Rivoli Theatre
1620 Broadway,
New York,
NY
10019
1620 Broadway,
New York,
NY
10019
49 people
favorited this theater
Showing 251 - 275 of 1,005 comments
For the exhibition side of the industry, Vincent Canby was probably the most knowledgeable critic/reporter that The New York Times ever had. Prior to joining the NYT, Canby had many years of experience covering exhibition for Variety and before that for Quigley’s Motion Picture Herald.
And the article was written by Vincent Canby who I have no doubt had no interest in fact checking anything about these 2 films mentioned and just copied what was in the handed out press release. Being that this was very recent history didn’t the manager of the Rivoli notice this?
I understand the Rivoli,I believe I read this in an old Variety on microfilm, itself was not happy about letting go of SOM and fought to hold on to it being that it was still so successful.
I can’t understand why the film didn’t have its ‘73 big ballyhooed rerelease there. I was old enough to finally have seen it in one of my favorite movie theaters. You know 'The Sound of Music returns home!’ that kind of thing. Instead it played at the National a theater I didn’t like so I didn’t bother.
The Sand Pebbles is like Zhivago. Why oh why wasn’t it filmed in 70MM? Was it that expensive at that point when other films were still doing it and both Wise and Lean would use it for their next films?
Other films of the era that definitely could have used it were Hawaii, Oliver! and Funny Girl.
There’s a NYTimes article in the photo section that raises those issues.
Sorry, Vindanpar. I don’t understand that first part of your comment. Where does it say WSS played for 113 weeks and what does it have to do with 1966 anyway?
WSS played 113 weeks at the Rivoli?
It opened there in I believe Oct of ‘61. Cleopatra opened there in summer of '63.
I guess they weren’t teaching math in ‘66.
And Sound of Music would have been Rivoli’s longest run.
Very odd.
Unless I’m the one to have to take remedial math or my reading comprehension is nil.
I spoke to Wise asking him what happened to the plaque in the lobby dedicated to him listing his films that had played at the theater when they tore it down. He said he hadn’t thought of that plaque since it was put up.
I hope some movie buff stole it and it still exists somewhere.
I also saw A Bridge a Too Far at the Rivoli, but no Joe Levine…:(
Hello-
many years ago I attended the opening day performance of A Bridge To Far. as an added treat Joseph E. Levine was outside the Rivoli in a comfy chair greeting people as they bought tickets.
Movies I saw at the Rivoli included JAWS, which was quite a thrill on that gigantic screen. THE PINK PANTHER STRIKES AGAIN (I think I saw it there), THE OUTLAW JOSEY WALES, THE GAUNTLET, CAPRICORN ONE, MOONRAKER, 1941, WHERE THE BUFFALO ROAM, THE ISLAND and BUSTIN' LOOSE. I saw a few after it was twinned including GHOST STORY, the two CONAN movies, PSYCHO II and TANK. The only movies I saw there after it was renamed the United Artists Twin, were BACK TO SCHOOL and THREE AMIGOS. NYC could really use a place like the Rivoli and Loews Astor Plaza again.
I posted on the Music Hall page. That woman was correct but she got the year wrong. It was ‘75.
And the Music Hall did indeed show long epics with their stage shows. Not only SOM, but also GWTW, 2001 and Dr.Z. And though I didn’t see the other films SOM had its intermission as well.
PS: To the left my picture with Redford and George roy Hill…The Great Waldo Pepper.
I was in high school when I saw the Sound Of music Myron, and you ar right it was at the Rivoli NYC. I remember saying to myself how I would like to manage it some day….1975 I did.
A poster claims that she saw The Sound of Music in 1965 when she was a little girl at the Radio City Music Hall. She is mistaken; it was the Rivoli I am sure. Radio City never presented long epics with intermissions as the RCMH included a stage show with the Rockettes. A 4 hour long show was never allowed.
Thanks for the recent pics of the Rivoli at twilight in the early 60s. Wish I had been around then to go to these roadshow movies. I’m sure I would have gone multiple times.
Going to a multiplex to see contemporary movies does absolutely nothing for me. A DVD at home will do fine.
techman707, September 14, 2014 at 10:18 A.M.: “Thanks to the consent decrees beginning in 1940 onward, the Loews/MGM relationship was ended. Not only did it HURT the industry (including the independent exhibitors), it forced Loews to shut down, sell or permanently close HUNDREDS of theatres across the country. Today, ANYTHING GOES. With everything going on today, we will either wind up with NO THEATRES, or ONE COMPANY running virtually every theatre that’s left. Does a particular company or two come to mind? And finally, does ANYONE care?”
Yes, Techman, at least one company comes to my mind: AMC. But, mercifully, they pulled out of the Lansing, Michigan area (where I now live) in the early 90’s. (Let’s hope they don’t make a comeback here!)
And yes, indeed, I do care. It would be nice to see some of the independent, old-time movie houses saved and updated so future generations can enjoy them. (Three examples of these in my area are the Eaton Theater in Charlotte, Michigan, which now has two screens – one in the former balcony area – but with all-digital projection; the Sun Theater, a single-screener in Grand Ledge, Michigan, also now all-digital; and another Sun Theater, this one in Williamston, Michigan and is another single-screener with digital projection.)
