The Sidewalks of New York: The Documentary
Вставка
- Опубліковано 28 вер 2024
- The Sidewalks of New York is a NYC history documentary created by Jordan Liles. It begins with the tale of the famous tune and builds every moment toward the fascinating story behind Governor Al Smith, a key historical figure in American history. The elections of 1924 and 1928 are featured prominently in the story's second half, and along the way a handful of songs from the same time period are played to portray that, while this film is somewhat about the tune 'The Sidewalks of New York', the other songs do their part to lift up and bring the story home, all joining together to complete one of the most inspiring tales in New York history.
This documentary was originally released in 2016. This upload is a new version with the audio fixed. A previous upload that received 150,000 views had the audio levels of the music slightly too high, making it sometimes difficult to hear the narrator's voice. The previous video has been unlisted, but its comments are still available here: • New York Documentary: ... .
As far as corrections and updates go, Joshua Beal (not Joseph) is the proper credit for the panoramic photograph, Angel Guastaferro performed Pretty Jennie Slattery on piano, Al Smith's wife Catherine (known as Katie) died several months before Al did (not just one week), and William Wordsworth originally coined the "Happy Warrior" words.
I hope all of you enjoy The Sidewalks of New York and Al Smith's life story. I believe there is something spectacular about New York history that has yet to be featured properly in big-budget Hollywood movies. Maybe one day they'll notice NYC has more to offer.
Did you like this New York history documentary? Join this channel to get access to perks:
/ @jordanliles
Every new membership helps ensure I have the money to purchase old New York photographs and memorabilia for future history documentary videos. It also means to me that I'm not in this alone and that you're along for the ride.
This is an outstanding documentary!! Wonderful use of photos, period music, film clips and dialogue! It has the quality of a PBS American Experience program. Great job!!
January 18, 2023: Jordan, Thank you so much for this sterling documentary -- I loved it.
I lived in Manhattan from 1966 to 2016 and 27 of those 50 years on East 33rd Street. Currently, I am writing a book mostly for young adults on my adventures in half century beginning at 20 when I moved there but really dating back to 1958 when at 12 years old I took the train into Manhattan and declared to myself: "I'm living here!" Manhattan exceeded my expectations till I was 70 and moved west for a new adventure.
Thank you again for your work on this!
Thanks so much for watching Angelina.
I have watched versions of this documentary many times. It moves me in so many ways. But most of all it makes me want to time travel: to go back to a NYC past that no longer exists. it is a sadness that lives inside me and this documentary hits
the mark of days long gone.
Hello everyone. This is an updated version of "The Sidewalks of New York." I have edited the audio so that the music no longer overpowers the narration. The previous upload earned 152,000 views over the course of nearly 5 years.
Interesting how in the beginning of the film, you manipulated the audio to make Governor Smith's voice sound like it was bouncing off the walls on the right and left...
I noticed this immediately with earbuds on...👍🏼
Great documentary, the narration, imagery and music were superb.
My father, an Irishman born in the 20s, used to sing the song all the time.
Until about 2010, they would play "Sidewalks" just before the Belmont Stakes every year. It would always conjure thoughts of a lost city I never knew and relatives I never met.
Unfortunately they have since switched the Belmont song to the tedious "New York, New York". Overexposed and already claimed by the Yankees regardless.
If I may correct.... it's the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire of March 25th
Excellent, great job.
Wonderful!
Is this a Ken Burns documentary or is it an imitation?
Ha, I was inspired by Ric Burns, Ken's brother. Thanks for watching.
I am so fortunate to have had a grandfather born over a decade before the turn of the century and brought up in NYC. He took me as a child over to the city and showed me and told stories of "the old days". We went everywhere ! He was a great story teller. The good, the bad and the truth of living the life back in "the old days". The old songs that I have never forgotten. From his immigrant parents days, his childhood, working from age 11, through WW 1, the Depression and WW2. By time I was 12, I could get around the city without a problem. Museums, fancy places, old and new theatres, the markets, the automat (always a fun stop !). The old tenement areas, business district, the old money enclaves...all full of stories. His brother an early Fox cinematographer, his sister a singer show casting new sheet music songs in department stores, my great grandmother a "deathing midwife " (hospice work), my great grandfather a butcher and violinist and briefly raised fighting dogs to make ends meet . I smile now remembering how my Poppy brought those old days alive to me as we walked around the city. Even how when the circus came to town, meeting the trains and hanging around to help. The horror of the triangle fire. The fun (and the dubious) of Coney Island. Some events of Rikers Island. Today, no one wants to hear the stories. Sadly, the art of oral history is just not appreciated or honored today.
