Good Wife cast gives back to celebrate 100th

NEW YORK, N.Y.—Exactly one year after it wreaked such devastation, Tropical Storm Sandy once again washed over greater New York Tuesday.

The local newscasts were all about the one year anniversary of the “Super Storm.” There were reports on marinas and other attractions finally re-opening and even a gathering of 30 or so babies born on that night, all were evacuated from their darkened hospital. None, went the report, were named Sandy. There was also footage of the flooded subway stations down in Lower Manhattan.

I walked across the Brooklyn Bridge to the Jersey docks Sunday night and saw that several piers are still closed as the rebuilding after Sandy goes on.

By the way, the view of Lower Manhattan from Brooklyn Bridge Park, where a terrific flea and food market happens over the weekends, is spectacular. There are sports fields and BBQ pits among the many walking paths. All offer a view of everything from the Statue of Liberty to the almost completed World Trade Center tower.

Crossing the bridge on foot, one of the first signs that greets you hearkens back to the original “Golden Age” of television. “Welcome to Brooklyn – How Sweet it is!” Nice shout out to the great Jackie Gleason, a.k.a. Ralph Kramden.

Kind of fitting so much television today is shot in Brooklyn. Tucked into stealth studios in an industrial corner of the suburb are production homes for The Good Wife, Blue Bloods, Boardwalk Empire, Girls, The Americans and Elementary.

The city is in the midst of a remarkable rebirth, with condo towers springing up among the many restored heritage buildings. I met New York Times TV columnist Bill Carter for drinks Monday night and he told me, “Brooklyn is where all the hipsters live.”

Helping directly with one rebuilding project in the area were cast members from The Good Wife. Asked at the CBS international press junket Monday how the cast celebrated the recent shooting of the CBS/Global drama’s 100^th episode, Chris Noth said several members of the cast and crew pitched in on the St. Bernard rebuilding project along the shoreline of Queens. 

All of the main cast members, including Noth, Julianna Margulies, Josh Charles, Matt Czuchry and Archie Punjabi, pitched in, along with the producers. The series also presented a hefty cheque to the effort.

“We put up sheet rock and water proofed walls,” says Noth, who reported that there are still—one year later—“people living in sleeping bags in people’s basements.

“We spent a day trying to hurry the process along, which gave a great measure of satisfaction for all of us to be able to help out,” he said.