Hi my name is Rebecca Halas. Dan Halas was my father. He and Alan Raymond were partners ,My dad was the main editor for the film, which was a part of the New York University's film department. Thank you for all the comments. My dad passed away in 2017 under suspicious circumstances. I was amazed by the responses which were so true. If you are interested in more information read Alan Raymond's obituary for Daniel Halas. I don't think my father had a chance to see these comments ,but it would've made him happy!
@@joseantoniomoch4006 Hello Mr. Moch, Thank you for inquiring. My father died suddenly of a heart attack. He was found down his hallway in a strange position with no walker in sight. He was severely handicap from brain damage. He could barely stand up by himself and could not have walked to where he was. The sf coroner called me at home to say his body position was not normal. Furthermore my dad was being abused by his landlord who wanted to get him out of his one bedroom apt which he'd lived in for 30 yrs. In 2017 the rents went sky high. My dad was paying $ 600 a month for an apartment that was know going for$ 3 to $4 thousand a month. I belive that my father's body was drug out and down the hall because of a Chinese superstition about death inside the home. Also the landlord would legally have to tell a new Tennant about the death which would lower the property value. My dad had heart problems and the fact that he had a heart attack is not suspicious. Oddly enough his landlord was a Chinese chiropractor and a certified medical examiner who knew a heart attack would not raise suspicion. If my dad were dead he could raise the rent and make a fortune. There's a lot of other pieces to the story.
I really enjoyed this film all those men when I saw the young man with his leg amputated walking with crutches I found that so sad it really makes you think of why they were there I find that we are in the same situation how with cost of housing.
Hi Rebecca, so nice of you to leave a note here. I feel like every American should watch this. It’s timeless. Today we have other things that take good men down like meth and fentanyl. But alcohol has always had that power. For women like Gail Russell too. I’ve 5 years c&s thanks to Bill W and The Sally. Peace and blessings to you. 🙏🏽✨
Back in 1971, I rented a loft with another young artist. We worked the whole summer cleaning it out and fixing it up. As we approached our building we would have to step over bums on the street. Down the far corner were the Yippies and the Hells Angels. Across Bowery avenue was the punk club CBGB. I remember speaking to one of the Bums and he told me, "See that bum on the street layin' drunk in the gutter? He was a doctor who lost his license, then his wife left with the kids, and here he is every day drunk layin' in the gutter." I never forgot that.
I remember going there in the 70s from Montreal Canada I was shocked when I saw a bum by central park and went over to try and help him these guys from NY these biker guys came over I was like you have to call the police they were laughing at me. We had lost our friends just before our walk in central park about an hour later our friends entered and the park and saw the bum one of them said should we go over and ask if he saw Dawn lol the knew I would stop to try and help
We're all just one disaster away from the gutter. I'm lucky to have made it to 40yrs old after a pretty rough life and have seen many friends / acquaintances / family members go from productive, happy, working members of society to the gutter in the blink of an eye.
I remember watching the Oxycontin epidemic unfold in the late 90's. So many white collar, middle class people became drug addicts in very short amount of time.
Some heartbreaking stories. When I was a little kid riding the subways with my dad in the late 60s/early 70s, we called these men Winos- most of them were actually pretty friendly and desperate to make some contact with normal, stable human beings I guess I was a cute little kid so they loved striking up conversations with me. I actually respect and empathize with these people far more than the current residents, who are mostly now (in 2020) foreign oligarchs, trust-fund babies, and corporate go-getters with 1/10th the guts, heart and soul of these forgotten lost souls. Most of the current crop snapping up absurdly overpriced real estate in Manhattan have no clue about the history, guts, and soul of the real New York City.
I couldn't agree with you more. I grew up in NYC and still live here today. I walk around the bowery from time to time, and it doesn't even look the same. NYC has gotten outrageous & ridiculous with prices. I want to leave, but when I do, I miss it. Thank God I have an apartment that's still affordable in Brooklyn, which is rare. This sure was a different time in nyc. Most of these men had their issues, but you can tell they were really decent men with good hearts.
It's amazing how nicely dressed these guys are. I learned two things solidly from this video - "Misery loves company." and "It's no good!" 9:55 is just heartbreaking. I hope all these gentleman are resting in peace now - most of them must have surely passed by now.
