Long Island in movies, music, books and pop culture
'Everybody Loves Raymond'
Credit: Handout/CBS
The CBS TV sitcom "Everybody Loves Raymond" starring Brad Garrett, Patricia Heaton and Ray Romano, was set in Lynbrook and its lead character worked as a sports reporter -- for Newsday.
‘The Affair,’ starring Montauk
Credit: MCT / Steven Lippman
The Showtime network series "The Affair" (pictured: Ruth Wilson as Alison and Dominic West as Noah) is not only generally set in Montauk, but features a character (Alison) who works at the area landmark and roadside Amagansett restaurant Lobster Roll. (Other Long Island locations used include the Lynbrook Westwood LIRR train station and The Landmark in Port Washington.)
'The Killing Season'
Credit: A&E
In A&E's eight-part series "The Killing Season" (2016), documentarians Rachel Mills and Josh Zeman re-examine the Gilgo Beach case, among other killings of prostitutes and escorts across the country.
Billy Joel's lyrics
Credit: Newsday / Thomas R. Koeniges
Billy Joel (pictured here with his mother, Rosalind Nyman, during a park dedication to him in Cold Spring Harbor on July 17, 1991) is one of Long Island's most celebrated natives, and he has demonstrated an affinity for his heritage with a number of LI references within such songs as "The Ballad of Billy the Kid" ("...From a town known as Oyster Bay, Long Island, Rode a boy with a six pack in his hand..."), "The Downeaster Alexa" ("We took on diesel back in Montauk yesterday, and left this morning from the bell in Gardiner's Bay") and "It's Still Rock and Roll to Me" ("Are you gonna' cruise The Miracle Mile?"). Joel's 1971 debut solo album was titled "Cold Spring Harbor."
'Royal Pains' about a Hamptons doc
Credit: USA Network / Giovanni Rufino
The USA Network's show "Royal Pains" is focused on a doctor (Mark Feuerstein, pictured) who leaves New York City to offer his services to the Hamptons elite. Some filming was actually completed on the East End, but Gold Coast mansions and locations elsewhere around Long Island were also used for shoots.
'The Great Gatsby'
Credit: AP
Author F. Scott Fitzgerald rented a house in Great Neck when he wrote "The Great Gatsby," a story set in a fictional Long Island town in the summer of 1922. The iconic book has since been adapted into seven films, the most recent of which (2013) stars Leonardo DiCaprio (pictured).
'Fire Island,' by The Village People
Credit: AP
Lyrics from The Village People's 1977 song "Fire Island" mentioned iconic spots like the Ice Palace and Botel, stating, "It's the place where you'll find me, the sun and sea, the place where love is free." (The track also repeats a refrain warning visitors "don't go in the bushes"--a dated cautionary note most likely not related to the threat of poison ivy or ticks.)
The 'Amityville Horror' house
Credit: Newsday / Stan Wolfson
This home is widely known as the "Amityville Horror House," the name taken from the book and film series based on the accounts of the Lutz family, who moved into the residence where Ron DeFeo Jr. killed six of his family members in 1974. The Lutz family only lived in the house for 28 days, as they claimed to have been driven out in order to escape disturbing paranormal phenomena.
'Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee'
Credit: Crackle.com
Comedian (and Massapequa native) Jerry Seinfeld took actor Sarah Jessica Parker on a daytrip around Hicksville, cruised the L.I.E. and stopped for a bite at the Colony Diner in East Meadow when she appeared on Seinfeld's "Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee" web series.
Rockville Centre, Montauk and the LIRR in 'Eternal Sunshine'
Credit: AP
The 2004 film "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" stars Jim Carrey as a Rockville Centre man who pays to have his ex-girlfriend (Kate Winslet) removed from his memory. (One memorable moment features Winslet whispering "Meet me in Montauk," where a portion of the movie was filmed. Winslet earned an Academy Award nomination for her work, while director Michael Gondry and co-writers Charlie Kaufman and Pierre Bismuth won Oscars for the screenplay.
'Born on the Fourth of July'
Credit: Universal Pictures
The 1989 film "Born on the Fourth of July" is based on the life story of Massapequa native Ron Kovic, the former United States Marine Corps sergeant and anti-war activist who wrote the book upon which the film is based. Actor Tom Cruise (pictured, center) was nominated for an Academy Award for his portrayal of Kovic.
'Growing Up Gotti'
Credit: AP
Victoria Gotti, daughter of the late John Gotti, her sons (from left: John, Frank and Carmine Gotti Agnello) and their Old Westbury mansion starred in the A&E series "Growing Up Gotti."
