Audio

The history of Flatbush through audio and video

Some people have told the history of Flatbush by telling oral histories, filming documentaries, or creating other audio and video projects. Here are the ones I’ve found. (Did I miss any? I’d love to hear about more.)

Videos

Flatbush History: The Series - Informative looks back and oral histories — some heart-wrenching, some funny — from We Are Flatbush

Remembering Flatbush – A beautifully narrated piece ruminating on what it was like to grow up in Flatbush “back in the day” (1970s-80s, I believe) - Note: some of these photos aren’t of Flatbush! (But many are.)

Neil Diamond Comes Back to Flatbush (Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3) - Did you know that Neil Diamond grew up on Church Ave in the 1960s? In this short series, he visits the neighborhood, talks about what it was like to grow up in the area, and speaks to Church Ave locals. Super sweet.

Flatbush: The Movie - Fictional movie based on facts, shot guerilla-style, about the rise of gangs in Flatbush in the 90s (read an interview with one of the creators here)

This Is Flatbush - 10-minute documentary made in 2017 by Equality for Flatbush with the purpose of “taking aim at the corporate rebranding of Flatbush through a compilation of interviews with longtime residents, transplants, activists, and a professor of urban planning.”

The History of Flatbush - Lively 2018 presentation on the history of Flatbush by Brooklyn historian Ron Schweiger, who former borough president Marty Markowitz deemed “official”

Block by Block: Ditmas Park - A 2016 look at Ditmas Park and its history from the New York Times, including interviews with locals (“Where else woodya wanna live?”).

The Making of the Lords of Flatbush - Interview with Lords of Flatbush movie creator Stephen Verona. (And if you’ve got the famous “Lords of Flatbush” song in your head, here’s the TV commercial trailer.)

Video Walking Tours

Flatbush Brooklyn’s Victorian Mansions and Historic Landmarks - Great walking tour by Urbanist from 2020
Six to Celebrate: East Flatbush Walking Tour - Tour guide Joe Svehla takes the Historic Districts Council through some of the major sites on Flatbush Ave plus the East 25th Street Historic District
Flatbush & East Flatbush - A quick tour through the neighborhood by a young local, with a focus on the area’s Caribbean culture

Videos of Flatbush trolleys

50s-era video of the Church Ave trolley, including it going in and out of the tunnel that was formerly on Church Ave at Ocean Parkway
Another 50s-era video of unknown provence, this time of trolleys cruising around Prospect Park

Videos about the Brooklyn Dodgers

The Ghosts of Brooklyn - Decent feature-length documentary made in the 90s about the Brooklyn Dodgers and Ebbets Field
Brooklyn Dodgers clips - These archival film clips from Getty images are expensive to use but free to watch
Out of the Box: The Brooklyn Dodgers - Archivists from the Center for Brooklyn History show off some of their coolest holdings alongside commentary from Dodgers experts
1952 World Series Game 7: Yankees @ Dodgers - Get the genuine experience of watching a Brooklyn Dodgers game with this full-length match-up called by Red Barber. Don’t read the video’s description if you don’t want to know who won!

And…Movies and TV Shows Filmed in Ditmas Park (Bklyner) - Looking for a list of all the movies and TV shows that have used the area as its back lot? Here’s a comprehensive list through 2016 of (fictional) feature films and TV shows that have been filmed in Flatbush.

Flatbush + Main podcast - Podcast about Brooklyn history from the Brooklyn Historical Society. I particularly loved this episode about The New York Draft Riots, which contains an interesting discussion about the black experience in Flatbush and the racism black people experienced even from well-meaning white people.

The Bowery Boys podcast:

“The Pride of Brooklyn: Ebbets Field and the Glory Days of the Brooklyn Dodgers” - New York’s most well-known history podcast discusses the Brooklyn Dodgers
“The Story of Flatbush, Old and New” - Somehow it took until episode #390, but finally the boys finally take on our neighborhood

Oral Histories:

Interviews from the Brooklyn Historical Society Oral Histories project that mention Flatbush - There’s a lot here! I haven’t had a chance to comb through most of it.
Interviews from the Brooklyn Public Library’s “Our Cities, Our Stories” project: Here are the ones recorded at the Flatbush Library, Brooklyn College, and Midwood High School

Other Research Materials