3rd Ave. El Backdrop Blur
3rd Ave. El Poster
United States
6.4 0h 10m

3rd Ave. El

Impressionistic picture of the Third Avenue Elevated Railway in Manhattan, New York City, before it was demolished. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2010.

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Top Cast

  • Robert Fleury

    Robert Fleury

  • Joseph Tul

    Joseph Tul

  • Osmond Beckwith

    Osmond Beckwith

  • Dorothea Beckwith

    Dorothea Beckwith

  • Tom Carroll

    Tom Carroll

  • Ann Kaufman

    Ann Kaufman

Overview

Impressionistic picture of the Third Avenue Elevated Railway in Manhattan, New York City, before it was demolished. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2010.

Rating

6.4 / 10
7 Reviews
0 Popular

1 Reviews

  • CinemaSerf
    CinemaSerf
    7 Feb 15, 2026

    I’m not sure Haydn’s Harpsichord Concerto (in D major) gets too many cinematic outings, but it works really quite well here as we spend a day in the life of New York’s Third Avenue elevated railway. We follow three passengers during the day: a young lad, a man who’s had a bit too much of the sauce and a father and his enthusiastic young daughter before the lights go on and a courting couple close the day. They are not so crucial, though, as the emphasis focuses more on the engineering that not just ran and built this line, but that more broadly built the entire city. The automated swing bridge scene is particularly impressive, and with the additional sights and sounds of the city and it’s people augmenting this quickly-paced and dialogue-free travelogue, it makes for quite an interesting piece of civic nostalgia.

Trailers & Clips

3rd Ave. El (1955)

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