Abbott & Costello, topping the Roxy’s stage bill, had yet to enter moviemaking…“Young Dr. Kildare” was the very first MGM feature to be booked by the Music Hall.
This was the Memorial Day holiday presentation for that year, and would also benefit from out-of-town visitors to the second season of the New York World’s Fair.
The RKO 58th Street closed for demolition on May 15th, 1967, according to Boxoffice Magazine at that time. The 39-story office building that replaced it was expected to be ready for occupancy by the summer of 1969. Plans to include a small cinema in the new building were scrapped due to nearby competition from the Coronet, Baronet, Cinemas I and II, Sutton, and Trans-Lux East.
The Belair was designed by Louis Liberman, with John J. McNamara as consulting architect, according to a news item in the 7/01/63 issue of Boxoffice Magazine.
The Belair originally opened as a single screen cinema with 600 seats on June 26th, 1963. Located in the Belair Shopping Center, it was built for B.S. Moss Enterprises at a cost of $250,000, according to a report in Newsday.
Films were first-run for the area, starting with “Divorce Italian Style.”
Full-page ad published on May 14th, 1965, the same day that a B&W “quickie” about the life of Jean Harlow opened at the Paramount Theatre in Times Square.
The B&W independent “quickie” arrived two months before Joseph E. Levine’s much-heralded biopic with Carroll Baker, causing distress for Paramount Pictures, which had its corporate HQ in the office building adjacent to the Paramount Theatre.
None of the ten B&W features had been shown theatrically in the NYC area in recent years. Ownership now belonged to MCA/Universal, which purchased Paramount’s pre-1949 inventory primarily for TV distribution.
The Technicolor melodrama introduced the catchy hit song, “Jingle, Jangle, Jingle,” which was performed by singers on horseback in a festive street parade.
This was the biggest gala of its type since “GWTW” in Atlanta the previous year. To meet the demand for seats, the State Lake supplemented the Chicago on opening night only. The next day, “North West Mounted Police” began its run at the Chicago Theatre exclusively, with stage show topped by Betty Grable and Ken Murray.
The stage revue included ballerinas flying through the air like birds, using the system employed at the Winter Garden on Broadway for Jean Arthur’s version of “Peter Pan” in 1951.
Many people have said similar, and no longer will attend anything at the Music Hall because of the disfigurement of the auditorium by technical equipment hanging from the ceiling and TV monitors on both sides of the proscenium.
Mel Brooks talking to audience from center stage and TV monitors, with moderator Kevin Salter seated. Screen is still visible in background with settings used.
To combat competition from the second season of the New York World’s Fair, stage shows stressed the spectacular, with scenes such as the dazzling “Magic Mirrors” here.
Nearly seven years and a World War had passed since “GWTW” opened at the Astor as a reserved-seat roadshow, simultaneously with continuous performances at the Capitol.
Abbott & Costello, topping the Roxy’s stage bill, had yet to enter moviemaking…“Young Dr. Kildare” was the very first MGM feature to be booked by the Music Hall.
This was the Memorial Day holiday presentation for that year, and would also benefit from out-of-town visitors to the second season of the New York World’s Fair.
Fred Astaire, on his own or with sister Adele, NEVER performed at the Palace.
The huge cast of the stage revue included “Markert’s 16 American Rockets.” I wonder whatever became of them?
Hoped to benefit from out-of-town visitors to the New York World’s Fair, which was in its second and final season.
The RKO 58th Street closed for demolition on May 15th, 1967, according to Boxoffice Magazine at that time. The 39-story office building that replaced it was expected to be ready for occupancy by the summer of 1969. Plans to include a small cinema in the new building were scrapped due to nearby competition from the Coronet, Baronet, Cinemas I and II, Sutton, and Trans-Lux East.
The Belair was designed by Louis Liberman, with John J. McNamara as consulting architect, according to a news item in the 7/01/63 issue of Boxoffice Magazine.
The RKO Royal was operating at least as late as May, 1965, according to an ad uploaded today.
The Belair originally opened as a single screen cinema with 600 seats on June 26th, 1963. Located in the Belair Shopping Center, it was built for B.S. Moss Enterprises at a cost of $250,000, according to a report in Newsday. Films were first-run for the area, starting with “Divorce Italian Style.”
Full-page ad published on May 14th, 1965, the same day that a B&W “quickie” about the life of Jean Harlow opened at the Paramount Theatre in Times Square.
The B&W independent “quickie” arrived two months before Joseph E. Levine’s much-heralded biopic with Carroll Baker, causing distress for Paramount Pictures, which had its corporate HQ in the office building adjacent to the Paramount Theatre.
The Chinese was presenting the B&W “Big Trail” in the wide-screen Grandeur process.
None of the ten B&W features had been shown theatrically in the NYC area in recent years. Ownership now belonged to MCA/Universal, which purchased Paramount’s pre-1949 inventory primarily for TV distribution.
The Technicolor melodrama introduced the catchy hit song, “Jingle, Jangle, Jingle,” which was performed by singers on horseback in a festive street parade.
This was the biggest gala of its type since “GWTW” in Atlanta the previous year. To meet the demand for seats, the State Lake supplemented the Chicago on opening night only. The next day, “North West Mounted Police” began its run at the Chicago Theatre exclusively, with stage show topped by Betty Grable and Ken Murray.
The stage revue included ballerinas flying through the air like birds, using the system employed at the Winter Garden on Broadway for Jean Arthur’s version of “Peter Pan” in 1951.
This was the day after “Gone With the Wind” had its NYC launching at the Astor and Capitol.
Many people have said similar, and no longer will attend anything at the Music Hall because of the disfigurement of the auditorium by technical equipment hanging from the ceiling and TV monitors on both sides of the proscenium.
First neighborhood showings of “Roman Holiday” since its Radio City Music Hall debut.
For both the movie and the Todd-AO process.
Mel Brooks talking to audience from center stage and TV monitors, with moderator Kevin Salter seated. Screen is still visible in background with settings used.
To combat competition from the second season of the New York World’s Fair, stage shows stressed the spectacular, with scenes such as the dazzling “Magic Mirrors” here.
The B&W spoof of swashbucklers was loosely based on Booth Tarkington’s novel, which had a silent film version as a vehicle for Rudolph Valentino.
Nearly seven years and a World War had passed since “GWTW” opened at the Astor as a reserved-seat roadshow, simultaneously with continuous performances at the Capitol.
The five-theatre experiment flopped and was soon extinguished.