Americana: The F.A.O. Schwartz Big Piano
The piano scene in F.A.O. Schwartz was the, uh, heart and soul of the movie Big. Uploaded by blogs.amctv.com.
F.A.O. Schwartz on 5th Avenue in New York is a fun place to visit, as much an experience as a store. But the highlight is the huge floor piano, featured in the Tom Hanks movie Big.
Uploaded by leburke.com.
F.A.O. Schwartz started as a family toy business, was bought out, expanded, bought and sold repeatedly, and finally declared bankruptcy in 2004. It was revived, downsized, and is now owned by Toys”R”Us. Fortunately, current management is smart enough to realize that the piano is what people now identify most closely with the brand.
The notoriety, of course, comes from the scene in Big where Tom Hanks and Robert Loggia “dance” to both “Chopsticks” and “Heart and Soul.” It was a delightful moment in a charming movie, and now want people want to try it for themselves when they come to New York.
Here’s the original scene that made the piano an icon, followed by what some people have been able to do with it since:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KosJK_ZMMu0&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8Yi6ITZtHg&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6]