Bowery Boogie | A Lower East Side Chronicle

New York on Film in the 1970s

Posted: November 18, 2009 at 6:18 am

Later tonight, the 92Y Tribeca is hosting a free screening of four 16 mm film prints from the New York Public Library.  Each of the short films – Bowery Men’s Shelter, Crosby Street, Huberts, Coney Island – captures the essence of New York City during the 1970s.  The event kicks off at 6:30 pm in the 92YTribeca Screening Room, 200 Hudson Street.

[Photo via 92YOnline]

Bowery Men’s Shelter (10 min)
Bowery Men’s Shelter is the portrait of the many alcoholics, drug addicts and ex-mental patients at a men’s shelter on East 3rd St in the early ’70s.
Directors: Tony Ganz and Rhody Streeter. 1972.

Crosby Street (18 min)
Crosby Street is a short that reveals the various social and economic degrees on the streets of New York City. The film includes interviews with the various residents, merchants and homeless.
Director: Jody Saslow. 1975.

Huberts (7 min)
A nostalgic look at Hubert’s Flea Circus and Museum on West 42nd St in the early ’70s, Huberts shows us a world on the brink of extinction.
Directors: Vicki Polon, Rhody Streeter and Tony Ganz. 1972.

Coney Island (8 min)
“Made by two teen filmmakers in the early 1970s, Coney Island is an ode to Coney Island’s appeal and history as an urban summer refuge begins onboard a crowded F subway train. The fishing pier, the beach and Astroland arcade and amusement park rides, including the famous Cyclone rollercoaster, are explored to the accompaniment of a lively jazz soundtrack, sounds of summer and insights from locals and lovers of Coney Island. Historical photographs are used to illustrate remembrances of Coney Island’s exuberant past.”—NYPL
Directors: Steve Siegel and Phil Buehler. 1973.

New York on Film in the 1970s, 92YTribeca, 200 Hudson Street