When the security guards at Walter's office throw Buddy out, they suggest he go back to Santaland at Gimbels. The highly festive store is heavily featured throughout the rest of "Elf," but viewers may not have realized that Gimbels was a real department store in New York City that closed in 1986.

Is Gimbels Macys in Elf?

Anyone who has been to New York would immediately recognise Macy's, but the iconic department store was renamed Gimbel's in Elf. Gimbel's is a now-defunct rival to Macy's and the store actually featured in the original Miracle On 34th Street film, back in 1947.

Where is the coffee shop from Elf?

Buddy enters the coffee shop scene in Elf

Though set in New York City, this scene was filmed quite a distance away in Vancouver, Canada. The location is 20 E Hastings Street, a spot that might not be instantly recognizable today due to changes over time.

What movies was the Gimbels store in?

Gimbels also gained publicity from the 1947 film Miracle on 34th Street, the 1967 film Fitzwilly, and was frequently mentioned as a shopping destination of Lucy Ricardo and Ethel Mertz on the hit 1950s TV series I Love Lucy. The Slinky made its debut at the northeast Philadelphia Gimbels store.

Why didn't Elf use Macy's?

As Favreau revealed to ABC News, the Elf team asked Macy's if they could use the store for the movie, but Macy's declined. He told the publication: "Because we're using a Santa, of course, everybody thinks Macy's. "But Macy's didn't like the idea that there was a fake Santa working there.

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Does Gimbels still exist?

By the late 1980s, all of the Gimbel's stores were shuttered, representing the end of a retail empire. BAT later got out of the retail business, and today Saks Fifth Avenue continues as a major retailer, owned by Canada's big retailer Hudson's Bay Company, the oldest company in North America (founded in 1670).

How old was Zooey Deschanel in Elf?

I was only 21 when I made that movie. I remember sitting—I was at my parents' house because I basically just dropped out of college to be an actor—and I remember sitting at my parents' house reading that script and laughing out loud. Since then, I've seen that that's a good sign." Deschanel said.

What replaced Gimbels in NYC?

The mall replaced the former flagship store of the Gimbels department store chain, which operated from 1910 to 1986. It opened in 1989 as a shopping center called A&S Plaza and was rebranded Manhattan Mall in 1995.

Was Gimbels real in Elf?

Fun fact: Producers wanted to feature the famous Macy's 34th street location, the largest store in the world, but Macy's refused to have their name used. So they settled on Gimbels, a now defunct NY department store–the exterior was shot at 5th Avenue and E 30th St and decorated with CGI.

Why did Gimbels fail?

By 1986, Batus Inc the company that had bought Gimbels couldn't find a buyer. The only value Gimbels had was it's real estate. Department stores are a brutal business to be. In an earlier era, it made sense to go to a store that sold everything.

How old was Will Ferrell when he filmed Elf?

This actually makes Buddy a fair amount younger than Will Ferrell himself, who was 35 years old at the time of Elf's filming, and 36 when the movie was released to theaters.

What city was Elf filmed?

Filming. Principal photography began on December 9, 2002, and wrapped on March 7, 2003. Filming took place in New York City, as well as in Vancouver and at Riverview Hospital in Coquitlam, British Columbia. The film makes heavy use of forced perspective to exaggerate the size of Buddy compared to all the other elves.

Does Gimbels still exist in New York City?

Gimbels, where Buddy (the elf the movie is about) works, used to be a real department store in NYC, but it closed in the '80s; the Textile Building was used as the exterior of Gimbels in the movie instead.

Why did Jim Carrey not play Elf?

Jim Carrey was initially eyed to play Buddy in Elf.

However, it took another 10 years to get the project in motion, at which time Saturday Night Live star Will Ferrell was signed to star.

Is Gimbels the same as Macy's?

Buddy the elf could have fought a fake Santa Claus inside a Macy's in the movie Elf, but didn't. Instead, Buddy winds up working at Gimbels, a once popular competitor of Macy's that closed back in the '80s. The popular Christmas movie came out in 2003.

Did Will Ferrell eat the gum in Elf?

So that actually was the fun part of doing the role. Was the sidewalk gum pre-cleaned for you? WF: No, we didn't have a big enough budget, so I actually had to eat old New York City gum. But it wasn't as bad as you would think, still relatively favorable.

Was the long burp in Elf real?

Summary. Will Ferrell's iconic performance as Buddy in Elf was supplemented by another actor for a 12-second scene. Voice actor Maurice LaMarche provided the burp sound for Buddy's soda-drinking scene in Elf.

Is the New York scene in Elf real?

– The outdoor scenes shot in New York City feature real people so many of the reactions you see are genuine! – In fact, several minor traffic accidents occurred when Will Ferrell walked through the Lincoln Tunnel in his costume, because people were so surprised and distracted to see a grown man wearing an elf outfit.

Is Gimbels still in Philadelphia?

Gimbels has been out of business since the late 1980s - that's almost forty years ago. Too long, in my opinion to make a comeback, as most of Gimbels would-be customer's are too young to remember them in their heyday. So today's customers have no nostalgic memory of this old store.

What was the large department store in New York called?

Macy's Herald Square (originally named the R. H. Macy and Company Store) is the flagship of Macy's department store, as well as the Macy's, Inc. corporate headquarters, on Herald Square in Manhattan, New York City.

How much did Will Ferrell get paid for Elf?

Elf was Will Ferrell's second box office hit. He reportedly received a whopping salary of $17 million for that film alone, more on par with what his talents would dictate in the mid-2000s. He was allegedly offered $29 million to act in an Elf sequel, but couldn't get his heart into it, so he turned it down.

Did Zooey Deschanel really sing in the movie Elf?

Deschanel made her on-screen singing debut in The New Guy (2002). In Elf (2003), she sings "Baby, It's Cold Outside" with Will Ferrell in the bathroom shower scene, "Auld Lang Syne" with James Caan on piano and with Leon Redbone on the soundtrack.

Why is Zooey Deschanel's hair blonde in Elf?

“I had to dye my hair blonde for a screen test for a movie that never happened before I did Elf,” Deschanel told Stylecaster in a March 2019 interview. “I went in for the meeting for Elf, and then I asked them, 'Could I dye my hair back to my natural color?