Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects
Date of Degree
2-2025
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
M.A.
Program
Liberal Studies
Advisor
Karen Miller
Subject Categories
American Film Studies | American Politics | American Popular Culture | Cultural History | Cultural Resource Management and Policy Analysis | Gender and Sexuality | Historic Preservation and Conservation | Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies | Other Film and Media Studies | Politics and Social Change | Queer Studies | Social Control, Law, Crime, and Deviance | Theatre History | Tourism | United States History | Urban, Community and Regional Planning
Keywords
New York City, Times Square, 42nd Street, 1970s, 1980s, Fiscal Crisis
Abstract
If you consult standard histories of the “redevelopment” of 42nd Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenue, AKA “the Deuce,” you will read that it was filled with nothing but criminals and pornographers, that decent people avoided it at all costs, and the only way the block could be “saved” was by seizing it via eminent domain, evicting all the current tenants, and replacing them with Disney and its fellow entertainment corporations.
The purpose of this thesis is to offer a more nuanced alternative to these standard histories. I will argue that the Deuce was a lower-class, multiracial, queer entertainment district that was destroyed not because of crime or pornography or even real estate, but because it offended the elites.
Chapter 1 covers the history of the Deuce roughly from its inception in 1895 to the 1975 New York fiscal crisis. It traces the evolution of the Deuce from a straight, white, upperclass entrainment district to a queer, multiracial, lowerclass entertainment district. It also describes the attempts by various mayors (Fiorello LaGuardia, Robert Wagner, John Lindsay, Abe Beame) to halt or reverse this evolution through assorted “clean up” campaigns.
Chapter 2 covers the history of the Deuce from 1975 to 1985. It shows how the 1975 fiscal crisis was used as an excuse to “redevelop” the Deuce, and how plans for this changed over time before finally being rammed through by city and state government officials (Governors Hugh Carey and Mario Cuomo, Mayors Ed Koch and David Dinkins), with the backing of the real estate industry, over the objections of large and diverse segments of the community. It also shows how the good intentions of a sociologist like William Kornblum, Professor Emeritus of the Graduate Center, can be co-opted by the political process.
Chapter 3 covers the history of the Deuce from 1985 to 1995. It shows how the approved plans to “redevelop” the Deuce fell apart, how there were ample reasons to cancel the project, but government officials persisted out of a mixture of stubbornness, inertia, and political expediency.
Recommended Citation
Brenner, Robert, "Deuce Redemption: Grindhouse Cinema, Moral Panic, And Urban Renewal" (2025). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/6066
Included in
American Film Studies Commons, American Politics Commons, American Popular Culture Commons, Cultural History Commons, Cultural Resource Management and Policy Analysis Commons, Gender and Sexuality Commons, Historic Preservation and Conservation Commons, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies Commons, Other Film and Media Studies Commons, Politics and Social Change Commons, Queer Studies Commons, Social Control, Law, Crime, and Deviance Commons, Theatre History Commons, Tourism Commons, United States History Commons, Urban, Community and Regional Planning Commons