Many of these fellas got crushed in the depression or short employment depression after the war ,fell out of society and into booze. The flop houses aka single room occupancy hotels were a safety net which we don't have today.
"I am a catholic" meant that he couldn't get to where he wanted to go by his own hand... he had to wait around for something/someone else to take him out ... that's the part that kicked me in the guts. heavy.
Wow, amazing. In some ways this is more striking and emotionally devastating than Rogosin's work. I dare anyone to watch this 10 minutes and not have it forever change the way they look at a "bum" in the street. Thanks so much for posting.
Excellent documentary. I always thought the Bowery would continue to be the Bowery. NYC always changed over the years, but never the Bowery. Now that’s it gentrified, where did the destitute go?
Some of these Flop House "Hotels" still exist! "The Sunshine" , "The White House". Hotel Bowery". The "Prince" hotel was a few feet up the block from CBGB and it used to cost 9.50 a night. That of course included roaches and bedbugs. When they raised the rates to 12.00 a night that was too much for a lot of people.. That entire block (and many others in that area) was demolished and rebuilt. it;s all clean, modern buildings now.
The "Bowery" we view here is GONE forever. Gentrification leveled it! This is the Bowery that Lee Ving of FEAR sang about in the song, "I Don't Care About You". Specifically, "... I've seen empty eyes waiting to freeze, from the Bowery, too!" Peace.
Wow. I knew that gentrification erased the Bowery in NYC but after watching this film it made me think of how that despair has fanned out across & into America, but more so emotionally & spiritually over the years...
9:53 is heartbreaking. The man wants to be with his recently deceased wife but as a Catholic he can't commit suicide. He has to wait it out. I hope he found peace.
Maybe you can't say it, but I'm sure if someone had asked these guys about the good old days, they would have said many good stories. Don't speak for everyone, just yourself.
I've always had people who live like this somewhere in the back of my mind. I don't know how they manage to survive, but they must have tremendous courage. If a person's spirit is crushed, just about anything can happen to them. I try to help them as much and as often as I can, and I think one of the reasons is because they're on my mind so much. I know I could never live like that...probably for not even one day. It's true that "There, but for the grace of God, go I."
Re - comments on their clothes: Everyone dressed like that then, most especially those over 25, so they weren't actually "well dressed" at the time. I know it sounds strange to us now, but it would have been obvious to anyone back then that their clothes weren't pressed, & that they were well-worn (old) & of lower quality. Different times for sure.
I always had this fantasy of leaving everything and going to the Bowery. It really appealed to the romantic in me. No responsibilities. Pure freedom. Unfortunately, the Bowery is not what it once was. I will have to escape to somewhere else, I guess. God bless the Bowery and other havens like it!
Patrick Ney This is the Bowery as I remember it as a child and young adult, but, you know, of course, that THIS Bowery no longer exists. The Bowery is now a haven for hipsters, yuppies, and nouveau riche scum.
This is not pure freedom, this is pure desperation, sickness, addiction, misery. If you romanticize homelessness, alcohol addiction, freezing and starving to death on a dangerous street, you really need to get out, volunteer, see the desperation. You can't run away from yourself and the responsibilities of life. It keeps chasing after you. There's no happiness thataway.
The Guy at about 10:00 is like Brando in "On the Waterfront"; talking about his "pistol local." And, the Black Guy with the shades and the guy with the upturned collar seem a bit Gay.
They say Robert mitcham,was like that at one time, in fact they say,he could not afford hotels like these, he use to sleep on train's, never never, say never, anything can happen to anyone
Well dressed? That’s how people dressed back then and if you look hard enough you can tell the clotges are shabby. I feel like I can almost smell some of these guys and it’s not good. And though alcoholism might be a common thread or rampant here, the percentage of guys here that alcohol abuse followed something that was horrible that rocked these poor fellows couldn’t overcome is way bigger than guys who simmply partied too hard and it got out of control.
im a catholic not a very good catholic. priest are catholics and some are very naughty. what a saying and what a joke. smh........look at the video gil scott in the bottle.....sums it up.
Hi my name is Rebecca Halas. Dan Halas was my father. He and Alan Raymond were partners ,My dad was the main editor for the film, which was a part of the New York University's film department.
