In early 1980, Universal Studios cut a deal for using the Tram in scenes for Nighthawks. The Sylvester Stallone film was still just “Hawks.” Anger and chaos followed as Roosevelt Islanders protested. In the end, the film got made just as Hollywood wanted… and residents lost priority passes for the Tram. Was it retribution?
by David Stone
The Roosevelt Island Daily News
Nighthawks Payback?
A widespread belief has it that RIOC deals in retribution against anyone who speaks up in protest. The Roosevelt Island Youth Program got snuffed, replaced by a state-controlled program with far fewer participants. And RIOC launched a vigorous effort at bankrupting the Wildlife Freedom Foundation following the Save Our Shorelines protests.
Was the inclination inherited?
In 1980 when Universal filmed scenes for Nighthawks on the Tram, it was a different Roosevelt Island. RIOC didn’t exist yet, but the state’s Urban Development Corporation did. There were similarities. UDC Roosevelt Island Files Said To Be In Disarray read 1980 headline in The Roosevelt Island View. The operation had only existed for four years.
But the files were in such disarray that an auditor couldn’t reach any conclusions about it actual financial picture. Sound familiar? Did a taste for retribution carry forward too? Read on.
Making the Movie, Stiffing Residents
A pair of small stories from February 1980 in The View innocently foretell troubles ahead. One noted a Tram shutdown for repairs in March. Such events were more critical then because the subway was a decade away, and there was no ferry service. The Tram was Islanders only way of getting to Manhattan work and appointments without driving.
The second article described a movie with Sylvester Stallone. It would use the Tram during its scheduled shutdown for repairs. This was significant because multiple contracts forbid shutting down the Tram for anything except repairs. If it was already shutdown, no problem.
As things rolled out, the timing grew increasingly suspicious. Residents demanded answers.
A Secretive Meeting, Then trouble
The similarities are inescapable. Nighthawks producer Martin Poll met with UDC and a select group of Roosevelt Islanders. RIRA president Lou Carbonetti led the resident group, later insisting that Islanders “trusted” RIRA in making decisions for them. The group cut a deal that included Universal’s donating $20,000 to “youth programs” as compensation for residents’ inconveniences.
The trust cited by Carbonetti was not quite so comfortable. Protests led to a confrontational meeting at the Good Shepherd Community Center.
A vocal group complained about connecting Roosevelt Island with extreme violence. Mainly, ill-will flowed from RIRA’s and UDC’s cutting residents out of the discussion. A special sauce flavored the anger because, it turned out, the Tram repairs had been delayed into June. This left filming as the only reason for closing the Tram. That, residents argued, was illegal.
Booing Stallone and Nighthawks
Although the meeting was supposed to be a hearing for all sides and their concerns, according to The View, it was rigged. Carbonetti and Tony Capobianco, a youth sports coach, packed the front rows with supporters. About 75 of them were kids, extra noisy Stallone fans. They’d been promised that their hero would appear.
As Carbonetti wrangled with residents in opposition who never got a chance to speak, Stallone suddenly appeared in the doorway. The kids swarmed him while adult residents booed and jeered. In the melee that followed, producer Poll told Carbonetti that he would not film on Roosevelt Island. Because of the noisy opposition, he griped that he may not film in New York anymore at all.
Residents cheered, but you guessed it, filming resumed the next morning anyway. UDC insisted it had a contract it must abide by and, essentially, residents be dammed. Sound familiar?
But there was worse.
After Nighthawks
Within a couple of weeks, the officials suddenly found something they had missed. Even they attributed the blow to Roosevelt Islanders to Nighthawks.
Was it retribution? Was there a connection?
It was and still is suspicious and, down the line, Roosevelt Islanders fight to save access to the Tram. Community Board 8 and residents are fighting back today. According to the Roosevelt Islander, over 1,000 have signed a petition in protest.
It will take more than a petition, but maybe this will wake some officials up to the mess that is the Tram. One note not mentioned in the petition. The Tram runs a huge annual debt. Roosevelt Islanders, many of whom have lost access, must pay for the shortfall.
The Five Amendments That Sold Out Roosevelt Island
Roosevelt Island did not lose control of its southern waterfront in a single deal. It happened in five quiet steps. Five amendments. Five missed chances to renegotiate.