Thanks so much for watching my film.
Oh, please write all of his stories down and share! I would love to hear all of it! New York forever
I couldn’t figure out why this song makes me emotional.
It didn’t when I was a kid.
They I realized that it was because of my love for New York!
And how much I miss it.
Growing up I thought there were many places like New York.
I’d never gone any place else.
After I traveled and came back, that’s when it hit me.
That NY wasn’t even America.
It was its own thing.
Many people can sing this song.
But if you weren’t raised on the hard sidewalks of the city you never really got it.
I’m taking about the fruit man and the knife sharpener and the loud coal truck and unilateral broke-ness and hitching on the back of the bus and 200 kids that knew your name and go carts and thick still 80 degree nights and sleeping on the fire escape and blacks Italians Irish German Jewish people walking in and out of your unlocked front door.
It was so brief. It all went away so fast.
I almost ask “did this really happen?”
You’ll never find someone who loves NY more than me.
Not even the friends I grew up with.
Somehow, I understood what we were.
Amazing documentary! The only one on this topic on the whole internet.
I loved this just as I love New York, I'd love to have heard the song sung right through at some point but that's a personal preference, the images were amazing thank you so much!
I probably should have. I think one of the reasons I decided not to include someone singing the song, and I'm trying to remember from five years ago when I made this, was because Ric Burns' documentary already had someone sing it so wonderfully, and I didn't want to copy that too much. Hopefully a lengthy Netflix series or some other kind of movie will one day tell this same tale.
Absolutely love this song and the documentary is exceptional, just like the documentary series that inspired it.
Wow this is very well done. Good job! Stupid StuyTown wrecking the neighborhood but at least it's got playgrounds.
Mr. Liles, you are very gifted.
Thank you for this fantastic video. I'll be sure to share it with NYC genealogists and history Buffs.
Thanks so much.
The bitter disappointment that Al Smith (and his supporters) experienced by the failure of his Presidential run in 1928 is certainly understandable, especially befouled as it was with the stain of anti-Catholic religious bigotry. However, if you consider that his Presidency, if he had won, would have coincided with the nightmare of the 1929 Great Depression, this loss also had an indirect blessing of extraordinary good luck, to him, to Roman Catholics, and to American Democrats.
Look at how the Depression impacted not only the Hoover Presidency, but the GOP itself, for most of the remaining XX century. What direction would anti-Catholic, and anti-Democrat, bigotry have taken had HE been in the White House during that 1929-1933 term? It would not have been pretty!!
This is a wonderful story and video!
interesting documentary. always loved this beautiful poem set to beautiful music, for the sentimental nostalgic feeling the author conveyed in the original poem about his Irish youth in old NYC. But the original poem says Mamie "Roark", not "O Rourke". just saying.
Interesting, I'll have to check that out. Thanks for watching!
Some of the things that happened in 1924-1926 politically seem strangely familiar...
I'm glad you caught on to that. Part of the reason I was inspired to create this documentary was because of what was happening in 2015 and 2016. Thanks for watching.
Love this so much I watched it twice.
Thank you so much. It means a lot when I receive comments on this film.
Is the music really appropriate to the subject matter? Sounds more applicable to "Gone With The Wind." WAY over dramatic. I recognize your passion for the subject but please tone it down a bit. How about some simple rag-time? Or something contemporaneous with the time? As a life-long resident of the area, a musician and historian of NYC, I too, feel a special connection to the song. But let's not blow it up out of all proportion. And you blast us with "Rhapsody in Blue," when the story is most poignantly involved with "Sidewalks"!!!