NON FICTION TELEVISION: THIRD AVENUE: ONLY THE STRONG SURVIVE (TV)
Summary
One in this series of documentaries made by independent film and video makers for public television. This program features six stories about people who live or work on Third Avenue in New York City. The first segment profiles Sonny, the owner of an auto-parts yard, and his son and son-in-law Eddie and Michael. The three men talk about the hardships of the working man and discuss the obstacles they overcame by setting up their own profitable albeit illegal business, in which they dismantle stolen cars and sell the parts. Eddie and Michael go prowling the neighborhood for cars to steal and show how they meet this challenge, fully aware of the possible consequences of their actions. Two months later Eddie is seen entering jail after being caught driving a stolen car, and he bemoans the plight of the petty thief. Next, Joe Bonneville, an alcoholic on the Bowery in Manhattan, panhandles on the street to earn enough money to feed his drinking habit. He trades stories with the other habitues of the local bar, telling of leaving home one day eleven years earlier to buy cigarettes and never returning. Five months later he returns to his wife, who doesn't really want him back. In an effort at sobriety, Joe vows to give up drinking but soon changes his mind. The third segment shows Trudy, a single mother with five children living on welfare in a condemned apartment building. After giving the filmmakers a tour of the dilapidated building, she meets with a social-services worker but finds that she has a long wait ahead of her before she can move into the city's apartment projects. She and her neighbors are forced to chase away prowlers who attempt to remove the building's water pipes, and eventually she must find water elsewhere for use in her apartment. The following feature examines Ricky, a male prostitute, as he picks up a trick on the street. Ricky recalls his entry into this line of work at the age of fourteen, and he makes arrangements over the phone to meet clients. He has sex with a doctor in order to get a prescription for the drugs he needs, and he takes a tour of Manhattan's Times Square, where young boys talk about having sex for money. Next, Raul Lopez, a warehouse worker, is shown traveling around his neighborhood spreading the word of God. The filmmakers interview the children of this hard-working, God-fearing man. Freddie is a street hustler, Danny is a high school drop-out, Martha is an unmarried mother who works as a prostitute, and David grows up around drug pushers. The final segment features the Pascones, a couple who own an old-fashioned, failing barber shop. They are shown playing bingo in a church and hosting a big family meal. They discuss their constant financial battles and the lure of retirement. The Pascones find someone who is interested in buying their building, but at a family meeting with their children and grandchildren they ultimately decide against selling.
Details
- NETWORK: PBS WNET New York, NY
- DATE: April 11, 1980 10:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:59:03
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T:59725
- GENRE: Public affairs/Documentaries
- SUBJECT HEADING: New York (N.Y.); City and town life; Urban poor; Urban youth; New York City - Housing; Prostitution, juvenile
- SERIES RUN: PBS - TV series, 1980-1984
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- For The Non Fiction Television Series:
- David Loxton … Executive Producer
- Kathy Kline … Coordinating Producer
- For "Third Avenue: Only the Strong Survive":
- Keiko Tsuno … Producer
- Alpert, Jon (See also: Alpert, Jonny) … Producer, Director
- Victor Sanchez … Associate Producer
- Karen Ranucci … Associate Producer
- Eddie Pabon … Associate Producer
- De Leo, Maryann … Associate Producer
- Kathii Chen … Associate Producer
- Terry Benson … Associate Producer, Direction (Misc.)
- Jerry Butler … Composer, "Only the Strong Survive"
- Joe Bonneville
- Danny Lopez
- David Lopez
- Freddie Lopez
- Martha Lopez
- Raul Lopez