Friday, December 4, 2015

TV-GPS: BETHESDA FOUNTAIN & TERRACE IN CENTRAL PARK



From Wikipedia:
Bethesda Terrace and Fountain overlook The Lake in New York City's Central Park. The fountain is located in the center of the terrace.

Bethesda Terrace is on two levels, united by two grand staircases and a lesser one that passes under Terrace Drive to provide passage southward to the Elkan Naumburg bandshell and The Mall, of which this is the architectural culmination, the theatrical set-piece at the center of the park. The upper terrace flanks the 72nd Street Cross Drive and the lower terrace provides a podium for viewing the Lake. The mustard-olive colored carved stone is New Brunswick sandstone, with a harder stone for cappings, with granite steps and landings, and herringbone paving of Roman brick laid on edge.


Something of such architectural beauty would make its mark in Toobworld:
  • Portions of the 5th episode of the 7th series of 'Doctor Who', "The Angels Take Manhattan", were filmed at the terrace.
  • In 'Gossip Girl', the terrace is a sanctuary for Serena van der Woodsen when she is troubled. It is also the place of Chuck Bass and Blair Waldorf's wedding in the series finale.
  • The fountain is the scene of a ransom drop in the Season 4 episode "Censure" of 'Law & Order'.
  • The fountain and terrace are featured in the October 1, 2008 episode of 'Lipstick Jungle'.
  • The fountain is featured in the Season 1 finale of 'Rubicon'.
  • The lower passage and fountain appear in the second episode of season 1 of 'White Collar'.
  • The fountain is the crime scene in episode ten of season 1 of 'Forever'.
  • Not included in that Wikipedia list is the 'Naked City' episode "The Horse Has A Big Head; Let Him Worry".  (They had some great episode titles back in the day!)
Those shows all take place in Earth Prime-Time.  But over in Comic Book Toobworld, it was the site of one of the most grisliest murders seen this season - as a man controlled by Kilgrave put gardener's shears into his mouth and then fell forward so that they poked out the back of his skull.  (It just wasn't grisly enough to be the Toobits Award winner.)  This happened in "AKA Take A Bloody Number", the penultimate episode of the series.

In the TV dimension of ToobStage, the angel of the fountain was a focal point in Tony Kushner's play "Angels In America" which was aired on HBO.

BCnU!

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