An old silent home-movie film of Times Square from 1966. The film was quite worn, but we did what we could and posted it here anyway. How much has it changed?
I was sixteen in 1969 and just got my drivers license. I drove with two other guys from Halifax, Nova Scotia down to New York City. We stayed at the Times Square Motor Inn. Spent four days in the Big Apple and saw all the sights (Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty, United Nations Building, Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall "The Rockettes!!!" etc.) We walked and walked all over the place. I was hoping to see the Yankees play but they were on the road. So we went out to Shea Stadium to see the Mets. It was a Saturday afternoon and Little League Day at Shea so all the kids that attended the game (around 30,000) were wearing their little league uniforms. The Mets played the Astros and won the game 4-0. Cleon Jones hit a two-run homer and Tom Seaver pitched a two-hitter gem. Of course that was the year the Mets went on to win the World Series. It was a wonderful trip with many great memories. 😊
We left NY in 1966, when I was 6. We arrived in Miami on 8-1-66--just outside of Coconut Grove and Biscayne Bay. What a paradise--swimming with fish and manatees, flying kites, riding bikes, climbing trees, playing ball, etc.
@@jennifersman7990 It was at the ground floor of the famous Brill building where so many 60's hit were written. They had records but their sheet music selection was the best!!
I was 5 weeks old when this was filmed. In some ways it is hard to believe that this was shot during my lifetime. Still, I would rather live in that lost world than the trashcan we live in now.
"Battle of the Bulge" premiered in December of 1965. Two months earlier, in October of 1965, Warren Spahn appeared in his last Major League Baseball game for the SF Giants. Warren Spahn fought in the Battle of the Bulge.
I've been visiting NYC many times since 1967 and this is the Times Square I prefer vs. today with all the crowds, vaping, selfies and vendors. You can barely breathe walking through the crowd, especially in the summer.
I agree and I would rather see the traffic of then when it had real cars and buses instead of today when it looks like toys. I am a baby boomer who grew up in NYC during the Mad Men era.
Agreed. I don't mind a crowd so long as it is moving along, but there are too many reasons to stand still in Times Square anymore. What I really, really dislike about Times Square these days is the fake Elmos, the super heroes, the fake Mickey Mouses, all vying to be photographed with you.
April 8 was Good Friday in 1966. We were still living in South Bend at the time , but would move to New Jersey almost exactly one year later. Then I became immersed in the city's subway system. There used to be a Howard Johnson restaurant by Rockefeller Center that I remember.
1:27 The Horn and Hardart Automat, Yay! 2:28 The Allied Chemical building, my father worked for Allied. I was 15 in April of '66 and I while it wasn't in Manhattan, I went to the Murray the K's Easter Show at the Brooklyn Fox. It featured, Joe Tex, the Young Rascals, Mitch Ryder & the Detroit Wheels, Jay & the Americans, Little Anthony & the Imperials, Deon Jackson, the Shangri-Las, Patti LaBelle & the Bluebells, the Gentrys, the Royalettes. Was it better back then, it was to me! I'm 74, have a pretty good life and I'm in good health but I'd give up any years that I have left to go back and relive the 1960's!
I wish I could teleport to this era and make my way to a beauty salon or wig shop. This is a hairdresser’s dream era! Can’t imagine the variety of styles they had.
Minimum Wage was $1.40/hr and the subway fare in NYC 20 cents. and the Top TV shows were Bonanza, Lucy show, Andy Griffith Show, Gomer Pyle, and Batman
I was almost exactly a year away from being born. I still watch the old Batman TV series reruns and these are the kinda shots of "Gotham City" you'd see during the opening.
@@jamesmack3314 He probably wasn't drafted. If the government sent you a draft notice you just ignored it if you did not want to go. There was nearly 500,000 draft avoiders during the Vietnam War era and few were ever prosecuted. Its like jury duty notices, never show up the first time and don't except registered mail. Had a number jury notices and I never show. They don't won't me on jury anyways because everybody gets an innocent vote from me.
@@vanillaexplosion99 I like the jury duty analogy, but I thought it was a little harder to just ignore a draft notice than a jury duty notice. I’ve definitely tossed a few of the notices away.
