The Fiscal Crisis (1973-74)
Although New York City might have been the place to be, it wasn't easy. According to New York magazine, a studio apartment in NYC rented for an average of $170 a month in 1974 (which equates to $735 in today's dollars), and subway fare was just 35 cents. This might seem affordable in our minds, but dancers in 1974 were barely making enough to get buy. In On the Line, dancers involved in the Chorus Line workshops said they were paid $100 a week. That's $400 in income a month to cover rent, utilities, food, and other expenses (Taylor).
In 1974 the cost of living was increasing. According to an article from The New York Times on January 6, 1974, consumer prices had risen 8.4 percent in the last year. Bread that cost $1 last year will cost you $1.08 this year. This meant that unions across the city were seeking increases in minimum wage to balance the rising cost of living. It didn't help that NYC was currently in the deepest economic trouble since the great depression.
Because of budget cuts in civil services the police force was understaffed and crime rates soared. The violent crime rate was almost double what it is today, even though the population has grown. Take a look at these statistics:
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Dangers of NYC
on their way home on Staten Island, May 1973
Quilting Bee in Central Park, 1973
A conversation in a gutted cafe
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The financial crisis began with the October 1973 oil crisis when Arab members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) imposed an embargo against the United States. In 1973 the United States was dependent on foreign oil and the embargo caused a crippling gas shortage ("Oil Embargo"). The image to the left shows cars waiting in long lines for gas.
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The struggling economy required higher taxes, cuts in civil service including police force. On October 27th, 1974 the New York Times predicted that "all of these measures would have the effect of making New York a less desirable place in which to live or do business, reinforcing the departure of productive people and enterprises that has been bleeding away the strength of the city for more than two decades" (Stern). Compared to the NYC we know today this was a rough and dirty place to live.
Among the many violent crimes of the time period was the famous serial killer, Son of Sam who started killing in 1976. The Son of Sam murder six people in New York City claiming he was told to commit the murders by a demon possessed dog owned by his neighbor, Sam (Worthen). Among other crimes, arson became a major problem in 1970s NYC. Landlords who were losing money often burned down their own buildings for insurance money (Alec). Because of the lack of police force many of these crimes were just not responded to.
Visitor to NYC were greeted at the airport with a brochure (image on right) warning them of the dangers of the city and providing helpful hints to survive the dangerous streets including (Carlson):
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Stay off the streets after 6 p.m.
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Do not walk — "If you must leave your hotel... summon a taxi by telephone."
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Avoid public transportation — "You should never ride the subway for any reason whatsoever."
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Remain in Manhattan — "If you remain in midtown areas and restrict your travel to daylight hours, emergency service personnel are best able to provide protection."
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Protect your property
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Safeguard your handbag
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Conceal property in automobiles
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Do not leave valuables in your hotel room, and do not depotist them in hotel vault
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Be aware of fire hazards
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Clearly, looking back, NYC wasn't the safest place to be, but, in the 1970s, people were a lot more trusting. Kids spent their afternoons running around their neighborhoods unsupervised, and, as long as they came home for supper, no one thought much of it. Maybe crime rates were higher in the 70s because people didn't take the precautions they do today.
Bright Lights Big City
New York City in the 1970s was the place to be. The excitement of nightclubs, live theatre, five star restaurants, and other forms of city entertainment were not available all over the country. If you wanted the bright lights you went to the big city. In the early 70s NYC boasted funky night clubs like The Loft which hosted the first underground dance party called "Love Saves The Day" in 1970. Underground dance parties were attended by invitation only, and many of these invitations were sent out to gay men who were unwelcome elsewhere. It may have been at these underground dance parties were disco began.
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Disco didn't really take off until the opening of Studio 54 in 1977, but if you were hip enough and new the right people who might have been invited to bust out or even invent some disco moves at an underground dance party. Disco was all about dance, so dancers trying make in in NYC were probably getting in on the earliest seeds of disco. NYC fashion model, Bethann Hardison said, "The disco beat was created so that white people could dance" (Robinson). Along with nights full or public, choreographed dancing, disco brought with it open drug use and onsite sex, both of which were reflected in the theatre of the time in shows like Pippin, for example.
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