NYC Teenage Street Kids Speak To Me In 1967. Does It Sound Like Today?

I filmed this 16MM story at a runaway teenage coffeehouse in New York City one night in December 1967. At the time, runaway was a household word and runaway teenage stories were in the news just about every day. I recall the statistic that there were 250,000 runaway teenage kids who had run away from their homes under 18 years of age in our major cities at that time. They were coming from all over the country. They came to New York in winter with nowhere to go and no protection from other rough folks who lived on the streets. I wonder what happened to them?
I was in New York city filmmaker at this time. Just about everything was a suitable subject for a documentary and virtually no one had been filmed using a 16mm camera and a professional audio recorder. I walked into this place and asked for permission (which was always given) and started to film. The resulting 10 minute movie ran on prime time NET - National Educational Television, the forerunner to PBS.
The homeless situation in New York City in 1967 was dire. At the time New York City was grappling with a high poverty rate, a shortage of affordable housing and a growing number of people living on the streets.
According to reports from the era, there were an estimated 25,000 homeless people living in New York City in 1967. Many of these individuals were sleeping on the streets or in public places like parks and subway stations.
The problem was particularly acute in areas like the Bowery and Skid Row, which were known for their large populations of homeless individuals. These areas were often characterized by rampant drug use, alcoholism, and crime, and were considered some of the most dangerous neighborhoods in the city.
Despite the severity of the problem, there were few resources available to help homeless individuals at the time. Many people who found themselves without a home were forced to rely on the generosity of strangers or the limited support of local charities and religious organizations.
The term "runaway" was heard on the nightly news back then. In 1967 New York City saw a significant increase in the number of young people leaving home and living on the streets. This phenomenon was driven by a range of social and cultural factors, including the civil rights movement, the anti-war movement and the counterculture of the time.
Many of these runaway teenagers formed communities in New York City, particularly in neighborhoods like Greenwich Village and the Lower East Side. They often lived in makeshift housing, such as abandoned buildings or parks, and formed tight-knit social networks to support one another.
For those interested in the singer, his name was Chris Wilson (also known as "Gandalf the Grey", "The Wizard" or "The Wiz") He had worked with the Salvation Army in the 60s and they would send him around to sing to kids to discourage them from running away. Shortly around the time of this video he signed with Columbia Records and in 1970 released an album called "Gandalf the Grey Am I". The CD version of that album includes the song from this video, "The Future Belongs to the Children". From what I gather, he passed away several years ago due to cancer. Here he is later in life singing another beautiful song - • SITS.avi . This comes from his KZbin channel and you can find other performances of his on there as well. He also did a show on his channel talking about various subjects, one of which was dealing with cancer. He seemed to be a really nice guy with a big heart who lived an overall happy life.
I would like to thank the advertisers who have been posting their ads on my video clip. They include Brooklyn history. New York City history. History of Brooklyn New York. Gospel Mission shelter.BRC Homeless outreach. Homeless soup kitchen near me. Tahoe coalition for the homeless.
If you enjoyed watching this old film of mine I ask you to click the Super Thanks button below the video screen. That support will help me to keep digging into my archives and finding more material that you might enjoy.
Thank you
David Hoffman filmmaker

[@DavidHoffmanFilmmaker]

Here are American Teens just a few years later - kzbin.info/www/bejne/bInSi4uEl5tlqtU

[@FromTheRoomOfLittleEase]

Earlier. Three years prior.

[@Google_Does_Evil_Now]

5:58 "what do you want to do? "I just wanna have a good time" Is that from that famous song? Did it inspire the line in the movie? kzbin.info/www/bejne/oGOcaGqOnap-jtk

[@pkd.81]

1967 > 1964. Guess you dropped too much acid back then, rabbi.

[@adamallison2028]

Do you know if he ever became a social worker?

[@CobCeo]

I love everything you do David. Or have done I should say. I had no idea how cool you were until this latest few you've been letting out. You were on the cusp of things. It's funny how when we get older nobody knows how cool we were when we were younger. I'm saying this from experience of course.

[@thekingoffailure9967]

I wish there was a place for youth to mingle today. So many of us are trapped in our parents' isolated suburban homes, with no option to connect unless its online. I truly believe we would leave our rooms/houses more if it was truly practical and if the spaces existed. Now you get kicked out for loitering and kids are simply untrained to be social. "Remember kids, school isn't for making friends, its for working your a55 off to get into a good uni." Then school disappears and we have no where to meet anyone but online. And it works. So we don't feel the desire to leave our bedrooms. There's never "nothing to do" these days with the weight of the world's information on your shoulders. Thank you ❤

[@lauriesolis1074]

That is so true. I remember in the 90s when coffee houses were a thing we had bands play ( mostly alternative mellow rock) and the cops where I live started shutting them down. Mind, there was never a problem. We sat and drank coffee for god's sake. But they just didn't want youth congregating.

[@Viksnik]

I can confirm, feels like my generation is not social

[@ofangelsflipz]

​@@lauriesolis1074 same here, when I was in school, there was 100 things we go do and have fun just walking to from school. Now?? Now? Shiiiet. I don't even see people doing anything anymore.

[@charlotteb6898]

Works completely different to home life and University as well. They're not prepared for it they used to do two weeks work experience which gave employers a chance to meet them I don't know what they do now.

[@chrisc7265]

I feel this, but it's on us to make the effort --- join or start in person clubs, bands, sports, churches, projects, whatever the system wants us atomized, alone, communicating via social media that makes sure we think and act in the correct manner. If we wait for a global change it's not going to happen, but we have control of our lives locally.

