Arnold’s Bar & Grill is no stranger to Hollywood. It was featured in the 2015 Oscar-winning film "Carol," starring Cate Blanchett, and the upcoming Shirley Chisolm biopic "Shirley," starring Regina King. The creators of the short-lived NBC David E. Kelley show "Harry’s Law," which was set in Cincinnati, were so taken with the historic Eighth Street bar that they recreated it on a Hollywood set with uniforms, menus and dining tents that Arnold’s provided.
But it looks like the latest film to use Arnold’s as a location might be its biggest one yet. While owner Chris Breeden couldn’t provide specifics, he posted on social media that the bar and restaurant will be closed from Jan. 19 to Feb. 21 because “a certain famous rabbit’s employers have rented Arnold’s out for 6 weeks for a major motion picture!” He also told me Arnold's will serve as a stand-in for a New York "hangout."
Given that Bugs Bunny was created by Warner Brothers, and that the only Warner Brothers movie filming in Cincinnati is director Barry Levinson’s Italian-American mobster film "Wise Guys" ... Well, thinkaboudit!
Get Wise:Robert De Niro spotted at Cincinnati restaurant amidst movie filming
According to the entertainment website Deadline, "Wise Guys" stars Robert De Niro (who, by the way, was recently spotted at Jeff Ruby's Steakhouse). It tells the story of Vito Genovese and Frank Costello, who ran two separate New York crime families in the 1950s. “Genovese tried and failed to assassinate Costello in 1957,” wrote Deadline, “though the latter wound up taking his leave from the mob after being injured during the attempt on his life."
De Niro will be playing opposite himself as both Genovese and Costello. The film is also said to star Debra Messing as Frank's wife, Bobbie Costello, and Kathrine Narducci as Vito's wife, Anna Genovese.
This isn't the first time Levinson has chosen Cincinnati as a filming location. As anyone who recalls driving down Columbia Parkway in the late 1980s and seeing a 1949 Buick Roadmaster parked on the side of the road will tell you, "Rain Man," which Levinson directed, was shot here, too.
Breeden told me that the staff at Arnold’s will be taken care of while the restaurant is closed. “Everyone will be paid a wage more than or equal to what they are paid hourly based on the average amount of hours that they work,” he told me. “And tipped workers will be paid more to make up for their tips.”
Breeden also said the timing couldn’t have been better for him and his wife, Bethany. They are expecting their first child on Jan. 22. Congrats to both of them.
Arnold's will be closed to the public starting Jan. 19. While the kitchen has already closed, the bar and patio will open during its regular hours, from 4-10 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday and 4 p.m.-12:30 a.m. Friday and Saturday this week. There will be live music and a food truck serving pizza on Friday and Saturday. The entire restaurant shuts down on Jan. 19 until Feb. 21.
