Marketing of the British-made thriller capitalized on Claude Rains' title role in Universal’s “The Invisible Man,” which had also debuted at the Roxy Theatre (with stage show).
I can’t find any mention of the Roxy in this ad. Was there a stage show in support? And what was it first-run for? New York City? The USA?
Entire world? If you must post such unspecific drivel, why don’t you post it for its first-run in the place where you reside?
The stage revue was imported from Bill Miller’s Riviera, a spectacular nightclub on the New Jersey Palisades, overlooking the Hudson River and Manhattan. The junior member of the Will Mastin Trio was just at the beginning of an iconic career spanning all of showbiz.
Supporting actors Marjorie Main and Percy Kilbride made such an impact as “Ma and Pa Kettle” that Universal-International decided to build a series around them and their family, with an eventual nine B&W features.
Ad neglects to mention that the B&W musical was part of the annual Christmas Show, which many people attended primarily for the spectacular stage show, not caring what was on screen.
Didn’t your sources reveal that movie was supported by a stage show, and that Bob Hope made guest appearances throughout opening day?
Actual ad displayed here
Almost certainly part of a multi-theatre “Premiere Showcase” engagement throughout the greater metropolitan area, and not exclusively at the Lyric Theatre.
Ad neglected to mention that the movie was accompanied by a spectacular stage revue, which was undoubtedly a major contributor to attendance.
Also, dollar figures are meaningless without knowledge of ticket prices, which were undoubtedly the highest in RCMH’s history so far.
The true test of popularity is how many people attended.
“Holiday in Spain” was the latest version of the 1960 “Scent of Mystery,” which was filmed in Todd-AO and augmented in theatres by the “Smell-O-Vision” process. The movie is now available on DVD in a curved-screen “Smilebox” format replicating the Cinerama experience.
Trailer can be viewed here
Under the same management as the Brooklyn Paramount and Fox, the older and smaller Strand had to settle for move-overs, reissues, and exploitation packaging such as the above.
The first neighborhood showings of “Carousel” followed its premiere engagement at the Roxy Theatre (with stage revue). Supporting feature of “Please Murder Me!” seemed inappropriate, to say the least.
This ad cites two films, not one. Were they shown together as a double bill at the Roxy, eliminating the need for the Roxy’s customary stage presentation?
Many critics praised teenager Stanley Clements for a “scene-stealing” performance as a tough-talking horse jockey who gets murdered for refusing to cooperate with gangsters on fixing an important race.
Offering a special “Two-for-the-price of-one” deal for upcoming premiere engagement of “The Duke” starring Helen Mirren and Jim Broadbent. Details here
“King Kong” never played at the Roxy Theatre. You’ve confused it with the New Roxy, the smaller of two Radio City showcases, and best remembered as the Center Theatre and home to stage musicals and ice-skating revues.
Two views of the site, now a market, can be viewed in this recent article about Market Street
Were newspapers really printing movie ads in full color back then? Must have been very expensive, if even technically possible.
Marketing of the British-made thriller capitalized on Claude Rains' title role in Universal’s “The Invisible Man,” which had also debuted at the Roxy Theatre (with stage show).
I can’t find any mention of the Roxy in this ad. Was there a stage show in support? And what was it first-run for? New York City? The USA? Entire world? If you must post such unspecific drivel, why don’t you post it for its first-run in the place where you reside?
With or without stage show? Surely one or both of your sources mentioned that.
The stage revue was imported from Bill Miller’s Riviera, a spectacular nightclub on the New Jersey Palisades, overlooking the Hudson River and Manhattan. The junior member of the Will Mastin Trio was just at the beginning of an iconic career spanning all of showbiz.
Supporting actors Marjorie Main and Percy Kilbride made such an impact as “Ma and Pa Kettle” that Universal-International decided to build a series around them and their family, with an eventual nine B&W features.
Ad neglects to mention that the B&W musical was part of the annual Christmas Show, which many people attended primarily for the spectacular stage show, not caring what was on screen.
Didn’t your sources reveal that movie was supported by a stage show, and that Bob Hope made guest appearances throughout opening day? Actual ad displayed here
Almost certainly part of a multi-theatre “Premiere Showcase” engagement throughout the greater metropolitan area, and not exclusively at the Lyric Theatre.
Ad neglected to mention that the movie was accompanied by a spectacular stage revue, which was undoubtedly a major contributor to attendance. Also, dollar figures are meaningless without knowledge of ticket prices, which were undoubtedly the highest in RCMH’s history so far. The true test of popularity is how many people attended.
Opened on March 30th, 1944, with Easter Sunday on April 9th that year.
No mention of a stage show. Had the Music Hall switched to an “Everything on the screen” policy by that time?
“Holiday in Spain” was the latest version of the 1960 “Scent of Mystery,” which was filmed in Todd-AO and augmented in theatres by the “Smell-O-Vision” process. The movie is now available on DVD in a curved-screen “Smilebox” format replicating the Cinerama experience. Trailer can be viewed here
Under the same management as the Brooklyn Paramount and Fox, the older and smaller Strand had to settle for move-overs, reissues, and exploitation packaging such as the above.
The first neighborhood showings of “Carousel” followed its premiere engagement at the Roxy Theatre (with stage revue). Supporting feature of “Please Murder Me!” seemed inappropriate, to say the least.
This ad cites two films, not one. Were they shown together as a double bill at the Roxy, eliminating the need for the Roxy’s customary stage presentation?
And your reason for uploading the front cover of a fan magazine?
Many critics praised teenager Stanley Clements for a “scene-stealing” performance as a tough-talking horse jockey who gets murdered for refusing to cooperate with gangsters on fixing an important race.
Is there a booby prize for a correct answer to which of the two movies actually played at the Capitol Theatre?
Offering a special “Two-for-the-price of-one” deal for upcoming premiere engagement of “The Duke” starring Helen Mirren and Jim Broadbent. Details here
If The New York Times really was your “source,” than the NYT was also incorrect.
“King Kong” never played at the Roxy Theatre. You’ve confused it with the New Roxy, the smaller of two Radio City showcases, and best remembered as the Center Theatre and home to stage musicals and ice-skating revues.
The Capitol isn’t even mentioned in this trade ad. An actual ad for the opening day of “The Hucksters” was previously downloaded here
Policy was previously used for “Gone With the Wind,” with continuous performances at the Capitol and two-a-day reserved seats at the Astor.