Times Square in the 1980s: A Short Documentary
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- čas přidán 19. 08. 2024
- A Film by Steve Siegel. Pre-Disneyfied Times Square at night -- as it existed in the 1980s. This is an excerpt from my longer film, "Dream City" (also on CZcams).
Music by Von Cello. Contact: / voncello
My photo website:
stevensiegelpho...
I remember playing in Playland back in the late 80s/early 90s. Back when you could put your quarter up and have 'next'.
I remember seeing Space Invaders for the first time at Playland in 1978 or 79. I was about eight at the time. It blew my mind.
Quarter up..there's a term I haven't heard in years!
@@gorillaump5869 well they still do it.on pool tables in bars today
Often, footage like this portrays a grim, gritty, and hopeless time in a city's history. In its chaos, it was also a beautiful and special time in NYC. Without it, the world would've been deprived of so much Art, Music, fashion, and culture that still resonates and is searched for almost a half-century later. To grow up during these times was amazing. Our world didn't look like this all the time. We woke up, watched cartoons, ate cereal, went to school, and played in parks while having an innocent sense of wonder -but we could also navigate this madness if need be. It definitely wasn't a tourist-friendly city, even though tourists stimulated NYC's economy, both on the legal and illegal side of things.
I enjoyed the video, even though some of the frame rates made me feel like I was watching 1940's Newsreel footage. Thanks for the post.
The music @3:00 is just oozing with 80s city vibe energy.. love it. Wish it was like this today..
Me too!
Cities always seem more “fun”, when they had their “grit”, but don’t be fooled.... things weren’t always fun. A lot of people were struggling to survive, and there were many victims of crimes too.
Although I hate gentrified cities with no flavor, you still don’t want to live in a city with 100% grimey-ness either.
It’s a double edged sword indeed.
It feels like we are headed back there sometimes
@FN-1701AgentGodzillaRangerPrime Ω In 1985, 16th birthday, my older cousins took me for what was a rite of passage for every high school boy in NY/NJ/Conn area- to the Live Sex Peep Shows on 42nd!
i prefer the grimey-ness, just make sure to admire it from a distance
The good old days they’ll never come back but at least we have the memories
You dont see it fucked up now with a shitty mayor closed businesses crime everywhere bums all over along with garbage yea reminds of the 80s real well
Everything was so different and simple back then. All over and around the world. People do dumb crazy things now people just don't care anymore nowadays.
this is really good. i like it because of the audio. the voices are sorta just "there". it's subdued. i dunno exactly how to explain it, but the piece works. oh, i know how to describe it. it's CINEMA VERETE. there. that's the category of filmmaking it definitely falls under.
totally agree. It's very cool
nice...
I remember Times Square W 42nd St NYC in the 80s. I was a kid and me, my brother and my mom had to drive down there to pick up my sister when she was addicted to drugs and drive back to Jamaica Queens NY 😩
Very cool !.. I have memories of nyc.. must've been around mid/late 70s. Being a young kid and seeing seedy times square stuff. .. riding subway. Hanging out with my mom when she lived in the big apple, And I was visiting. Always loved the hot dog venders and pretzels. Went back several years ago and visited... just NOT the same...remember when they would put those fake boards in the windows of abandoned buildings in the south bronx? To make it look like their was a flowerpot and window pane?? LOL .. cheers.
I remember that! Good times! ❤
what I would give to go back in time I miss the duece!
OMG me too!
Starting 1:12 there's a feel of mjs beat it, all arcade like, baseball caps, dirt, amateuristic street swagger. I am lucky l still remember the tail end of that decade, and the start of the 90s kinda had that vibe in a dying way. Going to arcade with my buddies and smoking marlboros red was the thing.
i feel like I just traveled back in time
My entire childhood in playland. Hopping trains to times square just to spend a few quarters
The Times Square I know and love before Giuliani then Bloomberg ruined it with that lousy pedestrian plaza! I don't know what that is now. It still smells the same though.
Qboro66 It was violent as fuck too
Lol If you think Bloomberg ruined it I'd love to hear you're thoughts on Deblasio
@Kahinur Nessa maybe better for clueless numbnut tourists like yourself but to those of us who were born and raised in the city during the 60's and the early 70's, it seemed to lose a certain NYC uniqueness only REAL New Yorkers would understand.
@@magtinfal7908 the damage was already done and now that we're in the age of COVID-19, forget de Blasio Trump is trying to drive the nail in NYC's coffin.
@@Qboro66 Ok, explain to me how Trump has done anything bad the NYC during this entire outbreak. Go whine about Cuomo, the guy YOU voted for that's actually causing this
New York city actually had a Culture at one time...
Vaporwave vibes are surging through my body
I remember Playland and the Broadway Arcade on 7th
It actually started slowly cleaning up in the '80s. AIDs and video tape porn put the kabosh on the live porn scene. Plus Prudential & other businesses started setting up there. Then entertainment rebirth in the '90s. The true era of seediness was the '70s.
1985, big year
Thank you for sharing this great film. Love it!!
fuckin frightening. I love it. Imagine taking acid amidst all this chaos
That was amazing in every way.
