Photographs by Mark Peterson
If not for the tangle of camera equipment, and a few smartphonewieldingproduction assistants, anyone walking on East 9th Street near Avenue A on February 17 would have thought they’d stepped into a time warp. For a day the block was transformed into Macdougal Street circa1961 and lined with era-appropriate Plymouths and bouffant hairdos, legendary hangouts the Kettle of Fish and Gaslight Café were restored to their former glory (or at least their façades were), and beatniks in vintage attire loitered on fakesnow-blasted sidewalks.The occasion? The filming of Inside Llewyn Davis, Joel and Ethan Coen’s upcoming Scott Rudin–produced movie about New York’s early-sixties folk-music revival, based loosely on The Mayor of Macdougal Street: A Memoir by songwriter (and early Bob Dylan mentor) DaveVan Ronk. The Coen brothers arrived ataround 2 p.m. and shot until after midnight.The film stars Oscar Isaac, Justin Timberlake, and Carey Mulligan.
Extras standing by on Macdougal Street (actually East 9th, dressed up to look the part). Photo: Mark Peterson
Photo: Mark Peterson
Oscar Isaac gets kicked out of the Gaslight, as Ethan Coen watches. Photo: Mark Peterson
Photo: Mark Peterson
