84 Charing Cross Road

Mel Brooks bought Anne Bancroft the rights to the book "84 Charing Cross Road" for her birthday one year. They were husband and wife from 1964 to her death in 2005.

The history of the Marks & Co. bookstore is briefly outlined on their website. It states: "Benjamin Marks and Mark Cohen began bookselling in 1904, when they were both employed by the firm of Henry Sotheran, Ltd., an old established bookseller. Sotheran's is generally acknowledged as being the 'training school' for many of the leading booksellers of the twentieth century. When they decided to go into business together, Mark Cohen reluctantly agreed to his partner's suggestion that the firm be called Marks & Co., rather than Marks and Cohen, and the pair set up shop on Old Compton Street before moving first to No. 108 and then 106 Charing Cross Road. The façade of 108 Charing Cross Road has changed a great deal since the 1920s, but some things remain the same. '108' is still a book shop. The move to the shop next door came about, when Marks & Co. acquired the business of George W. Davis, who traded from No. 106. Davis was an acknowledged expert on the works of Charles Dickens, and with the purchase of this firm, Marks & Co. found themselves with possibly the best stock of Dickensia in London. In 1928, probably as part of the takeover deal, Marks & Co. published a short bibliography of The Pickwick Papers written by Davis. The shop now had two areas of specialization, the other being that of Freemasonry and the Occult and, indeed, a whole floor would be devoted to these subjects when the business moved to No. 84. In addition, Marks & Co. held a good stock of general books, plus bound sets of popular authors, topography, natural history, and modern first editions."

The dramatic device of "breaking of the fourth wall" (i.e., speaking directly to the camera) was done in an unusual way in this movie, as whenever Helene Hanff (Anne Bancroft) speaks directly into the camera, she is speaking to her correspondent, Frank P. Doel (Sir Anthony Hopkins), and when Doel speaks to the camera, he is speaking to Hanff. This did not originate in the screenplay but in the stage play.

Helene Hanff's former apartment house at 301 E. 72nd Street in New York City, has been named "Charing Cross House" in her honor. A brass plaque at the entrance commemorates her residence and her authorship of her book "84 Charing Cross Road." When Frank holds up a bundle of Helene's letters the return address is the actual address.

In real life, Helene Hanff (1916-1997) had to struggle to get by. She wrote over twenty plays, none of which were ever produced. While this movie refers to her writing for the television show The Adventures of Ellery Queen (1950), she wrote only three episodes. Her other television work was scattered and, for the most part, was for one-shot efforts. She did not see true success until after publishing two books that related to Marks & Co. (84, Charing Cross Road and The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street) and the stage, movie, and television versions of 84, Charing Cross Road.