GoodFellas Diner: The Payphones

Famous among fans of Martin Scorsese’s film “GoodFellas” this relatively isolated outpost is home to the one and only truck stop in the five boroughs of New York City. Located on a triangle at the 3-way intersection of Rust Street, Maspeth Avenue, and 57th Place, the diner appears to have changed its name recently from the “Clinton Diner & Bar” to GoodFellas. One assumes Martin Scorsese was informed of this move, or maybe he bought the place (not likely). Whatever the case here are photos of what’s left of the indoor payphones at this place.

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UPDATE: GoodFellas Diner was destroyed by fire in June, 2018.

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The payphones inside the diner played no role in “GoodFellas”, and may not have even been present when the movie was filmed. Toward the end of the film a metal “PHONE” sign (indicating a public telephone is nearby) is seen outside the diner, indicating that at least one payphone existed inside. But from the film itself there is no way to know if the phones present today were there when the film was made.

“GoodFellas” features a somewhat famous phone booth scene. In the “Tommy Got Whacked” scene Robert Deniro smashes a payphone handset onto the phone and then kicks the phone booth over.

If that booth ever really existed then it is long gone. It was probably just a prop. It should not be that easy to knock over a phone booth.

I did not seek out this diner out of any admiration for the movie “GoodFellas”. I don’t know what the hell I was doing there and I had no idea where I was going.