‘Sopranos’ find what they’re
looking for right in Sea Bright
By Sherry conohan
Staff Writer

JERRY WOLKOWITZ Edie Falco and James Gandolfini share a laugh after wrapping up a scene for the HBO series The Sopranos on Monday. The show was in Sea Bright to film scenes for the final episode of its fourth season.

It was a perfect morning. The day dawned bright and sunny and warm Monday, and the ocean was a sparkling blue.

After breakfast at McLoone’s Restaurant, better known in the past as the Rum Runner, the crew involved with the filming of The Sopranos television series on HBO filtered up Ocean Avenue to the two houses that were to be the center of action for the fictional mob family for the next three days.

The stars of the show — James Gandolfini, Edie Falco, Lorraine Bracco, Dominic Chianese, Tony Sirico, Michael Imperioli and Middletown native Steven Van Zandt — were not immediately visible, but the supporting cast in the person of Bob Shaw, production designer; Mark Kamine, location manager; and Jason Minter, the assistant to Kamine, stood ready on Ocean Avenue for cameras to roll. The initial pictures were to be scene shots of the beach, sea wall and houses.

Kamine explained that David Chase, the creator of the show, had suggested a house in Sea Bright, by the sea wall and the Shrewsbury River, for the final episode of the upcoming fourth season of 13 stories. The show filmed here will air in December at the conclusion of the show’s fourth season.

"Basically, we have scouts who comb the area" for what Chase wants, he said.

Shaw explained the complexity of the search.

"We needed houses that were side by side, and we needed a dock," he said. "Both have docks."

"We had a week to look for the house," he added. "Some people are only here for the weekend. So that limited us to begin with."

JERRY WOLKOWITZ James Gandolfini acts out a scene during filming of The Sopranos’ season-ending episode in Sea Bright.

Shaw said he was satisfied with the houses that were found.

"They’re great. The script indicated one should be older than the other," he noted.

They are the homes of Judy Payer at 412 Ocean Ave., a gray shingled two-story affair with a lovely front porch and daisies blossoming behind the bulkhead-style fence in front, and of Harriet Frieze, next door at 420 Ocean Ave., a two-story home named Whitecaps with hydrangeas and daylilies in tubs of annuals in front. The generous driveway next door at 434 Ocean Ave., the home of Mayor Gregory Harquail, was filled with equipment coming and going.

"We need cranes so we can see over the sea wall" with the cameras, Shaw observed. Harquail said it had been a pleasure to work with the film crew.

"Anytime we can get some positive press, we welcome it," he said.

The mayor noted the show had asked for the blessing of the council before filming in the borough and said it also was making a "generous" donation of $5,000 to the local library.

Harquail said the film crew also had enlisted the paid help of borough police.

Captain Steve Spahr of the borough Police Department was directing traffic at the north end of the filming area. He recalled that the last filming in town was of the movie Coyote Ugly.

"That was a good movie," he said. "This is better than that — the Sopranos. It’s a great show."

Shaw said the filming here would not involve the entire cast, but a select few. The episode will require filming at night as well as during the day, he added.

"Three days is actually a long time in one spot for us," he said. "We don’t usually spend that much time at a location."

Payer said she was being allowed to stay in her house during the filming because the cast and crew were only using the downstairs. She said all of her downstairs furniture was removed and The Sopranos’ crew brought in their own for the show.

"There’s lots of people and lots of equipment," she said of the scene in her home.

Payer said she had met some of the cast members including Gandolfini who plays "Tony," the lead character.

"It’s very exciting," she said of the filming. "The whole town is excited."

The story of the episode being filmed was very hush-hush. Toby Becker, a spokesperson for HBO, said no information about the story line would be released at this time.

Shaw said "Half, to a little less than half" of The Sopranos’ episodes are filmed on the road. The rest of the program is filmed on a stage in a Queens studio, he explained.

Shaw, who lives in Manhattan but maintains a place in northwest New Jersey as well, is no stranger to the Shore. He said his parents used to come down to the Shore, to Barnegat, bringing him with them, until they got tired of the schlep. He said they lived in Morris County.

Minter was familiar with Monmouth County. He said he used to visit the area when his aunt and uncle, Sharon Burnham, executive director of the Monmouth Conservation Foundation, and her husband, Lee, lived in Monmouth Beach, and he has relatives and friends in Tinton Falls and West Long Branch.

"It’s quite an invasion," Minter said of the filming experience for the people whose houses they use. "But we’re very meticulous and careful about what we do.

"Even though 120 people traipse through your house; when we’re gone, you never know we were there," he maintained. "We have deals for seven houses here, with lighting positions, parking and staging equipment. There’s a lot of planning that goes into it. You can’t park on the street.

"It’s nice to be here," he added, noting it was a change of scene from the urban settings often used. "I’ve been here since 5 a.m. and will be here until midnight."