One great thing about the kiddie shows was they ran all the old AIP [American International Pictures] stuff, so I got to see that all on the big screen. I "graduated" High School in 1970, the height of the Vietnam War. I was classified 1A by the draft board, which meant that I was eventually going to fight and die in a jungle. That being said, I felt there was no reason to plan a future, so I wound up spending the bulk of the 70's in Time Square.

I lost myself in a whirlwind of bars, pot, hookers, strip joints and grind houses. I saw at least three to five movies a week for a lot of years. I never wound up in Vietnam, but I got the education of a lifetime out on the streets.

Why do you think movie geeks of today are craving for a time of torn movie screens and dirty theaters with double features now more than ever?
Simple, because today’s theaters suck.

They are sterile and have no personality. You can't smoke, drink, eat, talk back to the screen etc. When the movie is over, you get rushed out of the place.

Back in the day, you paid to get in and you could stay all day (and all night) if you were so inclined. Grindhouses had cool names like The Rialto, The Liberty, The Embassy, The Apollo, The Anco, etc. What do you have today, The Sony Multiplex? The Clearview Sevenplex? No personality, whatsoever.

My uncle who was around the time of the Grindhouse era, told me that the term "Grindhouse" wasn't invented until years later, would you agree?
I get this question a lot. No theater was ever built to be a Grindhouse. Most of the theaters on 42nd Street were built around the turn of the century. They had virtually indestructible interiors, and that's why they lasted as long as they did. At first they were respectable with movies and stage shows. Times changed and got harder. Some became burlesque theaters, the “old bump and grind” as the old timers called it. That was the beginning of the grindhouse as I was told. Dave Friedman had told me that after burlesque became obsolete, the theaters used to show nudie and exploitation films almost 24/7. They just "ground out" those films. So that's my interpretation of where the term came from.

From what I've read from folks who lived through the double bill period, they didn't seem to enjoy the experience very much, is that true?
We loved the double and triple bills. Yeah, one movie might suck, but the other might be great. Shit, for $1.50 you could catch three films in one place. You can't do that today even at the inflated prices. I managed a Drive-In in the 70's. You got one big hit and a second run film then. Drive-Ins were open air Grindhouses. Your car was your seat, and if the second feature sucked, your car doubled as a hotel room.

There are hundreds of stories out there, but what is the most unusual experience you've ever had at the movies?
I could write a book, (laughs) I'm trying to do that anyway. Aside from the occasional fist fights, lover's quarrels, and guys finding out that the "hooker" that was doing them was a guy in drag, I remember two weird things. One was that a guy either jumped or was thrown from a balcony. He landed feet first and the seat collapsed, pinning his feet while he was standing up. He flopped back and forth for a while, much to the amusement of the patrons. Finally the fire department had to come and get him out.

Another time, we were at a Russ Meyer double feature. Halfway though “Beneath the Valley of the Ultra Vixens,” the film broke. No big whoop as that was a common occurrence. Not this time. After about 20 minutes, the house lights went on and the fire department showed up. We were given refunds and told to leave. It seems that the projectionist was pleasuring himself and had a heart attack. He had locked the door to the booth and they had to break it down.

Did you love the mood and tone of 42nd street before it was sanitized?
I would say that the last eight years before the 'purge’ were pretty grim over there. Now, with all the crack and dust heads, it was dangerous. It was like a bad zombie movie, these people wandering around in a semi-comatose state. Anything could trigger a violent reaction. Staying out of the rest rooms was a given as you would get mugged there. Most of the guys I hung with had stopped going over there. I stopped around ‘89, but wound up working in one of the last porn distributorships in '97.

Did you ever go into the stag theaters?
Hell yeah! That is how I got my sexual education. The first stuff I saw was softcore and later found out that it was shot by Nick Phillips. After “Deep Throat,” everything went hardcore. The theaters were all different and some had live sex shows. The storefront theaters were converted retail stores that had a wall painted white or a sheet hing up. A plywood partition was built as a projection booth or sometimes the projector was out in the open. Being that a lot of these films had no sound, a record player was used. The seats were a bunch of folding chairs and admission could be from $1.99 to $5.