[@3amAfterlife]

I think people have been looking for the same thing for a long time now. The sentiments these kids express may not sound at first like the youth of today, but I believe we all want a place to congregate and just exist and play. Loneliness and misunderstanding is multi generational

[@AFfidel]

depends on the society you live in.

[@Mo-yd8xc]

Today it's called the mall.

[@JWF99]

I would guess these days a lot of runaways & homelessness is due to extreme & powerful addictions?

[@prouddegenerates9056]

@@Mo-yd8xc gross

[@highstrangeness1824]

Agreed. That's what mankind yearns for anyways. A lot of the demonic dark energies here today.

[@brown-eyedcheese5440]

these type of people still exist. teens are still intelligent. culture is still out there. trashing on a younger generation because of your disconnect from them is literally what these people were talking bad about.

[@scythermantis]

Maybe skate culture but structurally the spaces are gone maybe it isn't trashing it's pity

[@princegobi5992]

@@scythermantis you’re wrong. There are so many spaces for creative youth. You just have to interact in real lifr

[@gavinvalentino6002]

You're talking about maybe 5% of the "younger generation" now. The other 95% rely on their smartphones to think for them, and I'm not beibg ironic. Smartphones are the current generation's valid excuse to not expend the effort required to feed intelligence. And those same youngsters have been absolutely conditioned to believe that one's only real validation comes from the approval of strangers in the virtual world of "look at me" on a screen in the palm if a hand. They have no ideas how truly empty their lives are, because they can't relate to the actual immersive REALITY of pre-Internet life.

[@biegebythesea6775]

@@gavinvalentino6002 uh no. that's so ignorant. they're very smart kids today, they're very aware of many things and very intelligent. having smart phones doesn't mean your culture is 'look at me' but it means you have access to resources none of us had access to - so many books, papers, tutorials. you sound like a man without a phone. you need to stop projecting. you have no idea if their lives are empty or not.

[@yellowgreymorals]

@@gavinvalentino6002 What you’re saying is true, but highly exaggerated.

[@zelzabez593]

I was a teenage runaway in the mid 80’s… while the lingo/vernacular/60’s teen-patois might’ve been different, we were also pondering the same kinds of themes such as self-discovery, family dysfunction, miscommunication or familial impasses, survival, cops (lol). So wishing we knew what the future looked like for the group portrayed in your video! Your channel is an absolute treasure trove of Americana history, especially when it comes to counter culture, socioeconomics, race, religion… I could go on and on. Thanks so much for sharing such fascinating content!

[@DavidHoffmanFilmmaker]

Thank you for the comment… And the support. David Hoffman filmmaker

[@juliana.x0x0]

Wow I wanted to comment but you really said it better than I ever could. I was a runaway/vagrant for years in the 2010's but the same issues have remained, bringing all the street kids together with a shared sort of turmoil, or unrest.

[@Biface]

Figuring out your surroundings is not limited to an era in time. As long as we have the same problems we will have the same reactions over generations, regardless if we perceive them as "new".

[@sophiophile]

I was homeless in my teens, including in NYC. We had a pretty decent community of streetkids/youth that would meet up in the mornings in Thomson Square Park, go out to our respective panning spots, and then recongregate at the end of the day before heading out to wherever we hid ourselves away to sleep (for me and a few others, it was on the courtyard grass of a church not too far from Stuyvesant park, behind a gate we would climb over). While most of them were a little closed off to outsiders, they were smart, resourceful, kind and looked out for each other.

[@FlukeTog]

Tompkins Class of 95-01 hope you’re well.

[@lorenfulghum2393]

Was everyone on Heroin? Because that's how it was in Tompkins in 2009-2010 when I was homeless there.

[@FlukeTog]

@@lorenfulghum2393 Jim, Frenchie, slug, Susan, hotdog, swamie. Backpack Steve, so many nicknames so many stories. Dawn was nice hope she made it out.

[@sophiophile]

@@lorenfulghum2393 Yeah. Basically everyone. And a lot of needle sharing, unsterile water, etc. I came from a city where harm reduction outreach and supply access was incredibly strong (Toronto), so it was a bit of a surprise to see when I first got there (not all the down, but the unsafe approaches).

[@lorenfulghum2393]

@@sophiophile by 2010 the harm reduction had gotten a little better. There were several reliable places to get free works, but honestly a lot of the tompkins crowd just didnt seem to care, they seemed fine with the puddle water, sadly.

[@Mynameisbraulio]

What I like the most about the people from the 60's and 70's is the way they speak, it's so easy to understand and articulated.

[@low-keyrighteous9575]

I agree

[@benjaminteisan7355]

everybody sounds like paul simon…

[@cupuacu4life13]

i feel the same about portuguese of that era

[@yum8666]

@@guffmuff90 Oh they read. Books don't teach you how to speak though. The problem these days is that schools don't care about what you have to say. There is no discussions in school anymore over what was read just test on what was read. Kids are losing their voice and that's probably why they are so anxious and dependent these days.

[@cupuacu4life13]

@Sorry Mom I'm Floppy gen z reads more than previous generations, plus, speech changes overtime anyway, none is best, none is worse, im not even a zoomer either, and also not a native english speaker, so dont even try to throw my bad grammar at my face.

[@drewpall2598]

I love the attitude of the young man at the end who came to the coffeehouse with a goal in life to be a social worker I hope he had fulfilled his dreams and not let the system and red tape get him down in life.

[@cocoaorange1]

I do too, if he is still living, hope he is a happy grandpa today.

[@alexmartinelli6231]

4:11 the person with the guitar in the background is playing Alice's Restaurant, which came out on record two months prior to this interview. I grew up with that song during the 2000s, and it's so cool to hear someone playing it contemporaneously

[@theproblemmustbeinyourpant5910]

Not exactly the easiest song for a teenager to transcribe two months after its release either, particually with their limited resources compared to today.

