Jennifer Lopez is developing a new Amazon Prime video series about Manhattan’s most famous all-women residence in the 1970s.
The 52-year-old Marry Me star’s project, titled Backwards in Heels, is set to follow the “rising and timeless story about the glamorous women who lived in the Barbizon Hotel in New York City after World War II,” according to Deadline .
Oscar nominee Richard LaGravenese has already signed on to write and direct the film, while Lopez, Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas and Benny Medina will produce as part of their Nuyorican Productions with Julie Goldstein.
Upcoming: Jennifer Lopez is developing an Amazon Prime Video series Backwards in Heels about Manhattan’s most famous all-women residence in the 1970s; seen in May 2021
Past celebrity guests and tenants of the property include Rita Hayworth, Joan Crawford, Grace Kelly, Lauren Bacall, Betty Buckley and more.
The Barbizon Hotel at 140 East 63rd Street on the Upper East Side was a place young women flocked as they sought job opportunities in post-war America.
According to Deadline, “Men were not allowed on the first floor, and strict dress codes and codes of conduct were enforced.”
Familiar Faces: Past famous guests and tenants of the property include Rita Hayworth, Joan Crawford, Grace Kelly, Lauren Bacall, Betty Buckley and more; Grace Kelly pictured in 1955
Wild story: Judy Garland reportedly drove the staff crazy by calling every three hours to check on her daughter, Liza Minnelli (pictured in 1972. If she wasn’t in her room, they were ordered to find her
Soaring 23 stories into the Manhattan sky, developers completed the imposing salmon-colored brick Gothic building in 1927. a dining room, a library and a daily housekeeping service.
They hoped to attract the single and stylish jazz-age women who were suddenly flocking to New York City to pursue their dreams of fame, independence, and a wealthy husband.
The expansive lobby was decorated with large potted plants, rich oriental rugs, sumptuous furniture and warm antique lanterns. Complimentary afternoon tea was served daily which came in handy for the girls who didn’t have money.
In good company: the American poet Sylvia Plath is also known to have lived in the building
Some guests were even assigned companions. Judy Garland drove staff crazy by calling every three hours to check on her daughter, Liza Minnelli. If she wasn’t in her room, they were ordered to find her.
No men were allowed on the lobby floor without strict supervision, but that doesn’t mean they didn’t try. Countless young suitors tried to disguise themselves as doctors, fathers, priests. While others tried their luck by cramming themselves into dumbwaiters. Mrs. Sibley called it the “oldest gag in the Barbizon”.
According to Paulina Bren’s book The Barbizon: The Hotel That Set Women Free, even male elevator drivers were swapped for females at sunset.
For approval, the hotel’s assistant manager, Mae Sibley, required three references from all potential tenants, confirming their good moral character. She rated women by family, appearance, dress, and demeanor, and quietly rated the quality of each applicant as A, B, or C. “A” were under the age of twenty-eight. Bs were between twenty-eight and thirty-eight, and Cs, well, they were over the hill,” Bren wrote.
An iconic building, the Barbizon Hotel at 140 East 63rd Street on the Upper East Side was a place young women flocked when they sought job opportunities in post-war America
The Barbizon’s happier days were all but over by the 1970s. As New York City collapsed on the brink of bankruptcy, so did the hotel. Crime rates were skyrocketing, and even the fortress, which had long prided itself on protecting its residents, was not immune.
In 1975, one of the hotel’s oldest residents, Ruth Harding, 79, was found strangled to death in her eleventh-floor room. The crime remains unsolved to this day.
The hotel was mixed up in 1981 and converted into luxury condominiums in 2007.