Howard Stern
Credit: AP
Life on Long Island comes up frequently in discussions held on the nationally heard "Howard Stern Show," as not only is Howard a native (grew up in Roosevelt and Rockville Centre), but so is his producer Gary "Baba Booey" Dell'Abate (Uniondale), and staff members Sal Governale (Holbrook) and Jon Hein (a Melville transplant)--as well as previous players "Stuttering" John Melendez (Plainedge), Jackie "The Jokeman" Martling (Oyster Bay, Bayville) and K.C. Armstrong (Port Jefferson). Talk of Howard's LI upbringing is a recurring topic, as are the Hamptons and the North Shore Animal League.
'Strong Island'
Credit: Getty Images, 1988
Hip-hop and LI have an undeniable, intertwined history. Groups including Public Enemy (pictured), EPMD and De La Soul, as well as musicians Biz Markie, Rakim, Busta Rhymes and Method Man have direct connections to Long Island, or as it's often called in rap music "Strong Island."
'The Girl From Jones Beach'
Credit: George Eastman House
Some Long Islanders may take the shoreline for granted, but Hollywood filmmakers used a well-known local summer hangout as the focal location of the 1949 film "The Girl from Jones Beach," starring Virginia Mayo, (future POTUS) Ronald Reagan and Eddie Bracken.
Plattduetsche Home in 'Trainwreck'
Rockville Centre native Amy Schumer appears in the film Trainwreck" as a woman with Long Island ties. A portion of the film was shot at Plattduetsche Home in Franklin Square.
Jennifer Lawrence's home in 'Joy'
Credit: Twentieth Century Fox via YouTube
Actor Jennifer Lawrence was nominated for an Academy Award for her performance in "Joy," a 2015 film based on the life of businessperson, inventor and Long Island native Joy Mangano.
'Yip Yip Yaphank'
Credit: Culver Pictures
Composer Irving Berlin produced the "Yip Yip Yaphank" musical revue while stationed at the 152nd Depot Brigade at Camp Upton in Yaphank in 1918. Berlin wrote his iconic song "God Bless America" at Camp Upton for the show, but removed it from the program as he felt it wasn't a good fit. (However, "Yip Yip" did feature the tune "Oh, How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning.")
Long Island iced tea
Credit: Doug Young
The creation of the Long Island Iced Tea cocktail is generally attributed to Long Islander Robert Butt, who claims to have devised the drink while tending bar at the now-defunct Oak Beach Inn in 1972.
'Long Island Medium'
Credit: TLC
Theresa Caputo of Hicksville has found TV fame as a psychic and star of the TLC Network reality series "Long Island Medium," during which she conducts readings for people she encounters in Nassau and Suffolk.
'The Brothers McMullen'
Credit: Handout
Director and actor Edward Burns shot much of his first (and breakout) film "The Brothers McMullen" in his hometown of Valley Stream.
Huntington gets 'Growing Pains'
Credit: ABC, INC. BOB D'AMICO
The ABC network sitcom "Growing Pains," starring Alan Thicke and Joanna Kerns, was set in Huntington.
'Meet the Parents' in Oyster Bay
Credit: Universal Studios / Phillip V. Caruso
The 2000 film "Meet The Parents," starring Robert De Niro and Ben Stiller, is set in Oyster Bay, but filmed in locations in Old Brookville and Port Washington.
Montauk's 'Paper Man'
Credit: MPI Media Photo
The indie film "Paper Man," starring actors Jeff Daniels and Lisa Kudrow (pictured), as well as Ryan Reynolds and Emma Stone was set in (and largely shot in) Montauk.
'Adventureland'
Credit: Abbot Genser / Miramax
Dix Hills native Greg Mottola directed the 2009 film "Adventureland," starring Kristen Stewart and Jesse Eisenberg (pictured). He was inspired by his experiences as an employee at Adventureland in Farmingdale.
Long Island celebrities 'swap' wives
Credit: AETN
A pair of Long Island celebrity musicians -- Baldwin-born Dee Snider (pictured) and Freeport native Flavor Flav -- participated in the same episode of the ABC network reality series "Celebrity Wife Swap."
Credit: Bravo
Six young Long Island women (from left: Erica Gimbe, Chanel Omari, Amanda Bertoncini, Casey Cohen, Joey Lauren and Ashlee White) appeared on the Bravo network reality program " Princesses: Long Island."
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