42nd Street Memories: The Rise and Fall of America's Most Notorious Street

42nd Street Memories: The Rise and Fall of America's Most Notorious Street (2015) *** 1/2 (out of 4)Calum Waddell's excellent look back at the now infamous 42nd Street in NYC where countless film buffs were entertained by some of the wildest movies ever made while at the same time trying to avoid getting shot, stabbed or robbed.Bill Lustig, Joe Dante, Matt Cimber, Veronica Hart, Frank Henenlotter, Buddy Giovinazzo, Roy Frumkes, Tom Holland, Jeff Lieberman, Lloyd Kaufman, 42nd Street Pete and Debbie Rochon among the people interviewed and share stories about the notorious street that hosted mainstream movies but was best remembered for trash like BLOODSUCKING FREAKS, PIECES, the ISLA series and other exploitation titles.

Through a series of interviews with grindhouse filmmakers, actors, fans, and historians the audience is presented a beautiful and disgusting tapestry of what 42nd street once was. The documentary examines the history of infamous NYC block starting with the creation of the theater houses to the boom of the grindhouses and finally to the modern era of Disnificaiton.