Roxy Theatre
153 W. 50th Street,
New York,
NY
10020
153 W. 50th Street,
New York,
NY
10020
83 people
favorited this theater
Showing 726 - 750 of 1,213 comments
brucec
You make very good points. Didn’t the Roxy go discount and then some re-issues and finally a double bill at the end?
does anybody know if the roxy and radio city were onwned by the same company? maybe somebody can answer this question.
The Roxy seemed to be very profitable until it was sold by National Theatres(20th-Century-Fox). A great deal of money was spent to install “Windjammer” in 1958 and it was torn down just two years later. Warren it would interesting to see the grosses after the “Windjammer” run 1958-1960. According to Simon 1956 was a peak year for the Roxy with such big hits as “The King And I” 9 weeks,“Bus Stop” 6 weeks,,“Giant” 9 weeks and “Anastasia” 9 weeks. I would like to know if Fox was forced to sell the theatre due to the consent decree. When the dicision was made to tear down the Roxy theatre, that could explain the poor bookings in 1960 not to draw to much attention to the theatre. The Roxy seems to have gone from being very successful to being torn down very quickly. Im surprised there was no farewell show for such a famous theatre which would have drawn a lot of business.I think the owners at the time wanted this theatre torn down as quickly and as quietly as possible. The Roxy was able to program more adult themed movies with there stage shows compared to Radio City which became more and more family oriented as the decade moved on. The Capitol which was torn down 8 years later made a lot of money when it was torn down for a skyscraper even though the theatre was still a success. The Fox San Francisco went out with a bang where the Roxy went out with a wimper. Thank God for Ben Hall which gave this great theatre its due after it was torn down.brucec
Warren that was a wicked thing to say.
this theater was the best looking one in the city along with the capital and loews state
Yeah how did he end up with Cyd Charisse?
This is reference to some of the posts a couple of months ago.
Around 1959 or 60 I went to the Roxy (while on Xmas vacation from college) and I remember there being an ice show. I can’t even remember the movie. Also, I was sitting in the front orchestra and remember hearing the projectionists talking very loudly with alot of noise. It was very annoying so I turned around and saw that the projection booth was right above me carved out into the mezzanine. I don’t know if there was a booth in the balcony but I kind of doubt it.
Also I believe the music accompanying the CinemaScope extension was used early on when 20th Century Fox first came on the scene. First there was the drum intro segue into that musical conclusion. It was shortened to just the drum roll a few years later. I think Newman also composed the Selznick Logo music which to me is the second best Movie logo of all time, the first being the incomprable MGM Lion. It is always a thrill to see this “live” kinetic logo.
Too bad MGM is really on its last legs. stan at
This is reference to some of the posts a couple of months ago.
Around 1959 or 60 I went to the Roxy (while on Xmas vacation from college) and I remember there being an ice show. I can’t even remember the movie. Also, I was sitting in the front orchestra and remember hearing the projectionists talking very loudly with alot of noise. It was very annoying so I turned around and saw that the projection booth was right above me carved out into the mezzanine. I don’t know if there was a booth in the balcony but I kind of doubt it.
Also I believe the music accompanying the CinemaScope extension was used early on when 20th Century Fox first came on the scene. First there was the drum intro segue into that musical conclusion. It was shortened to just the drum roll a few years later. I think Newman also composed the Selznick Logo music which to me is the second best Movie logo of all time, the first being the incomprable MGM Lion. It is always a thrill to see this “live” kinetic logo.
Too bad MGM is really on its last legs. stan at
And this was just the Roxy. Keeping up with all the shows and movies in midtown who had time to go to work?
Ah Warren, the Andrews Sisters at the Roxy, now that was “Apple Blossom Time”
Speaking of PEYTON PLACE, one of my all-time favorite films, I would like more details of the engagement. How long it played and what the grosses were. What I wouldn’t have given to have seen that film at the ROXY.
The comments by Warren and Simon add to the history of the Roxy.I think everyone is enjoying your detailed comments of the films that played the Roxy. Simon it was nice to know the Roxy was going strong in 1956 with a great lineup of films. Was this the last great year for the Roxy? I now Peyton Place was a huge hit in 1957.What a joy Simon to have worked at this great movie palace.brucec
If you scroll down here to the ad that mentions Duke Ellington playing the Aquacade in 1955 you can also see the ad for Lady and the Tramp opening at the Roxy.
