I believe I read that during the climactic horse race the Music Hall’s screen was expanded to its Magnascope size.
I always wondered how this worked. During a reel change was the aperture of the next projector used larger and the borders of the screen then enlarged? Then for the end of the film did the screen then shrink to its former size?
Though I believe the last time this was done was for the incredible Busby Berkeley Cypress Gardens' water show from Easy to Love and I doubt there are many people around who could tell us how it worked exactly.
When I saw Butterflies are Free the summer of ‘72 there was a very long preview of 1776. It seemed like it must have been 15 minutes.
It included some of Cool Cool Considerate Men.
So when I saw the film at Christmas I was like ‘what the hell happened to Cool Cool Considerate Men?’
Did I dream I saw it in that preview?
Little did I know what tricky Dick was up to.
Still have never seen it but it’s nice to know it exists unlike the Coffee Break from How to Succeed which was included in that film’s poster artwork but cut before the film premiered and never seen again.
Saw My Fair Lady here twice. First in the summer of ‘65. Was so young all I remember is that people were dressed up for a movie which was strange to me. The movie was boring.
Saw it again in I believe Jan of ‘71. 70mm presentation but without intermission to allow for continuous performances. Though prices were different mezz and orchestra and balc. I think orch and mezz were $3.50 and balc was $3. Still kind of a snooze.
It wasn’t until I was older and saw it in 70mm at the Warner Cinerama that the film totally floored me. One of the true greats. Though nobody will ever see it like that again. The huge curved screen had a clarity and depth which gave the film an almost 3D feel. When Hepburn makes her first appearance at Ascott the image was almost startling in its beauty.
And the 6 track analogue stereo sound was glorious with Previn’s magnificent conducting.
Met Jeremy Brett years later and told him it was one of my favorite films. He said it was one of his as well.
Even the people who treasure this film on their Blu Ray players have no idea how good it is.
Legend of the Vikings was one of the spectacles that the Music Hall was famous for which included the undersea ballet and Bolero of which the ballet company was the most important part.
When the Music Hall got rid of it that was just another nail in its coffin. Without the spectacle the only thing to see was the Rockettes. And at 10 minutes it was hardly worth sitting through a terrible movie and a tedious embarrassing stage show for.
Saw this on a sunday afternoon. Waited on line for about an hour.
First Easter show for me. And of course loved the movie. Audience did to.
I was totally blown away by Glory of Easter.
Included an act the kind of which might have been popular once in Vaudeville but I assume no longer exists. A lady on a horse in a kind of circus costume. Some guy on the choral stairs released birds and they landed on her. Don’t remember what she exactly did with them but even as a child I thought it a bit strange. The finale included the Rockettes dancing in a set of the RC Plaza.
The Music Hall I believe had somewhere around 3 move overs from roadshow at the beginning of its history.
It should have continued the policy in preference to some of the poor first run films they showed.
Do you know what year the first Glory of Easter was produced?
Thank you.
So this could then have been a publicity photo with all the Rockettes including the substitutes.
I do know there were always an additional 10 beyond the 36 one saw on stage until the line was cut to 30 in the 70s.
One of the strangest most distasteful films to ever play Radio City at Easter.
Despite its good reviews word of mouth traveled fast and it did poorly and this during a time when holiday shows at the Hall always did well. George Roy Hill said he never wanted another of his films to play there.
Its incongruity at the Hall as a holiday movie was surpassed the following year at Easter with the bleak gritty violent Operation Crossbow. I’m not sure what the programmers there were thinking.
Still its a great ad and made you think you were going to see a bright and funny Peter Sellers' comedy which you definitely did not.
You would have to wait a number of weeks for that. And it would be a classic.
This makes so much sense when the retail space can go above it instead. Even if this succeeds what are the long term consequences for such an old building? Nobody has any idea. For God’s sake why can’t they leave the theater as it is?
Miserable wretched Ed Koch who did everything he could to destroy the Morosco and Helen Hayes(not to mention the Gaiety, Astor and Bijou)must be dancing a jig in hell.
Interesting that a theater of this enormous size could show South Pacific for 4 years and Sound of Music for 3(maybe longer if 20th Century didn’t want it for Star. It was pulled from NY’s Rivoli despite management’s objections because the studio wanted it for Sand Pebbles.)
I too would love to see interior photos from its roadshow days.
I believe I read that during the climactic horse race the Music Hall’s screen was expanded to its Magnascope size.
I always wondered how this worked. During a reel change was the aperture of the next projector used larger and the borders of the screen then enlarged? Then for the end of the film did the screen then shrink to its former size?
Though I believe the last time this was done was for the incredible Busby Berkeley Cypress Gardens' water show from Easy to Love and I doubt there are many people around who could tell us how it worked exactly.
Darling Lily opened in Nov of ‘69 in Canada?
When I saw Butterflies are Free the summer of ‘72 there was a very long preview of 1776. It seemed like it must have been 15 minutes.
It included some of Cool Cool Considerate Men.
So when I saw the film at Christmas I was like ‘what the hell happened to Cool Cool Considerate Men?’
Did I dream I saw it in that preview?
Little did I know what tricky Dick was up to.
Still have never seen it but it’s nice to know it exists unlike the Coffee Break from How to Succeed which was included in that film’s poster artwork but cut before the film premiered and never seen again.
The last Music Hall movie that was so successful(at the Hall) it sometimes sold out the last stage show.
