Footloose in Greenwich Village

In honor of the WNYC centennial anniversary, we’re excited to publish this 1959/60 documentary that reflects a turning point for the largest public radio station in the country.  Footloose in Greenwich Village features an unnamed reporter exploring the “why” of Greenwich Village.  It’s a judgmental piece from the jump, but by the time you get to Beat poets you sort of understand why.  It’s a perfect picture of New York City: a cultural revolt bubbling in a few square blocks intertwined with the curiosity and ire of the rest of the city. We chose Footloose in Greenwich Village for Selects because it’s one of the first longform audio documentaries to be presented to a mass public.  Radio was built on recurring show formats - studio conversations, live radio plays, and news reporting.  WNYC was city-owned and focused its efforts on “instruction, enlightenment, and entertainment.” But with Footloose, WNYC employed a unique format to explore one of many countercultures in the city.  While the piece is laced with judgmental scripting and side-eyed interviewing, it offers a place for Beats and other residents to speak about their experience in their own words.  It features a unique gem from Ed Fancher, the original publisher of the Village Voice, and a surprising amount of ministers discussing their relationship to the community.  This is a documentary capturing a revolution simmering, yet to come to a boil.  It ends in Washington Square Park, essentially directing the listener to watch this space.  The work that we hear from WNYC over the next decade, and indeed the next 100 years, reflects the prescience of Footloose in Greenwich Village, both as a piece of reportage and a pioneering format for audio documentary.There are some incredible examples of writing and archival images that have been gathered around the WNYC Centennial.  Check out the NYC Archives post guided by the incomparable WNYC Archivist Andy Lanset here, with accompanying photos here.