On an overcast day in Long Island City, Queens, across from the East River from Manhattan, a nondescript building at the foot of the Queensboro Bridge is abuzz with heavily accented cabbie banter and the repeated sound of metal clinking on the concrete floor. "No problem. In and out. They said it would be no problem," one agitated client exclaims. A long wire, like a stray hair, sticks out of the yellow roof where the car's signature TAXI light should be. The friendly attendant--his name, Jimmy, written in red letters on his breast pocket--listens sympathetically.

It's the eve of New York City's November 30 taxi fare hike, and Al Gallego is a busy man. A self-proclaimed "meter man," Al's the owner of Oldee Taxi Instruments Corp., one of 23 licensed businesses that provide the city's fleet of more than 13,000 taxicabs with shiny new medallions and upgraded meters that will tick away riders' time at a slightly higher rate. Looking to tap Gallego's sublime taxi knowledge, I ask, "What is the light on top of the taxi called?" "We call that the taxi light." Right.

However, as indicated by an upside-down sign leaning against the garage wall--a sign that reads, "We buy used taxis"-- Gallego is not merely a meter man. He is meter man to the stars. In an effort to diversify his business, Al started buying up old taxicabs and shifting his clientele from largely law-abiding cabbies to Hollywood producers. Oldee's more glamorous sister company, Taxidepot, provides customized cabs and vintage meters for motion pictures and commercials. To the untrained eye, the movie magic in Gallego's exposed-to-the-elements, barbed-wire taxi lot is not immediately apparent, but the collection is impressive. There are London cabs from the early '70s--one red, one white, one black--purchased sporadically on eBay. There is a lone Checker cab alongside more contemporary models.

The differences between cabs from different years can be trivial, but producers are particular. "The '02 models have larger doors," notes Gallego. "They [the people making movies and commercials] want the cars to look as close to authentic as possible, so I customize each cab to the job." Thus, between gigs for the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission, Oldee's mechanics are hard at work keeping clients free of the cinematic goofs tracked by movie geeks at IMBD.com. Imagine a movie set in the 1970s featuring a meter that didn't come out until 1982! Down to the rate card, the partition, and the rooftop advertising, it is Gallego's business to get it all just right. His credits, meanwhile, include Batman & Robin, The Day After Tomorrow, and The Sopranos, the latter of which accounted for the strangest request he's received to date.

"For The Sopranos, I had to lift a vehicle high enough for it to run over a dummy without dragging it behind. They had to use the Isuzu Minivan. It's the only one that would work."

--LIZ McDANIEL