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Do you recognize one of the most famous courts in film and TV history?
From Miracle on 34th Street to The Addams Family to a popular '80s sitcom, this New York courthouse definitely got its closeup.
In 1965, The Addams Family gave us a glimpse of Gomez Addams as a Perry Mason type.
The episode was called "The Addams Family in Court", and in it, Gomez refuses to pay a mere $10 fine to get Grandmama out of jail for a violation, instead preferring to defend her case in court, where he insists he never loses.
About halfway through the episode, a very familiar building façade flashes to show us we are no longer in the Addams Family mansion, but instead in a court of law.
The courthouse used in this scene was formerly known as the New York County Courthouse and today is called the New York State Supreme Court Building. It’s located at 60 Centre Street in Manhattan and is considered a New York City landmark, in part because it’s one of the most famous courthouses in film history.
In 1947, Santa got put on trial in this courthouse in the original Miracle on 34th Street, and the building was so iconic by the 1994 remake, they returned to use the same exterior, hitting an extra-nostalgic note for anyone in the know.
Many famous court scenes followed an establishing shot of this courthouse's exterior, from legendary legal dramas like 12 Angry Men to all-time classics like The Godfather to pop-culture franchises like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
In 2002, The Baltimore Sun reported that the courthouse was considered a pop culture icon on par with Carol Burnett or Julie Andrews.
On television, The Addams Family wasn’t the only show to fight the law in this historic building.
Perhaps most iconic, the 1980s sitcom Night Court used the courthouse in its main title sequence.
Other popular TV legal and crime drama series like Law & Order, Cagney & Lacey, Kojak, and Blue Bloods all filmed there.
The Addams Family may not have been the only TV show to seek justice at the iconic courthouse, but the kooky sitcom did become a proving ground that it could be a funny film location choice, and not just a prime place to gather angry men.
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The New York State Supreme Court (which is NOT the highest court in NYS, irrespective of its use of the word "supreme") in Foley Square is at 71 Thomas Street, NOT 60 Centre Street.
But he's feeling MUCH BETTER now!