The Prince of Zamunda is coming back to America. It’s the sequel to the 1988 comedy classic "Coming to America," which debuts March 5th on Amazon Prime Video. It stars Eddie Murphy as Prince Akeem, and Arsenio Hall as Akeem’s best friend and aide Semmi.
In the original film, the two make their way from Zamunda to New York City so Akeem can find a bride fit for a king. Where else would he go but Queens?
I revisited some of the locations from the first film, including Terminal 7 at JFK Airport where the two arrive. They take a yellow cab to find a place to stay, and even though it’s indicated they stay in Queens, they actually wind up in Williamsburg, Brooklyn at an apartment building on South 5th Street near Hooper Street. Longtime residents still remember when the original film was shot more than three decades ago.
Mildred Rodriguez says she knew right away when she saw the movie that it was not Queens. “I knew it was the Southside,” said Rodriguez, referring to Williamsburg’s Southside.
Some of the most popular characters in 'Coming to America' were at the My-T-Sharp Barber Shop. Akeem did not have to go far to get that prince's lock cut off. It was filmed right downstairs in the same apartment building, where a clothing store is now located.
The fast food restaurant where Akeem and Semmi find work and where Akeem meets his future bride Lisa is called McDowell’s, not McDonald’s, McDowell’s, as owner Cleo McDowell portrayed by Actor John Amos proclaims in the film. It was filmed at a Wendy’s location on Queens Boulevard near Broadway in Elmhurst, Queens. Though you won’t be able find it now, the Wendy’s was demolished to make way for a Condo building.
"No, I don't recall McDowell's. I remember Wendy's, but not McDowell's,” said Elmurst resident Cesar Caceres.
When the King and Queen of Zamunda come to find out what happened to their son, they check into the famous Waldorf Astoria Hotel on Park Avenue in Midtown. The hotel is currently undergoing a massive renovation and adding a residential component to its guest rooms.
Other New York locations included a St. John's Basketball game at Madison Square Garden, and Akeem proposing to Lisa in the Subway near what appeared to be Briarwood and Jamaica, Queens. The scenes were actually shot at Brooklyn’s Hoyt-Schermerhorn station, a popular spot for movie filming since there is an unused platform and tracks there.
Coming to America could have easily been called, Coming to New York.
"I'm looking forward to the second one. When it comes out I think it will be great,” said Elmhurst resident Bob Zuccarelli.