Fucking playland a spend many days there
Yoooo!! I used to play that Mario Bros. game next to Dragons Liar. I stayed in Playland. Dangerous place tho.
It wasn’t dangerous
This was when Times Square was fun!
back when new york had actually personality
Still does
@@nocturnalrecluse1216 NO IT DOESN'T
@@hereisayana8207+ How so?
@@nocturnalrecluse1216 about 80% of Ny'ers moved away and new different immigrants live there now. They don't bring the same vibe, swag, or energy etc.... Also a lot of wealthy people from other states live there now... NY isn't as cool, HIP as it used to be!
@@hereisayana8207 Why are you so racist?
Wow, i still remember those days. There was also an arcade in the train station at Madison Square Garden. 42nd St was nothing but porn, cheap movie theaters, and arcades.
In the 60’s u could go to TS a couple bucks see a double feature then off to Tads steakhouse or Tofunettis(forgive my spelling) for all you can eat place
Old school New York love it good old days
Times square in the 80s was a Travis Bickle jungleland
Omg i LOVED PLAYLAND
I miss the sleaze.
There's no place like home.
I truly miss the days of going to arcades and actually using my skills to prolong entertainment while meeting new folks. Arcades were easy, safe, secure places where you met and hook up with anyone and since everyone has similar hobbies the hook ups were easy and friendly. Today it is hard to find people who you can date, because the arcades and places like them are long gone and there aren't any safe, secure environments anymore. Most environments we have now are dangerous and if you are alone it can end badly, especially with the sociopaths who can't take rejection well. 😢 The 1980s and 90s were great decades in finding sane, good people.
Back when NYC was GOOD and REAL!!!!
I lived @ the Carter back then; hung out @ TS nightly. Brings back great memories; what a shame the bastards had to gentrify the Deuce!
The Cater, dam you must have some wild stories. The Elk hotel on 42nd and 9th ave and Show World on 42nd and 8th just closed. The Cater hotel and Atkins Liquor store on 49th between 8th and 9th aves are the last remnants from the old gritty Times Square. Once they renovate the port authority bus terminal that's it....its over.
Classic. Holland hotel was another one..
I stayed at the Carter.
@@cuthbertjolly4859….. and lived to tell the tale
real good stuff
Does anybody know the name of the music? And yeah, this is when New York City was cool.
It’s in the video description, where it typically is found...
What is that song that starts at 2:50?? I can imagine it ONLY being released on 42nd street, haha; or just for this film.
Download the app Shazam on your phone and play the video song on your computer... Shazam on your phone will pick it up and tell you the name of it
Checkout documentary here on youtube “The gods of times square”
I wish I would have went to New York in the 1980s but I didn't live in the United States I did however got to go to New York and stay in New York in 2007 up until 2 2010 and I move back to Minnesota but I love New York💜💋🌎
Transfer the money and power to narcissists with college educations and suits. Clean the area up and make it look sanitized and feel safe. Meanwhile, keep the same vices going underground, now controlled by the corporate narcissists, sociopaths, psychopaths and Americans will go on with their daily lives and not ask a single question...until it hits too close to home! And that's how narcissists, sociopaths, psychopaths do it folks!
That clown mask was nice and creepy
'85?
Straight to Ms pac man in the back right corner
Go to 42 street now is depressing no theater no cops nothing but plenty of of drugs but no financial movement which means its either dead or in life support according to the mayor is great but I disagree
From Porn Square to Corp Square in 40 years. That's Times Sqaure.
Back to the future
I missed the arcade room.
Hello Steven! Quick question. How can I view this longer documentary and, if someone is working on a video of their own, is it alright by you if parts of your video are shown? Anything shown, your channel be credited of course, directing viewers to your channel and the full documentary. Not for my channel but a much bigger one. Just wanted to check! If not, totally understandable! Thank you for your time! You have a great channel .
Whats the name of the song that starts at 2:46 please!!!
Whats that hip hop song called though sounds gritty
Hi Steven, can I get permission to use some of your clips in a film I'm making?
I wish I was old enough to remember these times seems like New York was normal back then
Normal?? The city was on its last legs ..no one did shit to help this city no wonder why people were so Negative in these days
*ONE DOLLAH ONE DOLLAH*
Thank God NYC cleaned itself and became more livable. The city was an absolute dump in the 80s
Marionette Puppets are cool
Hello, how can I contact you about being able to use one shot for a documentary I am working on?
Seriously, u coukdnt have made that vid any more interesting
I feel sorry for your mama
Haaaa that was funny
Wha wha
Your work?
well done but it looks closer to 1970..
Spent alot of time and money at Playland.
I could see New York didn't change a bit from 1980 to 2018
It changed A LOT.... This flavor is GONE
Uh ? It definitely changed
Yea with the shitty mayor we've had its worse than the 80s
I feel like the 80s tryed to be like 70s
I disagree
Jajaja jonkies commenting in favor of violence, drugs and mafia. is that what it takes to be cool?? aren´t you hearing the video´s girl? you are too busy with the music and lights
When the Westies ruled hell's kitchen.
No ones goona mention the prostitution problem back then?
Because it wasn’t a problem unless you make it one
Back when the rape gangs roamed