Rivoli Theatre
1620 Broadway,
New York,
NY
10019
1620 Broadway,
New York,
NY
10019
49 people
favorited this theater
Showing 101 - 125 of 1,005 comments
NY Times, December 28, 1917; MISHAP DELAYS THE RIVOLI’S OPENING. A postponement of the opening of the new Rivoli Theatre, at Broadway and Forty-ninth Street, was made necessary yesterday afternoon by the collapse of a portion of the stage as it was being put into place.
On the following day, a review of the opening night says that “the theatre has a platform rather than a stage”.
The Rivoli had a small shallow stage. Somebody posted pictures here of stage presentations. In its later years an electronics shop was built there where the lower long horizontal billboard used to be. It also had a large rear door/gate where I imagine sets and instruments were brought in. If you saw the rear you could see it was at one time a presentation house that would have had the facilities that it would have required for orchestral, performer and set needs. Much more modest though than the larger palaces. It’s possible it was added later if it was not part of the original design.
I don’t think the Rivoli ever had stage facilities – nor do I see how it could have. As I remember, the theater was oriented in a straight line from front entrance to screen as you entered on Broadway. The rear wall where the screen was would have been right along the Seventh Ave sidewalk. Perhaps there was some small access space behind the screen, but given the size of the theatre and dimensions of the lot on which it sat, there would have been no space to build workable stage and backstage area.
I loved this theater. So way too many movies there. Over the years I have read that it had and that it had not. The question is did it possess a stage or stage facilities? I read somewhere on Cinema Treasures that a stage was added to keep it competitive but it had been built without one. I have to dig it out to verify but I believe that the Ben Hall book says that it did not. Does anyone know definitively?
The book is about “THE FALL OF THE FILM MUSICALS IN THE 1960’s”, so it makes a negative argument from the start.
Yes that’s certainly the best way. Get it out of library and decide for yourself if you find it informative. For you if you do I’d find it surprising. I don’t remember the time span it covers.
Maybe I should read it as well. Maybe it’s better than I remembered, I mean it really can’t be as bad, and I’d have to eat my hat. Didn’t we discuss another one as well that was kind of a mess?
The Kennedy book is readily available at your local public library; if not, I’m sure they can request it within their system.
Hello-
to vindanpar- does Kennedy’s book discuss musical roadshows only of the ‘60s? for me the modern era of roadshows started with Oklahoma(Oct. 1955) to Man of La Mancha (Dec. 1972). while there were many musicals released during the 60s I’m hedging the bet more were released on a continuous performance basis to use an old term rather than on a roadshow basis. in other words if Kennedy sticks to only roadshow musicals of the '60s it must be a shorter book.
Well the book has been written since and puts the whole roadshow policy in a negative light never acknowledging its advantages in terms of presentation. Dolly got good reviews too and Sound of Music got some staggeringly bad ones. In some ways worse in that there were those who felt that Wise were attackingly them personally. I haven’t looked at his book in a while but found simply reading certain sections all he did was quote others who didn’t like them.
Does he give the history of the roadshow film from the beginning of the 20th Century? Does he talk about the theaters where they played and what the experience was like? How it motivated a certain kind of filmmaking? I got the impression from what I saw he took no sense of the showbusiness historical sense of how it developed and why it fell out of use. It was in its dogged way a poorly thought out lazy book.
Remember the critics of the time for some reason turned on this kind of prestige filmmaking(oddly one who did Pauline Kael loved Oliver! Funny Girl and Fiddler on the Roof.) But they turned with viciousness on David Lean with Ryan’s Daughter which certainly fit the description of a hardticket film traumatizing this man who you know had to have an ego the size of a continent to achieve what he did depriving us the films of a master for more than a decade. And this movie today is draw dropping with the storm sequence one of the greatest put ever put on film with no CGI or special effects.
Kennedy’s book is only wrong if you consider what has happened since. His quotes are legitimate from the film’s bad reviews back then. Fair or not, Barbra Streisand was seen as too young for the role and the film’s musical numbers were often reviewed as being severly over-produced.
bigjoe59
Mr. Kennedy never went to a roadshow movie in his life. Though he’s certainly old enough. His research was other people’s books and Variety on microfilm.
He probably never even knew the Rivoli existed until he compiled his paste and copy ‘book.’ I assume he’s seen most of the movies he talks about in some video format. Probably vhs tape.
Hello-
I love your comment since I well remember your comments on Kennedy’s book “Musical Roadshows”. I wonder if he even saw Hello Dolly in its original TODD-AO projection at this theater.
It begins with another dinosaur brain remark by Matthew Kennedy who knows as much about roadshow movies as Helen Keller knew about the works of Egon Schiele.
I REMEMBER THAT NIGHT…THAT’S THE NIGHT I FELL IN LOVE…WITH THE RIVOLI, THAT IS. SAID I WILL RUN THIS PLACE SOME DAY…I BECAME MANAGER IN 75.
Here is the link to a new “Hello, Dolly!” 50th anniversary retro article featuring a historian Q&A and roadshow chronology (which, of course, includes mention of its world premiere run at the Rivoli).
For anyone who wants to see the back wall of the Rivoli with its 7th Av billboard when it was showing 80 Days there is a photo of it on ebay. I had never seen it before though there are a number of photos of the front marquee. From France $165.There must be some fan of the Rivoli with deep pockets.
Not the ones I have from NYC or Philadelphia.
Do any of the programs have the name of the theater in the outside? Or the inside?
I knew years ago a guy who collected souvenir programs and there were so many variations of Birth of a Nation from this country and in Europe I couldn’t believe it.
I think I linked to many images I had in a photobucket account long ago. But yes, I’ll have to take some new photos of what I have and upload them appropriately. Though, I don’t have many from the classic roadshow period… most of my collection are of the mainstream release variety, picked up at both NYC houses and at the neighborhood theatre candy counter.
Hello-
to vindanpar- you comment is the very problem i was discussing. many years ago i was at a memorabilia shop in L.A. and the owner let me browse thru the stakes in back since i had shopped there for many years. just as i was walking into the stacks the owner said “we just got in the program for The Birth of a Nation”. my heart almost jumped of my chest. unfortunately the program while not falling apart was so worn there was no point in buying it eventhough he was only charging $25.
Ok, I have started to post photos of books- but please, post them at the right theater! where those movies were roadshown.
So please post some of yours, VinDanPar, or anyone else… It’s the one element that is missing from many of these threads
Who owns a cell phone anymore?! That’s so 20th Century.
Just kidding bigjoe.
I’ve gotten a few I didn’t have on ebay and it was a mistake. Very worn.
Well, you are using a computer so here are two simple ideas:
Find a friend with a smart phone or a tablet, take pictures with his device, sign into Cinema treasures, and then post the photos.
Find a friend with a smart phone or tablet, take pictures with his device, have him email you the pictures, and then you can save them to your computer and then post them here.
Voila…!