Thank you for all the comments. My dad passed away in 2017 under suspicious circumstances.
I was amazed by the responses which were so true. If you are interested in more information read Alan Raymond's obituary for Daniel Halas.
I don't think my father had a chance to see these comments ,but it would've made him happy!
What do you mean by "mysterious circumstances" ma'am?
@@joseantoniomoch4006
Hello Mr. Moch,
Thank you for inquiring. My father died suddenly of a heart attack. He was found down his hallway in a strange position with no walker in sight. He was severely handicap from brain damage. He could barely stand up by himself and could not have walked to where he was. The sf coroner called me at home to say his body position was not normal. Furthermore my dad was being abused by his landlord who wanted to get him out of his one bedroom apt which he'd lived in for 30 yrs. In 2017 the rents went sky high. My dad was paying $ 600 a month for an apartment that was know going for$ 3 to $4 thousand a month.
I belive that my father's body was drug out and down the hall because of a Chinese superstition about death inside the home. Also the landlord would legally have to tell a new Tennant about the death which would lower the property value. My dad had heart problems and the fact that he had a heart attack is not suspicious. Oddly enough his landlord was a Chinese chiropractor and a certified medical examiner who knew a heart attack would not raise suspicion. If my dad were dead he could raise the rent and make a fortune. There's a lot of other pieces to the story.
I really enjoyed this film all those men when I saw the young man with his leg amputated walking with crutches I found that so sad it really makes you think of why they were there I find that we are in the same situation how with cost of housing.
Hi Rebecca, so nice of you to leave a note here. I feel like every American should watch this. It’s timeless. Today we have other things that take good men down like meth and fentanyl. But alcohol has always had that power. For women like Gail Russell too.
I’ve 5 years c&s thanks to Bill W and The Sally. Peace and blessings to you. 🙏🏽✨
@@rubydawn1 Most Amputations are caused by Diabetes. Given that this was 1960, However, THAT Guy could have been an injured WW2 Vet.
Back in 1971, I rented a loft with another young artist. We worked the whole summer cleaning it out and fixing it up. As we approached our building we would have to step over bums on the street. Down the far corner were the Yippies and the Hells Angels. Across Bowery avenue was the punk club CBGB. I remember speaking to one of the Bums and he told me, "See that bum on the street layin' drunk in the gutter? He was a doctor who lost his license, then his wife left with the kids, and here he is every day drunk layin' in the gutter." I never forgot that.
Wow. That is incredible. I would have remembered that also.
I remember going there in the 70s from Montreal Canada I was shocked when I saw a bum by central park and went over to try and help him these guys from NY these biker guys came over I was like you have to call the police they were laughing at me. We had lost our friends just before our walk in central park about an hour later our friends entered and the park and saw the bum one of them said should we go over and ask if he saw Dawn lol the knew I would stop to try and help
We're all just one disaster away from the gutter. I'm lucky to have made it to 40yrs old after a pretty rough life and have seen many friends / acquaintances / family members go from productive, happy, working members of society to the gutter in the blink of an eye.
I agree 100%
@@lifeasithappens That's good to hear! Some people think they're invincible and that's a dangerous way to live 😑
I remember watching the Oxycontin epidemic unfold in the late 90's. So many white collar, middle class people became drug addicts in very short amount of time.
Some heartbreaking stories. When I was a little kid riding the subways with my dad in the late 60s/early 70s, we called these men Winos- most of them were actually pretty friendly and desperate to make some contact with normal, stable human beings I guess I was a cute little kid so they loved striking up conversations with me. I actually respect and empathize with these people far more than the current residents, who are mostly now (in 2020) foreign oligarchs, trust-fund babies, and corporate go-getters with 1/10th the guts, heart and soul of these forgotten lost souls. Most of the current crop snapping up absurdly overpriced real estate in Manhattan have no clue about the history, guts, and soul of the real New York City.
I am really curious.. and I get here for the movie John wick
I couldn't agree with you more. I grew up in NYC and still live here today. I walk around the bowery from time to time, and it doesn't even look the same. NYC has gotten outrageous & ridiculous with prices. I want to leave, but when I do, I miss it. Thank God I have an apartment that's still affordable in Brooklyn, which is rare. This sure was a different time in nyc. Most of these men had their issues, but you can tell they were really decent men with good hearts.
