MovieChat Forums > Next Stop, Greenwich Village (1976) Discussion > anachronisms

anachronisms

posted 16 years ago by marfrie56
5 replies | jump to latest

I noticed the use of 2 phrases which were not in use in the early 1950's when Next Stop was set.
One was the term, "Black man".
Sorry, nobody said "Black man" back then. The term was either Negro, African, or even Colored. The term Black came about in the early-mid 1960's.
The other was the term "Gay".
I don't think that term was in use in the early '50s either. I'm not that sure about that one - but Gay meant - gay. Happy. Carefree. Not homosexual.
By the way, I was born in New York in 1951 and hung around the village from the early to late 70's (when the movie was actually made) and recognize the streets, cafes, and the feel of the movie. The streets and cafes have not really changed much to this day. Well, the rent sure has!!!

Absolutely loved the movie by the way.
How rich. What superb performances. To see Jeff Goldblum and Bill Murray, and some other bit parts was great. Chris Walken deserved a Best Supporting Oscar. Shelly Winters was incredible - what a pro.
I loved loved loved loved the movie - I just saw it on DVD from Netflics an hour ago.

[–] Jay09101951 15 years ago

The Scene filmed at the Newkirk Ave Station on the Brighton line reveals the new lighting that was installed in the early 1960's when the platforms were made longer. That lighting was not there in 1953 when the movie takes place. Also the cop is a regular NYC cop. In the 50's, the Transit police patrolled the Subways.

[–] henderso 15 years ago

actually, gay as slang for homosexual was definitely in use in the 1950s--historians have traced it back as far as the 1920s and Gertrude Stein's writing. It also meant happy and carefree, but to insiders it could carry the sexual connotation as well. I also think black was similarly used then--particularly in the emerging avant-garde arts communities.

[–] Trippetta10 15 years ago

Sorry, nobody said "Black man" back then. The term was either Negro, African, or even Colored. The term Black came about in the early-mid 1960's.
The other was the term "Gay".

The 1970s weren't nearly so PC as our own times, but even so I guess the writers squirmed at the thought of Little Miss Southern Belle gushing "Ah lahv nigras!"

[–] johnston.scot 15 years ago

> Sorry, nobody said "Black man" back then.

While I believe "Negro" was the more common term, "Black" had long been used to describe African Americans. Abraham Lincoln used it in the mid-19th Century. "Black Like Me" was published in 1961 (okay, that was technically in the '60s, but I don't think the language magically changed on January 1, 1960). FDR's Federal Council on Negro Affairs was sometimes informally referred to in the 1930s as the "Black Cabinet" or "Black Brain Trust."

[–] thetheeyecreature 10 years ago

As noted, "gay" was definitely in use among those hip to the scene. Note that Shelley Winters' character, in response to Bernstein telling her he's gay, thinks he means "happy"; she says, "I don't care how you feel, you're a great dancer!"

"The truth 24 times a second."