Radio City Music Hall
1260 6th Avenue,
New York,
NY
10020
1260 6th Avenue,
New York,
NY
10020
116 people
favorited this theater
Showing 151 - 175 of 3,326 comments
If you look at the Wikileaks entry, “KING KONG” opened at 99,000 seats in NYC, (so 50,000 was more than enough). The second week dropped 50%, due to the Roosevelt bank holiday and the fact most exploitation films do just that. Still, it was a huge success.
I just posted a NY Times ad for King Kong in the photo section. It says “50,000 Seats Were Not Enough”. The date was March 3, 1933.
NYer with all due respect I appreciate many of your photos but do you feel perhaps in the photo section we should concentrate on the Music Hall’s history as a presentation house rather than a concert venue? Personally I feel a bit of a pang when I see these ads. I realize the Hall still exists because of these concerts but I like seeing people celebrate its glory years as a film and stage show house which made it a cinema treasure.
Thank you for that. I thought it odd it was put into a doc on the Roosevelts and the depression. It seems to come out of nowhere as a consequence of the bank holiday.
The RCMH and the Roxy did humongous business:
https://immortalephemera.com/58216/king-kong-1933/
Supposedly King Kong did very poorly at the Music Hall because that was the week Roosevelt closed the banks. Just saw this recently in a documentary on the Roosevelts. This was news to me. I thought it had been a hit.
Very bad timing indeed. Anybody have access to Variety on microfilm to see what the week’s gross was?
I agree vindanpar, that false proscenium within the original proscenium just looks tacky and cheap. Clearly, the glory days are over.
And eventually in the 70s after the ballet company was eliminated the number of Rockettes on stage was reduced to 30 and they started selling popcorn which of course ended up all over the place.
The Rockefellers were doing everything they could to run the place into the ground. But then the entire way of marketing films had changed and exclusive city engagements would no longer even be considered. I just wish the inevitable end of the Music Hall as a stage show and movie palace had been a bit more dignified.
Regarding the number of Rocketts. During my time at the Music Hall 61 to 64 & 67 to 70. The number on the payroll was 46. There were always 36 on stage, and the rest were on days off.
Those hanging speakers really look bad. I agree about “A Chorus Line.” Miserable screen adaptation. Was a natural for 3D, too. Speaking of 3D: the Music Hall never showed it in the 50s. The theater was too large, and the projectors just couldn’t put out enough light. “Kiss Me, Kate” was shown flat, while it later toured in 3D. (The restoration on Blu-ray is stunning.)
May I point out that once when I said the Music Hall opened with 48 Roxyettes was slapped down by a poster who said from the beginning the Music Hall opened with 36 Roxyettes and he said with firm authority it was always 36. I even pointed to a photo with 48 though I must admit I might have said 46.
And there you have it in the opening ad posted by NYer 48 Roxyettes though yes it was soon to be reduced to 36.
Don’t toy with me fellas when it comes to Music Hall history.
Scherzo.
And see General Yen. A wonderful early Capra talkie. The kind of beautiful poetic commercial film beyond any of today’s directors.
I meant to research that a bit — but from my memory, didn’t Larry Hart see Garbo’s Camille, which was released in 1936 and was not a silent picture. The 1921 silent Camille starred Valentino and Nazimova…
Annie gets it wrong.
Camille opened at the Capitol. Attention to detail is everything.
However in Words and Music which indeed opened at the Music Hall Tom Drake as Richard Rodgers gets it right and finds his way to the Capitol to see the Garbo film.
What I’m not sure of did a stage show accompany Camille at the theater where we see Cyd Charisse dance. Or was this the interim period when the Capitol stopped stage shows before the war?
Last Sundays grammy awards at the garden were the first in nyc since it was held 8 years ago at the hall.
Drone views of the auditorium taken last year can be seen here
I did not see Evita as a film. Madonna kept me away.
It’s worse really? I guess I’ll have to give it a look. Though not a favorite musical the Prince staging was great.
Vindanpar, you must have missed “EVITA”.
A Chorus Line might win by miles worst film adaption of a Broadway musical.
Really astonishing in its ineptitude and bad choices. I’d rather sit through Top Banana at least in memory of RM.
Since “1776” was brought up I thought I’d share the link to an article I put together a couple years ago for the film’s Blu-ray release but which includes a mention of the Radio City run and a director interview.
Per the 1776 ad. Another Music Hall ‘70s hit film that was a flop everywhere else like Darling Lili and Mame. Had On a Clear Day and Lost Horizon opened there it would have been the same thing. Instead they were flops everywhere.
@Simon L. Saltzman – Dear Mr Saltzman, I just rode all your exciting comments (!) but I didn’t find what I’m looking for about the RCMH and the Roxy. Do you know what were their yearly Records in terms of receipts and admissions ? I’m looking for these datas for so many years… Many thanks !
Saw it last night. Awesome as always
This is the exact same problem the Music Hall had when it opened in ‘32. Nobody was interested in the stage show or the Roxyettes. It was a huge fiasco from which Roxy never recovered.
They had to add movies. And as was noted by Variety at the time crowds varied according to the popularity of the movie. Of course the stage show was a big plus and made going to see the film at the Hall an incentive but without a popular film the Hall had acres of empty seats.
And at todays prices it is ludicrous to think anybody outside of a big musical concert star is going to get people into the place.
As per How To Succeed ad NYer just posted'Coffee Break' filmed but cut and lost.
Stereo track also lost which is most unfortunate because what you hear of it on soundtrack album is terrific. So no stereo first run prints were saved. If anything has been found since I was told this years ago let me know.
Harry and Walter ended exclusive area bookings at the Hall. An old time cashier said that was it the place was over. She went back quite a ways. I asked her if she ever thought the place would come to this(hardly any audience, pathetic stage shows) and she said never.