Garrick Theater was the Bleecker Street venue where Flesh began its long commercial run in fall 1968. Its role in the account marks a transition from filmmaking among the Factory’s unconventional circle to a feature playing commercially in a New York theater.

Setting and Film Context

In 1968–72, a major activity at The Factory was making feature-length films on 16mm, which could be enlarged to 35mm for commercial release. The films drew on people who gathered at Max’s Kansas City or came to The Factory hoping to be discovered. Garrick Theater was one point where that filmmaking entered a public theatrical setting.

Flesh at the Theater

Flesh was made in summer 1968, while Andy Warhol was recovering at home from gunshot wounds. Paul Morrissey, who had assisted on Warhol’s Factory films before the shooting, filmed it as his own production. The film starred Factory receptionist and bouncer Joe Dallesandro as a male hustler trying to raise money for his girlfriend’s abortion. In fall 1968, Flesh began a long commercial run at Garrick Theater on Bleecker Street.

Production Connections

Jed Johnson, who had started working at The Factory that spring, assisted Morrissey on Flesh. His involvement connected the film’s production to the Factory’s practical, collaborative work around filmmaking; the theater’s commercial run carried that work beyond the loft and its immediate circle.