This year’s Super Bowl commercial for Skechers with Martha Stewart dancing in front of the Wainwright House is the latest closeup for Rye on screens both large and small.
The 30-second Super Bowl spot opens with Stewart walking down the Wainwright House’s front entrance. The 83-year-old then puts on her Skechers Slip-Ins without having to bend down, and appears to break into dance to demonstrate that wearing the shoes makes her feel like she’s “gliding on air.”
The commercial was shot this past September and took one day to film, according to Bob Manheimer, president of Wainwright House.
Most recently, Wainwright was featured in various scenes from the 2022 Netflix show “The Watcher.” And in the 1980s, a short-lived television show, “Hometown,” set in Rye, was also partially filmed there, said Bob Manheimer, president of Wainwright.
Wainwright House has been approached by various location scouts for commercials, modeling shoots, television shows, and movies, according to Manheimer. Wainwright considers itself within the “NYC Production Zone,” the boundaries of which are set by New York City-based entertainment industry organizations to determine local employee benefits.
In fact, all of Rye falls within this boundary — defined as an area within the 25-30 mile radius of Columbus Circle.
Since 2020, the city of Rye has made more than $265,000 from filming permits. In 2024, permit revenue surged to its highest point ($104,000) in recent years, rebounding from a meager $1,500 in 2023 — a figure far lower than even 2020, the year of the pandemic.
The sharp drop in 2023 is likely a result of the SAG-AFTRA and Writers Guild of America strikes, which lasted around six months and resulted in the greatest interruption to the U.S. film and television industry since the pandemic.
Annual Revenue from Filming Permits in Rye
| Year | # Permits Issued | Total Revenue |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 (pandemic) | 7 | $8,000 |
| 2021 | 18 | $78,800 |
| 2022 | 13 | $77,000 |
| 2023 (actors & writers strike) | 1 | $1,500 |
| 2024 | 9 | $104,000 |
| 2025 | 0 | $0 |
Dating back decades, however, some of the silver screen’s iconic images were filmed in Rye — from the 1988 boardwalk scene at Playland where Tom Hanks asks Zoltar to grant his wish in the comedy “Big” to Glenn Close’s anxiety-inducing roller coaster scene in the 1987 thriller “Fatal Attraction.”
“Rye’s proximity to New York City is a huge advantage,” City Manager Greg Usry told visitwestchesterny.com.
The list goes on. “The Watcher” also used the Coveleigh Club for filming. The 2023 Netflix movie “Maestro,” starring Bradley Cooper was shot at a private home on Parsonage Point. Jason Bateman, a Rye native, filmed scenes on Purchase Street for the 2014 comedy/drama “This is Where I Leave You,” where he starred alongside Tina Fey, Adam Driver, and Jane Fonda.
More recently, Purchase Street was also the site of an Apple TV drama, “Your Friends and Neighbors,” starring Jon Hamm and Amanda Peet. During filming last April, Hamm was seen circling the Central Business District in a black Maserati. And that one day of shooting netted Rye a payment of $30,000.
In the past five years, prices for filming permits in Rye ranged from $1,000-$45,000 “depending upon the ask,” according to City Clerk Noga Ruttenberg.
Jennifer Lawrence shot parts of her 2023 romantic comedy “No Hard Feelings” at Manursing Island Club.
Other TV series that have been in town include NBC’s “Blacklist,” “FBI,” and “FBI: Most Wanted” and Amazon Prime’s “Mr. Robot.”
The city requires a permit for both private and public property.
File photo/Rye Record
Especially for filming permits on public property, determining pricing can be trickier, however, as logistical factors, such as disruption to residents, use of parking, and overtime pay for the Rye Police Department, must be taken into account.
Ruttenberg did not specify how the city uses the profits from the permits.
Neither Skechers nor Stewart’s teams responded to The Record’s requests for the Super Bowl commercial’s cost. Manheimer similarly did not disclose how much it cost Skechers to film on the Wainwright property.
“Showcasing Rye on screen has been a huge source of pride for our residents,” Usry told the outlet. “They love seeing their town in the spotlight.”