[@elizabethhawkins2415]

“I am he as you are he as you are me and we are all together.” I was hugging my little boy earlier tonight and that line went through my head. I don’t even know how I ended up watching this clip tonight but it was cool to hear the young poet say it.

[@robertraymond762]

Is that "I am the Walrus?"

[@robertraymond762]

Ope, nevermind. Hadn't watched the entire video yet, haha.

[@richiecuna5781]

its a form of collective thinking but thats nuts cause of the time diffrence so idk but idk

[@elizabethhawkins2415]

@@richiecuna5781 you mean the quote is a form of collective thinking (like “we are all one?”) or did you mean something else? It is crazy/awesome to me because my parents are about his age so I listened to all of their Beatles records growing up. And so I was hugging him thinking about how it’s sad someday we won’t be together, and that’s what made the line come into my head. Maybe it doesn’t apply exactly as it was intended to. But yeah, like 56 years, to hear not only the line (because that wouldn’t be a big coincidence) but this kid finding it meaningful and sharing it- wow.

[@richiecuna5781]

@@elizabethhawkins2415 like as in it was seen and thought of and somehow got to you yeah im nuts

[@AintItGreat]

I love listening to the way young folks talked in this era because you can really tell people thought as they spoke and were very mindful of their ideas, you can hear it in their voice.

[@soIve_et_coagula]

To those judging today's teenagers, if you open your mind and actually care enough to listen to them you'll find a lot of them have similar mindsets. Trashing on new generations is a tale as old as time and starting to do it is a big sign you're getting old, to be honest. Lovely video by the way!

[@adrianghandtchi1562]

Right on. I was part of those people who did that because I just did not understand, but you can only dismiss people for so long.

[@Dreamfyre_]

Exactly

[@leahtv7778]

Yeah but getting old is AWESOME

[@aha-mv2si]

Thank You.

[@joha4574]

Yes, but it's also not a satisfying argument to simply point out that something is a pattern that runs throughout history and must, therefore, be somehow "good." For example, when some of the old greek philosophers in 5th century Athens were hating on younger generations, our distanced perspective shows that they were rightfully pointing out first signs of developments in society that ultimately let to Athens relentless imperialism, which was a major cause for the breakout of the Peloponnesian War that, ultimately, destroyed much of Athens cultural life and prosperity - a defeat from which it never recovered after it lost the battle at Sicily. There are many other periods where young generations collectively developed movements that drove out terrible wars, stirred hatred against minorities, or established religions in ways that destroyed freedom and culture. I'm not trying to imply that this is necessarily the case with today's young generations, but it should remind us that there are times when it is warranted to criticise the thinking of doing of younger generations. Besides, the digitalisation, and the resulting shift in how information is shared and accessed, introduce unprecedented changes is society which is why it might be more important than ever to stay critical and expect shifts in thinking and behaviour that cannot be anticipated by simply looking at the past. Some of them might be great, but we cannot know for certain how any of this will restructure our world.

[@gromswowguide7927]

As a young guy today, i swiftly caught on to the fact that these young people were more articulate and better speakers, i think this is a consequence of people spending less time talking and socializing today, people who socialize today take breaks every 5 minutes to look at their cellphones, but when they are taken out of the equation, you have an easier time learning to be thoughtful and hold up a conversation, when the only thing you can look at is other peoples faces. This is only a general observation though, there are ofcourse alot of young people today still being very much social, and have no problem having meaningful conversations instead of being a technology addict, but today it's a conscious decision that may take effort. Btw im danish, so sorry if i misspelt something.

[@bleachdragon88]

In ‘67 my dad was 16. He grew up in El Paso,TX and was definitely a hippie. I’m sure him and his friends were a lot like these kids. Looking for answers. My dad is artistically inclined and can draw and paint. I even have one of his paintings hanging in my bedroom. He also shared his love of music with me although I’m not gifted at it I can’t live without it!

[@whileriding]

Your channel makes me worry less about all the things we're supposed to be worrying about

[@LindaCasey]

That guy playing in the background sounds just like I did back then .. love the folk music, finger picking style .. boy do I miss those days .. we're all in our 70s and 80s now..

[@CobCeo]

I'm moved to such emotion listening to these children, these teens, saying what's on their minds. You did a great job recording thoughts and realities in real time. I'm loving listening to the different accents too. That girl with the dark hair has such an accent that nowadays people can only try to replicate

[@vitesse_arnhem]

It’s true. We can try to clone an English, Scottish, Aussie accent without much issue, but a Sixties American accent is damn hard.

[@CobCeo]

@@vitesse_arnhem The brooklyn accent I think it is, its a NY accent. People do imitate it well, but I think the average person you stop on the street there in NY would not have such a strong accent now as compared to then is what I mean.

[@TracyD2]

It will be a shame to see real life community and communion disappear. Social media has a lot of downsides. Learning how to really connect with humans in the physical is most important. I’m sure people wrote a lot about these concerns before but I remain skeptical of anyone getting through to most children. I don’t know how to say it. I think social media is addicting and a hard habit to break especially if you don’t know any better.

[@jordangordan8980]

Our society today is but a shattered shell of what you see in this video. The way of our world today leaves even less room for American youth to grow in ways that don't souly involve money or production. This video does represent the youth now, but without the last 55 years of decay added onto our minds. - JS (1996)

[@StellaBlueMama]

Now we have social media addicted parents, who are watching screens instead of interacting. Raising kids entirely on screens, so they can look at theirs.

