Editing Schenectady, New York (section)

==Representation in popular culture==
Due to its early importance in national history and the economy, Schenectady figured in popular culture.

===Fiction===
*In author [[Jacqueline Woodson]]'s memoir [[Brown Girl Dreaming]], the main character's friend Maria travels to Schenectady.<ref>{{cite web |title=Brown Girl Dreaming|url=https://lgnavigators.weebly.com/uploads/5/8/5/2/58521739/brown_girl_dreaming.pdf |website=lgnavigators.weebly.com |access-date=October 15, 2024}}</ref>
* Author [[Henry James]] gave his lead character Daisy Miller, in his [[Daisy Miller|1878 novella of the same name]], an origin in Schenectady.
* Schenectady is referred to or the setting for several of [[Kurt Vonnegut]]'s books, most notably [[Hocus Pocus (novel)|''Hocus Pocus'']] and [[Player Piano (novel)|''Player Piano'']].
* [[Doctor Octopus]], a [[Marvel Comics]] [[supervillain]], was born in Schenectady.
* [[Joseph S. Pulver]], Sr.'s [[Lovecraftian]] [[serial killer]] novel, ''Nightmare's Disciple'' ([[Chaosium]], 1999) is set in Schenectady.
* Science fiction writer [[Isaac Asimov]] placed the corporate headquarters and factory of [[U.S. Robots and Mechanical Men]], Inc. (fictional 21st century manufacturer of robots) in Schenectady.
* Science fiction writer [[Harlan Ellison]] said that anytime a fan or interviewer asked him "Where do you get your ideas?", he would reply "Schenectady".<ref>[http://www.doorly.com/writing/HarlanEllison.htm Interview with Harlan Ellison] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120903061554/http://www.doorly.com/writing/HarlanEllison.htm |date=September 3, 2012 }}, Doorly</ref> Science fiction writer [[Barry Longyear]] subsequently titled a collection of his short stories ''It Came From Schenectady''.<ref>[http://www.sff.net/people/bblongyear/ItSchenectady.html "It Came From Schenectady"], Science Fiction Fans</ref>

===Film and TV===
* In ''[[Objective, Burma!]]'' (1945), Sid Jacobs (William Prince) tells Mark Williams (Henry Hull) about his house at 791 Crane Street in Schenectady. He had taught at Pleasant Valley school before the war.
* In the 1952 [[Looney Tunes]] short ''[[Fool Coverage]]'', [[Daffy Duck]] plays an insurance salesman from the Hotfoot Casualty Underwriters Insurance Company of Schenectady.
* In the 1950s television series ''[[The Honeymooners]]'', Trixie's mother is from Schenectady.
* ''[[The Way We Were]]'' (1973) was filmed on location at Union College, and in nearby [[Ballston Spa, New York|Ballston Spa]].
* The 1980s film ''[[Heart Like a Wheel (film)|Heart Like a Wheel]]'' is mostly set in Schenectady.
* The 1996 made-for-TV film ''[[Unabomber: The True Story]]'' starring Robert Hays as David Kaczynski, brother of unabomber [[Ted Kaczynski]], refers to Schenectady, where David and his wife were living when they figured out his brother's involvement in the bombings.
* ''[[The Time Machine (2002 film)|The Time Machine]]'' (2002), the remake starring [[Guy Pearce]], features Schenectady's Central Park in the ice skating scenes, standing in for New York City's Central Park.
* ''[[Synecdoche, New York]]'' (2008) is a film partially set in Schenectady, where some scenes were shot. It plays on the aural similarity between the city's name and the figure of speech [[synecdoche]].
* In the ABC-TV series ''[[Ugly Betty]]'', Marc St. James (played by [[Michael Urie]]) is said to be from Schenectady.
* ''[[Winter of Frozen Dreams]]'' (2009) was entirely filmed in Schenectady County, but is set in Wisconsin, where the historic events took place. It features the Schenectady, the [[Rotterdam (town), New York|Town of Rotterdam]], and the Village of Scotia, all in New York. The film stars [[Thora Birch]] as Barbara Hoffman, the historic Wisconsin murderer, and [[Keith Carradine]] as a detective determined to catch her.
* ''[[The Place Beyond the Pines]]'' (2013), starring [[Bradley Cooper]] and [[Ryan Gosling]], was filmed locally in 2011 near the Schenectady Police Headquarters and other areas of Schenectady.
* In the NBC sitcom ''[[Will & Grace]]'', Schenectady is the hometown of character [[Grace Adler]] (played by [[Debra Messing]]).

===Music===
* The music video for the song "[[Hero (Mariah Carey song)|Hero]]" by [[Mariah Carey]] was filmed at [[Proctors Theatre]] in Schenectady.<ref>{{cite web |title=Proctors Theatre Near Albany, NY |url=https://www.albany.com/hotspot/proctors/ |website=albany.com |access-date=December 11, 2019}}</ref>
* The song "[[Someone to Love (Fountains of Wayne song)|Someone to Love]]" by [[Fountains of Wayne]], refers to fictional character Seth Shapiro moving from Schenectady in 1993 to [[Brooklyn]].
* The song "Join the Circus", the last major number in [[Cy Coleman]]'s musical [[Barnum]], mentions the city in its lyric.