Tag Archives: gorman hendricks

FROM MAE WEST TO PUNK — THE BOWERY ON FILM: ON THE BOWERY

Ray Salyer and Gorman Hendricks are two of the forgotten men in Lionel Rogosin’s unforgettable ON THE BOWERY

ON THE BOWERY (Lionel Rogosin, 1956)
Anthology Film Archives
32 Second Ave. at Second St.
Saturday, May 17, 7:30, and Monday, May 19, 7:00
Series runs May 16-19
212-505-5181
www.anthologyfilmarchives.org
www.ontheboweryfilm.com

One of the greatest cinematic documents ever made about New York, Lionel Rogosin’s On the Bowery is playing at Anthology Film Archives on May 17 and 19 as part of “From Mae West to Punk: The Bowery on Film,” a three-day series that includes feature-length works and shorts that take place in and around one of the most famous thoroughfares in the world. The recent, stunning 35mm restoration of On the Bowery offers a new look at this underground classic, which caused a stir upon its release in 1956, winning prizes at the Venice Film Festival while earning criticism at home for daring to portray the grim reality of America’s dark underbelly. After spending six months living with the poor, destitute alcoholics on Skid Row as research, idealistic young filmmaker Rogosin spent the next four months making On the Bowery, a remarkable examination of the forgotten men of New York, ne’er-do-wells who can’t find jobs, sleep on the street, and will do just about anything for another drink. Rogosin centers the film around the true story of Ray Salyer, a journeyman railroad drifter stopping off in New York City seeking temporary employment. Salyer is quickly befriended by Gorman Hendricks, who not only shows Salyer the ropes but also manages to slyly take advantage of him. Although the film follows a general structure scripted by Mark Sufrin, much of it is improvised and shot on the sly, in glorious black-and-white by Richard Bagley. The sections in which Bagley turns his camera on the streets, showing the decrepit neighborhood under the El, set to Charles Mills’s subtle, jazzy score and marvelously edited by Carl Lerner, are pure poetry, yet another reason why On the Bowery is an American treasure. The film is screening with the 1964 short How Do You Like the Bowery?, in which Alan Raymond and Dan Halas pose the title question to Bowery denizens.

Raoul Walsh’s 1915 Bowery-set gangster picture, REGENERATION, kicks off series at Anthology Film Archives

The Anthology festival runs May 16-19 and also includes Raoul Walsh’s 1915 Regeneration and 1933 The Bowery, Lowell Sherman’s 1933 She Done Him Wrong starring Mae West and Cary Grant, Mandy Stein’s 2009 doc Burning Down the House: The Story of CBGB, Jen Senko and Fiore DeRosa’s 2009 The Vanishing City, and Scott Elliott’s Slumming It: Myth and Culture on the Bowery, with all showings accompanied by shorts about the iconic, historic area.

AN AUTEURIST HISTORY OF FILM: IN THE STREET / UNDER THE BROOKLYN BRIDGE / ON THE BOWERY

Ray Salyer and Gorman Hendricks are two of the forgotten men in Lionel Rogosin’s unforgettable ON THE BOWERY

ON THE BOWERY (Lionel Rogosin, 1956)
MoMA Film, Museum of Modern Art, Education and Research Building
11 West 53rd St. between Fifth & Sixth Aves.
Thursday, November 29, and Friday, November 30, 1:30
Tickets: $12, in person only, may be applied to museum admission within thirty days, same-day screenings free with museum admission, available at Film and Media Desk beginning at 9:30 am
212-708-9400
www.moma.org
www.ontheboweryfilm.com

One of the greatest documentaries ever made about New York City can now be seen in a recently restored 35mm print, offering a new look at an underground classic. Lionel Rogosin’s On the Bowery caused quite a stir upon its release in 1956, winning prizes at the Venice Film Festival while earning criticism at home for daring to portray the grim reality of America’s dark underbelly. After spending six months living with the poor, destitute alcoholics on Skid Row as research, idealistic young filmmaker Rogosin spent the next four months making On the Bowery, a remarkable examination of the forgotten men of New York, ne’er-do-wells who can’t find jobs, sleep on the street, and will do just about anything for another drink. Rogosin centers the film around the true story of Ray Salyer, a journeyman railroad drifter stopping off in New York City seeking temporary employment. Salyer is quickly befriended by Gorman Hendricks, who not only shows Salyer the ropes but also manages to slyly take advantage of him. Although the film follows a general structure scripted by Mark Sufrin, much of it is improvised and shot on the sly, in glorious black and white by Richard Bagley. The sections in which Bagley turns his camera on the streets, showing the decrepit neighborhood under the El, set to Charles Mills’s subtle, jazzy score and marvelously edited by Carl Lerner, are pure poetry, yet another reason why On the Bowery is an American treasure. The film is screening November 28 & 29 at 1:30 as part of MoMA’s continuing series “An Auteurist History of Film,” along with a pair of seminal silent shorts also set in New York City, Rudy Burckhardt’s 1953 Under the Brooklyn Bridge and Helen Levitt and James Agee’s 1952 In the Street; interestingly, Rogosin tried unsuccessfully to get Agee to work on On the Bowery and fired Levitt as the film’s editor.

