shot at the Greensburg prison as well as The Daily News building in
McKeesport. “I’m sure there are many locations I don’t know about,”
adds Ferri. “It will be exciting to watch a series that takes familiar
locations and dresses them up to look like they are taking place 40 or
so years ago in a different part of the country.”
Several locals were used in The Lamplighter scene as extras. However,
the casting department is separate from the location department, so
none of The Lamplighter staff appear in the film. The scene includes
waiters, bartenders, a three-piece band and a number of restaurant
patrons to fill the room with activity.
“Filming was definitely a unique experience,” notes Ferri. One part
of preparing the location involved changing all of the light bulbs in the
dining areas to film-grade incandescent bulbs. There was also a scene
filmed outside the restaurant. “There were literally hundreds upon
hundreds of bulbs!” he recalls. All of the furniture was removed from
the Main Dining Room and used for the equipment and film crew. The
Gold Room was used for the props department. “The crews brought
linens and centerpieces and, of course, ashtrays to complete the look,”
says Ferri. “Smoking in restaurants was permitted in the 1970s, so there
also was a cigarette machine. We provided the china and silverware,
stemware and all of the food that was served to the actors on the set.”
Crews did multiple takes to ensure everything was just right. “We
cooked steak after steak to serve to the same people, because once
actors started eating, they had to be sure that more or less food didn’t
suddenly appear on the actor’s plate,” Ferri explained.
In all, there were nearly 200 people on location during filming. There
was security personnel guarding the entrances and crews had their own
contracted catering department for all of the workers. Antique cars
were also brought in to dress up the parking lot.
“We were very pleased with how everything went,” says Ferri. “The
location manager and the crew couldn’t have been more respectful
of the establishment, and put everything back as it was. If given the
opportunity, we would certainly be open to the idea of filming in the
future.”
The Lamplighter is located at 6566 Route 22 in Delmont. For more
information, visit thelamplighterdelmont.com. n
Murrysville | Winter 2016 | icmags.com 15