‘This line is for the movie only!’
The Hall played the film again in 1976.
I believe it replaced the dire Bluebird which was unwatchable and had audience members leaving and waiting in the foyer for the stage show.
I waited hours in line to see LUCY MAME at the Music Hall.
That was quite the doozy.
The above stage show looks quite the doozy as well.
A Christmas show with Santa at the bottom of the sea, a dog act, and the Rockettes ending up on the moon.
Only Leonidoff could pull it off.
All that money to renovate the Hall then they throw in a cardboard arch like some kid playing Radio City in a shoe box.
Incredibly cheap tacky and amateurish.
I’ve always been curious why until the 50s the screen at the Music Hall was so small.
Anybody have an explanation?
It seems it could easily have been 1 and a half times as big.
Interesting that the great Jessica Tandy who gives such a superb performance in an important role in this received no credit.
The film looked wonderful at the Music Hall.
‘Where anything can happen… and everything does!’
I wish one could edit one’s own posts.
Anyway it’s a delirious fun movie that’s not to be missed. And surprisingly contemporary in its animal rights message.
One of the most bizarre films ever made. Had no idea it opened at Radio city.
‘Where every can happen…and everything does!’ is in this case pretty accurate.
Imagine Cecil B De Mille, Spielberg and PETA making a film together.
Sorry ‘Ascot.’
Saw My Fair Lady here twice. First in the summer of ‘65. Was so young all I remember is that people were dressed up for a movie which was strange to me. The movie was boring.
Saw it again in I believe Jan of ‘71. 70mm presentation but without intermission to allow for continuous performances. Though prices were different mezz and orchestra and balc. I think orch and mezz were $3.50 and balc was $3. Still kind of a snooze.
It wasn’t until I was older and saw it in 70mm at the Warner Cinerama that the film totally floored me. One of the true greats. Though nobody will ever see it like that again. The huge curved screen had a clarity and depth which gave the film an almost 3D feel. When Hepburn makes her first appearance at Ascott the image was almost startling in its beauty.
And the 6 track analogue stereo sound was glorious with Previn’s magnificent conducting.
Met Jeremy Brett years later and told him it was one of my favorite films. He said it was one of his as well.
Even the people who treasure this film on their Blu Ray players have no idea how good it is.
Legend of the Vikings was one of the spectacles that the Music Hall was famous for which included the undersea ballet and Bolero of which the ballet company was the most important part.
When the Music Hall got rid of it that was just another nail in its coffin. Without the spectacle the only thing to see was the Rockettes. And at 10 minutes it was hardly worth sitting through a terrible movie and a tedious embarrassing stage show for.
The Music Hall’s last Thanksgiving film which did not make it to Thanksgiving.
Love these ads. Remember looking at the photos of the stage show outside the front entrance. Wish I had gone in to see it.
From the photo it looks like a great place to see 70mm.
Keep posting these great ads CC.
Saw this on a sunday afternoon. Waited on line for about an hour.
First Easter show for me. And of course loved the movie. Audience did to.
I was totally blown away by Glory of Easter.
Included an act the kind of which might have been popular once in Vaudeville but I assume no longer exists. A lady on a horse in a kind of circus costume. Some guy on the choral stairs released birds and they landed on her. Don’t remember what she exactly did with them but even as a child I thought it a bit strange. The finale included the Rockettes dancing in a set of the RC Plaza.
The Music Hall I believe had somewhere around 3 move overs from roadshow at the beginning of its history. It should have continued the policy in preference to some of the poor first run films they showed. Do you know what year the first Glory of Easter was produced?
Thank you. So this could then have been a publicity photo with all the Rockettes including the substitutes. I do know there were always an additional 10 beyond the 36 one saw on stage until the line was cut to 30 in the 70s.
Not sure if this is ‘37 or even the Rockettes.
The Music Hall opened with 46 Roxyettes which is the number here.
Not sure when the number was cut by 10 and the name change took place.
Even I think this is a very sad picture.
One of the strangest most distasteful films to ever play Radio City at Easter.
Despite its good reviews word of mouth traveled fast and it did poorly and this during a time when holiday shows at the Hall always did well. George Roy Hill said he never wanted another of his films to play there.
Its incongruity at the Hall as a holiday movie was surpassed the following year at Easter with the bleak gritty violent Operation Crossbow. I’m not sure what the programmers there were thinking.
Still its a great ad and made you think you were going to see a bright and funny Peter Sellers' comedy which you definitely did not.
You would have to wait a number of weeks for that. And it would be a classic.
I remember reading once that Spielberg was not happy that Close Encounters had an initial exclusive engagement in markets.
From the beginning he wanted a huge roll out for block buster grosses.
It is amazing the Ziegfeld lasted this this long. It was a white elephant a long time ago.
This makes so much sense when the retail space can go above it instead. Even if this succeeds what are the long term consequences for such an old building? Nobody has any idea. For God’s sake why can’t they leave the theater as it is?
Miserable wretched Ed Koch who did everything he could to destroy the Morosco and Helen Hayes(not to mention the Gaiety, Astor and Bijou)must be dancing a jig in hell.
Interesting that a theater of this enormous size could show South Pacific for 4 years and Sound of Music for 3(maybe longer if 20th Century didn’t want it for Star. It was pulled from NY’s Rivoli despite management’s objections because the studio wanted it for Sand Pebbles.)
I too would love to see interior photos from its roadshow days.