@1:48- LOL - One juvenile digging in the crack of his pants and the other in the Beatles boots flipping off the camera man. Welcome to NYC 1966 style. Little did they know at the time, their antics are immortalized worldwide almost 60 years later.
Have you seen the pics of the college students on top of the roof at Geo. Wash. Univ. sunbathing in the 1930s and they are giving the finger to the cameraman?
It amazes me how the New York (notably, Manhattan) of the sixties seemed so much more authentic and livable (economically) than today. As an aside, to those noting that “everyone in this video is long dead, etc.,” please realize that this was 1966. Many of the young folks seen in this video are Baby Boomers and Silent Generation-era people. Many are very much alive in 2024.
I am. I worked there summer of 1967 and went there for fun regularly from suburbia. Much more interesting than the burbs. You had to be careful and "smart" but it was worth it. Never mugged my whole life. FOX puts it down for political reasons. They have their headquarters there and the Murdochs love it.
More livable? I doubt it. Back then new yorkers subsisted on processed junk like crisco, pop tarts, TV dinners, skimilk, margarine etc. Kudos to Millenials bringing back REAL foods 👏!!!
From about 1945 to 1965, I think Time Square was at its best; the flavor was just right. It was authentic, still somewhat nice, yet still had that seedy urban element. From the early 70s to mid 90s, the seedy element had gone too far. Now the commercial sterilization has gone too far. What happened to well-balanced authenticity? Bourgeois corporate money continues to kill the flavor.
It was still great when I was a teenager in the mid late 70s had a nice element of sleaze but I never had any issues and I was around that area a lot now it’s just completely gentrified and overdeveloped
New York has a long history of constant renewal. Parts of the city that were terrible slums are now trendy. Notice how many of the buildings in this film are less than 10 stories tall. Most or all of them have been replaced by much larger, modern structures. If this kind of evolution doesn't happen, a city dies.
Great comment. I'm fascinated by the arguments of times Square as a vile cesspool vs times Square as Disneyland, which is better and which is worse and why. I can see arguments on both sides
@@XxowendanxX As a resident in that period, it was exciting to live when Times Square was "dangerous". Hookers. strippers, drugs, pawn shops etc. Today it is sterile and too safe. FOX News demonizes it but it is their HQ. they are full of BS.
The thing I notice here and in other films and photos of big cities at that time is the taxis. The stereotype is of the old Checker cabs, but you see almost none of them. Most of the cabs seem to be Chevies, Fords, and Plymouths.
Yes, it's Times Square, but not ONE Broadway show is in evidence! (The "My Fair Lady" seen here is the film version.) While it's true most Broadway theaters are on the side streets next to Times Square, you would think you'd see a billboard for a show or at least SOMEthing. Interesting from this film to see Times Square without the TKTS booth; it didn't come in to play until 1973.
Hell hole....today? Back in those good 'ol days it was a cesspool of porn, crime, and prostitution. Not that I'm too crazy of the Disneyland that it has now become, but get real.
This is a bizarre comment. The people who (I guess) believe that New York is worse than this either have never visited or never lived in the city. This reads like someone who watches a lot of Fox “News” and believes all the incoherent nonsense that Trump spews. The funny thing is Fox “News” is headquartered in Manhattan and if I’m not mistaken it is the maybe second most visited place in the U.S. after probably Disney in Orlando. Didn’t realize so many people desire to visit a “garish hell hole”.
There was an arcade around there, I think it was next to a place called The Majestic Dance Hall. It is often confused with he arcade one 42nd, but the one I am remembering was on 45th or 46th.
@@kevinmadden1645 Not really. Lots of prostitutes keeping those seedy hotels in business. And drugs. And porn theaters. If you think life was better then, you probably weren't there.
@@kevinmadden1645 Actually it wasn't. The crime rate in NYC has dropped every year in the last 25 years except for a blip during the pandemic when people lost their jobs. Did you see "Taxi Driver"? That was the 70's. Not as safe as today.
@@hewitc The Crime Crackdown in the Nineties worked...but at Great Human Cost. Decriminalizing Narcotics would have been Better. The Economy, However, also improved during the Clinton Era. Computers and the Internet created a Lot of new jobs.
