Sing Sing and the Film Industry
Sing Sing Prison has been appearing in books, movies, songs, and stories since it opened in the nineteenth century. Here are just a few of the places you’ll find the prison in pop culture and history.
THE FILM, SING SING
The 2024 film, Sing Sing, is based on the true story of incarcerated men finding purpose by acting in a theatre group run by Rehabilitation Through the Arts. Produced by A24 and starring Colman Domingo, it is a story of resilience, humanity, and the transformative power of art.
FILMED AT SING SING
Many films were made at Sing Sing, including Castle on the Hudson, which borrowed a nickname for Sing Sing as its title, and Angels with Dirty Faces, starring James Cagney. Sing Sing also makes an appearance in Picture Snatcher. To learn more about James Cagney and his relationship to Sing Sing, read "Cagney in Westchester", an article in The Westchester Historian by SSPM Board Member Anthony Czarnecki.
BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S
While not filmed at Sing Sing, the institution plays a notable part in the classic film favorite, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, starring Audrey Hepburn. Click the video below to watch the scene where Hepburn's character, Holly Golightly, pays a regular visit to Sing Sing inmate, Sally Tomato.
ORIGINAL CELLBLOCK IN FILM
In 1915, Alias Jimmy Valentine was filmed at Sing Sing. The movie has been credited as the first gangster film. It includes many scenes filmed in the original Cellblock from 1825, which you can see beginning at about the 18 minute mark of the film below.
C-SPAN'S "SING SING PRISON DOCUMENTARY"
C-SPAN's "Sing Sing Prison Documentary" takes viewers inside Sing Sing Correctional Facility. It revisits Alexis de Tocqueville's 1831 visit to Sing Sing, the first prison he saw on his visit to North America to write a report on the American prison system.
Performances at Sing Sing
There have been many performances — by acts famous and not — at Sing Sing over the years. This photograph was taken in 1915 on the day these members of the Lambs Club, a social club for actors, songwriters, and performers, visited Sing Sing to perform. Here, they’re pictured in front of their club building on 44th Street in Manhattan.
Bain News Service. “Lambs Before Lambs Club.” June 27, 1915.
Accessed via the Library of Congress.
The magician Harry Houdini, seen here in a promotional image for his film “The Grim Game," gave a three-hour magic act at Sing Sing in 1916.
Lasky Corporation. “Stone walls and chains do not make a prison – for Houdini”, c. 1898. Accessed via the Library of Congress.