[@unknown6390]

Consider also the takeover of roads, streets, highways and the car-centric society America has become due to industry. How can you go outside, walk to a friends house, or to the store in a place where 9/10ths of the neighborhoods are big ugly asphalt lanes for cars to occupy?

[@crossedpolars]

There will be no social spaces. That's valuable real estate that some landlord or developer can use to extract value from workers. Worker drones exist to enrich the upper classes. Capitalism is getting more efficient year on year at moving any excess money up the pyramid.

[@Lexster918]

@@unknown6390 in some cities in the US it’s too dangerous to walk around. I’d rather drive. LA is a mess.

[@trustee7327]

What’s so striking about this is how well spoken, and articulate they are. They take the time to pronounce every word they speak. You don’t hear that from people anymore.

[@CampingforCool41]

Languages change how they sound throughout history. It has nothing to do with level of intelligence how things are pronounced.

[@ayushgaurincredible]

Yeah ! I can't speak more than 3 or 4 words in a single sentence 😂

[@jaredkeith2466]

you have one of the coolest youtube channels man

[@JWF99]

Hell yea! He does! ✌

[@musicjeffyoung]

It is great🍻

[@jmoya2001]

Agreed 👍 I give it ten thumbs up

[@jeffreyfeinstein5525]

"...ditto! AMEN"

[@HavendaleBlvd80]

100%.

[@SurrealSurrender]

Whoa….these kids are in their 70-80’s now. Wow. Time is so short. 🤯

[@russellharrell2747]

I’m sure they did a lot of living in the 5 or so decades since they were filmed.

[@Cannibeasty]

I was born in 1994 and it's amazing learning about the attitudes, hardships, hopes and joys people had in times past. I've learned a lot from your videos and appreciate you sharing these candid shots with the world. I hope to keep learning and showing how things were to my children as well. My oldest is 9 years old and often asks if you've posted more content to watch together. Much love from Boise, Idaho.

[@DavidHoffmanFilmmaker]

Thank you for your comments. I would love you to set up a tripod and record a video of your son and you watching one of my videos. Maybe talking about it. Any chance of that? David Hoffman filmmaker

[@OCDGeek128]

Oh wow, you had your first kid at 19 then?

[@erinmcdonald7781]

@@DavidHoffmanFilmmaker That is such a great idea! I wish I'd thought about it before my son graduated and is now in Oregon. I think both of us found you at the same time on YT, and in turn, brought up our discovery. He came from the perspective of a teenager who'd found someone of another generation who really understood people and made cool videos about different times and places. I told him you were a filmmaker that I remembered as making insightful documentaries that impressed me. I know he's watched this, but this would be one of those pieces we really could've commented on together, especially since there's been one particular media trend that was putting kids down, saying they didn't want to work, etc. Your work in capturing humanity and history is priceless, David. Thank you! 💜🌎✌️😎🍀

[@Gooieduck1224]

Eyyy 94 crew

[@alienvomitsex]

​@@OCDGeek128 double income no kids life ftw

[@alexisevelyn5290]

It’s fun seeing teens from back in the day. Nothing is new under the sun (coming from a teen)❤️

[@lightoffaithchristian4382]

Born and raised in New York

[@keithkaiman922]

It's funny because I lived in NYC in the 80's and everyone told me, "You should have been here in the 70's.

[@lightoffaithchristian4382]

@@StephaneVorstellung I have to say that the 90’s were the best because it was the safest ❤️🙏thanks to Rudy Juliani and pre 9/11. Wonderful time to grow up as a kid

[@senglomein5766]

@@keithkaiman922 I live here now, and wish it was more like the 90s.

[@werlder]

Thanks for sharing David. I was born 30 years after you spoke to these people, yet I share a lot of the same ideals and thought patterns. It’s almost comforting knowing we relate more than we differ across generations.

[@tonycollazorappo]

I enjoyed this video; I was born in Brooklyn NY 1961 and was 6yr olds during the filming of this video. Kids back then paid more attention to adults didn't have all this technology and knew how to interact with each other than today's youths, sadly, and were very polite back then. I miss those days.

[@namestage6]

It's wild to hear the teen at 2:58 referencing Arlo Guthrie's song Alice's Restaurant, considering this is the year that it was recorded! I know that's only a small part of what you've captured here, but still, thank you for documenting that little piece of culture in the time in which it was created.

[@JillKnapp]

You can hear someone playing it on the guitar too. Love it.

[@jamesfetherston1190]

It's an ragged blues line, you can hear it on some old Piedmont style blues tunes. Arlo borrowed it

[@bearhall4919]

Did you not hear someone playing the Alice Guitar riff at around 4:30?

[@jamesfetherston1190]

@@bearhall4919 The riff in question pre-dates Arlo's tune by decades.

[@shoechew]

@@jamesfetherston1190 OK So what?

[@The-Portland-Daily-Blink]

I was a year old then. It's hard to think that a lot of these kids are in their late 70s now. So, if they were 20, they're 76 or older. Great video... they were all so young.

[@coupe-lee]

Somehow with much less access to information, they seem significantly more intelligent. These “street” teens look more well put together than a lot of average folks these days.

[@theproblemmustbeinyourpant5910]

Because you had to have a thirst for knowlege to learn. Today infomation is spoonfed to us, there is no struggle to get it which weakens the mind.

[@BVi-vl3pg]

“Somehow” L O L

[@charlesmckinley29]

David you have lived a very interesting life! Thank you for recording it and sharing it.

[@kinkle_Z]

1967 - The year I graduated from La Jolla High. I feel so privileged to have lived in that America in its final decades. We'll never get it back. I didn't get to NYC until 1969. Truly a magical time and yes... I also finger-picked that Arlo Guthrie tune... didn't we all? Finally bumped into him at the Caffe Lena in 1972. Such great memories.

