what about 42 street between 6th and Broadway. there was some porn on that block, was there any trouble over there? when i was young as a teen(late 70’s) and visited midtown around the Radio City area my dad used to make a point of telling me not to go west of 6th Avenue because certain side streets were kind of unsavory. I used to love this part of midtown where the Radio City area melted into the theater district when you got west of 6th Avenue. it was kind of cool to be on 7th with all the porn and seeing those glittering skyscrapers rising above all the sleaze in the background
was there prostitution on B'way and 7th in the upper 40’s? I ask because there seemed to be an awful lot of porn from 46th to 50th both on 7th and B'way and even on side streets. 49th street between 7th and 8th especially looked like 42 street (raunchy titled theaters like the Ramrod etc) in fact i used to be intimidated to walk near 49th and B'way tho i never actually saw any criminals around there
I remember the World Theater well. It seemed like an oddity(sleaze, porn) to be on a street with those big skyscrapers rising from 6th Avenue(respectability)
I find viewing the new replacements on 8th to be dull because you don’t see any characters hanging around. The old shots of the Hollywood are cool because you can see how the surrounding area is a real red-light district with either characters, or no one there (‘cause many didn’t go there 'cause it was unsavory) and trash in the streets
gotta remember the fire house across the street from the Hollywood. attached to the fire house was a row of dingy tenements and the upper windows were abandoned. there was some kind of nasty bar at 772.
supposedly 50th street was the northern end of the “Minnesota Strip” for prostitution and drugs. was this true, was 50th and 8th as heavy with vice as farther down? In the 70’s the few times i walked past here it was pretty quiet but there was on afternoon where the atmosphere was terrible and we quickly walked off the avenue due to all the unsavory characters hanging around
the guy wearing the brim hat standing next to the prostitute, would you say that could be a pimp(didn’t they wear such hats back in the day?)? the 3 of them seem huddled close together hard to tell if the prostitute is moving about her business or if she/he is hanging with the other 2 guys
was the street activity and street people at 47th and 8th similar to 5 blocks to the south at 42nd and 8th? or was it any tamer? would one be using the same level of caution at 47th as they would at 42 street?
this is that spot across the street from the Hollywood Cinema. The structure was abandoned for years for as long i can remember. There had to be some kind of hotel or meeting spot in there because there were always down and out people hanging there
if you look at my link to the glennkenny post that shows Robert DeNiro walking in front of the theater you will see the bldg that the Arby’s became is overflowing with trash in 1976. looks like maybe the Arby’s came later in to replace that mess.
so it was an Arbys in 1979? I wonder how long for because B Smith’s opened in 1986. Take a look at the little doorway under the marque it’s in a tawdry blue. There’s some kind of lettering it looks like it may say “all” so my next guess is does it say “all girls”? it definitely has that kind of look.
I remember reading in one of the Manhattan papers that the Nightshift (described in 1982) was a dangerous place, especially at night, something about junkies
al-I zoomed in as close as i could on your american classic images post—the street looks filthy and it looks like a real red light district street. i could read the sign on the marquee about the new nightshift theater “coming soo ” it reads (it’s missing a letter). God does this take me back in time.
I met actor John Belushi in front of this theater on Columbus Day 1978. We recognized him immediately. This street was kind of schizoid as the theater made it look sleazy yet the tall buildings from 6th Avenue that reached over onto the street gave it an air of respectability. Seemed W 49th street especially between 7th and 8th was loaded with porno palaces—my dad told me there was a time when 49th west of 7th was in it’s own way as seedy as 42 street
Would you say the hotel at 790 between 48th-49th (a Loews Motor Inn in the 60’s, a Ramada Inn up to 1994, a Days Inn up to 2005, and currently a Hilton Garden Inn) had security and safety problems plaguing the hotel because of it’s location back in the days as a Ramada Inn? or did the bad guys tend to stay away from the tourist/traveller hotels that technically were not fleabags?
