New York in the 70s — Page 5

There was a huge Automat on the West side of Bway between 46th and 47th, and of course Nedicks and Orange Julius.
In Shubert Alley where Juniors now is was a restaurant called Ma Bells,you could have a phone brought to your table and make a phone call.
Sometimes we would hang out at Ted Hooks Backstage, next to the Hirschfeld where the strip club now is. Many big stars went there for after show supper,each table had a small lamp that had shades with a stars name on it. When that star came in of course the shade w/ their name on it was put on their table lamp.
I saw Barbara Cook at the now gone Ballroom. The National Theatre was a huge movie theatre located where ABC Studios are now in Times Square. Nathans was at the corner of Bway and 43rd.
Every neighborhood was self contained, everything you needed was where you were. I remember I had a costume fitting below 14th St and got lost because I wasnt familiar with the area down there. And it was hell when I rehearsed a show on W4th. Brooks Van Horne was the costume house of choice, I forget where they were located.
And there was a rehearsal studio- King Studios- way way west on 43rd or 44th, bet 10th and 11th?. We always prayed that there were no auditions there because it was a pain to get to. No Johns Pizza, no Carmines, no Juniors. You could actually walk in the theatre district, on the sidewalk even!
All the big hotels had nightclubs/showrooms, where all the big names played. The Persian Room at the Waldorf, the Royal Box at the Americana,and I forget the name of the showroom at the Plaza. There was also Club Ibis,in the East 50s, they always had a floor show that employed many dancers.
The new Paramount Theatre was in the Paramount Bldg -now Trump International- in Columbus Circle. The theatre itself was underground, with a circular marquee/entrance on street level. And we took class from Melissa Hayden at the studios across the street. Those studios can be seen from the street in The Turning Point. Chuck Kelly was also a dance teacher of choice. More as I remember.

Updated On: 7/2/11 at 09:38 AM

I thought "Needle Park" was Madison Square Park on 23rd and Madison. Maybe they just referred to any drug addict infested park, needle.

you could be correct but the actual "Needle Park" of infamy is the one on W 72, bounded by Broadway and Amsterdam, aka Verdi Square. That is the park that is in and inspired the film The Panic in Needle Park. And yes I know that Wikipedia also refers to Bryant Park as "Needle Park". So Pammy, as I said you are probably correct with your statemant.

Folks, GOOGLE is your friend! We can all be correct!

I had only heard of needle park as referring to Bryant Park but it seems under dispute.

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Updated On: 7/1/11 at 01:10 PM

Fran Leibowitz in the wonderful doc PUBLIC SPEAKING says hilarious things about Times Square, namely that no true New Yorker is caught dead there and running into someone you know in Times Square is awkward. "Oh, I'm just here...doing research."

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spike3, you are a great recent addition to this Board. Your memories of the 1970's make for wonderful nostalgic reading. I remember all the places you mention in the Times Square/Theatre District. I lived in NYC for 33 years, from 1963 to 1996 and saw the big changes that are still taking place. I am not surprised that you were able to go backstage to visit with Maureen Stapleton. I am now reading her autobiography, A HELL OF A LIFE and have read that she loved it when people came back stage to see her. The book is a howl!

Incidentally, I always considered Needle Park to be the one at 72nd & Broadway. And the Persian Room was at the Plaza, not the Waldorf. I also remember seeing 2001-A SPACE ODYSSEY in the Cinerama format on Broadway in the mid 1960's. Cinerama was an amazing wide screen format, unlike any other. Ah, memories...

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I remember the dance halls along 7th Avenue in the W. 40's and even went into one with a couple of pals on one occasion. You purchased tickets and would give your ticket to the girl of your choice, just like in SWEET CHARITY. But there were no Gwen Verdons in attendance, alas. When I saw that musical for the first time I was, to put it bluntly, drunk. Instead of sitting in my seat to watch the show, I walked around and discovered on the lower level a tunnel which led to the orchestra pit and I considered going into the tunnel and coming out in the pit so that I could see the orchestra up close!! Thank God I did not follow up my first instinct. I had to return to the Palace at a later date to really see the show.

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Ted Hook's Backstage!

Anyone remember Craig, the outrageous maitre d' at Charlie's, which became Sam's? (Or did it start as Sam's and then become Charlie's?)

Anyone remember Barrymore's? (The restaurant, not the theater.)

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PalJoey, yes I remember Craig,greeting everyone as they entered,no matter famous or not. It was Charlies first then Sams. When it became Sams, Charlies moved round the corner on 8th, I dont think it lasted very long in the new location. We would go to Barrymores sometimes, and if the big round table in the back was open we usually got that to sit and eat and drink, usually just drink, the night away. Then into a cab for a trip home to the UWS.

In the 70s cable TV was still in its infancy, but here in NYC we had Manhattan Cable. And if you were home on either Fri or Sat eves, you could watch The Robin Byrd show on Channel J.And after her show was a program called Interludes after Midnight, which was a nude talk show. Or rather 3 not too attractive or fit people sitting naked and talking.
Then there was Ugly George, had his own show. His gimmick was he wandered the streets , usually 8th or 9th Ave, and he found girls who would go into a building or alley with him, lift up their tops and show him their breasts while he filmed. He was the writer, producer, camerman and star of this show.
As a matter of fact he is still around today, ( dont think on TV though) and you may notice him walking in the W 40s and on 8th and 9th Ave. Hes the guy w/ the big video camera on his shoulder, usually dressed in shorts and a tank top. We had such classy cable programs in the 70s.

Like spike3 memories from the past are slowly coming back to me. What started for me in the 1960's continued on into the 1970's. A close friend and I would attend the theatre every night during the Christmas break from college in the early 1960's, sitting in the balcony for $3.50! Afterwards we would always go to the bar at Sardi's where the wonderful bartender Ray would always greet us warmly and remember what we drank. We got to know the doorman, too and it turned out that I had worked as a camp counselor with his nephew. This same friend and I continued going to the theatre together through the 1970's and afterwards always went to Sardi's where Ray continued to remember us and what we drank. It was a great tradiition.I'm told that Ray continued on at Sardi's past the year 2000. What a loyal employee. It wasn't until 2009 that I finally ate there. The wall characitures of famous stars cannot compare wih the superior Hirschfeld drawings that appeared in the Sunday New York Times for decades.

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Updated On: 7/2/11 at 01:21 PM

I remember the elderly blind man who came out with his German shepard every night as the showss were letting out. Business concerns would bring me into the city several times a year. I always took pity on the guy handed him a twenty every time I saw him. I always identified myself and told him I was giving a twenty so that he put away. I would always fold the bill in thirds so he would know it was me.