[@FlukeTog]

This is beautiful. Brings back alotta Tompkins Square memories. Thanks for sharing

[@zer0L0]

David, your work is priceless! You have a "listening eye", a deep respect for people so that they emerge, both in what they say and how they present themselves. This is a a kind of space that people today do NOT have, at whatever age. It's certainly long gone from NYC. I wonder where these 'kids' are now.

[@Astro-bs4wv]

Hearing dylan and arlo songs being played in the background really made this!

[@5dollarshake263]

They seem so different in a way, like they've spent much more time within their inner dialogue compared to todays youth who escape their inner dialogue by holding a screen 8 inches from their face playing short clips over and over endlessly.

[@hahaha9076]

My stepdaughter is 19, and streets ahead of where I was at that age. I'll go so far as to say I learn plenty of things from her. The older stepson is 25 and has great life skills also. They found their own hope for the future, self belief, and run with it. Many young people I've met make me optimistic.

[@sum1has2]

@hah , Part of that can be attributed to the fact that your young people have been told they CAN do what they want since they were born. (Which is great unless it devolves into violence and “Idiocracy”, which is now happening) In the 60s and early 70s that amount of “finding yourself” was considered subversive and radical in many ways. Plus Vietnam and the draft were happening which, until recently, wasn’t even thought about by young people. (By my 4 kids either.)

[@joeburly]

Oh those darn kids these days…

[@mareksicinski3726]

it is a bit more complicated than that

[@thirdpigeon2676]

It doesn’t apply to everyone but I agree with you to some extent. From experience I’d say that time spent within makes you wiser as does time spent talking with others and most young people aren’t forced to do that anymore, so they do pass the gaps by watching little videos of people doing jigs over and over or whatever but a lot of them would say the same things if you asked them the same questions asked of the kids in this video, the culture’s changed but the kids haven’t.

[@cherylcallahan5402]

David Hoffman with young people 1967 NYC appreciate your videos Listening 🌼 From Mass USA TYVM 🇺🇸 David Blessings for everyone ♥

[@Juicyboi_]

Excellently filmed and edited. There was no cookie cutter answer with them. I hope they all did well or are doing well. As they girl at 1:35 said, just searching for themselves. Something that can't easily be done in a home that doesn't understand the generation. I feel for them.

[@audikid89]

It just proves that human beings need community even the ones that choose to give up everything they own they will not give up the community people need to come together more and they’ll be happy. Separation of people is always been a bad thing.

[@user-ux3vw6mb4k]

This!!!

[@JC-sm4mp]

So sad how so many other agendas push us away from this human need to create, to experience, to meet, to sew, for variety, newness, change, and love. The guy talking about materialism amd it's changes is so right. Somehow it feels so fitting that house of the rising sun was playing I'm the back

[@juneelle370]

That song and his delivery was just beautiful ❤😭

[@Bradleybox1988]

Fascinating. Love those regional accents, especially that 14-year-old Laura Nyro-looking girl at 8:47.

[@georgesempepos9677]

Interesting, I was growing up in NY at that time, and her accent was pretty typical for most teens in NYC. And it was much more typical even in mass media- most comics and character actors had a similar accent, it would not have occurred to us that it was a regional accent, we were being provincial, but maybe New Yorkers kind of set the tone for U.S. mass culture back then more than today...

[@ordjk4797]

very interesting, I was born in 2003 but the atmosphere I pick up from 60’s footage is always very thought provoking. Thanks for this video david.

[@MA_808]

I was a 17 year old street kid and an orphan in 1970. The Judge told me to join the Marines or he would send me to jail for a year.. He saved my life.

[@clifford7594]

1970? I take it you opted for jail.

[@MA_808]

@@clifford7594 Good point, that damn Democrat LBJ and his damn democrats in Congress killed tens of thousands of Americans and Vietnamese and Chinese on the battlefield with their vote to go to war and stay out of it. I wont forget, either. Thanks for the reminder, Clifford! FLBJ

[@justinflownow]

Geez the MARINES? That's the hardest part of the military? You couldn't go into the Army?

[@biegebythesea6775]

how come you were a street kid?

[@allycakess]

Do I know you? LOL you sound extremely similar to my mom’s ex boyfriend. Did you grow up in Boston by chance?

[@thehapagirl92]

They all sound like adult New Yorkers and now they’re parents, grandparents, and great parents

[@tron.44]

So much history. I'm glad there are people like you that archive life as it was at that time, among other times and places.

[@matthewfarmer2520]

The audio sounds real nice on this, like wow. You do it best for video and audio Mr. Hoffman. Thanks for sharing this video from the past 1967. 🎞️🎥🙏🙂

[@justinflownow]

Yes the audio quality on your videos is top notch.

[@curiousinspiremusic]

The clothing, the style, the accents, the vintage look. All so cool

[@ddz1375]

This film was made the year I was born. My sister ran around with these kind of crowds. What strikes me the most is how articulate and expressive these young people are as opposed to emotive and reactive that most young people are today. I see clear goals being stated and a strong desire to communicate their wants and desires. Also everyone spoke the same language there was no separation into groups and hierarchies. No slang or separatist isolationist types of speaking, no code words and if they are in existence they are known throughout the community and not just one segment of the community. A fascinating view into life 55 years ago even in the eighties when I came around there was still a sense of cohesion and Brotherhood with your fellow persons.

[@ban_tik_tok]

History before hip hop and *cell phones* sure is fascinating

[@jabrokneetoeknee6448]

Imagine if they were given a glimpse of the bitter old fogeys they’d turn into forty years later…

[@Rainyfeels]

@@jabrokneetoeknee6448 and old fogeys who hate the exact thing they were in this video

[@hxhdfjifzirstc894]

Articulate? Yep. Look what They did to the public schools -- they dumbed everyone down and prevented them from ever learning how to think. These high school age students are all smarter and more articulate than Joe Biden.