*Beautiful wide-open avenues. No stupid planters or annoying concrete barriers blocking lanes or ridiculous bike lanes causing manufactured artificial congestion.*
😂 you’re very observant! I’ve never been to New York (didn’t want to) but you should see the Small towns from this era. Beautiful old homes large oak trees not too much traffic. I guess all that’s gone forever.😢✌️
According to Wikipedia, on the day this video was shot i.e 8th April 1966, Leonid Brezhnev was elected unanimously as the party leader of communist party of Soviet Union. Time magazine released one of its most controversial cover "Is god dead?" and Two boys, aged 13 and 12, who ran away from their homes in North Carolina, sneaked on to a railroad box car and then found themselves locked inside for the next 13 days. The sealed car was carrying a cargo of nearly empty beer bottles to the Schlitz Brewing Company in Wisconsin, and for nearly two weeks, they survived by drinking small amounts of stale beer, until April 21, when they arrived in Milwaukee and workmen at the brewing company heard their cries for help
LOL at the beer-story! Thanks for sharing...I too usually heat to Wikipedia when I see a dated-vid like this to see what was going on that day. Now off to research those poor beer-swillers.
Between 1960 and 1970, NYC went from a relatively safe, clean place to a drug, crime infested pit. Could it have had something to do with all the social upheaval of the late 60’s?
Pretty sure people are working really really hard in Manhattan right now.😂 How did you even get this preposterous idea? Rent was hella more controlled AND affordable in Manhattan in the 50s and 60s. It's quite the opposite now... in the extreme. Everyone is hustling in Manhattan including the tourists. Everyone's hustling to get the most out of their money these days. No one is 'ppl dont work today', trust me. Great video btw. Nice to see a window back in time to my former stomping grounds. Love those two kids just chillin' and then flipping off the camera.
This is 6 months before I was born, in East Harlem... Times Square was looking pretty good and as you can see, a hit with the youngsters playing hooky... Unless it was Easter recess...😆
@@freespirit21newyork BULL. They were made of steel, and since they weren't hot-dip Galvanized, they were rust buckets. They also didn't have three-point seatbelts, airbags, or modern crumple zones. Crash Deaths/year topped out at over 50,000, at some point in the 1960s/1970s. These days, it's down to about 30,000, and that's counting motorcycle, bicycle, and pedestrian Deaths, in a Nation with at least one third more population.
@@drpoundsign yeah but these small cars are just totaled with 1 hit . They crumble, they cannot withstand, made cheap, seatbelts are death traps IMO The airbags are way better, too bad they didn't have them back in the 60s & 70s My Dad had a 225 Buick Electra and let me say I experienced it, I loved it. I was in a accident in it. And the damage was like a black & blue mark very minimal I respect your opinion and what you believe, but I believe differently and experienced differently.
Let’s also note this was just before Vietnam war threw us into chaos, around 1967-68 folks realized it was a quagmire. Within a couple years guys were coming back with a nasty drug habit and crime spiked. Unintended consequences indeed.
This 8mm reel’s are very interesting to watch here even though I wasn’t even born yet since this footage was shot back in the 60’s because this was during the time when construction on The World Trade Center was in motion & today all of those businesses that were seen in this reel are no longer around since many of the structures which had them had long ago been demolished.
Yes but it’s too annoying and expensive now, and it’s not worth all the hassle. So much of its culture and appeal is now gone. I would much rather have lived here in 1966, or 1976, or 1996… I’ve been here 17 years now and there’s very little keeping me here.
I was born June, 12 1966 on a Sunday....at 450 pm.... fact's!! Currently holding at 57 year's as of this writing....and seconds and minute's hour's day's months LoL 😆 Hahahahaha 🤪
@@jamesmack3314 The Obstetrics services of NYC Hospitals were completely Overwhelmed-Nine months later! The 1977 blackout, in contrast; spawned looting and riots. Future rappers got their boomboxes and turntables via the "five finger discount." They were making WAR-not LOVE-by then.
4:09 Some Captain of Industry in a 1966 navy blue Cadillac limo! Classic. Also love the movie marquees of Paul Newman and Dean Martin. Nice technique to pan across both.
