Have you exhausted your watch lists on Netflix and Hulu? If so, there’s no better time to stream some classics with scenes shot right outside your front door! The comments kept pouring in on our last post, and it’s about time we explored some of the movie suggestions sent in by readers. Beware: Spoilers ahead! Here are seven more classic movies filmed in Jersey City:

Quiz Show (1994 film)

This historical movie follows the real-life Twenty-One quiz show scandals of the 1950s, and their popular contestant Charles Van Doren. After contestant Herb Stempel’s winning reign causes viewership to drop, two show producers decide it’s time to find a new contestant that will knock Stempel’s crown off. When Van Doren walks in for an audition, their prayers are answered. The Twenty-One show was originally filmed in NBC’s art deco Rockefeller Center. Quiz Show director Robert Redford felt that Jersey City’s Murdoch Hall at The Beacon had a similar vibe to the Rockefeller Center in the 1950s, and would be the perfect place to shoot. To prepare for filming of Quiz Show, renovations costing almost $25,000 were done. Quiz Show is available for rent on Prime Video for $3.99.

The Cookout (2004 film)

Todd Anderson is the first-draft pick for the New Jersey Nets, scoring himself a five year, 30 million dollar contract. The Anderson family is ready to celebrate the old fashioned way – by hosting their annual family cookout at his new home. Despite having an important endorsement meeting the same day, Todd doesn’t expect the two events to clash. Yet as eclectic family members arrive early, old childhood enemies plot against him, and new neighbors complain about the noise, it seems like his sponsorship deal will fall through. While most of the movie was shot in Bernardsville, NJ, the first basketball scene was filmed in the basketball court at Dr. Lena Edwards Park in Bergen-Lafayette. The Cookout is available for streaming on Hulu. 

To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar (1995 film)

Two drag queens, Noxeema Jackson and Vida Boheme, win a trip to Hollywood after tying for first place in NYC’s “Drag Queen of the Year” contest. Wanting to bring along their protege, Chi-Chi Rodriguez, they cash in their plane tickets with a friend. The three queens meet with John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt at a local restaurant. That restaurant is the former real-life Canton Tea Garden in Jersey City. Nestled in the heart of Journal Square, this authentic Chinese restaurant originally opened in 1930. Unfortunately, after the owner passed away in 2004, the restaurant was forced to close its doors. To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar offers a quick glance into Jersey City’s past in this scene. The full film is available for rent on Prime Video for $3.99.

Wise Guys (1986 film)

Two low-level mafia members, Harry Valentini and Moe Dickstein, have dreams of opening the first Jewish-Italian deli in the world. Things start to go south for them after they lose their boss a quarter million dollars on a bad bet. With the duo unknowingly both making deals to kill the other, they find themselves running across the state hunting for the money they owe to stay alive. This movie has several scenes shot in Jersey City. One of the murder attempts on Harry and Moe happens inside of St. Lucy’s Church on Grove Street. The scene where they blow up Moe’s house was shot inside one Delores Brady’s home back in the 1980s, near the old American Can Company (now the renovated CanCo Lofts) and the Pulaski Highway. Wise Guys is available for rent on Prime Video for $2.99, as well as on Youtube for free. 

Bad Lieutenant (1992 film)

Bad Lieutenant is a neo-noir crime drama that follows the titular character as he investigates the rape of a young nun. The corrupt lead grapples with drug and gambling addictions, toeing the line between police detective and criminal, while also seeking forgiveness. Near the end of the film, the lieutenant visits the church to speak to the nun about the case. The church that this scene takes place in is actually St. Anthony of Padua on 457 Monmouth Street. If you want to see how the Bad Lieutenant solves the case, the movie is available on Prime Video for free. 

Bogus (1996 film)

Seven-year-old Albert Franklin lands on the doorsteps of his mother’s foster sister, Harriet, after his mother dies in a tragic car accident. However, Harriet sees that Albert didn’t arrive alone and is accompanied by his imaginary friend Bogus. With the help of Bogus, the new family unit learns to bond together. Set and filmed in New Jersey, one scene shows Albert and Bogus walking down the corner of Grove Street and Newark Avenue. Twenty five years later, this same corner is unrecognizable – now home to Downtown Yogurt and the Newark Avenue Pedestrian Plaza! Bogus is available for rent on Google Play TV and Apple TV for $3.99.

Daylight (1996 film)

When the entrances to a tunnel connecting Manhattan and New Jersey collapse, former NYC EMS Chief Kit Latura happens to be in the wrong place at the right time. Inside, an escape car of robbers crashes into a waste management truck illegally filled with toxic waste, creating a fireball that wipes out most of the motorists trapped inside. Kit scrambles into the tunnel via the ventilation system to help the remaining survivors escape. Although the tunnel was unnamed in the film, it’s pretty obvious that this movie takes place inside the Holland Tunnel. A few scenes were filmed in JC, including a shot of the Holland Tunnel Ventilation Shaft (normally seen from the waterfront near River Street) exploding. The finale shows the Twin Towers in the background as Kit and another survivor are rescued from the water. Daylight is available for rent on Prime Video for $3.99. 

A huge thank you to the readers that shared these movies! Watching movies filmed in Jersey City decades ago shows how much our hometown has developed while still keeping it’s cultural essence. If there are any other films shot in JC that I haven’t covered yet, share them below!