[@dandeluxe8731]

​@@ban_tik_tok How ironic. Getting all mad about hip-hop and the teens that love it the same way people back then got mad at the teens in this video for loving rock and folk music.

[@daysleeper7209]

They are using "like" similarly to the way we do now.

[@ashley3n3]

And on that note…. I am thriving

[@perrybarton]

Yes, and the use of the word “like” as a form of punctuation in slang goes back to the 1950s Beatnik era.

[@thekingoffailure9967]

Literally

[@edgar_leon1790]

Yeah I saw someone say something about a 1890s picture when someone said they don't look too much different just the clothes he responded " what do you expect it's only been 100 years" and that got me thinking our great grandma's are from that time and they look and talk just like us so shit was the same but different

[@ban_tik_tok]

Those guys were SLICK . they knew how to Talk 🔥🔥🔥 ❌📱❌ This Channel is a such a Treasure. Thank you David Hoffman for taking the time to document these moments, you were truly on the front lines of History 😎

[@dlwseattle]

Very cool footage. In 1976 I hung out in a very interesting part of Northeast Ohio where it was a bunch of hippies and they had an actual beatnik coffee house with poetry readings and folk music acts

[@heidih3048]

I lived in NE OH for years. Just curious what town this was?

[@zechzillionz]

Truly fascinating, parallels the minds of today just in a different way. But the struggle is the same. I love the editing work on this as well. Awesome, you did a terrific job encapsulating this specific experience.

[@genevieve3859]

hearing the house of the rising sun riff in the background of the clip of the guy who wanted to be a singer was so moving, that song had the same meaning for those kids back then as it does for me now as an nyc teen in 2023

[@lyartbane2115]

It’s crazy to think this was 56 years ago. And that all those interviewed are now either very old or passed on. Imagine someone in the year 2079 viewing a clip of your life right now in 2023.

[@daffodil9075]

They are in their seventies and mostly still alive.

[@lyartbane2115]

@@daffodil9075 70’s is very old.

[@russellharrell2747]

@@lyartbane2115 age is a state of mind.

[@jaycole2109]

If only we had several updates on all these people. Look at now attractive and clean they all looked, and some were on there own (or did I get that wrong?)?! Thanks for another great tape. I found you when I saw the old tapes of Edwin and the other Maine head-bangers. I loved that, and was so happy when you gave us updates on these people!

[@Whispering_goddess]

I love watching these films and learning more about where people are coming from. I really enjoyed listening to this older music back in my youth and often connected in my early 20's with older people who would have been about this age back then. It was great to talk to them and get their insights. I would love to see where these people are now.

[@SugarInTheMorning7656]

I think it's the same everywhere in the world,here in Denmark it's also interesting to listen to old recordings of people from the 40-50-60's , they really were much easier to understand

[@JWF99]

You Sir David surely must've always had a very real "knack/talent" in documentary film making! Just plain Awesome! Plus it probably didn't hurt that you were there in those early days (in retrospect a seemingly perfect time historically) at least imho! Also I love that in the description you payed homage to Chris Wilson's life, music, & his ch. Thanks again David! This one is so interesting!✌

[@SmartStart24]

Crazy…. the kids in this video are my dad’s age. I’m sure it seems like just a blink of an eye ago. Would be amazing if anyone’s kids or grandkids recognize them in this!! So thoughtful and forward thinking of you to record all of this!

[@meisterslx]

Thos reminds me a lot of the german documentary "Herbst der Gammler" (Autumn of the Bums) by the wonderful german filmmaker Peter Fleischmann who died recently unfortunately. If you speak german I strongly recommend watching it. Cheers from Munich (where this film was shot bt). Great material here, too!

[@user-vq8cb8wy5n]

We used to have a hang out spot back in the 90s. It was always full of fun people and music. All we did was talk, eat and laugh. I feel bad for kids today, they'll never have that.

[@LayZeeDawg]

These "kids" sound mature beyond their years. Imagine if they could view ahead 55 years to see what their peers do with their time and their outlook in the world

[@kluneberg8952]

they sound more mature because they grew up listening to adults. kids these days are listening to their peers and even adults are influenced by the younger culture thru social media.

[@sophiophile]

I spent a bit of time on the street in NYC in the late 2000s. There were plenty of other teens who were far more mature than your kid with a typical upbringing. You have to be resourceful to get by and keep yourself safe. If you haven't interacted at length with them, why pass judgement.

[@hahaha9076]

​​@@kluneberg8952 Many alults these days act like spoiled 6 year olds. Any wonder their kids are so emotionally immature.

[@thewewguy8t88]

most "kids" from that time period were kind of more mature beyond their years. but they also comes across as a bit romanticized. plus the time period was different back then. i mean i heard a story about dlyan moylene when he was 17 kind of doing the same thing these kids were doing except he ended up singing with a gay band at a gay festiaval naked on stage because he was hickhiking his way to that very festival by himself and the gay band just apparently picked up him randomly on the street while they were on their way.

[@princegobi5992]

@@thewewguy8t88 who?

[@raptorfeet]

same frustration, lack of direction, and apathy that the youth have today. They were a novelty back then, now it's the norm.

[@badmen1550]

Late-stage modernity.

[@makii4166]

As a teenager today, these teenagers were definitely way better at speaking and saying what’s on their mind, and making conversation than people my age

[@taitsmith8521]

TV only broadcast between 7 am and 11 or 12 PM back then. Cable didn't come around till the late 70's. When you were bored you actually did things with other people.