I miss the real.Bowery also!
Respect 🙏 for your truth 😊
My Dad use to take us in a car and point out what can happen if you get addicted to drugs and Alcohol. It sure worked. Bless my Dad.
Well done you and your dad💯. Is it like this now in the Bowery?
It's amazing how nicely dressed these guys are. I learned two things solidly from this video - "Misery loves company." and "It's no good!" 9:55 is just heartbreaking. I hope all these gentleman are resting in peace now - most of them must have surely passed by now.
Many of these fellas got crushed in the depression or short employment depression after the war ,fell out of society and into booze. The flop houses aka single room occupancy hotels were a safety net which we don't have today.
Bacon, eggs, toast, hash browns and coffee for a quarter.
9:56 is truly HEARTBREAKING.
"I wanna go with her - go with her."
Yes, Candace... sadder than sad.
"I am a catholic" meant that he couldn't get to where he wanted to go by his own hand... he had to wait around for something/someone else to take him out ... that's the part that kicked me in the guts. heavy.
Wow, amazing. In some ways this is more striking and emotionally devastating than Rogosin's work. I dare anyone to watch this 10 minutes and not have it forever change the way they look at a "bum" in the street. Thanks so much for posting.
Excellent documentary. I always thought the Bowery would continue to be the Bowery. NYC always changed over the years, but never the Bowery.
Now that’s it gentrified, where did the destitute go?
Some of these Flop House "Hotels" still exist! "The Sunshine" , "The White House". Hotel Bowery". The "Prince" hotel was a few feet up the block from CBGB and it used to cost 9.50 a night. That of course included roaches and bedbugs. When they raised the rates to 12.00 a night that was too much for a lot of people.. That entire block (and many others in that area) was demolished and rebuilt. it;s all clean, modern buildings now.
The "Bowery" we view here is GONE forever. Gentrification leveled it! This is the Bowery that Lee Ving of FEAR sang about in the song, "I Don't Care About You". Specifically, "... I've seen empty eyes waiting to freeze, from the Bowery, too!" Peace.
Wow,that's cool!
Wow. I knew that gentrification erased the Bowery in NYC but after watching this film it made me think of how that despair has fanned out across & into America, but more so emotionally & spiritually over the years...
hope they’re all resting in peace now
Makes me thankful for what I have.
Omg this is epic. I love how they were able to speak their minds with class and not getting interrupted.
The musical advertised in the poster @ 2:03 opened on Broadway in October 1961 - so this would have been filmed in '61 or '62.
I was born 1960s
Looking at America The Bowery.... in these times, spoke to me and I listened 😊
the disease of alcoholism wreaks havoc on one’s life and it’s heartbreaking to watch
It really does :(
The language, the speech patterns and accents are amazing. And yes...pretty sad.
I hear a different attitude from these hard luck people than one hears today.I don’t hear them blaming the world.
Was once the largest Skid Row in the country
Ghosts....each and every one ...
3:08 That kids is a Gin Blossom.
God bless the memory of these old guys. They couldn’t get straight.
9:53 is heartbreaking. The man wants to be with his recently deceased wife but as a Catholic he can't commit suicide. He has to wait it out. I hope he found peace.
Proof that there is no such thing as the 'good old days'....
Compared to nowadays I would say they were. In many other ways, not necessarily the Bowery. But I would say even the bowery.
Maybe you can't say it, but I'm sure if someone had asked these guys about the good old days, they would have said many good stories.
Don't speak for everyone, just yourself.
@@rickyparrilla2426 With all due respect, I think you're taking my comment far too seriously
This is worlds and worlds better than it is today in these slum areas. Everything has been getting worse for the last fifty years
@@Nantosuelta Try telling that to the six million Jews that died in the Nazi Holocaust
I've always had people who live like this somewhere in the back of my mind. I don't know how they manage to survive, but they must have tremendous courage. If a person's spirit is crushed, just about anything can happen to them. I try to help them as much and as often as I can, and I think one of the reasons is because they're on my mind so much. I know I could never live like that...probably for not even one day. It's true that "There, but for the grace of God, go I."
