide the setting for Arthur entertaining guests at the piano and his subsequent encounter with Linda. The limestone mansion was completed in 1912 for tobacco magnate James Buchanan Duke and was donated to New York University in 1958. It now houses the university’s Institute of Fine Arts.

The engagement-party sequence also returns to Caumsett when Arthur and Linda leave the gathering and go to the estate’s horse stables. These scenes were filmed inside the historic Polo Stable, now operated by the Lloyd Harbor Equestrian Center. The enormous stable complex was constructed during the 1920s as part of Marshall Field III’s country estate, which included polo grounds, riding facilities, gardens and extensive woodland. Much of the former estate is preserved as a state park, while the stables remain in equestrian use.

One of the film’s few locations outside New York State is the former Danbury Fair Racearena in Danbury, Connecticut. Arthur races a Porsche around the oval track while Hobson watches from the sidelines before confronting him about his irresponsible behaviour. The Racearena was part of the Danbury Fairgrounds and had a long history of motor racing, particularly modified stock cars. It closed in October 1981, only a few months after Arthur was released. The entire fairground was subsequently redeveloped, and the Danbury Fair Mall opened on the site in 1986. The original racing circuit no longer exists.

Linda’s workplace was the Lenox Hill Grill at 1107 Lexington Avenue on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. The diner appears when Arthur arrives to see her and declares his love despite the threat of losing his inheritance. The filmmakers used the actual restaurant, including its counter and dining area, with some of its regular staff appearing in the scene. The business had operated in the neighbourhood for several decades but closed in 2018 when the building underwent redevelopment. Its former interior has since disappeared.

The final wedding sequence was filmed at St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church, commonly known as St. Bart’s, at 325 Park Avenue between East 50th and 51st Streets. The church’s distinctive Byzantine-inspired architecture, large dome and imposing entrance are visible as guests gather for Arthur’s planned marriage to Susan. The production also filmed inside the church, where Arthur arrives late and announces that he cannot go through with the wedding. The interior, side rooms and exterior entrance all appear during the extended sequence. The church was originally constructed between 1916 and 1917, with its monumental dome and other architectural features added during the following decade. The film concludes outside the building, where Arthur and Linda leave together in the Rolls-Royce before driving north along Park Avenue.

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