New York's repertory movie houses specialized in presenting films ignored by mainstream and art house audiences. Operating on shoestring budgets in funky settings, each repertory had its own personality, reflecting the preferences of the proprietor. Focusing on the the active years from 1960 to 1994, this book documents the repertory movement in the context of economics and film culture.

Table of Contents Acknowledgments Preface Part One: The First Wave  1. The Roots of Repertory Programming in New York  2. The First Wave of the Repertory Theater Movement  3. The New Yorker Theater: Art over Commerce  4. The Bleecker Street Cinema: From Repertory Theater to Independent delete delete Film Showcase  5. The Charles Theater: The Underground Film in the Heyday of the East Village  6. The Thalia: Grand Dame of Repertory Houses Part Two: The Second Wave  7. New York Film Scene, 1970s On  8. The Second Wave of the Repertory Theater Movement  9. The Elgin Theater: Midnight Movies and the Countercultural Craze 10. Theatre 80 St. Marks: Joan Crawford, Grauman’s Chinese Theater and Other Memorabilia of Hollywood’s Golden Age 11. The Regency: MGM Reigns Supreme 12. The Thalia: A Temple to B Films, Trashy Films and Other Critical Rejects 13. Carnegie Hall Cinema and Bleecker Street Cinema: Classic Revivals, American Independents, Godard and Company—A Smorgasbord of Riches 14. Repertory Programming: A Return to Its Roots Chronology of the Repertory Movie Theaters, New York City, 1960–1994 Chapter Notes Bibliography Index

“copious photographs...a superb job of capturing the phenomenon of New York repertory movie theaters and placing it in historical context...prose is clear, intelligent, engaging...anecdotal examples colorful and often humorous...research impeccably extensive”—New York Review of Books; “An essential piece of cinema archaeology...fascinating detail.”—Eat Drink Films; “Product of nearly two decades of loving research and intensive interviews...more than delivers on the promise of its title, an exhaustive and maddening tale of a niche industry’s first golden era and long fade-out”—Cineaste.