ON THE BOWERY / THE PERFECT TEAM

Ray Salyer and Gorman Hendricks are two of the forgotten men in Lionel Rogosin’s unforgettable ON THE BOWERY, back for a return engagement at Film Forum

ON THE BOWERY (Lionel Rogosin, 1956)
Film Forum
209 West Houston St.
November 19-25
212-727-8110
www.filmforum.org
www.ontheboweryfilm.com

If you missed one of the greatest documentaries ever made about New York this past September, you’ll be given another chance to see the stunning 35mm restoration of ON THE BOWERY, which is returning to Film Forum by popular demand for a one-week run November 19-25. The restoration offers a new look at this underground classic, which caused a stir upon its release in 1956, winning prizes at the Venice Film Festival while earning criticism at home for daring to portray the grim reality of America’s dark underbelly. After spending six months living with the poor, destitute alcoholics on Skid Row as research, idealistic young filmmaker Lionel Rogosin spent the next four months making ON THE BOWERY, a remarkable examination of the forgotten men of New York, ne’er-do-wells who can’t find jobs, sleep on the street, and will do just about anything for another drink. Rogosin centers the film around the true story of Ray Salyer, a journeyman railroad drifter stopping off in New York City seeking temporary employment. Salyer is quickly befriended by Gorman Hendricks, who not only shows Salyer the ropes but also manages to slyly take advantage of him. Although the film follows a general structure scripted by Mark Sufrin, much of it is improvised and shot on the sly, in glorious black and white by Richard Bagley. The sections in which Bagley turns his camera on the streets, showing the decrepit neighborhood under the El, set to Charles Mills’s subtle, jazzy score and marvelously edited by Carl Lerner, are pure poetry, yet another reason why ON THE BOWERY is an American treasure. The film is screening with THE PERFECT TEAM, a behind-the-scenes look at the making of ON THE BOWERY directed by Rogosin’s son, Michael, which includes a terrific 1999 interview with Lionel in which he talks about his attempt to get James Agee on board, his firing of Helen Levitt as editor, the relationships he developed with the cast and crew, and his intense desire to get at the truth. Suzanne Wasserman, director of the Gotham Center for New York City History at CUNY, will introduce the 7:40 show on November 19, while Rob Hollander of the Lower East Side History Project will introduce the 7:40 show on November 20.

ON THE BOWERY / THE PERFECT TEAM

Ray Salyer and Gorman Hendricks are two of the forgotten men in Lionel Rogosin’s unforgettable ON THE BOWERY

ON THE BOWERY (Lionel Rogosin, 1956)
Film Forum
209 West Houston St.
September 17-23
212-727-8110
www.filmforum.org
www.ontheboweryfilm.com

One of the greatest documentaries ever made about New York will be shown in a stunning 35mm restoration at Film Forum September 17-23. ON THE BOWERY offers a new look at an underground classic that caused quite a stir upon its release in 1956, winning prizes at the Venice Film Festival while earning criticism at home for daring to portray the grim reality of America’s dark underbelly. After spending six months living with the poor, destitute alcoholics on Skid Row as research, idealistic young filmmaker Lionel Rogosin spent the next four months making ON THE BOWERY, a remarkable examination of the forgotten men of New York, ne’er-do-wells who can’t find jobs, sleep on the street, and will do just about anything for another drink. Rogosin centers the film around the true story of Ray Salyer, a journeyman railroad drifter stopping off in New York City seeking temporary employment. Salyer is quickly befriended by Gorman Hendricks, who not only shows Salyer the ropes but also manages to slyly take advantage of him. Although the film follows a general structure scripted by Mark Sufrin, much of it is improvised and shot on the sly, in glorious black and white by Richard Bagley. The sections in which Bagley turns his camera on the streets, showing the decrepit neighborhood under the El, set to Charles Mills’s subtle, jazzy score and marvelously edited by Carl Lerner, are pure poetry, yet another reason why ON THE BOWERY is an American treasure. The film is screening with THE PERFECT TEAM, a behind-the-scenes look at the making of ON THE BOWERY directed by Rogosin’s son, Michael, which includes a terrific 1999 interview with Lionel in which he talks about his attempt to get James Agee on board, his firing of Helen Levitt as editor, the relationships he developed with the cast and crew, and his intense desire to get at the truth.