Bastard Theatres and Human Dregs: Cultures of Illegitimacy on 42<sup>nd</sup> Street

Authors: Fisher, A.

Journal: Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television

Volume: 43

Issue: 3

Pages: 746-770

ISSN: 0143-9685

DOI: 10.1080/01439685.2023.2173375

Abstract:

This article uses newspaper and trade press archives to chart the evolution of the phrase ‘legitimate theatre’ in relation to theatres on New York’s 42nd Street that were built by 1920 and converted to moving pictures by the early 1940s. Various surrounding industrial and social tensions–the transition from live performance to movies, the derided status of exploitation and adult films, the perceived degradation of the area in the post-war era, and the drive for its wholesale redevelopment that gathered pace in the 1970s–are examined. The shifting implications of the term ‘legitimate theatre’ in this context, from an established industry descriptor to a means of moral judgement on these venues’ output and audiences, are thereby shown to illuminate the broader cultural and economic histories of the 42nd Street area, revealing a process of differentiation and exclusion from perceptions of mainstream popular culture that would eventually become weaponised to justify the demolition of the area for the purposes of corporate capital.

https://eprints.bournemouth.ac.uk/36905/

Source: Scopus

Bastard Theatres and Human Dregs: Cultures of Illegitimacy on 42<SUP>nd</SUP> Street

Authors: Fisher, A.

Journal: HISTORICAL JOURNAL OF FILM RADIO AND TELEVISION

Volume: 43

Issue: 3

Pages: 746-770

eISSN: 1465-3451

ISSN: 0143-9685

DOI: 10.1080/01439685.2023.2173375

https://eprints.bournemouth.ac.uk/36905/

Source: Web of Science (Lite)

Bastard Theatres and Human Dregs: Cultures of Illegitimacy on 42nd Street

Authors: Fisher, A.

Journal: Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

ISSN: 0143-9685

https://eprints.bournemouth.ac.uk/36905/

Source: Manual

Bastard theatres and human dregs: cultures of illegitimacy on 42nd Street

Authors: Fisher, A.

Journal: Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

ISSN: 0143-9685

https://eprints.bournemouth.ac.uk/36905/

Source: Manual

Bastard Theatres and Human Dregs: Cultures of Illegitimacy on 42nd Street

Authors: Fisher, A.

Journal: Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television

Volume: 43

Issue: 3

Pages: 746-770

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

ISSN: 0143-9685

Abstract:

This article uses newspaper and trade press archives to chart the evolution of the phrase ‘legitimate theatre’ in relation to theatres on New York’s 42nd Street that were built by 1920 and converted to moving pictures by the early 1940s. Various surrounding industrial and social tensions – the transition from live performance to movies, the derided status of exploitation and adult films, the perceived degradation of the area in the post-war era, and the drive for its wholesale redevelopment that gathered pace in the 1970s – are examined. The shifting implications of the term ‘legitimate theatre’ in this context, from an established industry descriptor to a means of moral judgement on these venues’ output and audiences, are thereby shown to illuminate the broader cultural and economic histories of the 42nd Street area, revealing a process of differentiation and exclusion from perceptions of mainstream popular culture that would eventually become weaponised to justify the demolition of the area for the purposes of corporate capital.

https://eprints.bournemouth.ac.uk/36905/

https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/chjf20/current

Source: BURO EPrints