[@davidburd5385]

@@taitsmith8521 Bingo, I wouldn't say that this current generation is not as intelligent, schools will always have kids that apply themselves and kids that don't. But I will say this current generation lacks fundamental social skills. Due to sitting on the computer all day or playing video games, and when they are in public staring down at the phone to avoid social interaction. They have a difficult time understanding casual banter and take it as microaggression that they are easily offended by.

[@tammyduncan2112]

It would be amazing to talk to one of those teenagers if they could find them

[@jarodcarnarvon5198]

Wow. These kids are in their late 60s and 70s now.....

[@sitindogmas]

i was born in 78, grew up in the 80s and 90s. there was a saying " the kids are alright " . they were and still are but we gotta show them LOVE people, no matter what.

[@landonrush340]

The song the one kid sang is haunting and beautiful.

[@HeldByTrees]

Wonderful articulate young people. I hope some of them are still alive and happy.

[@carterbryantbanks]

Back when individualism was progressive. We need more art like this. Thank you, David.

[@knightsonofjack]

When the young were able to get the fruits of the new deal era.

[@bryant475]

Yeah now it's group think that dominates unfortunately

[@almister]

@@bryant475 counter culture will always be co opted by the parent culture so individualism as a push back against conformity became the cult of the individual which fuelled capatilist greed. I agree with everything you said. I just find those ideas interesting, sort of paraphrasing adam curtis though.

[@africanwilddog6685]

wait are these the same kids from the runaway video? I really liked both of those videos. I’ve had a fascination with the 60s and 70s for a good couple of years now, and i always loved how people talked back then. as a shy kid, I’d like to take inspiration from these well spoken young people! 😊

[@paranoidplane9799]

Love your thumbnail man, huge Dylan fan myself. Definitely a cool cat.

[@africanwilddog6685]

@@paranoidplane9799 hahaha thank you!! funny you’re the first one to recognize him! :D

[@Wyonite]

If only the elderly could know just how truly my generation actually wants to go out and be social with our peers. But they will never know because they are the ones preventing us from doing so. It has never been harder to build connections for the future and be a socially healthy teen, because today’s parents don’t care about the social wellbeing of their children, and in fact, a lot of parents would rather have their children isolated so that other children don’t “infect” their own with “poisonous” youthful ideas. It’s more about the grade now, and how “successful” your child will be in the future. A lot of parents don’t seem to understand that it isn’t just grades that makes somebody a success in the future.

[@the_local_bigamist]

Fascinating. These kids are smart, eloquent and you can see that they had to grow up quicker. Times were hard but there are new challenges facing young people today, such as heavy atomisation via social media, everyone glued to their phones and stuff. But the same old issues exist: boredom, alienation, drugs, casual violence, abuse, a gap in generational understanding and a combination of any of these things can really f*ck a kid up. I know this first hand. However, I see a lot of great aspects in the up and coming generations. There are always kids that are trying to be switched on or to find new ways and we should always try to understand them and sympathise with them.6 Thanks, as always, David Hoffman - your archives offer invaluable insights.

[@agoogolofgeese]

New Yorkers were once considered 'friendly' - wow! 😮

[@BobMinelli]

THE BEST YEAR EVER. (but alas, i am bias) 🙃🌱 However, my lyrics to the "Mystery Tour" song lyrics the young brother was spouting goes a little something like this: "I am You and You are Me and We are We and We are All Together".

[@stephentener]

Hey David. My mom grew up in the Bronx and was a teenager when this was filmed. She left NYC soon after. Take care.

[@drewpall2598]

Teenager throughout the ages basically want the same things in life freedom of self-expression to dress wear their hair and live a lifestyle as they see fit and only be judge on their actions in life. 😊✌🧡

[@mareksicinski3726]

it becam an identity especially then

[@cocoaorange1]

The way teens dress today is pathetic in some ways, there needs to be a revival in caring about your appearance, while still being chic and fashionable. But more important, have self worth, be kind, aim to achieve something, work on family relations, etc. The world will never be perfect.

[@honeythunder]

It’s comforting to know that no matter how times change, teenagers still do teenage shit. (both good and bad)

[@MarkStevens8899]

A lot of the guys have that John Sebastian of The Lovin Spoonful look. Another wonderful clip, almost 56 years ago, the year i was born. Cheers David.

[@otto8936]

Kids were more eloquent and more capable of socializing. Their expressions are more reserved and less over the top. They contain their emotions and seem more stable. A time before smartphones.

[@AMcDub0708]

Yeah but you can’t blame teens for the invention of smartphones. Adults with smartphones are sometimes WORSE!

[@jellyglass3]

And maybe if they had cell phones they wouldn't have run away from home

[@DantoBossFace]

HOLY MOLY I HAVE WATCHED YOUR ORIGINAL RUNAWAY TEENS VIDEO SO MANY TIMES AND SHOW IT TO ALL MY FAVORITE PEOPLE. SUCH AN AMAZING GIFT TO HAVE YOU OFFER US THIS NEW CLIP!

[@DavidHoffmanFilmmaker]

Thank you for your enthusiasm and your complement and for sharing my film with your favorite people. David Hoffman filmmaker

[@gerektherogue7190]

Really dug the poet and the singer. Seems cliché, but you wonder what became of the budding talent there. Thank you, always, for these beautiful gems ❤ ✌️ ☮️

[@adrianghandtchi1562]

Thank you for this. I see people who are young, scared and trying to make do with what they have, which is one of those things that transcends the ages. The clothes and lingo may have changed , but the spirit of what it is remains the same. Makes me wonder what happened to all these people, a lot of them would be probably in their late 60s to 70s by about now. These are just some of the baby boomers. I am 30 years old, I may feel like I am disconnected from people that are younger than me, but I feel like in the same retrospect I am disconnected from the people older than me. The cyclical nature of things, is fascinating. And just like it, the tradition of people dunking on other people they don’t understand continues as much, myself for a while included, I hope it’s not too late though to continue to connect. Some of the people in this comment section have a very rosy colored glass of what people were before and what they are now, yet there are so many things that get left out from the experience, because we’re only seeing a small part of it, nostalgia is a funny thing, it praises the small moments, yet erases the pain on why we anted to leave it behind. I’m grateful that the newer generations have a lot more access and transparency than what we had before.

