PBS Television Show on ‘Eddie & the Cruisers’ in Somers Point, NJ

This is major breaking news.

PBS Television was in Somers Point, New Jersey yesterday, filming interviews for an upcoming television program on the movie “Eddie & the Cruisers’ and the legendary Tony Mart’s location in Somers Point, New Jersey.

The PBS television series called, “Here’s The Story” interviewed a number of people, including Carmen Marotta, Don Hurley, Charlie Falkenstein and others.

Carmen Marotta is the son of club owner and impresario Tony Mart. Carmen has a great command of the history and the significance of what happened in Somers point, at Tony Mart's in the Spring of 1982.

Here is Carmen Marotta, (below) during the summer of 1982 during the filming of “Eddie & The Cruisers,” where Carmen served as the bartender at Tony Mart's in the movie.

Don Hurley is also providing his own personal interview recordings with Michael Pare, Michael “Tunes” Antunes, Helen Schneider and others to PBS for this great project.

Don’s interviews with these key “Eddie & the Cruisers” figures are priceless.

The PBS “Here’s The Story,” Executive Producer, Host and field interviewer is Steve Rogers.

We’re very lucky that Roger’s has taken this interest in “Eddie & the Cruisers” and the Somers Point, New Jersey, Tony Mart angle.

I learned yesterday that Rogers believes that New Jersey often gets an undeserved bad rap.

Rogers enjoys making intellectually honest and positive stories - television programs about New Jersey.

At the time of “Eddie & the Cruisers” 40th Anniversary in 2022, we interviewed Carmen Marotta, Michael “Tunes” Antunes, John Cafferty of the iconic John Cafferty and The Beaver Brown Band and “Eddie & the Cruisers” movie drummer, David Wilson.

Wilson, who played drummer (Kenny Hopkins) from Eddie & The Cruisers (the movie) told us:

"I can't believe it's been 40 years since we filmed the movie in Somers Point. I actually filmed scenes with Tom Berenger right down from here on the boardwalk in Atlantic City, where in the movie I was playing a Black Jack dealer."

"The experience is still vivid with me today. We caught lightning in a bottle with what we learned was a true ensemble cast with Michael Pare, Tom Berenger, Joe Pantoliano, Matthew Laurence, Michael Tunes Antunes, and myself,” said Wilson.

"The music of John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band and a great story made Eddie & The Cruisers a lasting piece of movie and music history. I'm so proud to be associated with this great project," said Wilson.

We caught up with John Cafferty in a live, on-air interview, who shared the following with us:

"We were a bar band, but a very premiere bar band, who had a dream like every other band to make it in this business and get a record deal. Working hard led us to Hollywood and our work in the movies landed us the record deal we'd been dreaming about and took us around the world."

"We've got a greatest hits album coming out later this month, which we hope will lead to a new album later this year. So we're celebrating the past, the present, and the future all at once. We've learned to take nothing for granted," said Cafferty.

Not to be outdone in the looking good for your age department is the legendary saxophonist Michael "Tunes" Antunes, who is now 84 years old and looks 20 years younger.

We also caught up with "Tunes.” Here are his thoughts about "Eddie & The Cruisers."

"It's been an honor to have been associated with Eddie & The Cruisers from the beginning of the project. Between the movie and the music, it is still something which has remained strong in peoples' hearts...and mine too."

"And, now it's 40 years later and people still have such a great connection to the movie and our music with John Cafferty & The Beaver Brown Band."

"It might surprise people to know I never spoke a word in either of the movies, and yet people know ! was speaking directly to them with my heart, presence, and the music itself. I'm truly honored to be associated with a world-class band, and a movie which still touches peoples' hearts to this day," said Tunes.

Here are some additional Don Hurley photos from yesterday’s interviews for the upcoming PBS “Eddie & the Cruisers” project.

NOTE: John Cafferty & The Beaver Brown Band will be performing on America's Independence Day on Thursday, July 4, 2024 at the award-winning Somers Point Beach Concert series.

This iconic band never disappoints.

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