Rivoli Theatre
1620 Broadway,
New York,
NY
10019
1620 Broadway,
New York,
NY
10019
49 people
favorited this theater
Showing 326 - 350 of 1,005 comments
I loved this theatre from the moment I saw it at age 13 in 1968, The film Star! was playing its Roadshow Engagement and the theatre was decked out!. That was always the good thing about the Rivoli,the marquee and outdoor displays for the roadshow engagements were great.
I was only in the theatre once, in 1969 to see Sweet
Charity. If I recall correctly there was an orchestra level as well as a lodge and balcony. And ushers to seat you.
Over the years I took many pics of the theatre, of course for Star!, but also for Sweet Charity, Hello, Dolly! and a little something called Justine. It really upset me when the theatre was twinned, and then torn down for that awful skyscraper w/ Carolines Comedy Club on street level.
I miss road shows! Saw THE SOUND OF MUSIC and GONE WITH THE WIND at the Rivoli. Such a beautiful theatre. We just didn’t have anything like it in Springfield, Mo where I grew up. I live in Kansas City now and all the picture palaces have been multiplexed (Main Street), torn down (Glenwood) or turned into live venues like the Midland.
It’s up and running now:
http://cinematreasures.org/blog/2011/10/21/happy-50th-west-side-story
Saps: I was six years old on 10/18/1961, so any memories I have will be second-hand. The soundtrack album was played in my house several times a week for years. I was aware that it was playing at the Rivoli and I really wanted to go, but couldn’t find anyone to take me. My Aunt Connie saw it there and told me how great it was. I almost saw it in its exclusive North Jersey run at the Bellevue in Upper Montclair NJ in the summer of 1962 with my older cousin, but that fell through. I had to wait till April 1963 to see it in 35mm at the Route 3 Drive-In in Rutherford NJ, but it was worth the wait. Just two weeks ago I finally saw it in 70mm in Seattle. That too was worth waiting for, even if it took 50 years.
Looks like there are technical problems at CT. The photos at the top of each theater page are gone. Maybe this has something to do with Michael Coate’s West Side Story page not being posted yet?
I’d like to read it too. WEST SIDE STORY is being shown in theatres for one night only Wed, Nov 9th sponsored in part by Turner Classic Movies. As I never got to see this in 70mm, I figure that this showing, digital presentation will be the closest as far as sharp images go. Can’t wait to see it. And the blu ray comes out a week later.
POST IT CT! Many of us want to read it.
I would like to mention to any interested parties that I had prepared and submitted a 50th anniversary tribute article for “West Side Story” for posting in today’s news section to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the film’s world premiere at the Rivoli. I have no idea why the CT folks have chosen not to post it.
Ross, Patrick, Zoldessy… What happened???
Happy 50th anniversary, West Side Story, which premiered here on October 18, 1961.
Any memories or background on this event would be appreciated.
Sometimes the answer to a question is hiding in plain sight. In this case, I would venture to guess that the Douglas Fairbanks ribbon cutting ceremony, referred to in my previous post, was for the premiere of his film “A Modern Musketeer,” which opened the Rivoli Theatre back in 1917 – as clearly stated in the opening paragraph to the introductory comments at the top of this page!
According to the September 14th, 1981, issue of New York Magazine, looks like the Rivoli closed on September 11 of that year, to begin work on dividing the theater into a twin. The last movie to play in the big single screen house was the gimmicky 3-D western pastiche “Coming At Ya!,” which opened on August 21st.
A week or so later, an article in the New York Times, dated September 19th, notes that the clock was turned back to the 1950’s near Broadway and 50th Street for the filming of the movie “My Favorite Year” – a movie inspired by Mel Brooks' memories of an appearance by Errol Flynn on Sid Ceasar’s Your Show of Shows. The article goes on to state: “To make it all look authentically 50’s in the 80’s, the marquee on the Rivoli Theater facing north within the camera angle read ‘'House of Wax’‘ – the very movie then playing; to the south, the marquee told the truth – the Rivoli is being converted into a twin-cinema house.”
There are no further listings for the Rivoli Theatre in New York Magazine until the December 14th, 1981, issue, which notes that the movies “Heartbeeps” (Andy Kauffman comedy about robots) and “Ghost Story” were opening, respectively, at the Rivoli #1 and #2 on December 16th.
Interesting factoid related to the movie “Ghost Story”: A December 17th, 1981, article in the Times mentions that one of the film’s stars, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., was asked to cut a ribbon at the theatre as part of a promotion for the film, which publicists told him echoed a similar ceremonial task his father, silent film star Douglas Fairbanks Sr., had performed for one of his own films. Per the article: “Mr. Fairbanks said he remembered nothing of that years-ago Rivoli event. ‘I presume they’re going to tell me about it,’ he said. ‘I guess I’ll have to pretend I do.’ ”
I wonder if the “Ghost Story” promotion was, in part, to mark the re-opening of the Rivoli as a twin cinema. No mention as to which Fairbanks Sr. movie was associated with that earlier ribbon cutting.
The Roxy Theatre was Fox’s number one prestige house and the Rivoli got the rest .
In the late 1940s, did Twentieth Century Fox book the Rivoli for its prestige pictures? i.e, “Captain from Castile” opened there on Christmas Day, 1947.
Something to tie your last two posts together, Tinseltoes, (and re-activate my notifications for this page) is that “To Be or Not to Be” was an Alexander Korda presentation – though it appears he did not take an actual producing role in that great Lubitch film.
THANKS ALALVEREZ…
Movieland
/theaters/2925/
OK my Broadway brains…been trying to remeber a theare at Broadway and 47th street…where Roxy Deli is now. The exit doors would put you on 47th street facing the Orleans…
i think Moss ran it in the late 70’s…
Thanks in advance..
Hadn’t realized that Modern Times had such an enormous popular appeal to have had such a distinctive world premiere at such a prestigious venue. I may be guilty of having underestimated the tremendous appeal of CC which obviously was not limited to revival festival crowds at the New Yorker in the ‘60s.
It is hard to believe that 46 years ago today, “TSOM” had its world premiere at the Rivoli Theatre. Those were the days. If we knew then what the future would be (or lack thereof) of these palaces, would or could anything have been done to begin preservation activities? Of course, it’s all water under the dam now.
You are quite welcome. If I find more images of New York, and especially Times Square, I will post a notice for sure.
I love the thought of stepping back in time, and I think through photographs we have the ability to do that, to a certain extent of course. I often have that “I wonder where they are now” thought about the people in my grandfather’s pictures. Most, I’m sure, are no longer around, but some might be.
If I find more Times Square images I will add them to the site and flag them for you all to see.
This picture of a Rivoli sign painter was taken in 1954 by my grandfather.
View link
Internationally, “Taras Bulba” and “Bye Bye Birdie” were among the first 70mm blow-ups. In the United States, “The Cardinal” was the first 70mm blow-up.
I stand corrected. I always thought the Rivoli played THE LONGEST DAY and in 70MM. What was the first picture to be blown up from 35mm to 70mm? Wasn’t DOCTOR ZHIVAGO a blow up?
ennis… It would appear you are misremembering.
“The Longest Day” played its 33-week New York roadshow run at the Warner, not the Rivoli. The presentation would have been 35mm, not 70mm, as a technique for blowing up 35mm-shot films to 70mm had not yet been developed.
There were 70mm prints for the film’s 1968/69 re-release.
I believe “South Pacific” was shown as a roadshow engagement after moving over from the Criterion.