since the last XXX theater on 8th was the Adonis at 50th, was this the reason why there was no more Minnesota Strip north of 50th? I have actually seen things that said the MS went from 34th street to 59th street but 8th in the 50’s to me was just bland and dull, and i have never seen any action in the 50’s. '
In other words, when the porn disappears, so does the riff- raff?
when you crossed 7th avenue over by Duffy Sq by Tad’s was it any better or safer since you were getting closer to the “domino” skyscrapers along 6th avenue?
i had read an article that sometime around 1972 the cops had put up police barriers along 8th between 45th and 48th streets due to intolerable street conditions and that the owner of the old Acropolis restaurant had lost a significant chunk of it’s business because of the street conditions.
was it the closing of the old MSG in 1968 that caused this area’s decline?
was there prostitution and drugs spillover along the more legit and otherwise fairly decent sidestreets in the theater area and by the legit hotels like the Edison, President, Belvedere, by Schubert Alley and Mama Leone’s, or did that pretty much stay confined to 8th?
what was worse say in 1979, the Deuce (42 between 7-8th) or the Minnesota Strip (8th bet 42-50)?
i remember seeing the Hollywood’s revival on the news in 1981 (it was around February) with the newscaster talking about how the old theater showed Debbie Does Dallas and other XXX’s but the new one showed Casablanca, etc.
I don’t think I mentioned that we crossed the street but you’re right we sure hurried away from that scene quickly onto 47th toward the civility of Broadway. I’m sure it probably was a common thing for people to cross the street on 8th
And today that block is soo bland—the firehouse, jeans superstores, medical office, Starbucks
The firehouse at 782 opened in 1974, 3 years after the Hollywood opened. I wonder what was there
in it’s place before it was built
what about 42 street between 6th and Broadway. there was some porn on that block, was there any trouble over there? when i was young as a teen(late 70’s) and visited midtown around the Radio City area my dad used to make a point of telling me not to go west of 6th Avenue because certain side streets were kind of unsavory. I used to love this part of midtown where the Radio City area melted into the theater district when you got west of 6th Avenue. it was kind of cool to be on 7th with all the porn and seeing those glittering skyscrapers rising above all the sleaze in the background
was there prostitution on B'way and 7th in the upper 40’s? I ask because there seemed to be an awful lot of porn from 46th to 50th both on 7th and B'way and even on side streets. 49th street between 7th and 8th especially looked like 42 street (raunchy titled theaters like the Ramrod etc) in fact i used to be intimidated to walk near 49th and B'way tho i never actually saw any criminals around there
I remember the World Theater well. It seemed like an oddity(sleaze, porn) to be on a street with those big skyscrapers rising from 6th Avenue(respectability)
I find viewing the new replacements on 8th to be dull because you don’t see any characters hanging around. The old shots of the Hollywood are cool because you can see how the surrounding area is a real red-light district with either characters, or no one there (‘cause many didn’t go there 'cause it was unsavory) and trash in the streets
View link
gotta remember the fire house across the street from the Hollywood. attached to the fire house was a row of dingy tenements and the upper windows were abandoned. there was some kind of nasty bar at 772.
morally. heard the St Malachy Church had problems due to the area
they fixed up the 8th Ave area around the Ambassador really nice. just curious, say like 30 years ago was the corner of 49th and 8th a bad corner?
supposedly 50th street was the northern end of the “Minnesota Strip” for prostitution and drugs. was this true, was 50th and 8th as heavy with vice as farther down? In the 70’s the few times i walked past here it was pretty quiet but there was on afternoon where the atmosphere was terrible and we quickly walked off the avenue due to all the unsavory characters hanging around
Did Godspell play here in 1977? Was there a prostitution problem around the theater and the Ramada or was it decent?
the guy wearing the brim hat standing next to the prostitute, would you say that could be a pimp(didn’t they wear such hats back in the day?)? the 3 of them seem huddled close together hard to tell if the prostitute is moving about her business or if she/he is hanging with the other 2 guys
excellent photo do you have more of this section? should be 1971 or after as the H'wood opened in 71
was the street activity and street people at 47th and 8th similar to 5 blocks to the south at 42nd and 8th? or was it any tamer? would one be using the same level of caution at 47th as they would at 42 street?
