Iconic Pizzeria Filmed in Saturday Night Fever Serves Its Last Slice
By Linda Steinmuller
“It was bittersweet to say goodbye to a Brooklyn tradition when the iconic Lenny’s Pizzeria in Bensonhurst closed after 70 years of great pizza,” Canarsie resident and DJ Jimmy Diele told the Canarsie Courier last week.
Hundreds waited on line for their last slice at Lenny’s, located at 1969 86th Street, on Sunday, February 19th, and to say goodbye to a Brooklyn institution. The pizza place became famous during the opening scene of the 1977 movie, Saturday Night Fever, when Tony Manero (portrayed by John Travolta) ate a “double decker” – two slices stacked together – while strutting down 86th Street to the beat of the Bee Gee’s hit song, “Stayin’ Alive.”
“Lenny’s Pizza will always be a Brooklyn landmark and forever glorified in Saturday Night Fever,” Diele, Celebrity Spotlight Host at Hamilton Radio and iHeart Radio, said. “It will certainly be missed.”
That’s Jimmy Diele posing in front of Lenny’s on Closing Day. He’s also pictured with Magee Hickey from Pix 11 News and Big Time Tommie, a local media personality who was featured on America’s Got Talent with singer Sal Valentinetti, as well as the cable TV show, Carfellas.
Other celebrities who made an appearance included Canarsie native Curtis Sliwa (pictured with Jennifer from Bensonhurst on the left and E. Kaplan from Canarsie).
Photos courtesy of Jimmy Diele and E. Kaplan