Regular porn theaters were down on 8th ave. These were the creepy ones, full of low lives. Drag queens, pick pockets, chain snatchers, street crazies, low end hookers, gay guys cruising the rest rooms, etc. Muggers used to go into the men's room and unscrew the light bulbs. These places had what I called "Odor De Grindhouse" a combination of sweat, cigarette, pot smoke, stale beer, wine & piss. You read it right, piss. Rather than risk getting mugged, the old timers would piss in an empty popcorn or soda cup, which would get dumped on the floor. The Venus closed at 7am. When the lights went on you wouldn't envy the job of the clean up guy. The better theaters that actually were attended by couples, were on Broadway. They even had security on the premises.

You will never have a guy like Andy Milligan running around the street of NY with his Bolex Camera. Ted Mikels waiting for a cop car to show up at an accident so he could shoot it and use the footage. Jerry Gross telling the MPAA to fuck off. Taking a negative review for “I Spit on Your Grave” and making it a positive.

Slapping an "R" on films like “Last Cannibal World” and “I Drink Your Blood” without even submitting them for a rating. The film makers then were rebels and mavericks, they did this stuff because they loved the business. I'm sure QT & RR love the business too, but just do us all a favor, and don't try to rewrite history.

What is your research for Grindhouse films based around?
Personal experience and reading. I don't use the internet, it's too easy. I like to dig stuff up. I like to read, but I'm not gonna give up my secrets. I can remember the films, when and where I saw them, what I was smoking or drinking when I saw them, and what else was going on in the theater. Ask me where I parked my car today, I couldn't tell you (laughs).

How many DVD's are currently under your 42nd Street Pete label?
Right now I have six on the market and, hopefully, a lot more to come.

What are some of your favorites of the Grindhouse sub-genre?
Zombie, Cannibal Holocaust, Sabata, The Losers, Cut Throats Nine, Make Them Die Slowly, The Beyond, Reanimator, Bloody Pit of Horror, Flesh Eaters('64), Horror of Party Beach , Eaten Alive (Hooper), NOTLD, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Hunting Party, Wicked School Girls, Big Bird Cage, Savage Sisters, Taming of Rebecca, and a lot more.

Are you big on neo-grindhouse films like "From Dusk Til Dawn," and "Oldboy"?
I liked “Dusk Til Dawn,” “The Devil's Rejects,” and a few others. Some people say “modern grindhouse,” but there is no such thing as there are no more grindhouses. Some films have their roots planted firmly in the grindhouse culture. “Chainsaw Sally,” “Pervert! The Movie,” and “Flesh for the Beast” come to mind.

What are your thoughts on modern cinema and filmmakers in general?
Just because someone got a camcorder for Xmas, doesn't make them a film maker. Look, I never consider myself anything more than a fan. I am honored that people have come to respect my opinions and experiences as a consumer and have encouraged me to pursue my writing.

I applaud anyone who gives this business a shot. Romero, Carpenter, Craven, Hooper, and the rest are grindhouse graduates. Our next batch of film makers will come from the Indies. Directors like Jimmy O, Adam Green, Mike Watt, and others will be the new breed. I get a lot of films for my opinion. I won't bury anyone as a lot of people are thin skinned and can't take criticism. I will get back to the film maker and tell them I'll pass on doing a review, but if you want constructive advice, I'll tell you where I think you went wrong. Like I said, I'm not the end all and be all in this business. An opinion is like an asshole, we all have them.

I'm not, I do it because I like it and people seem to like what I do. If I could get a regular job doing this, it would be great, but I'm not holding my breath. What a lot of people seem to forget is that you are nothing without the fans. The fans are the only reason I do this and I make myself accessible via the internet and the cons.

As long as I'm wanted and people like what I'm doing, I'll be around. I'm grateful for what I have and what I have accomplished. I've met some great people on this ride and some real bottom feeders. I've made a lot of friends and have had some great experiences. Even though I'm struggling (like everyone, right now) if I had to do it all over again, I wouldn't change a thing.

Except for losing that cute, blonde hooker's home phone number on one of those lost Saturday nights.

Thanks so much for your time, Pete.
Thanks for this opportunity and hope you guys like it. In closing, support you local Indie films and buy some of my stuff if you like good retro porn. Later 42P.

42^nd Street Pete’s DVD’s can be found on Xploited Cinema, Amazon, and pretty much every online retailer. Buy them.

 

- Felix Vasquez Jr.
5/26/08