February 28 movie: The Naked City. What a treat! I've heard this described as a film noir but it really isn't. It's a police procedural set and filmed in New York, in which the city is almost the main character. Apparently location shooting wasn't common in the late 40s. This movie was filmed almost entirely on location in NYC, with a documentary style that makes you feel like you're really getting to experience the city as it was then. Not just the exteriors but the interiors were on location too, and you can see the city passing by through windows in the background of many scenes. I read that many of the street scenes were shot with a camera hidden in a delivery truck, including "a cast of thousands" who had no idea they were being filmed. All those people in the street scenes weren't extras following a script, they were real people going about their business.
This movie made me want to go back to New York, even though of course the New York in the movie doesn't exist anymore.
I've never seen Naked City in its entirety, but I've seen chunks of it used to highlight parts of New York that no longer exist--old versions of particular rail lines, or the concept of the corner candy store.
You're always welcome in New York! Everyone's your friend, in New York City!