Radio City Music Hall
1260 6th Avenue,
New York,
NY
10020
1260 6th Avenue,
New York,
NY
10020
116 people
favorited this theater
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There is some comfort knowing that a professional such as yourself is still able to practice his craft on a full time basis – but, at the risk of embarrassing you, I’d say that your impeccable credentials have placed you in very rarefied air. What makes it all so bittersweet is knowing that you ply your trade for a very narrow audience of “industry insiders” and that the general public is rarely treated to any semblance of the showmanship in which the very best of your profession take such great pride.
I like what you say about CT filling in the role of a memoir. I’ve often thought of gathering all of my comments here to create a sort of moviegoing journal for myself. Of course, in my case, I’d be doing so for the narrowest of audiences – myself! In any event, I’m grateful that you’ve taken the time to post your thoughts and memories here – as I’m grateful for the contribution of all the industry professionals who regularly visit this site. Thanks!
Vito: The Preview Rooms are now offices (or at least were when I left in 2000.) At one point they became CineMix, a re-recording facility that moved out about the time I started in 1974. We used preveiw B, the smaller of the two rooms originally used as as an RKO screening room, to screen shorts and film effects we were editing for the stage shows. Preview A was the larger room, and at one point they screened a movie every evening during the dinner break for the cast and crew. Since the Rockettes could never make it out to a movie on the break, “Gone With The Wind” was screened in Preview A over two evenings for them. The cast and crew screenings were probably not enitrely altruistic on the part of management, they helped keep everyone from getting soused during the break! We did restore Preview A to some extent, but never really used it. The booths are (or were) still there, since they are nitrate booths, and it would take some doing to knock them out, but they were filled with office supplies and files the last time I saw them.
The real loss was the broadcast studio which was to originate Roxy’s show. It contained a two manual Wurlitzer which was a smaller relative of the one downstairs, and was copper shielded to prevent RF interference. It contained tie lines to NBC across the street. It became Plaza Sound when I was there, and the tracks for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade were recorded there. It was large enough for the whole Radio City orchestra to rehearse, and really was a state of the art studio with adjustable acoustic panels on the walls. The organ was ripped out an exiled to the Harlem warehouse, where without heat or air-conditioning I’m sure its turned to dust by now. (Maybe one of the Bishops can update us.) The space was then turned into more office space, although I think most of that staff is now working from MSG headquarters at the Garden. I do have a vinyl L.P. Riverside recording of the Broadcast Studio Wurlitzer made in the early days of stereophonic L.P.’s which tracks from the inside out to give the best sound to the widest grooves at the outside of the disc. I was also lucky enough to hear the instument played in person. We all felt that loss when it was removed.
Ed, Thanks for your interest. A lot of people over the years have made that suggestion, but I’m afraid that the audience would be to narrow to get a book into publication. However I’m hoping Cinema Treasures will kind of fill that role. If you click on my name you can pretty much follow my history from Illinois to New York by accessing the theatres listed. Perhaps someone who is doing a history of theatres will be interested enough to compile some of my recollections into a cohesive whole. I’ve been very lucky. I say I’ve been hanging around projection booths learning my craft from B.C. to A.D. — “Before Cinerama” to “After Digital”. Obviously the Hall is the peak (and still shows up in my dreams more than any other venue I’ve worked in), but I’ve worked in movie and television studios, re-recording facilities, film labs and even projected a three-projector montage on the front of the Metropolitan Opera House from a cabin on a fork lift that raised it 15' in the air. I can’t think of another time where being a projectionist could have been more fun. And the amazing thing is — I’m still at it at least 40 hours a week!
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One more thing, can any of you boys supply photos of the booth, both past and current? Perhaps a link
Gee Rob, your comments about the booth elimination just depressed the heck out of me. Time marches on as they say, nothing last forever. I would certainly not want to see or be a part of the changes in the Hall operation that have been made and are underway. I am happy you were spared that, and have your memories to share with us.
Rob or RCDTJ, Are the preview rooms still operational and are they ever used?
I only do the service work there on the equipment for the Christmas show. I think CTS does the service for any other film showings. Thats just how they do it now. They consider the Christmas show separate from any of the other events, as far as the booth is concerned. As far as being one of the projectionists there for the Christmas show, there are a lot of adjustments to make with the film. Remember, the sound for all the films that we run do not come from our soundheads. The sound comes from tape run from the sound room. We are synced with them through encoder motors on the soundhead. So there is constant changing of the length of leader we use at the beginning of each film. We start the 3-D projectors about 20 seconds before the music starts. We don’t actually hit the screen for another 7-10 minutes.
REndres, you ought to write a book about your experiences at the Hall and in the business in general. It may have a narrow audience, but I think it would be much appreciated by all of us who are interested in such matters!