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As I had the good fortune to work at the Roxy during a peak business period – from June 1956 to Jan 1957 I can attest to the huge crowds, longs lines and major films that played there. “The King and I” opened late in June and played nine weeks. Its attendance rivaled the Music Hall. Grosses were never comparable because the Roxy had children’s admission of .50 (if I remember right). The Music Hall never had a special children’s admission. “Bus Stop” had patrons lining up for a three hour waits all Labor Day and played 6 weeks. “Giant” followed and also played nine weeks followed by “Anastasia,” also nine weeks and an even bigger hit. All I can attest to is the hard week we had every night in crowd control. As we have discussed before, the Roxy rotunda could hold over 1,000 people willing to stand patiently waitng for seats. Unlike the Music Hall that had relatively little space for waiting, a street line at the Roxy meant a long wait. I don’t think the Roxy could say that had any better string of consecutive films in their history. If that could have been maintained, who knows how long the Roxy could have reamained open.
Mother Carey’s Chickens?
Who owed who a favor?
As much as I love the Paramount, Capitol, Roxy and Old Met(from pictures)the crime of all time in my est. is the destruction of Penn Station. If there is any indictment of New York politicos and real estate developers that is it.
Truly one of the great architectural wonders of the modern world.
So why don’t they just go and tear down the Pyramids, St Peters, and the Cappella degli Scivegni while they’re at it?
OK then……if its a given that Radio City Music Hall needed to be saved and we had the power to save one other, which other theatre in that area (Roxy, Capitol, Paramount, Loews State, Rivoli etc) should have been kept and why?
My vote would go the Capitol. The glorious excess, size and upkeep of the Roxy would have made it too expensive to keep in any era. The Paramount was in an office building which could not have lasted. But the Capitol was self-standing and could perhaps been renovated and run like the Fox, Detroit and many others.
“The owners of Radio City thought it was a good idea to get rid of its competition.” This quote from a “brucec” post is disturbing to read and also this from “brucec”…….“I remember in the 1970’s when the Rockefeller’s wanted to tear down Radio City they pointed to the destuction of the Roxy,Capitol and Paramount saying that they had outlived the stage and screen policy and was a White Elephant and should die a natural death as the other stage and screen movie palaces had.”
Usually the answer is money and politics! None the less, it is a crime that the Roxy isn’t with us in 2005!
Money. Ever heard of it?
Why was this fabulous 6,000 seat NYC theatre with such rich and wonderful history allowed to be demolished?
I think the closing of the Roxy in 1960 was due to a few factors. The Windjammer run wasn’t a success and hurt the Roxy as a future theatre for roadshow runs because of its size. The owners of Radio City thought it was a good idea to get rid of its competition.All other Times Square palaces had dropped there stage shows except for the Roxy. Starting in the late 1950’s the studios were cutting back on film production with less product to go around. Starting in the late 1950’s the studios big event films were being released as reserved seat roadshow attractions playing up to a year in a single theatre. The Capitol and Loew’s State reduced the size of there theatres to become roadshow theatres. I often wonder why that didn’t happen to the New York Paramount. I would be curious to see the box-office of the Roxy from 1957-1960 and the product they were playing after “Windjammer”.The Roxy showcased Fox films for most of its life and Fox wasn’t doing very well during the late 1950’s which would help explain the sale of the theatre to the owners of Radio City besides complying with the consent decree. I guess by 1960 there wasn’t room in New York City to have two huge movie palaces the Roxy and Radio City having stage shows and movies. I remember in the 1970’s when the Rockefeller’s wanted to tear down Radio City they pointed to the destuction of the Roxy,Capitol and Paramount saying that they had outlived the stage and screen policy and was a White Elephant and should die a natural death as the other stage and screen movie palaces had.I would love to see a discussion of this, and could the Roxy have survived as a viable stage and screen theatre at least until the late 1960’s.brucec
Thanks myrtlleave, I was working at the Staten Island Paramount when White Christmas played there, perhaps it was Dec 20th as well.
to vito
white christmas 0pen at the brooklyn paramoune
no dec 20 1954 it was the only theatre in brooklyn
to show the movie it open 3 weeks later at
neghborhood theatres
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Thanks guys, I did not remember White Christmas leaving RCMH before Christmas. Good for the nabes I guess.
To Vito:
Christmas of ‘54 – the Paramount had “The Silver Chalice”, the Rivoli had “Carmen Jones”. “Deep in My Heart” was the RCMH Attraction.