And the Consent Decree you were referring to was decided by the Supreme Court in 1948 in United States vs. Paramount Pictures, Inc. The Court ruled that the movie studios owning their own theaters was a violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act.
Here is a link to an article about that at Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_v.Paramount_Pictures,Inc.
This should shed some light on why, in the example you mentioned, Loew’s had to divorce MGM from their holdings and why the other studios who owned theaters had to do the same.
1925 photo added courtesy of the Quality Retro Oldies 1900s-1970s. Facebook page.
1932 “White Zombie” marquee photo added courtesy of Doug Simmons.
Re several comments back. Maybe going pay for view would be a good idea. Movies come and go without any distribution. Contenders for Golden Globe Big Eyes and Cake had almost zip distribution. Before Academy Awards Birdman was a tough film to find.
Happy 50th to “The Sound of Music,” which world premiered at the Rivoli on this day in 1965.
On a related note, some longtime Cinema Treasures readers might recall a Sound of Music 45th anniversary retrospective article I posted here five years ago. I’m in the process of updating it for the 50th anniversary, so please contact me (or post here or on the article’s page) if you note anything that ought to be added, deleted, updated, corrected, etc. Thank you.
markp yes the studios are destroying the biz they have been wanting to eliminate the theaters and go to pay per view for years and they are succeeding
techman707, when I lost my job as projectionist in May of 2013 (after 37 years) the owner I was working for said that the film companies would love to see all theatres gone and have everything go to pay per view. Now I dont know if this could happen, but you never know.
robboehm on May 5, 2014 at 9:46 am “techman, apparently you do not recall the demolition of the Bijou, Helen Hayes and Morosco legits, three in a row, as well as the Astor some 25 years ago. Big shiny building went up which now houses the Marquis.” =–=–=–=–=–=–=–=– My interest is in MOVIE THEATRES! When you compare how many “very special” movie theatres were destroyed or demolished, verses legitimate theaters, virtually NO LEGIT theaters were demolished (and probably NONE were destroyed.
When you say the Astor, I assume you’re referring to the old Astor and the Victoria to the right of it down the street? As for “Loew’s Astor Plaza”, that is NO GREAT LOSS! Thanks to the consent decrees beginning in 1940 onward, the Loews/MGM relationship was ended. Not only did it HURT the industry (including the independent exhibitors, it forced Loews to shut down, sell or permanently close HUNDREDS if theatres across the country. Today, ANYTHING GOES. With everything going on today, we will either wind up with NO THEATRES, or ONE COMPANY running virtually every theatre that’s left. Does a particular company or two come to mind? And finally, does ANYONE care?
techman, apparently you do not recall the demolition of the Bijou, Helen Hayes and Morosco legits, three in a row, as well as the Astor some 25 years ago. Big shiny building went up which now houses the Marquis.
Demolishing the Rivoli Theatre is just FURTHER PROOF that the NYC Landmarks & Preservation Commission is not only WORTHLESS, but, quite possibly corrupt.
You can only wonder WHAT THEY WERE THINKING to allow a theatre with the historic significance of the “Rivoli Theatre” to be torn down. Yet, try tearing down one of the legit (live performance house)theaters on 44th Street and see if you could get away with it. Mind you, I’m not suggesting that ANY OF THOSE THEATERS should be eliminated, because I’m not. I view those as just as historic and should be protected. It just seems that motion picture theatres appear to have no historic value in the minds of the L&PC members.
For over two decades, the RKO Keith’s-Flushing, a spectacular “atmospheric theatre”. A theatre that uses twinkling stars and a special ceiling that utilizes a special projector that projects clouds that slowly changing shape as it moves across the ceiling. The end result makes you feel (and it really works) like you are sitting out in the open watching the movie.
They say there are only 5 functioning atmospheric theatres left in the United States. Here in NYC, we probably had one of the BEST examples, but we’re letting it just ROT!
Thanks Ed. The lowered projection ports is what made me think it was the Rivoli. I guess this was not that uncommon in the 50’s as various widescreen processes caused changes in the theater layouts. I will say that SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS probably gives us one of the best looks at what parts of NYC looked like in the fifties.
The shot of Tony Curtis, as Falco, watching Hunsecker’s sister enter the theater, was filmed at the corner of W. 54th Street and Sixth Avenue. The bar and restaurant behind him is now the site where the New York Hilton is located. That would make it appear that the theater itself was the original Ziegfeld Theatre. However, neither the interior shots of the theater, nor the exterior showing the sister entering (and later the Marty Milner character in the outside foyer) were shot at the Ziegfeld.
Suggesting it was the Ziegfeld actually makes sense, since at the time of the filming, that theater had been used by NBC as a television studio. But the exterior shots are of a different facade, just judging from the windows and storefront immediately to the right of the marquee.
As for the Rivoli, by this time (1957) the interior had already been streamlined for its wide-screen road show retrofit. The interior shots in the film show far too much original vintage ornamentation to be the Rivoli – not to mention the design around the proscenium is a bit different. I don’t know where they filmed those shots, but it is definitely an old movie palace that had been retrofitted for direct-throw wide-screen projection (you can glimpse the new booth, cut into center of the loge, in the background), just not the Rivoli.