www.frankjump.com/youngschmuck.html
this is that spot across the street from the Hollywood Cinema. The structure was abandoned for years for as long i can remember. There had to be some kind of hotel or meeting spot in there because there were always down and out people hanging there
if you look at my link to the glennkenny post that shows Robert DeNiro walking in front of the theater you will see the bldg that the Arby’s became is overflowing with trash in 1976. looks like maybe the Arby’s came later in to replace that mess.
so it was an Arbys in 1979? I wonder how long for because B Smith’s opened in 1986. Take a look at the little doorway under the marque it’s in a tawdry blue. There’s some kind of lettering it looks like it may say “all” so my next guess is does it say “all girls”? it definitely has that kind of look.
I remember reading in one of the Manhattan papers that the Nightshift (described in 1982) was a dangerous place, especially at night, something about junkies
al-I zoomed in as close as i could on your american classic images post—the street looks filthy and it looks like a real red light district street. i could read the sign on the marquee about the new nightshift theater “coming soo ” it reads (it’s missing a letter). God does this take me back in time.
was there a lot of crime on this section of 42 street (bet 6-7) or was most of it further west?
I met actor John Belushi in front of this theater on Columbus Day 1978. We recognized him immediately. This street was kind of schizoid as the theater made it look sleazy yet the tall buildings from 6th Avenue that reached over onto the street gave it an air of respectability. Seemed W 49th street especially between 7th and 8th was loaded with porno palaces—my dad told me there was a time when 49th west of 7th was in it’s own way as seedy as 42 street
Would you say the hotel at 790 between 48th-49th (a Loews Motor Inn in the 60’s, a Ramada Inn up to 1994, a Days Inn up to 2005, and currently a Hilton Garden Inn) had security and safety problems plaguing the hotel because of it’s location back in the days as a Ramada Inn? or did the bad guys tend to stay away from the tourist/traveller hotels that technically were not fleabags?
since the last XXX theater on 8th was the Adonis at 50th, was this the reason why there was no more Minnesota Strip north of 50th? I have actually seen things that said the MS went from 34th street to 59th street but 8th in the 50’s to me was just bland and dull, and i have never seen any action in the 50’s. '
In other words, when the porn disappears, so does the riff- raff?
when you crossed 7th avenue over by Duffy Sq by Tad’s was it any better or safer since you were getting closer to the “domino” skyscrapers along 6th avenue?
i had read an article that sometime around 1972 the cops had put up police barriers along 8th between 45th and 48th streets due to intolerable street conditions and that the owner of the old Acropolis restaurant had lost a significant chunk of it’s business because of the street conditions.
was it the closing of the old MSG in 1968 that caused this area’s decline?
was there prostitution and drugs spillover along the more legit and otherwise fairly decent sidestreets in the theater area and by the legit hotels like the Edison, President, Belvedere, by Schubert Alley and Mama Leone’s, or did that pretty much stay confined to 8th?
that’s supposedly Robert De Niro as Travis walking down 8th in 1976 around the time Taxi Driver came out
View link
go to this link you will see the Hollywood in 1976, check out the corner bldg which looks like it’s falling apart
what was worse say in 1979, the Deuce (42 between 7-8th) or the Minnesota Strip (8th bet 42-50)?
i remember seeing the Hollywood’s revival on the news in 1981 (it was around February) with the newscaster talking about how the old theater showed Debbie Does Dallas and other XXX’s but the new one showed Casablanca, etc.
I don’t think I mentioned that we crossed the street but you’re right we sure hurried away from that scene quickly onto 47th toward the civility of Broadway. I’m sure it probably was a common thing for people to cross the street on 8th
And today that block is soo bland—the firehouse, jeans superstores, medical office, Starbucks
The firehouse at 782 opened in 1974, 3 years after the Hollywood opened. I wonder what was there
in it’s place before it was built