Ghosts of 42nd Street: A History of America's Most Infamous Block

by Anthony Bianco

Imagine shuffling down Broadway through the hustle and bustle right into the nonstop, neon heart of New York 42nd Street. Once a quiet neighborhood of brownstones and churches, the area wastransformed in the early 1900s into an entertainment hub unlike any in theworld. No place has ever evoked the glamour and romantic possibility of bigcity nightlife as vividly as did 42nd Street. It was the dazzle of "naughty, bawdy, gaudy" 42nd Street that put Times Square on the map and turned the Broadway theater district into the Great White Way. Ghosts of 42nd Street stirs your imagination as it takes you on a historical journey of this glamorized strip still known today as the Crossroads of the World. From the bold innovations of Oscar Hammerstein and Florenz Ziegfeld through the porn-laden 1960s and 1970s to the present-day "Disneyfication" of New York's bright lights district, Ghosts of 42nd Street is as fascinating as a tabloid frozen in time.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, New York, True Crime, Travel, American History, Crime

400 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Jill H. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hear the beat of dancing feet
On the Avenue I'm taking you to,
Naughty, bawdy, gaudy, sporty
42nd Street

This song from the 1933 hit film, 42nd Street, captured the environment of the most notorious street in NYC at the time. At the turn of the century, construction started on what soon would be the most concentrated area of theaters ever attempted. And what a time it was! Names like Ziefgeld, Hammerstein, George White, the Marx Brothers, Fred and Adele Astaire, came to the fore as they produced and starred in shows that drew huge crowds. Others who made their names a household word, got their first big break in the Follies, the Vanities, and the Scandals

Along with the more acceptable entertainment venue, burlesque and "peep shows" were available for those who could not afford to pay theater ticket prices and, as it turned out, were precursors of what would happen to 42nd Street.

The author provides an interesting history of how the Street devolved from the nation's first show business capital into the first retail porn center and squalor. It became a dangerous place to be and, eventually the NYC government decided to clean it out and demolished the majority of buildings. It was the largest urban renewal project in New York history, creating the Times Square that we know today.

I thoroughly enjoyed this trip through 42nd Street at its best and it's worst.

[Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

i really enjoyed this. In the early to mid 70's I often took a bus from NJ to Port Authority, on 41st. I remember a bunch of porn vendors. Most of the movie theatres showed horror and gore films. I knew in high school that it was kind of sad that the street had fallen into such disrepair. I saw that happen to the Sunset Strip in Hollywood. The rumor in my NJ high school was that one could see a Brazilian snuff film on 42nd St. . I remember a used book store with a wood floor that also sold porn mags. And Tad's Steaks! I learned quickly that while walking down that street, one could avoid random encounters by never making eye contact. If you talked to yourself, no one would bother you. In the last ten years, I've read a lot about Manhattan history. This book has a lot of welcome detail about each major period of the street going back to its early theatre days through major cleanups and high powered investments.
If you enjoyed this book, check out the informative posts on the Forty Deuce page on Facebook.

[Lauren Albert · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I was doing graduate work at CUNY GSUC, I regularly walked down 42nd Street from the subway to school which was then housed in two buildings on 42nd between 5th and 6th Avenue. How different it was then. I cringed walking by the porn shops and the men lurking in front of them. I didn't feel safe walking through there at night. I've watched so many of the positive changes take place--the re-opening of the New Victory Theater, the closing of the last porn shops, the cleaning of the streets. So it was fascinating to read about the street's history from its first days to the late 80s when I first regularly walked through. If you love NY, you'll love reading about its speakeasy days, the rise of the Lobster palaces, the grind (2nd and 3rd run movie houses) houses, the ascent of the "peeps"--there is so much wonderful (and not so wonderful!) history here. You learn how porn took hold of the street and how the work of a few saved it and re-created theater in NY. Worth reading.

[Tyler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great history of the origins of Times Square. It has good short bios of the main figures, all entertaining. It feels like this could have been a heavy academic history(there's a lot of real estate) but it retains a good balance of storytelling and relevant factoids. It's a bit dense in details but worth it.

[ger · Rating 4 out of 5]

A detailed history of 42nd Street told with a lot of love and verve. In a way there are too many stories, too many people and too much detail. I enjoyed it but some of the anecdotes and characters could have either been greatly expanded or left out.

[Jeff Dawson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thought I’d open up my interests a bit and try something new.
The first third of this story is great. It details how “Broadway and 42nd street” became the mecca of the Old and New World when it came to the entertainment industry. Fascinating. I had no idea how many of the greats started here: Barrymore, Hope, Astaire, Gershwin and others. I enjoyed the description of the famous three sided building we’re all familiar with at the crossroads. Finding out it was the main office for the New York Times was cool. This is the best part of the book
The next two thirds became a bit dry and dull. It revolves around how the area descended into the sex shows, trades and smut. Then fell off into the politics of New York City and the failed plans to revitalize the area.
Didn’t care for the occasional political references through the story. Added nothing.
I believe, “The Rise, Fall and Rebirth of 42nd Street would be a more appropriate title.
Three stars

[Christa Sigman · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a resident of NYC, I very much enjoyed thsi book. There was much history I did not know about the 42nd Street area. This book is interestingly written with random turns of phrase that actually made me chuckle out loud at times. I find it interesting that recently, the same issues of morality, scantily clad women, and panhandlers have been headline topics in the news. I did not know, until I read this book, that it has ALWAYS been that way. These are not new issues, but perpetual ones. I picked this book up randomly at the library while looking through the history section. I am so glad I did.

[King · Rating 3 out of 5]

It might seem a silly complaint, but the book suffers from being too thorough. Many of the hundreds of little stories it tells would have been worthy of book-length treatments of their own. Consequently, the book suffers from anecdotal whiplash as it tears through a blizzard of names and places over its few hundred pages. While it is a breathtaking work of scholarship (peppered throughout with interesting cocktail-party trivia) and is potentially a useful reference, it's not a particularly engaging piece of writing. Actually, often I was kinda bored. :-/

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ghosts of 42nd Street: A History of America's Most Infamous Block was an interesting book for one lover of New York, theater, and the original Broadway. It gives the good and the scum of the earth in its pages. So glad I read it. Government officials nearly kept the clean up of the area from ever happening because none of them could get together on the plans and each mayor involved wanted full credit.

[Kathleen M · Rating 5 out of 5]

EXCELLENT

I LIVED ON West 45th St in the late 60s. THis book brought back those times so vividly I could almost smell the smells and hear the sounds of the city. I wish I could travel back in time to see 42nd in it's full glory . A must read for anyone who loves New York.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ghosts of 42nd Street

What a history 42nd had and continues to have. Only in NYC could a street live breathe, die and continue to live on in glory as 42 Street has.