Roxy Theatre

Vito: I would have loved to have seen that booth. There was a picture on the wall at Local #306 which showed what was probably the Roxy booth with the three projectors set up for Cinemiracle and it did seem pretty cramped. Of course when the theatre opened at the end of the silent era, the projectors and lamps themselves were much smaller, so it must have seemed roomy at the time. Was the booth at the Fox H.Q. you refer to in the large screening room? I think there were two there: the big room and a small room for reviewing newsreels. One of the operators on the crew at Radio City worked the big screening room, and I spent time in the booth while waiting to go down for screenings. It was very spacious indeed. Ironically, I now live just down the street from that building (now the High School of Enviorenmental Science) and see it every day from my apartment window.

The comment above about the location of the booth at the Roxy being capable of creating “sharper, more detailed and perhaps larger images than at Radio City” is not quite correct. Image sharpness, detail and size is purely a function of the quality and focal length of the lenses, projectors and light source used to project it. Assuming the booth at the Roxy was about 90' from the screen it would require lenses half the focal length of those at Radio City where the throw is 180' from the screen to achieve the same picture size. There are a whole set of qualifications that determine picture quality. Shorter focal length lenses, since they are magnifying the image much more can have problems with holding the film image in focus since the film is constantly fluttering in the gate due to the heat of the lamp (much like 35mm slides tended to “pop” into focus when they dropped in front of the light). What the booth at the Roxy did share with most of the Rothaphel booths almost a zero angle in relation to the screen which eliminated “keystoning” or making the picture trapezoidal because of the downward angle from a high booth. It also was advantageous when showing Cinemiracle since all three projectors could be locate in the same booth maintaining the zero angle for all three panels. Ben Hall commented in “The Best Remaining Seats” that the first thing Roxy did when he took over the Regent in Harlem was to relocate the booth to the main floor. Spotlight booths have an advantage in a large downward angle since it keeps the light on the performer rather than on the backdrop. Thus the Roxy had a high spot booth at the back of the house. In the Beacon, the spot booth is located above the projection booth. In the Center Theatre, which was intended to run movies, the projection booth was again located at a lower angle. Joseph is right in saying that the Hall wasn’t really supposed to run feature films, but rather the equipment was for projected film effects and perhaps “filler” material. Indeed, the rear projection booth at the Hall is at a better projection angle than the main booth.

These are terrific photos. I remember this well as I was working there at the time in 1950. It is the New York Philharmonic Orchestra with Dimitri Metropolis conducting. It was not really very successful. Notice the sides of the orchestra, loge and balcony are unfilled. I believe Spyros Skouris, head of 20th Century Fox wanted to try something classy and artistic instead of the regular vaudeville type acts. People coming out sometimes would comment to me that what they expected was the line of Roxyettes and headline acts, not a symphony orchestra. My comment was that I happened to like classical music. Ballet dancers Andre Eglevky and Melissa Hayden danced the pas de deux from Don Quixote to give some action.
This was all four times a day so must have been exhausting. I forgot what movie went along with it. Warren may have a schedule of 1950 shows. Look up and notice the stage valance hanging above.
The LIFE photographer must have been behind the orchestra for these magnificent shots. I don’t understand how the entire auditorium is lit. Did they turn up auditorium lights for this LIFE photographer?
Any photographer here who might take a guess?
posted by Richka on Nov 28, 2008 at 12:54pm

Have been to RCMH many times from 1955 through about 2003, but regret never having gotten to the Roxy. When I looked at those photos of the Roxy’s auditorium, I was struck by the same impression as Warren. It looks practically intimate compared to RCMH, where I never understood the notion of the priciest (reserved) seats being in the very distant first mezzanine.

Hey Joseph,
WOW, if you have photos of the rotunda from 1956 it’s not only amazing but I would love to see them. Is it possible you could scan them and send? That really would be great! I’m sure others would like to see them as well.
Thanx, Richka

Yes, this photo does date from 1940s. The oval rug was replaced during late 1940s by a wall-to-wall version. The original oval rug wore out. The scaffolding must be related to a maintence/cleaning effort at the time.

Thanks Joseph. Yes, I agree with you about the period of 1940s and the reason for scaffolding. But I do remember the oval rug still there in 1950 when I worked there because I had to walk around the edge of it on the marble flooring every day to my job on the concession stand. (we were not allowed to walk ON it)!

Warren:
Thanks for the ad.
Couldn’t have been said much better.

This photo puzzles me as well because there is scaffolding there which doesn’t seem to belong if the theater was open. Yet the style of clothes people are wearing plus the military men signify it must have been during the mid 1940s. Any other suggestions?

Hate to be more dense than anyone else here but….how do I get the Roxy demolition photos. I clicked on the only link I saw below but that didn’t seem to do it.

Here are some Roxy related photos. Link is courtesy of “misterboo”.

posted by Lost Memory on Nov 21, 2008 at 1:20pm

These photos are really tragic reminders, especially to those of us who were a part of the Roxy as youngsters. I didn’t know any such photos existed and it is both wonderful and yet sad to have them to view. They went straight into my documents to view again and again. They show exact spots in the theater that I can still remember from the period of 1950-51 when I worked there. I wonder how long did the destruction go on as it was a massive pile. Thankyou lost memory.

Yes. Especially when one has read the account of the Roxy’s opening night in “The Best Remaining Seats”, and then you see how it all ultimately ended. Unfortunately, the demolition photos are the only photos I’ve seen of the Roxy in color. It makes the theatre seem more real, which also makes the tragedy of its destruction more real also.

I don’t know much about projectionists but having been in theater all my life as a performer, I would assume there would be intercommunication between backstage and the projection booth. Backstage is always supervised by the stage manager, with his or her crew of stage hands. The Roxy would have had a full compliment of backstage personel.
Richka

Hi Frank,
I also worked at the Roxy at the same time as you, 1950/51. Not as an usher but on the concession stand in the Rotunda. Also, sometimes at the smaller candy stand in the balcony foyer. Perhaps you remember me. We no doubt have many memories to share of those youthful days.
Richard