[@jchow5966]

I hope some of the people who were in this video find this and watch it now.

[@basedbuddha777]

The post-modern age has destroyed time itself. We will continue doing the same exact thing until we're all destroyed again.

[@Heather-cn4hi]

No, it doesn't sound like kids today. I agree with many of the other commentators; I still believe that deep down, kids today want the same things kids in 1967 wanted. The problem is that they aren't talking about it. They don't know how to, they aren't encouraged to. They really aren't even encouraged or given the time to even consider that the things the kids in this video express might be things they also want. I work on a college campus with young adults, so I know intimately what the climate is like, and I have to tell you: it's really quite disturbing and depressing. Suburbia is one thing - I lived through that - but a college culture that doesn't leave students any time to just THINK - think about what they want, what their values are, in what ways they want to be free - and only pressures them to mold themselves into employable workers, is really messing shit up. They aren't even aware of their own voices, or their own thoughts. Most of the kids in this video ran away from Suburbia, and I assume were not in college, but again, this was in 1967. As some of the other commentators mentioned, there really aren't any spaces for young adults today to congregate or exist outside of suburbia, urban ghettos, or colleges. Those are the only options they really have. And without being given any time or space to imagine another option... it isn't looking good. What can we do?

[@kyleshockley1573]

A line from an old song; _"Why stop and think when you've got someplace to go?"_ A lot of it is like you said, academia and society in general gearing kids towards being part of the larger corporate machine of productivity. But there will always be those who try to outrun their own thoughts or emotions by never leaving themselves any time to think as well. If they're allowed to think, given the flood of information and mixed signals they get from either the professional world or a device at hand. It just happens that we live in a climate now that caters towards both of those needs - maybe more than ever in the history of mankind - to be overwhelmed and to run away from one's self. Just so long as it leaves them able to be part of the larger process of production for that professional world that always needs graph to go up. It's mainstreamed functional alcoholism in a way.

[@worlds_com]

i watch this video whenever i feel lost. these kids were born in a completely different era and world then me yet, i relate to them more then anything. Thank you for sharing this with us

[@malkomalkavian]

Thank you for sharing your films :)

[@ScottKilmartin]

Can't get enough of your channel David. Fascinating. Thank you for your work then and now. ~ Scott

[@DavidHoffmanFilmmaker]

Scott. Thank you for your comment. If your resources allow, I would sure appreciate your using the THANKS button under any of my videos including the one you have commented on. It is something new that KZbin is testing and would mean a great deal for my continuing efforts. David Hoffman filmmaker

[@dangushumangus]

this is wholesome af compared to today

[@ImGoingSupersonic]

Man these videos, amazing archives you have. No one was walking around with cameras in those days!

[@LaCurlySue562]

Interesting to see how views in different decades change. Thank you for preserving all of this footage!

[@codegeassfanone]

This is immensely touching. Thank you so much for sharing.

[@biachiyoga4391]

Enjoyed that! Thank you for posting. The song toward the end was touching. I can't help but wonder what happened to these kids...and what they truly found over the course of their lives.

[@KATKattalestv]

BEAUTIFUL. I didn't know there were so many Runaways back then, So much trauma. I hope we can do something to heal the old mistakes.

[@Winteramen]

Mr Hoffman, I don't watch all your videos, but I've been subscribed to you for several years now, I believe. I just want to give you credit for all these amazing interviews, recordings, footages- essentially memories of the souls that once were. Thank you for doing all of these, and I'm very happy you are sharing them online for everyone to experience a time before.

[@tommylakindasorta3068]

I recently found out about a place in my city where anyone can go for free and just hang out and play board/card games with strangers. I've been going a lot because it's fun and I always meet interesting people. Many of them I look forward to seeing there now. Our minds crave this type of social contact, and I don't think the internet fully meets the need.

[@efficiencygaming3494]

There's something so refreshing about their manner of speech. It's very clear - I'd never have to ask any of these kids to repeat themselves. A lot of the speech you hear these days is faster, often slurred, and frankly much more difficult to understand by comparison.

[@bryant475]

AAVE 🤣

[@malcorub]

The most recent new stories on RUNAWAYS that I can remember were all the kids that wound up on the streets of Portland around 2010. Nowadays human trafficking is the most similar thing reported on the news.

[@luckyy3691]

Heartbreaking.

[@therevolutionwillnotbeyoutubed]

It's crazy how kids now a days look younger and more like children.

[@alexandreasen333]

Its the diet. Too much sugar, lack of intaking animal fat, too much processed food. It inhibits their bodys development. Plastic and such doesnt help either.

[@MarkStevens8899]

​@@alexandreasen333 Sugar actually ages you

[@alexandreasen333]

@@MarkStevens8899, it might make you look in worse condition. But it will not make you look more fully built, which is why they look younger but in poorer health.

[@51Boiler73]

they look exactly the same, just old timey fashion and accents retroactively ages them

[@alexandreasen333]

@@51Boiler73, I dont agree. The faces in the old footage are far better developed than faces are in most kids today. And this is the case across many videos one watches.