Trivia - Times Square was formerly known as the British term “Longacre” until The NY Times moved their HQ here in 1904 - and advertising popped up all over the area.
All those people are long dead. The cars are junked and the buildings have all crumbled slowly to the ground. Not a trace of '66 remains, just a fog of moldy memories.
I don’t get it. People in the comments talk about how great it was back then, but when you look at reports, most people hated it. It was dangerous and violent and mafia ran a lot of stuff. Sounds pretty desperate to me.
mixed comments as usual if Giuliani was around in the 70's n 80's ..he would of shut shyt down ..all the bums that brag today how they got away with shit wouldn't say shit
The Past is always Romanticized... 50 years from today, people will glorify our tranquility, our love of each other and especially our peaceful co-existence.
@@user-ne3yw2cu6c So true. I don’t know it’s annoying or just frustrating to read comments where “things were so great”. No they weren’t please stop lying to yourself.
I looked up the weather for that day. The high temperature was 50 degrees. I noticed the temperature displayed on one of the signs was 48 degrees which was the temperature just after noon.
As a kid I lived in the Bronx until 1974. The city was safe, but during the mid 70s and through the 80s NYC was a war zone. MY parents had enough and we moved to the southwest part the U.S. During the 90s we went back when Giuliani was mayor and NYC was relatively safe. However the WOKE mayor's current and previous have ruined NYC. The city is now cesspool ILL never go back.
I think New York will somehow survive you not visiting. Giuliani was not that great as a mayor. I think a certain type of person has to tell themselves that New York is terrible. Just like they do with cities especially in the north and west because they have to reinforce their world view. What’s funny is that “cesspool” New York has a trillion dollar plus economy. Pretty good for a “cesspool”. I’m gonna leave the “WOKE” thing alone, from what I see very unsophisticated morons tend to use the term as shorthand for their prejudices. Hardly worth it.
The FLYING Fickle Finger of Fate...from "Laugh-In." That was a GREAT show! Goldie Hawn got her start as the Go-Go Dancer. Your Dad probably remembers The Flying Burrito Brothers.
My parents were 18, 19 years old running around Manhattan! I spent a good portion of my youth in Times SQ commuting via Port Authority in the 70's & 80's and worked there for a couple of years. It was seedy & gritty. I didn't see any degenerates in the film, then again it was mid-day. TS was totally different after Mayor Guilianni brought in Disney / ABC/ ESPN and cleaned up the XXX movie shows and sex shops.
Yes, that is possible. I don't know your age. If you're under the age of 35, you may not be aware that during the thriving age of cinemas and drive-in movies, many were what was called, "Second run" theaters. These were theaters that showed a previously popular movie at discount prices, and the movies that appeared were ones that were typically about 4-6 months after their initial release to theaters and when they showed up after their release date depended on the movie's overall appeal, however, even really popular and successful movies found their way to the second run theaters fairly quickly because movie studios have release date schedules they had to keep to, no matter how popular a movie may still be. It gets moved along to the second run theaters. Times have changed so much with streaming platforms and smaller studios. My question about this video is I wonder how many of these movie theaters ended up X-Rated theaters by the mid 70's due to the success of suburban multiple screen complexes starting off with the Showcase Theater chain, especially the theater in this video named, "Victoria" theater, that has the Dean Martin movie on the marquee, "The Silencers". With a name like, Victoria, tailor made to become a porn theater.
@@drpoundsign Do you mean as recently as 2022? It was released to first run multiplex theaters that have multiple screens, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the movie itself. Theater chains gladly reserved a screen for a movie that millions had seen either in a theater when it was initially released, or younger audiences who watched it from the DVD. It was a chance for older audiences to repeat the experience of seeing it on the big screen with high quality sound again, and to give those that had only seen it via DVD at home on a large TV screen. Seeing it in the theaters is not the same as seeing it at home, even if it is on a large TV screen.
Back before multiplex theaters it was common for first run movies in New York to play at the same theater for a few months. Nowadays, films disappear after a week.
It's cool seeing what NYC was like when I was 3.. not much has changed except the cars have different shapes and people have tiny televisions in their pockets but besides that not much has changed because we're too close to it it takes about 100 to 150 years to really see a difference. And humans then we'll have a different perspective than we do now.