Vito, When I started at the Hall in 1974 it was a museum of Simplex gear. Rear Projection (sorry to hear that its really gone) had a Simplex Regular on an RCA soundhead with a Hall & Connelly lamp which was a predecessor to the Peerless HyCans in the main booth. Preview A had Simplex Supers, Preview B Simplex E-7’s, and the main booth had the original black case XL’s in 1 & 5 positions, and Simplex 35/70’s in 2, 3 and 4 spots. The original main booth just had four machines, but they knocked out the wall between the booth and the rewind room/Brenograph booth to make room for the #5 machine as we always had three machines in the feature format, another for shorts and trailers and one for use for film effects in the stage show. Leon Leonidoff always wanted more projectors than we had available for use in his stage “spectaculars”. At one point I was pictured in a National Theatre Supply handout pointing out that every model Simplex machine made was in place in the Hall.
I must say, that while I’m not usually sentimental about the past (and indeed am really enthusiastic about the potential for digital cinema) I am sorry to see the booths at the Hall being eliminated. (I used to have nightmares while I was still there about the booths being sacked. I remember some suit from another venue remarking about how the space would make really nice Sky Boxes. Now its happened.) When I was at the Hall there was still a clear line to its past. I’d like to remember it that way. I’m glad I got out when I did.
REndes, Have you stopped any involvemenr with the Hall?
I must say once again, thanks for you conributions to this page.
We have learned so much about what went on behind the scenes, things I always wondered about. The love you have for this theatre is very evident in the way you write about it. Some day when you have the time and inclination, I am sure many of us would live to hear what your typical day was like when the Hall was in the movie/stage show format. Basically,what your duties were from start to finish of your shift. Did you keep a journal?
RCDT, it’s great to have you here picking up where Rob left off.
Aside from the obvious, how does your work day today differ from the one Rob had.
Bob, the rear booth has been bricked up. There is nothing visible from the stage anymore.
Warren, my point was that any kind of film shows at RCMH are pretty much coming to an end there.
Vito, video shows are still in the first mezz. The booth is becomming a very quiet place. Projectors 1,4,and 5 were wrapped up in plastic after last years Christmas show. They werent unwrapped this year and probably will never be again. Projector 1&2 in the booth are 35MM only. It sure looks like they may be the original 2 projectors that were in the booth. The serial numbers on the heads are something like 50 and 51. Projectors 2,3, and 4 are 35/70 Simplex. 2&3 are 7000Watt bulbs. 1,4, and 5 are 4500Watt bulbs.
“McArthur” was at least one “Premiere” at the Hall in the days when I was there. The opening evening featured a contingent from West Point, and the stars including Gregory Peck. Among those attending was Frank Sinatra and his wife. The next day the regular run commenced. I think we also did a premire event for the dreadful “Matilda” just before it started its run. And technically, “The Lion King”, “Black Cauldron” and “Return To Oz” premieres preceded runs, although in the latter cases the house was indeed “four-walled” to Disney.
RCDTJ: Has the rear projection booth been eliminated? There’s a Dave Matthews Radio City concert Blu-Ray DVD that’s being used for demo purposes at the new Best-Buy at Columbus Circle, and with HD on a 65" plasma screen the exposed back wall can clearly be seen. Either they bricked (tiled?) up the opening to rear projection, or they styled the audience side of the fire shutters to match the back wall to make the opening invisible. That booth and the storage space above it was actually a “bubble” on the back wall of the theatre that extended into the A.P. building space which was built around it. (There’s a picture of the back of the theatre before the A.P. building was built and you can see the rear projection booth hanging outside the theatre.) I could see why the A.P. building management might want to eliminate it and reconfigure the space, but on the other hand the theatre has extended into that building in the last overhaul. The use of rear projection has probably been negated by the video wall for scenic use, but I always enjoyed working up there.
RCDT, it sure is a shame. Are projectors 1&5 35mm only, and are they two of the original machines prior to the 70mm instalation?
How are you running Digital these days, I recall at one time a projector had been set up in thr first mezz for some shows.
Reminder everyone,“Wheel Of Fortune” is being broadcasst from RCMH all this week and next. AND they use the curtain.
Yes, up until this year, all 5 projectors were used during the Christmas show. Now, only 2 will be used. That will be for the 70MM 3-D. Projectors 1 and 5 have most likely been used for the last time and will never run again. Projector 3 is the main one used for premieres with projector 4 as a back up. Projectors 2 and 3 are used for the 3-D. Pretty soon though, nothing up there will be used. What a shame.
Exactly. Radio City rarely runs film ANYMORE. Very soon you will not see it at all there.
why not? The Hall has more seats than the Z. The Ziegfeld is the movie theater most people think of when going to New York. Radio City is for everything else.
Well most premieres are held at the Ziegfeld Theatre. Only a few are held at the Radio City.
Unless the movies premiere on video, you’re lucky if one film a year runs here.
the die hard movie was one. As for the strike, there might be fewer movies premiering at the hall come 2009 or later.
Speaking of strikes, the writer’s strike could mean fewer movie premieres at rcmh.
Thanks bill, I thought that might be the case. I would not want another situation like last years musicians strike.
The boys behind the scenes are very hard working and dedicated professionals. I wish all the best for the stagehands.
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vito – radio city has a seperate agreement with local one
only on MSG’s cable outlets, such as Cablevision and Service Electric. Direct TV might have it, and perhaps Dish. Call your cable/satellite operator, or try to find it on youtube soon.
Will this RCHM/MSG show be shown outside of New York metro area?