RKO Proctor's 58th Street Theatre

Hi. Just found this site. I worked at RKO 58th St Theatre from 1948 to 1954 after school and weekends. Started as an Usher, became Chief of Service – started at 45 cents per hour for 22 hour week, then 55 cents per hour for forty hour week after school and weekends, then 62 ½ cents per hour as chief.
Lavish decor. The stage was set up for vaudeville acts so had elevators built in it, whole attached building of dressing rooms and large areas storage. Curtains and drops were hung above the stage, lots of rigging, hoists, pulleys, etc up there. You could go up about forty, fifty feet and be on a catwalk where they suspended everything from. Very scary. There was a long open vertical ladder going up sidewall of stage that ushers used to climb as a ritual of passage – open ladder, steel built into wall – very long way up. Very spooky, you imagined meeting the Phantom of the Opera there. The basement had a tank for seals, heavy cages for lions/tigers and stalls for horses.
The sky had been projected on the huge ceiling over the orchestra and balcony. It was pierced with holes for “stars” to shine through – projectors on the sides hidden in plaster decorations sent up images of clouds drifting across the sky. Ceiling was only mesh and plaster on metal framework Steel catwalks criss-crossed above the ceiling allowed you to walk up there, look through “star” holes way, way down at seats – that was really bad.
Had a huge pipe organ with console that rose on elevator. Pipes of course hidden in sidewalls with trumpets, drums, etc. The house electrician, a bit crazy put in fuses one night and fired up organ – it still worked somewhat after years of inactivity – dust it blew out took a week to settle though.
We used to help the electrician change the signage on the two marquees, erected scaffolding, go up and shuffle letters. They were steel sheets that fit in tracks, had cutout for the white porcelain letters. Got five bucks for helping him, not bad for two hours of work when you are making 55 cents per hour ushering. Course this occurred after midnite, got home 2:30 and off to school in AM. Yawn. Marquee layout of lettering was a real art, had to layout the letters and spaces of the signs, get it approved by Manager. There were blank spacers, ¼, ½, full space. it had to look balanced and right. Had to replace burned out bulbs which often broke. would then used base of another bulb and jam it into busted one and screw it out. Electrician used to stick his knuckles into sockets to check if they were live – it was 110 volts DC power, original Thomas Edison system which was used in lower Manhattan until the late 1950’s. not AC – most of movie house had DC power as this was in older part of Manhattan – There was also some AC power in the house, never knew which was in a particular outlet, Lot of equipment couldn’t use DC power, burned out the new butter dispenser for the pocorn at the refreshment stand that way, also first freezer for the ice cream.
Theatre had one of the earlier Carrier air-conditioning systems. Had a huge DC motor driving compressor, Frankenstein style switches with heavy carbon pads instead of knife contacts, The house engineer had to use a starting technique. “Never look at the switch” he would say. It drew brilliant arc for they were also circuit breakers and would snap open. Like looking at a welding arc. To start he would grab the handles of two switches and slam them home. BANG – they immediately popped open and the big motor would rumble and turn over slightly, they he would quickly slam them home again and they would BANG and brilliant arc, but motor now was turning a bit faster, quickly again and same results but motor was reving a bit, and again – five-six times and the switch breakers would stay in and motor would be running, They he went off to the circulating pumps for this system chilled water, They would start easier and then he had to manipulate valves, etc to control refrigerant. The air for the theatre was heated in winter by NY Steam piped in from street, no furnaces in the house. When cooling needed, the chilled water was sent into a big room where the air was blowing though – it actually sprayed in there, cooling the air but also humidifying it – went to a drying chamber to eliminate actual fog droplets and then up into the house for distribution.
I was there when the Sychro Screen was installed, they had to upgrade the projectors and used the ones for drive-ins. A lot of people didn’t like them as they thought the picture didn’t fit the whole screen but I thought it was more restful to the eye. Had to shut down for couple of days for that installation and for the later Cinemascope screen. Had to shut down too after the first showing of the Robe in Cinemascope. When projectionist rewound it after first showing, the DC motors on the rewinder garbled the magnetic sound track on the film. Had to get new cans of film. Refunded a lot of tickets that day. Projectionists were king of the place though, made as much as the manager.
Manager then was A.E. Arnstein, his assistant was Mrs. Wachtel, the Porter was Felix Bell a retired boxer, Mrs. McNally was the Matron. They did use both box offices whole time I was there, the 58th St one opened into the theatre office. They closed the 58th St office early leaving the 3rd Avenue one open.

Here is one I never heard before:

From the New York Times 1928 regarding the New Proctor 58th St.

“The new playhouse will have…an "animal room” where, it is announced, patrons may check their pets while attending performances."

That can’t be 1954. The same ad mentions South Pacific, Rio Bravo and Alias Jesse James. It might be from 1959.

Reposts but still interesting images! Scanned from “Marquee.”

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A view of the proscenium:

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Notes for the RKO Proctor’s 58thStreet Theatre in “Marquee” included:

“The asbestos curtain is a copy of the original curtain of the old Proctor’s Pleasure Palace, which stood on the same site.”

My name is actualy Ed Sol Ero.

Very appropo EdSolero. This fella has no problem with pseudonyms when they serve his purpose to create chaos. Perhaps he uses other pseudonyms that we are not yet aware of.

Try to make some sense in your comments fella. Perhaps more people will take you seriously if you do so. There are many writers who do not use their true names. Feel free to research me to your hearts content. I have never claimed to be a theatre historian. If you consider yourself to be a theatre historian perhaps a new occupation is in order. Making unsubstantiated claims and barking at people who may question those claims is not the sign of a true historian. Get over yourself.

Since when are you concerned with accuracy fella? How do we know that your opening date is correct? Take your problems and questions to the New York Times.

Warren:
Regarding your April 4, 2005 question concerning the Phantom trapped in quicksand: The Phantom’s trusted dog(name?)appeared,saw the sinking phantom, the dog got a large vine in his jaws, the dog tossed the vine to the Phantom,and the Phantom pulled himself to safety.

Was Karl Malden matched up with Connie Stevens or Claudette Colbert?

After my beloved RKO 23rd Street closed in 1960, we had to go to the 58th St. RKO for this Christmas show. 3 movies (my hero Audie & Francis!!!)& cartoons, the day after Christmas 1960. WOW. jerry

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Can you imagine ANY “star” today hitting 27 theaters in 2 days?

Indeed, like the grand theaters, an era that we will never see again. I have many photos from this tour. I’ll see if I can get some of them scanned and posted on the individual theater pages.

You can see that Jerry was having a great time. Murray the K was with him and, at one point, they got off the tour bus to play stickball with some kids on the street. You can see the kids were thrilled by the astonished looks on their faces!