I love these old films that show how life was. So sad I feel like we are in the same situation today people cant afford housing
The guy who killed his wife backing out of his garage in Cincinnati and was drinking himself to death 80 years ago was particularly brutal.
Yes it was.
So many awful stories back in the day :(
Fascinating
I love videos like this
All those Hotel's in the Bowery are now Luxury Condos selling for 2 million per floor.
great post!
Re - comments on their clothes: Everyone dressed like that then, most especially those over 25, so they weren't actually "well dressed" at the time. I know it sounds strange to us now, but it would have been obvious to anyone back then that their clothes weren't pressed, & that they were well-worn (old) & of lower quality. Different times for sure.
The clothes were donated through charity.
WHEN HOBOS WORE SPORT COATS AND SLACKS AND LOOKED LIKE CHARLIE CHAPLIN?
The guy with the white jacket and popped collar is awesome lol
San Francisco 2021?
Chesa Boudin's Fault.
Most of these men are clean shaven.
The man that said he killed his wife is so sad😢 I feel his pain 😢
Now the rent is $4000 a month.
I always had this fantasy of leaving everything and going to the Bowery. It really appealed to the romantic in me. No responsibilities. Pure freedom. Unfortunately, the Bowery is not what it once was. I will have to escape to somewhere else, I guess. God bless the Bowery and other havens like it!
Patrick Ney This is the Bowery as I remember it as a child and young adult, but, you know, of course, that THIS Bowery no longer exists. The Bowery is now a haven for hipsters, yuppies, and nouveau riche scum.
you right Patrick ney. I felt the same way.i just wanted to disappear.
This is not pure freedom, this is pure desperation, sickness, addiction, misery. If you romanticize homelessness, alcohol addiction, freezing and starving to death on a dangerous street, you really need to get out, volunteer, see the desperation. You can't run away from yourself and the responsibilities of life. It keeps chasing after you. There's no happiness thataway.
I felt the same way. In the 60s i wanted to work at a flophouse on the bowery. Now you cant. All that property is big bucks.
Has the room got a view?
Misery loves company. And it don’t take a PHD to figure that out.
Sad, fascinating, tragic. & boy, look how well dressed!
fashion was so much better back then. I wish people still dressed like this. Especially women, so tired of booty shorts, yoga pants and crop tops.
perhaps - Rogosins work is a design for the future - I cannot say?
Every big city had its own Bowery, in Chicago it was Madison Av, that’s long gone as well, where do people like this go today?
The Guy at about 10:00 is like Brando in "On the Waterfront"; talking about his "pistol local." And, the Black Guy with the shades and the guy with the upturned collar seem a bit Gay.
Probably was
@@Realitybit..... Good Point 👉 - & who cares?
Phil Liverpool UK 🇬🇧
When he saud “you can do what you want” he means DRINK.
I. noticed the absence of two things, women and drugs. And yet this place was hell on earth.
Im getting a real.good idea for a movie..there are people like me thst still remember this awful place.
Skid row is now filled with million dollar apartments.
They say Robert mitcham,was like that at one time, in fact they say,he could not afford hotels like these, he use to sleep on train's, never never, say never, anything can happen to anyone
The Bowery Boys
If it's a 1960 video on the Bowery. How can you just passed a 1964 65 Plymouth valiant car😂😂😂.?🤔
Worse today. Skid Row LA. Kensington Avenue Detroit
Got that right.
Well dressed? That’s how people dressed back then and if you look hard enough you can tell the clotges are shabby. I feel like I can almost smell some of these guys and it’s not good. And though alcoholism might be a common thread or rampant here, the percentage of guys here that alcohol abuse followed something that was horrible that rocked these poor fellows couldn’t overcome is way bigger than guys who simmply partied too hard and it got out of control.
BROTHERS,, SISTERS,,,,,,,,,,,,,TIS A DAMN SHAME, BUT WHO CARES ANYWAY !
Alcohol is a terrible thing.
So the Bowery=drunks? 😮
im a catholic not a very good catholic. priest are catholics and some are very naughty. what a saying and what a joke. smh........look at the video gil scott in the bottle.....sums it up.
All drunks.
I no likey.